Sunday, May 5, 2019

Komnenian Byzantine Army

Komnenian Byzantine Army

Hot of the painting desk today, the last remaining figures of a Komnenian Byzantine army commision of over three hundred figures. Painted for a long term Australian client Colin. Colin visited us in France this year at L'hotel de Herce for our personalised guided battlefield tours of the Loire, Brittany and Normandy. We had the opportunity to "walk the battlefields then wargame in the afternoon " it on the tabletop at French Wargame Holidays. 

Miniatures are from Eureka miniatures and based for impetus.
You can book our military history tours and wargame holidays with us direct here


28mm Byzantine emperor

Komnenian infantry general

Komnenian Byzantian Cavalry General 

Komnenian Byzantine General

Komnenian Archers

Komnenian Byzantine heavy cavalry

Komnenian Byzantine cavalry

Komnenian Byzantine Army

Komnenian byzantine Infantry
















Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Komnenian Byzantines Cavalry Army

Komnenian Byzantine Army

A few bits off the table this month, some Byzantines for my mate in Australia Colin, 12 more bases of cavalry to complete this month. Miniatures are all Eureka with LBM transfers.

Komnenian Heavy Cavalry

Komnenian Heavy Cavalry


Komnenian Heavy Cavalry


Komnenian Heavy Cavalry

 
Komnenian Heavy Cavalry


Komnenian Heavy Cavalry


Komnenian Heavy Cavalry


Byzantine Komnenian horse archers

Byzantine Komnenian horse archers

Byzantine Komnenian horse archers

Byzantine Komnenian horse archers

Byzantine Komnenian horse archers

Byzantine Komnenian horse archers







Byzantine Komnenian horse archers

Byzantine Komnenian horse archers

Byzantine Komnenian horse archers

Byzantine Komnenian horse archers


cheers
Matt

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Dutch bunker 1940

Another shelf queen off the desk, a 20mm Vacuform Beldona Dutch bunker. I prepared and filled the interior with two part putty. I elected to paint this one as a House which was common on the Greeb line. Most of the bunkers were manned by reservists with LMG and MMG.









Sunday, February 3, 2019

Liveries of the War of the Roses

 Compiled Liveries of the War of the Roses





I have been putting together liveries of knights and lords that I have come across while researching WOTR, all I have compiled so far.

