Welcome to Sledge City 2

Well this will probably be my last post of the year and I just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone who read my blogs, left comments and sent emails. It's been a lot of fun and very encouraging sharing with people who have the same interests. I hope Santa is good to you and you get all the wee men you would like for Christmas (I have mine already! an AB Late Russian horse battery and Cuirassier regiment and I'm told there are a couple of other items on the way Yipee!!). So have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

To finish off the year a few more pics from Sledgefest 2009. I have to watch what I say with this 1 or I'm in for a doing. I'll just leave it as "my sister and wife enjoying the winter air".

The gang preparing a jump.

To be honest a feeble effort at making a ramp and some how I don't think it's going to be there much longer?

The hard part.

Let's make a snow dog!

A little bit of stunt photography from myself. This is my leg as I dive out the way narrowly avoiding a smash with the 2 sledging maniacs.

We're going to need a bigger sledge!

Can I take some home with me?

Snow Angel!

That's Mai had enough of the outdoors and it's time to get back to the heat, there is only so much cold a filipina can take then it's time to call it a day!

No wonder Jasper was so keen to be with us on the hill! Cats are evil I don't care what anyone says. I know they are planning stuff.




Hope you enjoyed the pics and see you in 2010

Welcome to Sledge City

Well I was lucky this year as the heavy snow fell on my days off so my wife and I were able to have some fun in the snow

My wife ever mindful of safety wore her hat that has her name sewn into it just in case she got lost in the snow.

With loads of snow falling at my sisters house we we're able to make a visit to Sledge City!

Even Jasper the wonder dog got in on the act. Here he is doing his world famous Robert De Niro impression (are you looking at me?).

The Gang take a break from sledging for a family photo.

Some of my nieces have taken up stunt sledging (could be a little more practice is needed?)

My wife really hates the snow and we couldn't get her to smile at all!

The girls went down early to prepare dinner and left us guys to some extreme Sledging. My wife ever vigilant managed to walk all the way down with a spare pair of gloves she had found at the top of the hill thinking they were abandoned! They were however mine!! I had left them there while I was taking some pictures!!! My fingers have still to thaw out!!!!

Apparently young ninja assassins love sledging too!!!

Even I got in on the act. To me, sledgng is an art form. I imagine I am the star performer at the Bolshoi in Moscow as graceful as a swan. As you can see I take it very seriously.

Prussian Workbench 4

I thought it was about time I showed the last of my Prussians I had been working on before I got side tracked by the Russians I bought. The figures are mostly AB as you will see.

This will be the 2nd battalion of my Prussian Guard.

I had the flag already secured on another battalion that has been changed to the West Prussian Grenadier battalion.

Amongst the Prussian infantry I picked up at Kirriemuir were these Jagers. With 1 Old Glory figure added

This is how the figures looked when I bought them. So all I had to do was tidy them up to look like my own style.

I also had put together a Pomeranian Landwher battalion.

These guys have been a lot of fun and are coming along nicely.

I love the variety of figures in the set and I also added in some Old Glory figures from their Landwher with shako pack that I converted.

Last up I had a Prussian Minifigs artillery battery that was short a crew and I had been searching for them for a good while . . .

Well I am glad to say that some kind soul on ebay was selling a full crew for my Prussian howitzer (converted from a British 1!) So now my Prussian foot battery is complete!!!
Now I can put this 1 to bed.

Napoleonic Nostalgia

Well I had a little bit of a lucky find the other day, I was up in the loft getting the Christmas decorations down and stumbled across my old Airfix 54mm Napoleonic figures.

I must have done these around 19 or 20 years ago when I was still at school. I remember I had broken my leg playing rugby and had to fill my time with something other than sport. The 1st figure I did was the Scot's Grey (my wee mum still has it in her glass cabinet) then I moved onto the Polish Lancer. Please excuse any little inaccuracies as I didn't really have a clue back them and I just thought it would be a nice idea to post pics of them.

This was my favourite figure. I know they are a little glossy looking and the blue is a little light but I still am proud of them.

I have bases for all the figures and I think I will finish them off for when my loft is finished and get a gaming area set up. It's nice to look back at what started off my hobby.

Over the years a lot of the little accessories have been knocked off but thankfully I have a little bag with them all safe and sound.

And of course being from Scotland I had to have this guy.

Next month I will be mostly painting Russians!

Well here is the main reason for the sudden dip in my updates a new addition to my collection of a full Russian army needing some care and attention!

