USN Pre-Dreadnoughts

I mentioned yesterday that I'd re-discovered a number of Ironclad/Pre-Dreadnought ships I'd built several years ago. When you consider they'd been jumbled up in a box for most of that time they weren't in bad condition: two broken masts and covered in dust. So, a few drops of glue and a bit of blowing later they were fit for the photographer.

I built them for an, as yet, unfulfilled wargame where the glorious Spanish Navy comes to its senses in time to utterly defeat the Monroe Doctrine wielding (non)colonialists of USA. The fact that the Spaniards were themselves colonialists is neither here nor there.

So, let's start with the USN ships that I got built before, as usual, my grasshopper mind became entranced by yet another period's project. I constructed three battleships. The scale is a nominal 1/1200 and, if I remember correctly, I used Wiki and a site dedicated to the The Spanish American War of 1898. These were really useful for ship plans, capabilities and colour schemes.

I built the ships for both navies from balsa wood, cocktail sticks, dress-maker's pins, coffee stirrers, plastic card, rod & tube, inserts for multi-pin plugs, dowelling and paracetamol tablets. The last wasn't because the builds were causing me headaches. No, the pills resembled the turrets on the USN ships so they were pressed out of their packets and pressed into service. I'd probably use something else if I ever return to the miniature shipyards.

First up is USS Iowa (BB-4). This ship fired the first shot of the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. She was the only ship of her class.

USS Iowa 1

USS Iowa 2

Next ship is USS Oregon (BB-3). This vessel was part of the Indiana-class of battleships.

USS Oregon 1

USS Oregon 2

USS Oregon 3

Finally is the namesake of the Indiana-class: USS Indiana (BB-1). USS Indiana was the lead ship of her class and also the USA's first battleship.

USS Indiana 1

USS Indiana 2

USS Indiana 3

I'm after a copy of Andy Callan's Pre-Dreadnought rules. They were published in, I think, Miniature Wargames, about a million years ago. If anyone can help that would be grand.

Next up: The Spanish!

Procrastination

Is the enemy of us all. Well, me anyway. I've been painting and varnishing all week and seem to have gotten precisely nowhere. But then again it's been Tarbooshian & Anahuacan infantry and you've already seen units of them in this blog. In other news I was tidying some cupboards today and found some Crossfire units & tanks; my take on the buildings of Stalingrad and some 1/1200 (approx) scale ships I built years ago when in the the throes of an episode of depression. I do struggle with that brand of mental illness and find that when the black dog comes for me I become incredibly (destructively?) creative and productive. Where I think an hour or two has passed in reality I've been hard at work for eight or more hours. Without a break. Anyways over the coming days I'll get these finds photo'ed, written up and published.

Sitrep

1. Finished Tarbooshian 2nd Infantry Regiment. Painted, based and varnished.
2. Pictures to follow.
3. Finished the two British officers (they came with the AiP Egyptians) in grey. They've both been posted to seperate Anahuacan infantry regiments. This will free up a couple of commissioned sombrero wearers for staff duties.
4. Swapped the heads on four bandsmen: sombreros for bearskins.
5. Galvanised an extra six Anahuacan infantry from the wrecks I bought at the toy soldier show. They'll all be posted to 2nd Infantry Regiment.
6. Moved arms and heads on the 54mm Britains Saracens so the figures all face the same way: side on.
7. Filled gaps in Saracen head/neck areas post surgery.
8. All Saracen figures need re-basing before painting.
9. Drilled holes for pegs in the Saracens' feet (ouch!)
10. Cut down two AiP Egyptians for transforming into Tarbooshian artillerymen.
11. Cut bases for all the 'new' figures. I'm using balsa wood now: light but sturdy.
12. Varnished the guns of the artillery park.
13. Got a new grey Fedora in the post. That will go well with my 1940s suit. 
14. I need to stop reading about all this 1/1200 ship action stuff. It's getting too tempting!

Wednesday Night is Jitter-Bug Night!

As regular readers will know I'm an avid fan of swing-dance and have been learning to dance Jitter-Bug & 1920s Charleston for the past 11 months. Well tonight's the night for that but I've decided, given it's massive popularity, that I need some lessons in Lindy-Hop. What I already know will be of some help since Jitter-Bug evolved from Lindy and they have a lot in common but are different. Luckily the Lindy class is on a Thursday night in Lichfield.

Anyways here's a couple of swing jazz classics to keep you going until my next post: Skyliner which gets straight to it & the quiet start and belting finish of 2 O'Clock Jump. 

Swing that thing!