Edward Neville, Lord Abergavenny [d.1476] – green and white
William Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel [d.1487] – red and white
John Touchet, Lord Audley [d.1490] – yellow and red
John, Viscount Beaumont [d.1460] – white
William, 7th Lord Berkeley [active until at least 1483] – red
John Bouchier, Lord Berners [d.1474] – yellow and green
Humphrey Stafford, Duke of Buckingham [d.1460] – black and red
(also Henry Stafford d. of Buckingham, d.1483).
Sir Thomas Burgh/Borough of Gainsborough [d.1496] – blue
George, Duke of Clarence [d.1478] – murrey and blue
Thomas, Lord Clifford [d.1455] – white
Brooke, Lord Cobham [Edward d. 1464, John d. 1515] – black and red
Sir Marmaduke Constable [d. 1518] – red
Sir John Conyers [d.1490?] – white
Sir Richard Croft [d.1509] – white and blue
Randolf/Ranulph Lord Dacre of Gilsland [d.1461] – four stripes barry yellow and blue
Sir Richard Fiennes, Lord Dacre of the South [d.1483] – white
Thomas Courtney, Earl of Devon [1st, d.1458, 2nd d.1461] – red
Digby family – blue
Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset [d.1501] – white and dark red [murrey]
(also known as 3rd Lord Grey, 8th Lord Ferrers, Earl of Huntingdon in 1471, Marquis of Dorset in 1475)
Edward, Earl of March/Edward IV [d.1483] – Blue and Murrey
Edward, Prince of Wales [d.1471] – red and black
Henry Bouchier, Earl of Essex [1st d.1483, 2nd d.1529] – black and green
Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter [d.1475] – white and red
William Neville, Lord Fauconberg, Earl of Kent [d.1463] – white and blue
Walter Devereaux, 7th Baron Ferrers [d.1485] – white and red
Sir Edward Grey, 2nd Lord Grey, 7th Lord Ferrers of Groby [d.1461] – green
Sir John Radcliffe, Lord Fitzwalter [d.1461] – blue
William Bourchier, Lord Fitzwaurin or Fitz-Warine [still active 1469] – white and red [?]
Henry Lord Grey of Codnor [d.1496] – red and green
Edmund, Lord Grey of Ruthin and Earl of Kent in 1465 [d.1490] – red
Sir James Harrington [d.after 1497] – black [?]
William, Lord Hastings [d.1483] – dark red [or purple] and blue
Henry VI [d.1471] – white and blue
Henry VII – white and green
William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke [d.1469] – blue and red
John Howard, Duke of Norfolk [d.1485] – red
Thomas Howard [d.1524] – red and white
Thomas Talbot, Viscount Lisle or L'Isle [d.1470] – blue
Robert, 3rd Lord Hungerford and Lord Molynes [d.1464] – red and green
Francis, Viscount Lovell [died after 1487?] – blue and yellow
Thomas Fitzalan, Lord Maltravers, 12th Earl of Arundel in 1487 [d.1524] – black
John Neville, Lord Montague, earl of Northumberland 1464-1470 [d.1471] – red and black
Walter Blount, Lord Mountjoy – blue
John Neville 2nd Earl of Westmoreland [d.1461] – black and red
John Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk [Ist d.1461, 2nd d.1476] – blue and red
Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland [2nd earl d.1455, 3rd earl d.1461, 4th earl d.1489] – red and black
John De Vere, Earl of Oxford [Ist d. 1462, 2nd d. 1512] – orange or orange tawney
John Paston [d.1479] – red
Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke [d.1495] – white and green
Edward Poynings [active in 1485] – red
Richard of Gloucester/Richard III [d.1485] – murrey and blue
Anthony Woodville, Earl Rivers and Lord Scales [d.1483] – green [but noted as blue and tawney at a tournament of 1478]
Richard Woodville, Earl Rivers [d.1491] – green
Thomas, Lord Roos [d.1464] – blue and yellow
Edmund, Earl of Rutland [d.1460] – murrey and blue
Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, 2nd Earl of Westmoreland, [d.1460] – red and black
John, Lord Scrope of Bolton [d. 1498] – white
John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury [1st d. 1460, 2nd d. 1473] – red and black
Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset [d.1464] – white and blue
Thomas, Lord Stanley later Earl of Derby [d.1504] – orange tawney and green
William Stanley [d.1495] – red
John De La Pole, Duke of Suffolk [d.1491] – blue and yellow
Humphrey Talbot [active until at least 1483] – black and white
Rhys Ap Thomas 'The Raven' [active until at least 1485] – white
Richard Tunstall [d.1491] – black and white [?]
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick [d.1471] – red
Lionel, 6th Lord Welles [d.1461] – black and red?
John, Lord Wenlock [d.1471] – white
Henry Willoughby – blue
Robert, Lord Willoughby [d.1501] – red and white
Richard, Duke of York [d.1460]- blue and white
John, Lord Zouche [d.1526] – black and murrey

Town contingents and militias:
1455 Coventry – green and red
1461 Rye – red


references
Standards, Badges and Livery colours of the wars of the Roses, Pat McGill, Freezy Water publications
Barry Slemmings, Hobilar Magazine, Lance and Longbow society


cheers
Matt

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Grand duchy of Frankfurt Hussars

During the mid nineties my good friend Dean organised a Napoleonic campaign in Sydney. I had quite a large French minifig and old glory army at the time and I had just started to collect Confederation of the Rhine coalition troops. Eventually the campaign got underway and I found that I required Gendarmes to protect my rear and supply lines, so I built a number of Confederation cavalry units to meet the threat. I eventually built five hussar and light dragoon units to fulfil the role, Anhalt chasseurs, Frankfurt Hussars, Saxe-Ducal Hussars, Baden Hussars and Duchy de Berg chasseurs. This year I will be refurbishing my older miniatures bringing them up to current painting style and basing, so all of these units will be on the table at some stage.

