Wednesday 29 June 2022

American War of Independence : Command Figures and a few holiday pictures

Back from another week holiday over in the North East of England this time with both the kids. Unlike many I always take some soldiers to paint in the evenings when the rest of the family are looking for some down time. This year I focussed on getting some AWI command figures completed, I had picked these up ages ago so nice to get them completed. I have forgotten if they are all Perry or if some are Foundry.

An American in hunting shirt
General Howe
American officer but can’t remember which 
Cornwallis I think
and a second Gen Howe, these give me lots of options for Brigade commanders etc…

As always our holiday included some history elements and I won’t bore you with all the other stuff we got upto.
Some of them 1940 anti invasion defences along the NE coast these close to Lindisfarne
The Kings Own Scottish Borderers museum in Berwick lots here to see
Including a one to one Battalion in 25mm (this is why we game with scaled down units)
The Berwick upon Tweed Napoleonic defences, built upon earlier Elizabethan structures.
An interesting pill box set back in the Northumberland countryside
Cannons at Bamburgh Castle
And a very large Vickers tank model at the small Armstrong museum at Bamburgh castle

So lots going on but not much actual gaming hopefully some more this weekend👍

Thanks as always for popping by 

20 comments:

  1. Matt, nice work on the painting front. Real dedication to take figures to paint on holiday. Don't think I could get away with that. Usually too busy or too tired anyway.

    I always enjoy your travel photos. Seeing a battalion deployed at 1:1 is always eye-opening. Makes one appreciate the difficulties in maneuvering such an unwieldy beast especially under battlefield conditions.

    What's on the gaming table this weekend?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jon family holidays we are often busy during the day but everybody wants some down time in the evenings so an opportunity for me to relax while painting 🙂

      Delete
  2. Fine additions to the AWI ranks there Matt. I always took painting away on family holidays in the UK when I was younger, but no longer feel the urge now, preferring a rejuvenating break. As ever I've enjoyed seeing your real life photos too

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks David perhaps when I retire….not long now, but at the moment it still feels like a holiday getting in some painting 👍

      Delete
  3. Will have to get over that way when I retire, nice post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely George if you haven’t been a lovely part of the country

      Delete
  4. Lovely work and a great way to relax in the evening when on holiday Matt. We recently bought a beach place north of Brisbane and I can distinctly remember my wife selling it to me on the basis I could set up a painting nook, but of course she can no longer remember saying that. I love the 1:1 battalion, models like that really put things in perspective.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lawrence I would hang in for the painting nook, I’m even thinking about how I get some painting done in the van ?

      Delete
  5. Splendid post Matt, great additions and holiday snaps. If we go away later in the year when the nights are drawing in I usually take stuff to paint or assemble in the evening.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Phil, my family know me well enough and are more than happy for me to paint in the corner when things are quiet

      Delete
  6. I think I would be in significant danger of actual bodily harm if I took toy soldiers away on holiday with me Matt! Where I grew up (Montrose on east coats of Scotland) we had miles of those concrete tank blocks along the estuaries of both the North and South Esk rivers, plus gun emplacements and pill boxes on the sand dunes behind the miles of beach - not to mention multitudes of bomb shelters etc on the old RAF base (first RAF station in the country, I believe, although we did not know that when I was a lad!) https://rafmontrose.org.uk/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our family all seem to have their own things to do , many involving computer screens, so painting figures has never been an issue for me. I guess a genuine nervousness that a German invasion might come from Norway or across the North Sea. I just really enjoy seeing them still in place.

      Delete
  7. Lovely looking commanders and some great photos, I think I'm like Keith and would be in danger of being lynched if I took figures on holiday with me! The best I can do are reference books and the occasional rulebook!
    Best Iain

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Iain , my family have no problem and would lynch me if I kept disturbing them when they were doing their own ‘thing’ in the evening when we were on holiday 👍

      Delete
  8. I could never paint figures when on holiday because, well, I'm on holiday! Great work and hats off to you for being able to do this.

    Great photos of the local history too, with the 1:1 battalion really bring it home how big they were when deployed and how it mush have been to manouevre them, talk less of maintaing C&C during the nosie and smoke of battle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Steve , painting figures feels like a holiday to me. 1to1 gaming is certainly out of the question !

      Delete
  9. I just had a weeks vacation as well but no way there could be any painting for me during the evening. Lol.

    Nice job on the AWI commanders. They look good. 😀

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Stew, my family is a bit older than yours so less demanding, truth told when they were little I wouldn’t have taken painting, but now they are older nobody worries

      Delete
  10. Great officers Matt a nice addition to the collection, great pic's always feel like we should do more to protect these sites.
    Cheers
    Stu

    ReplyDelete