I picked up so many Russian figures from my friend Stuart that I just didn't know where to start. Last year Stuart join us in building Napoleonic armies and opted for the Russians but unfortunately it turned out not to be his thing.

In the new lead pile are:
6 x AB Battalions
1 x AB gun battery
A complete set of AB mounted officers and generals

12 x Old Glory battalions
3 x Old Glory Gun Batteries
1 x Old Glory Hussar Regiment 30figs
2 x Cuirassier Regiments of 12figs
30 x Cossacks
A complete set of Old Glory mounted officers and generals
and a whole load of odds and sods.

JP had done a fine job speed painting them and basing them up and now I have started to turn them into my own style to join my army.



It would have been nice if you would have covered the whole figure in black base coat John!

So I had a little tinker with them, cleaned up flash and blacked areas that had been missed and this is roughly what I will be looking to achieve with some finer details added. JP kindly picked up the Russian green he used on Friday for me so I am now ready to start my Russian army. The AB figures will be the main part of my army in future and the Old Glory will be a quick fix to get them onto the table. However when I started tiding up the Old Glory Russians they did look really nice!

In amongst the AB figures was a battalion of my favourite Pavlov's. If I get close to finishing them like this guy I done 17 years ago I will be happy! 1 thing why don't the Pavlovs come with an officer with mitre?








One of the many Old Glory gun batteries I now own. Just a little bit of clean up and these guys will be ready for action.

Quite a daunting task, Old Glory Russians as far as the eye can see.

However they are not badly finished and with a little work I hopefully should have an army together pretty soon.

The Cossacks seem to be absolutely useless on the battlefield in GdB. I think this may be a unit destined for ebay?

JP had made the Old Glory Hussars as 2 different regiments but I have combined them as 1 White Russian Regiment of thirty. I will tidy them further and re-base them on the right sized bases.

I now have the correct colours for the uniforms so I should have these guys finished up quick smart.

So wish me luck with building my new Russian army!

Afternoon Nap(s) 2

So with our 2 cavalry regiments locked in battle and gaining initial success on the right it was time to put our plan into full swing.

With young David being traditionally cautious my 1st brigade swung right to engage his Prussians while making way for my French 2nd brigade.

The 1st brigade would have to be strong as they would take many casualties from the 2 Prussian Brigades but they stood firm and past morale test after morale test!

The Austrian 48 man battalion steadies itself for the coming attack and in the distance David's Infantry advance through the woods in coordination with my own attack and his Cuirassiers got stuck into Roberts cavalry.

Meanwhile out on the right disaster! The dice gods turned against me and despite some encouraging early roles and a 4 up on 1 melee I got hammered. (Both regiments disappeared in minutes!) So here is a picture of the victorious Prussian Dragoons They never perform that well for me?

And of course their Austrian cousins who also wiped the floor with my cavalry. However it was not all lost as the Hussars had to go back to their own lines and the Dragoons were not too close. Perhaps we would have time to execute our assault and knock the Austrians out of the battle before the Allied cavalry could come into play?

To David's delight his Cuirassiers did exactly what it says on the tin and sent both Austrian cavalry regiment off for an early bath which meant in time they would be able to threaten the rear of the Austrian lines. On the far right the 1st brigade was holding together and had managed to stop the the main Prussian advance with a double 6! (at which point I did my fancy double 6 dance) An automatic falter but the general survived unharmed. Ahhhhh!

It was nail biting stuff as the battle hung in the balance. In the centre the main French thrust had fired off a volley last turn and 3 battalions executed the charge with the Austrians causing minimal damage. 1 battalion failed to charge home but the other 2 were in and it felt like the heady days of 1805 and 1806 had returned, Vive L'Empereur!

It was all down to the dice with the French starting ahead. My 1st roll was poor but the second roll was good and it was now Roberts turn to see what would happen to his 48 man unit. If they failed the whole Allied centre could collapse.

And what did the big lad roll?

A puffing double 6!! not only that he also managed to kill my general!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

My French battalions just fell apart and over the course of the next round everything went into rewind. (you know for about 20 minutes there I actually thought we had them!)

To finish off a picture of my brother and nephew (the Davids) with the final positions at the end of the battle. Every other game had finished while ours went right to the wire.

It was another excellent game enjoyed by all and we had a good laugh too. It just goes to show it ain't over till the fat lady sings! I now know why Earl Hickey made his list! In those 20 mins when I thought we had them and let my double 6 bring my guard down Karma had other ideas!

Figures

Austrians : Robert T

French : David P snr & jnr & John P

Prussians : Paul P