In 1806 Frankfurt lost its status as a free imperial city with the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. Napoleon granted Karl Theodore Anton Maria von Dalberg, Prince Primate and Chairman of the Confederation Council, the former archbishop of Mainz;  received the titles of Prince Primate of Frankfurt, Aschaffenburg,  Regensburg, the possessions of the princes and counts of Lowenstein-Wertheim, Earl of Reineck and Count of Wetzlar. He also remained the Bishop of Worms, Konstanz and Regensburg.

  In 1810 Dalberg relinquished the Principality of Regensburg to the Kingdom of Bavaria, but gained the territories of Hanau and Fulda, raising the principality to the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt. In 1813 the grand duchy temporal offices were passed onto Eugene de Beauharnais, Dalberg passed away in 1817 in Regensburg.

Grand Duchy of Frankfurt Hussars 1809
The actual unit never reached more than 60 strong and we're used as Gendarmes and messengers primarily between the cities of the Duchy. There is only one print of them in existence published in the Herzberg in Augsburg (K.K priv. Kunsthandlung) and is not noted in the Weiland Collection!

 The Frankfurt Hussars had a blue hussar styled Dolman trimmed with yellow braid and buttons. The Pelisse was blue with black lambswool and yellow lace and buttons. the Breeches were also blue, black hussar style boots laced in red. The barrel sash was red and yellow cord, white belts and black cartridge pouch. The horse harness was black with white sheepskin with yellow wolf-teeth edging. The Trumpeter is entirely fictional, but possibly should of been in red as the Ducal colours were red and white.

Duchy of Frankfurt Hussars

Grand Duchy of Frankfurt Hussars




References 
Uniform of the Duchy of Frankfurt

HERZBERG. -- True portraits of all the military costumes of the monarchs of Europe. -- Herzberg, K. K. Akademische Kunsthandlung. Augsburg, 1800-1814. -- Collection of 97 plates in-4, colored with the greatest care, and appearing in parts of 5 sheets. The single plate concerning the troops of Frankfurt is part of the 18th part (Allied troops of France). It gives the following types: Infantry Officer. -- Grenadier. -- Fusilier. -- Hussar.

Carnet de la Sabretache (novembre 1889). -- Reproduction of the plates from Herzberg, discussed above

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Sarthe, août 1944 Histoire d’un Libération


Sarthe, août 1944, Histoire d’un Libération, Fabrice Avoie


 email the author to order favoieauteur@hotmail.fr

Sarthe, Août 1944, Histoire d'un Libération, Fabrice Avoie 2009




Recently researching fighting around my house and the closure of the Falaise pocket from the south in August 1944 , and reference to this book kept coming up. This book fully covers the breakout from Normandy, through Brittany and Pays de Loire and the push east through, Mayenne and Sarthe to Chartres, then north to close the Falaise pocket. The author spent 15 years attending unit reunions in Germany, France and America, to discover first hand accounts and rare never seen before photographs.

Day to day strength reports for german units in the fighting retreat and trying to hold the Mayenne then Sarthe river lines,.

German units include 
  • 7th Army HQ units
  • 17th SS Division
  • 9th Panzer Division
  • Panzer Lehr division
  • 352nd infantry division
  •  708th infantry division
  •  91st infantry division
  •  77th Infantry division
  • 5th fallschirmjager division
  •  Sicherungs regiment 1, 194, 195 and 196
  • flak elements defending the radar stations at Domfront, Madre, oisseau, 
  • Luftwaffe and Flak elements at Laval and Chartres air bases, 
  • plus scratch kamfgruppes from retreating SS, Wehrmacht, Fallschirmjager and Luftwaffe units

Allied units include

  • US 2nd Armoured Division
  •  5th armoured Division
  • 79th Infantry division
  • 90th infantry division
  • 80th infantry division
  • 106th cavalry division
  •  la 2nd division Blindés Francaise. 
  • Plus air support and ground support units and air communication units.
The hardback book has 440 pages and is well worth the €38 price tag.
Recommend for those interested in the southern flank of the Falaise pocket actions, lots of photos, small unit actions and after battle reports to wade through. Probably the best I have seen in English or French on the southern flank of the German army.

Cheers
Matt

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Bonne Année & plans for 2019

A Merry Christmas and a Happy new years to all!

