Never Fight Uphill me Boys!
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Here as promised are the finished Belgians parading for your inspection.
They don't represent any particular unit and as I don't intend to paint any
more...
Bed B, Side Room 4, Ward 22 (Part 4)
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My sleep was yet again rather spasmodic. I fell asleep just after midnight,
but was woken up at around 2.30am by flashing yellow lights that were
outside...
Terrain ideas for gaming
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I’ve been painting more of my backlog of Mark’s Little Soldiers. Now the
mountain troops are done ( five infantry to a unit/ per hex and officers on
2p ...
A Zieten Figure Does Exist - Minden Miniatures
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A couple of days ago I was rather gobsmacked to to look at my Facebook feed
and read a post by someone lamenting the lack of a von Zieten personality...
Farewell to Shogun
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*I am unsure what the Japanese for ‘a bit like the curate’s egg’ is but the
good parts were very good indeed!*
A day later than usual I managed to watch ...
Carry On!
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At a time like this, there's nothing like carrying on like usual.
My ACW armies have not been out in some 18 months, the only active
collection that has...
Retrospective: Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms
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I remember being very excited about the imminent release of the *Oriental
Adventures *in 1985*. *Aside from the obvious reason – the introduction of
play...
This will never work...
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My 30YW armies nearing completion, methought to try out my ideas for the
Battle of Lutzen (1632) pitting probably the two greatest commanders of the
conf...
All change!.
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Due to vast amounts of unwanted attention I am taking this blog down
permanently. But fear not, I have copied most of the posts onto a new blog My
"Old ...
Decepticon Medic
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After playing the first game of Xenos Rampant with this guy's and using the
Medic rule for the Autobots, I thought it would be a good idea to create a
D...
ONE LOVELY DRAWING, part 72
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This drawing by James Montgomery Flagg is as confident and brash as Flagg
himself.
The drawing is large-- nearly 30 inches (76 cm) and appears to have be...
Blood on the Sands at ShireCon
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Had a great day at ShireCon, or the Little MOAB, as I like to call it. Had
a lot of interested people play a game or two and got to play test some new
g...
I have been to... HMS Warrior
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Time for another update..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Time to take advantage of my yearly dockyard ticket, this time with a visit
to HMS Warrior...
New Nassau Infantry from Frank
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Our Hobbymate Thomas Mischak asked Frank to sculpt him some Nassau
Grenadiers for his Waterloo project.
These figures will be available from Hagen soon...
Foxholes
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I found a bag of these resin-cast troops in foxholes in a batch of stuff I
was given a couple of years ago. A few weeks ago I decided to try painting
so...
Traffic Chaos on the Autobahn.
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A collection of no less that 5 of the Tantobie Warfare and Tactical Society
met last Saturday at our new venue of Stanley Masonic hall. (Does the
change of...
Easter Big Game - Grave to Nijmegen - Days 3 and 4
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Easter Monday past by very quickly and I failed to take enough pictures of
the action. At last Guards Armoured had arrived but their progress was
slowed by...
An Italian Wars scenario for Pike and Shotte
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What follows is a short report on a recent game at Steve's. It is over
two years since an Italian Wars game featured on the blog, so a
reappearance was...
Battlemasters with Kinchlets
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*"Pay attention Sir Harry, the Hun is here, here and here." - LadyBaby*
Finished up a practice game of the old MB Games/Citadel miniatures game
Battlemast...
Merry Christmas 2023 and Always
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This painting arrived as a Christmas card a few days ago. It is the most
beautiful depiction of love and adoration of Jesus by heavenly angels and
his...
Very Sad News
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I'm very sorry to be making this post but I've just learned that Dale past
away from a heart attack on November 5th.
Most of my relationship with Dale wa...
Happy Birthday Joseph Morschauser III
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Another year is almost in the books and today is Christmas Day… This isn’t
a Christmas story, but it is a story (article) written by a man born in New
York...
