Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Carlo's Conversions


This chap has a great deal of explaining to do.

I've been toying with the idea of wargaming the mid 19th century for a long time now and I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to have to come to it gradually. Neil Thomas's book is very nice. Ordered from bookdepository on the recommendation of a friend. A handsome book, a mix of potted history and solid wargaming stuff. I liked his approach, small armies and small tables. I doubt the rules will lure me away from my favoured horse and musket set, but I might nick bits and pieces for my own Crimean adventure and dare I say possibly Italian or Hungarian entanglements. I was sorry to see that he didn't cover Radetsky at all, who really is a favourite of mine, but the Garibaldini seem suitably fearsome. I enjoyed the discussion of why the rules worked the way they did. There's a shedload (that's an Imperial shedload, rather than metric) of historical scenarios, there were a few that I missed, but on the whole it's a very good selection and there are some nice generic scenarios for pickup games. A book I will want to reread to get the most of it, but I think a fella could have a very good time indeed with some of Peter Berry's Bacchus figures, this book and a two by two board.   

I on the other hand am wedded to 1/72.  There aren't that many ranges for the period, barring Strelets luxurious Crimean range and some Irregular Miniatures. I had come across a bag of American Civil War plastics while I was clearing the box room and wondered aloud to a group friends on email what could be done with them. I got involved in a discussion about how one could do 19th century wargaming used conversions and through Old John, I met Carlo (who doesn't appear to have a blog).  



Papal Zouaves - Tumbling Dice figures
(spellcheck appears to be trying to correct this to Papal Suaves) 

I got talking to Carlo and shortly thereafter, an absolute torrent of pictures arrived. Carlo plays the Neil Thomas rules above and consequently can get away with quite small armies. He is a man of incredible inventiveness and real skill when it comes to looking at a wargames figures and realising the possibilities contained therein.  He has very graciously given me permission to post some of his conversions here. 



Garibaldini from American Civil War plastics



More Garibaldini 

I can spot quite a few Italeri plastics in there I think. 


Piedmontese Line

I think the marching figure is an Airfix - but I'm not 100%. 


Austrian Grenzer Infantry from American Civil War Airfix figures


1866 Hanoverians from Airfix Federals 


Danish Infantry from American Civil War figures

 Considering the extraordinary variety of armies Carlo has managed to churn out using these figures, as well as the pictures I haven't shown you plus some Scandinavians from Old John, there's a galaxy of things that can be done. I fear something has sneaked onto the project list. 

13 comments:

  1. Darn, darn, and darn again! Every time I think I've exterminated that mid-19th century butterfly, something like this comes along. I'm not very strong you know. Grumble, grumble, grumble. . .

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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  2. Thomas' book is really first rate. You are correct; it is a book that you can return to again and again.

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    1. It really repays study. I'm very happy with it.

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  3. Conrad, I don't know if you have seen the Georland blog http://georland.blogspot.co.uk/ but working on transcribing the history with the family got me thinking I would quite like to have a go at refighting some of those campaigns and this might be a very good use for my S Range Crimean armies. If I could get round to painting up some S Range FPW Prussians, so much the better.I had a vague idea of looking at Command And Colors Napoleonic with a possible nod to Battle Cry to develop a Crimean version (I think it is closer to Napoleonic than ACW) but if you were doing something like this I would be very interested.

    The Georland battles were very bloody and artillery was very powerful - pretty much as you would expect if you were firing lead shot out of miniature cannons using gunpowder....Really is should use 1870s rules and maybe crimean figures, but I am after a Command and Colors Crimean set to fight historical campaigns anyway - and if anyone else has done one or is doing one, it could save me some serious reading when I am a bit pushed for time.

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    1. Now that is a fantastic project - like one of those chaps who finds a leg bone in cave somewhere and suddenly the whole history of human evolution has to be rethought.

      I am definitely leaning more towards Napoleonics rather than Battlecry.

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  4. Great looking units, these, with an impressively wide range of applications. Quite versatile those ACW figures, aren't they? The Piedmontese infantry, by the way, look like conversions from the Airfix French Foreign Legion (which figures, by the way, form a 'coloured' Brigade plus a Union Zouave regiment in my own ACW armies).

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    1. They are aren't they? That would make sense alright. Carlo told me that he'd used the Legion chaps for lots of things.

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  5. The Neil Thomas is indeed excellent and one that I really enjoy browsing through.
    Great pictures from Carlo filled with inspiration.The Georland idea sounds fascinating too.Too many projects...
    Can ou post/tell us a little about Old John's Scandanavians- a part of the world that it filled with gaming potentiality I think...

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    1. So many projects.

      I have pictures of Old John Scandanavians and will get to them shortly.

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    2. The Scandanavians are actually Danes for 1st Schleswig-Holstein War 1848-51, figures used were Airfix & Esci ACW, metal Wodensfeld ACW infantry and mounted commanders, Airfix ACW artillery, dragoons from Minifig S range FPW French ones by trimming helmet/crest to Danish pattern, Lancers from Hinton Hunt & Douglas Miniatures Crimean British lancers, some S range ACW US Marine in full dress in shako (ideal for other C19th armies) Danish Guards came from an Italian firm "Legio Heroica" Sardinians in Busbies and finally a S Range FPW French General as G-O-C
      for the Federal German Army similar figures were used inc Airfix WW 1 Germans, ACW Union, S Range FPW, Wodensfeld ACW, etc
      cheers Old John

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  6. It is amazing how versatile the various ranges of ACW figures are. A change of colours ... and you have a new army! These conversions are an excellent example if what can be achieved.

    One of the things that I would love to do is to run a campaign based on the Pacific War. All the armies wore uniforms similar to those worn during the ACW and could easily be created by paint conversions.

    Using my latest ITCHY AND SCRATCHY rules I would be able to fight reasonably sized battles with small wargames armies.

    I am sure that you will enjoy involving yourself in this 'new' period ... pandora if you want a copy of my rules, just let me know.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  7. Pandora! Has my wife be pre-setting my spellchecker?

    The sentence should have read '... and if you want a copy of my rules, just let me know.'

    All the best,

    Bob

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