I hope you all had a great Christmas and a happy new year to all my followers. We had
our first Christmas and New years celebration at L'hotel de Hercé in France after moving to Mayenne last March. It was fantastic to spend it with family and friends staying with us for two weeks from Australia. A lot good wine, champagne and food for the holidays was consumed. I received a number of great gifts from the kids and from Nessa, mostly books and a few miniatures.

Plans for 2019

Big plans and lots of work for 2019, our first customers arrive in March for walking guided battlefield tours and then return to wargame the battle on the table at L'Hotel de Hercé

My Priority is concentrating on completing armies that relate to battles around our house (within 1 hour drive) so we could visit the battlefield in the morning and return and fight it in the afternoon.

  1. Actually need to complete my terrain tiles, I have completed the teddy bear fur mats, I just need to attach to the tiles and complete the river sections and roads, my main Project for the year, 20ft of table!
  2. More hedges and trees,; you can never have enough hedges, need to add some decent bocage and I really want to make larger trees that are closer to real heights for 28mm.
  3. More terrain bits for 20mm ww2, power poles, war memorials, road side crosses, civilians and livestock.
  4. Complete more 20mm ww2 buildings, mostly Normandy stuff that I have already purchased needs to be painted.
  5. Complete my American 20mm battle group, three more battalions to build and paint plus more vehicles and a few support elements including aircraft.
  6. Complete my British 20mm 1944 battle group, finish painting the three tank batns that I have started, plus paint the funnies, update my Paras with more support, add armoured infantry and complete the gliders and aircraft for Arnhem.
  7. Start my Polish ww2 1944 battle group, armour and infantry.
  8. Complete my French 1944 battle group, need to paint the armour and infantry.
  9. Add more elements to my 1944 Canadian battle group.
  10. Add some more 20mm 1944 Germans particularly Fallschirmjager, and add some SS elements.
  11. Add more figures to my Celtic army, I need to add about 60 figures ideally.
  12. Add more figures to my late medieval army, buildings more Bretons for the Mad War, plus German mercenaries for the same period.
  13. Start my 100 years war French, for the late period Perry miniatures.
  14. Start my 100 years war English, for the late period Perry miniatures.
  15. Add more figs to my early 100 years war French
  16. Add more figures to my early 100 years war Scots (almost complete!)
  17. Start my early 100 years war British army.
  18. Add more figs to my dark age Franks.
  19. Add more figures to my Vikings
  20. Add more figs to my Dark age Normans, Bretons and Anjou-Maine army.
  21. Update my medieval buildings, touch ups mostly.
  22. Build a dark age castle representing St Suzanne
  23. Complete my northern Vendee/Chouan army, lots to do waiting for some more figures
  24. Complete my Baden 1809-12 Napoleonic army, currently on the bench!
  25. Add to my French Napoleonic Army, particulary units useful for my Vendee project, some units on the bench at the moment.
  26. Add to my Austrian 1805-09 Napoleonic Army.
  27. Add to my Russian 1809-12 Napoleonic Army.
  28. complete my Saxon 1809-12 Napoleonic army
  29. Add to my French 1/1200th naval 
  30. Add to my British 1/1200th naval
  31. Gaslands, latest fad at the club, need to add at least five matchbox cars!
So quite a bit of work to do, having clean out of some old projects and non starters too in the coming weeks, all the best with your projects this year.

2018 painted totals

Sort of happy with my totals, a lot of interruption due to the move to France and the 

28mm Miniatures

136 ancient Greeks
30 Celts
15 Imperial Romans
24 Vikings
85 Byzantine infantry
60 Byzantine Cavalry
12 Feudal English
2 siege engines
28mm scatter terrain
3 wagons
16 Renaissance French infantry
24 FIW Indians
18 FIW French
24 French Napoleonic Cuirassiers
4 French Napoleonic cannon
Napoleonic Saxon Ducal Hussars
Napoleonic Frankfurt Hussars
3 Napoleonic French Generals
Baden artillery Battery
24 Modern Russian Infantry

20mm Miniatures

24 British Para
6 dutch vehicles
3 Belgian vehicles
1 civilian bus
1 wagon
1 aircraft
45 Bundeswehr Infantry
2 Bundeswehr APCs
1 soviet arty battery
1 soviet missile battery
8 Gaslands cars
3 bunkers
1 modern building
1 ww2 building
Gaslands terrain

cheers
Matt

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Imperial Roman testudo

Roman Imperial Testudo


Ok, just finished off a few odds and sods on the desk, as part of the 30 minute 30 day painting challenge. First of the cab rank Blacktree design roman testudo. A few scratch builds to get it to work


cheers
Matt

Napoleonic Generals

I have been partaking in the 30 minute 30 day painting challenge on Facebook, getting lots done.