Trying Something New
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Based on what I said last time, I’m going to try out something new. Check
out my posts at Medium – one test you can ignore, one discussion of why I
chose t...
Wargaming the interwar period
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*CROSSPOSTED FROM WARGAMING MISCELLANY*
This year’s VCOW (Virtual Conference of Wargamers) took place over the
weekend, and I was able to take part in se...
The Constantinov Regiment
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Whilst I have, for the most part, 'moth-balled' my Classic Wargaming
collection over the past few years, occasionally I get the urge to dip back
into it....
Alas - no more ....
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After a lot of thought I have decided to stop my gaming project in the
Caribbean for the foreseeable future.
The bulk of the completed units will become in...
The Fritz Leiber WIKI - [Currently Reading]
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---------- The Fritz Leiber WIKI Welcome to the Scrolls of Lankhmar. It
contains information on the writings of and also the RPG Guide to Nehwon,
which is ...
A Tale of Two Battles - Part the Second
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After the battle recorded in the previous post, I felt I had unfinished
business with Paul and his Russians, so I challenged him to a game the
followin...
Problems with Jackson Gamers Web Site
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We are having problems accessing and updating the Jackson Gamers web site.
Evidently the main page has been "stolen" by a French language pharmacy
site. ...
Hot Reception
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Gun and crew by Hinchliffe (SYW range)Christmas is an anxious time if
you're Hessian - but this year we're ready for you Mr Washington!
Battlegroup Tobruk Goes Strong into the Desert
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Pavlov's dogs, famously, were conditioned to salivate when hearing a bell
which they associated with food. I have been similarly conditioned to
associate...
Happy Winter Solstice!
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I decided I might as well face the truth, that this blog and project is
pretty much over and done. It was fun while it lasted, but my gaming
interests lie ...
Sky Pirates of Venus - Teaser
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Sky Pirates have been the scourge of the Worm Empire of Venus for years,
and the Great Worm has had enough! He sends a team of four crack worm
commandos to...
Stephen King’s Threshold
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“There is probably no dedicated fantasy fan in America who doesn’t have at
least one of those distinctive black-bound volumes upon his or her shelf .
. ....
High time...
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It is high time I posted here again. The project has stalled. Last night I
decided to have a read of book 2 after many years away from it. It begins
so wel...
La Passeggiata
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Artist: ItalianTitle: La *Passeggiata*
★Thank you for Visiting!★ ~ Return to Website ~ Return to Blog
Thank you for subscribing to the Orientalist Gallery!
Deadbeat Advertiser?!?!?!?
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I just noticed that I have been listed as a deadbeat advertiser at The
Miniatures Page. I asked Mr Armintrout over 12 months ago to cease the
advertising d...
Memories, Tangents and the Power of the Pastoral
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*Charles Stadden 30mm BEF released fifty(ish) years ago*
It occurs to me that wargaming the Great War is not going to be a straight
forward thing.
L...
Second World War comparisons on "World War 20mm"
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Piers Brand has recently posted a side by side shot of several figures
painted in his inimitable style. They represent a number of different 20mm
metal ma...
Byzarbia at Ayton Game.
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Once again it's been a while, though in my defence I plead that I have been
busy painting figures for our second Ayton Weekend Game, even forgoing two
of o...
Buy my e-book and save the police (again!)
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*Wasting Police Time** is now available on Kindle.
You don't need a Kindle itself to read it - you can download an 'app' onto
your iPad/laptop/whatever.
U...
10 of the most beautiful things I've ever seen
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1. The sun setting over a still sea, woven to silk, and the swimmers,
silhouttetted wading back to the shore like merman returning to land.
2. My br...
Why the WAR OF 1812?
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I just received two of the more recent Osprey Men-at Arms books on the War
of 1812 in the mail the other day (not really that recent - 1998 and
2000...but...
I haven't been as active as I would be normally, for a variety of reasons, but one thing I try to do is take the Kinchlets out for a walk every day. This gets them some fresh air, tires them out and does at least delay my inevitable transformation into someone's fat Dad. A decent tramp is good for the soul and one of the places we've gone several times is Glasnevin Cemetery. This is a large cemetery and well worth a walk around.
A name in marble as well as in lights.
Look at that profile!
This chap is Mr. Barry Sullivan, originally from Warwickshire; he was born to Irish parents and had a long association with Cork. He began a stage career in 1837 and made a name for himself as a Shakespearean. He toured extensively particularly in the US and Australia. He was apparently one of the finest actors of his generation, though the Australian Dictionary of Biography states that he was inclined to err on the robust side.
Which always puts me in mind of this.
Monument to fallen Dublin Metropolitan Police Officers
Prior to independence, Ireland had two police forces, the RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary) who policed the countryside and were armed and the DMP (Dublin Metropolitan Police) who policed the city and were unarmed. I always have a soft spot for old coppers - so we have dropped down to this monument a couple of times.
The Roll of Honour
Grave stone of Constable Lahiff
Next to the monument is the grave stone of Constable Michael Lahiff who was killed during the 1916 Rebellion.
Inscription
DMP Crest
Lahiff was shot at St. Stephen's Green (another favourite haunt of the Kinchlets) which is a wonderful park and well worth a visit. During one of our last visits, I took a snap of the plaque which describes the shooting. Please click on the picture to enlarge it, if you wish to read the text.
NOTE: This is a repost of an entry I wrote in 2012. I was discussing it with a friend last night and went back to it to refresh my memory what I had written. I've made an addition or two to it and fixed some of the broken links. I still think it stands up as a criticism.
Daughter of the Regiment
19th century audiences found cantinieres quite romantic
I have a soft spot for vivandieres. A friend of Mrs Kinch's remarked on this once, though she couchedit in somewhat unkind terms. "Was it normal for the prostitutes to wear uniforms?*"
As it happens, no it was not, though no doubt someone can produce an example somewhere. I suspect Massena's name will crop up.
Vivandieres and Cantinieres (for our purposes the terms are effectively interchangeable) were women who had a contract to supply spirits, shaving kit and other small necessities to the regiment to which they were attached. Strictly speaking the girls didn't have this contract themselves, it was held by a Sergeant who was known as a Cantinier. The Cantinier's wife was known as the Cantiniere and was definitely not a prostitute. She took up the job as the Cantinier was too busy with his duties, marching up and down and so forth and staring at terrified recruits and saying things like "Zis eez ze brown bess musket, eet eez ze preferred wepon ov yur enemy and it make a verey diztinktive zound when fired at you, mon brave."
An S Range Vivandiere
This figure represents a typical vivandiere/cantiniere with her basket and little barrel of brandy. She was a gift from Foy over at Prometheus in Aspic, who no doubt noted my somewhat unwholesome interest in the breed. She was painted by Krisztian, whose skill and craftsmanship is almost getting monotonous in its excellance.
For your titilation, the ladies uncovered ankles.
Put them away you dirty, dirty girl...
As it happened Cantiniere's were rather better at surviving battles than their husbands were and as such (as well as I suspect their access to a legitimate source of booze may also have played a part) were highly sought after as spouses. Nicholette, the vivandiere, in RF Delderfields "Seven Men of Gascony" is married several times and is unabashedly unsentimental about the process.
Just pull yourself together dear...
NOTE: As I am revisiting this post, I realised that I linked to the image I used here (rather than downloading it and inserting it into the text) and whoever was using it has removed it. For reference it was an image of a very attractive actress, playing Lady Macbeth. She was down to her bra and underwear and covered in so much blood she looked like something out of the third act of Carrie.