I have decided to clear my desk before I put another project on it, currently it is packed with Napoleonic French and Baden miniatures, plus celts and bits.

First up Division General and ADC, actually a touch up and rebase job for these.


Cuirassier General new





cheers
Matt

FIW Indians

I decided to complete these Indians that were in my lead pile last month then sell them to fund new projects. Enjoyed painting the Front Rank miniatures





cheers
Matt

Monday, October 1, 2018

Bundesgrenzschutz grenadiers

Off the painting table some Elheim Bundeswehr, the first batn of my Cold War Bundeswehr, two more battalions to complete my Kampfgruppe.



Cheers
Mart

Sunday, September 2, 2018

9th Cuirassiers 1805

9th Cuirassier regiment 3rd squadron

I have been painting a bit of my Napoleonic lead like this month, I finished these guys before I went on summer holidays but failed to take any photos. I have two more squadrons to complete and add the flag when I order it. The figures are from the Elite Miniatures range which I love!




cheers
Matt



Monday, July 2, 2018

New Beginnings

New Beginnings

I have been silent for some time as I have been busy changing my life for the last three years.
For many years I have been thinking and planning to start a business that relates to my wargaming, military modelling and military history hobby. I have tried painting miniatures, manufacturing miniatures and building armies and terrain to sell to fund my hobby. My normal job in construction of course really just funded my lifestyle, my hobby and interests. It was not until 24 months ago after returning to Australia from a holiday in Europe that a plan started to hatch. My wife and I were a little jaded about working 7 till 6pm in the corporate world of Sydney and looking forward we could not see much change in the next ten to fifteen years for us. 

So together we hatched a plan to move to Europe, looking for a different lifestyle and way to earn a living. We looked at what skills we had, and the finances available to start a business in our selected country. We looked at the UK, Germany and France. We settled on France as it offered the best options for us. We started our search for suitable locations throughout Normandy, Mayenne and Brittany.  

We had quite a list of requirements, a city or town that would meet our needs;  it needed to be within 1.5 hours of the Normandy beaches, with ancient, medieval and Renaissance chateaus close by. Good quality restaurants and local produce. Close to a  TGV line to Paris, motorways North, South, East, West and a international airport nearby, and not be too touristy. Amazingly we found such a place, finally we settled on Ville Mayenne, Pays de Loire as it offered the most potential for us, met all of our requirements as is very central.    

The house was the next challenge, we required a house that had at least 6 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms and all the conveniences within walking distance (i.e boulangerie, supermarket, cafes, shops and banks). We then selected a buying agent who gave us four options in Mayenne. I than flew to France to inspect the properties on our list,  two we eliminated early, one a little creepy, the other received an offer before we inspected. This left two properties. We then met with the Mayor to gauge his support for our venture, thankfully he was enthusiastic about our plans and gave us his full support for our enterprise. 

To qualify for a four year entrepreneurial visa, we were required to develop a solid business plan, prove we had invested quite a bit of money in France and had savings to live on while the business  grew to support us. 

We then found our ideal property thankfully our offer was excepted. We become the proud owners of L'Hotel de Herce in March 2018. The house is a "Maison Particular" built circa 1715 with a side carriage way, and a "cour de Honneur" entrance courtyard and private gardens, a 21 room three storey home, with three Grand Salons still with parquetry floors and panelled walls. 

We open as a Chambre de Hote (B & B) in August 2018, with three guest rooms.
The Grand salon on the second floor will become the "Salon de Guerre" (war room), where grand war gaming will be conducted in a gentlemanly manner. We will conduct military history tours of the various battlefields with a 1.5 hours, then return to game them on my table with my miniatures. We have our first event in October 2018, bookings will open very soon.


Book Here



L'Hotel de Herce Mayenne, France


cheers
Matt