Which brings me to the second point of this post, what does Kinch have against Lady Macbeth? Nothing per se, I like Macbeth. It's not my favourite or the one I know best, but it is very, very good. However, I don't care for the usual casting of Lady Macbeth, who is often a painfully young, screechy creature who uses the sleepwalking scene to take her hysterics for a walk.
All of which misses one of the essential truths of soldiers wives - they are tough women.
Isuzu Yamada's performance in Kurosawa's Throne of Blood is a notable exception to this somewhat depressing rule and Dame Judi Dench in Trevor Nunn's 1979 production is suitably flinty, but what makes those two stand out is that while they do portray women in a state of mental breakdown, they don't make a meal of it. To paraphrase Victoria Wood, you can't just rub some blood on your hands, scream a bit and go, "Don't mind me, I'm a looney".
NOTE: Apparently "Don't mind me, I'm a looney" does not have the common currency that it should. It is a reference to "Giving Notes", a magnificent sketch by the late (and much missed) Victoria Wood. It's only three minutes long and for context, the character is a producer in an amateur production of Hamlet.
A second Vivandiere,
based on the facings I'd say attached to a regiment of dragoons
No-one has made a film of Seven Men of Gascony, which is a pity as it's rather good and with the exception of Gerard, certainly the best fiction I've read about the period from the French point of view. I fear however, that if one was made today, that poor old Nicolette would be hammered into the same tired "beautiful, but deadly" formula that seems to be rule for heroines these days.
This lady was a gift from Old John of 20mmNostalgic Revival and she does look fine. She's been used as an objective marker (with attached donkey) for Command & Colours Napoleonics games so far, though I think it will take a skirmish game for her to come into her own.
"I hate to see you leave,
but I love to watch you go."
I think the point about the portrayal of Lady Macbeth that annoys me so much is that it is unfair. Sir Terry Pratchett wrote about women like her in his fantasy novel, "Guards, Guards".
"Sybil's female forebears had valiantly backed up their husbands as distant embassies were besieged, had given birth on a camel or in the shade of a stricken elephant, had handed around the little gold chocolates while trolls were trying to break into the compound, or had merely stayed at home and nursed such bits of husbands and sons as made it back from endless little wars. The result was a species of woman who, when duty called, turned into solid steel."
Sir Terry is writing about a policeman's wife, rather than a soldiers and I see a lot of Sybil in Mrs Kinch sometimes. It may no longer be fashionable or popular and I can't think of an example in popular culture in recent years, but I'll be damned if I don't give these ladies their due.
*Whereupon my mother in law (who is reading this over my shoulder, yes you Mary) says something uncharitable about the Guards Division.
The latest addition to the collection from our man in Budapest. This is a 1/16 Cardinals Guard from Mini Art and very lovely it is too. I remember being quite confused as a young adult when I finally read Dumas unabridged and discovered that D'Artagnan and Cardinal Richelieu end the novel as not quite enemies and almost allies.
The richness of the red in the tabard is really something.
As always, our man's faces are excellent. This fellow is definitely not someone to be trifled with. I'm always amazed by the character he manages to impart to a relatively humble plastic kit. This chap will be taking over guard duties on one of my bookshelves. One thing I've noticed is that these larger figures can get quite dusty after a while. A feather duster doesn't seem to be the way to go, but I'm sure there's a way of keeping them bright without damaging them.
Of course, I think everyone of my age who took an interest in Dumas came across him here. I am happy to announce that this is proving a real hit with the Kinchlets. One thing that struck me about the programme is actually how demanding it is of its viewers. The Kinchlets like the music and colours, but something that completely passed me by when I watched it originally is that it actually tells a reasonably close version of the three musketeers story in something like thirty plus installments.
It really surprised me to see a children's television programme that believed its audience would be able to keep up.
"What are you up to Daddy?"
The Kinchlets continue to be a joy albeit a tiring one. Girl Kinchlet is crawling now and suddenly Sir Harry Flashman VC is leading a new and very exciting existence that mainly involves sleeping out of reach and keeping his tail where he can see it.