Tarbooshian Lancers

The terror of the laughable mobs the Ananhuacans call an army. These fine boys are well armed, trained & horsed they are the 2nd Regiment of Horse - The Lancers of Karaburun. They'll soon be legging the Anahuacan trash all over the garden!

In Line

In Two Ranks

Lady Butler Style

I took this with the camera flash off. I'm not sure if it's atmospheric.

Cornet chap with camera flash off. 

I took another with the flash on but this one brings out the colours, 

especially on the guidon, much better.

The C.O. 

Maybe a little too flashy

 Charging in the Flying-Vee as per Kingdom of Heaven

The figures are 54mm AiP Egyptians serving a new master. The colour scheme is the same as for the infantry. Flag & lance pennants by TVAG. I made the lances from brass rod to replace the rather floppy AiP ones. I think I'll get another box of these to increase the unit size to 10 and generate a mounted Brigade commander with bugler and flag chap.

Hello to new blog followers Chasseur and Funny Little Wars. Welcome aboard, chaps, hope you enjoy the ride!

All the best!

El Escuadrón Aereo Primero

Angered by a leaked report about the Tarbooshian armoured artillery tractors El Presidente has taken the following measures.

1. Restriction of direct coal sales to Tarbooshian agents.

2. Increased paperwork and a stronger bureaucracy in the coal industry for greater security.

3. Sourcing of kerosene supplies through El Presidente middlemen.

4. The formation of a aerial bombing squadron to pinpoint and destroy these unholy Tarbooshian creations.

Anahuacan purchasing agents made contact with our good friends in Caribia who assisted in obtaining the aircraft that will surely put paid, once and for all, to the dastardly machinations of that Tarbrush fellow, yes, we insult you!

This is the right piece of equipment in the right place at the right time with the right bombs right on target every time. The pilot is right for the job and is a right-thinking FSA citizen named Wright. Bearing all that in mind it has been decided to name our wonder weapon, quite rightly: The El Presidente!

Pilot Wright at the controls!

Sturdy construction!

Beware, minions of Tarbooshia, El Presidente is upon you!

The aircraft is a scratchbuild with an obvious nod towards The Wright Flyer. Wings, tailplane box and bit the pilot's feet are on all from balsa. Wing struts and rigging all from cocktail sticks. Ailerons are thin card cut to size and glued on. Engine blocks: balsa, propellers from coffee stirrers. I used plastic inserts from a couple of old pens as spacers between the engine and the prop.The propellor hubs are dressmakers pins. The tail is made of long kebab skewers, the bracers are matchsticks cut to fit.. Undercarriage is coffee stirrers, a cocktail stick and two slices from a cork. The pilot has a control stick in each hand to control yaw, height, speed and pitch (possibly). The pilot figure started life as a 54mm cowboy wagon driver. Scarf, goggles and gloves from milliput. Kudos to whoever spots what the scarf's colours refer to!

I need to construct a suitable 'flying' stand for it so any advice and guidance on this will be gratefully received. I'm thinking it will need a fairly large base to remain upright during Garden Wargames.

All the best!

Flip, Flop & Fly

What an absolutely dancetastic gig that was! If you like Rock 'n' Roll with a side order of Rhythm & Blues and some swinging beats then get thee along to The Revolutionaires asap. Bloody fantastic. And I now have lipstick on my collar...............

What's Buzzin', Cousin?

I'm off to see The Revolutionaires tonight at The Austin Sports & Social Club in Longbridge Birmingham. It's a rock & roll do but swing jive is fully compatible with rock & roll jive. Saw them back in March this year and they were boptastic! The DJs also play a good selection of music from the early 1940s Rhythm & Blues to 1959 R&R (probably). There's a subsidised bar and all for £6. Bargainsome!

TTFN!

At Home With The Tarbooshians

Pictures of a recent trip to near the front line by HSH The Grand Tarboosh has been released by the Tarbooshian news agency Depravda. HSH's well known affection for the modern is seen in his adoption of motorised transport. This is not a slur on HSH's impressive manhood, he is a world class horseman! 

Also in attendance were members of HSH own bodyguards the Ennicheries and his personal cook, Filthy Abdul.

HSH The Grand Tarboosh surveys his troops. 

And waits for his driver to return.

Filthy Abdul the camp cook salutes his Sovereign's arrival.

A donkey looks on.

Filthy Abdul announces the day's menu while the donkey slopes off.

Rolls Royce 1905 car by Airfix 1/32 scale, fender flags from TVAG. HSH figure is a repainted Jafar (Disney's Aladdin). I love the arrogant and aloof manner of the figure.Filthy Abdul is a converted & repainted farmhand. The donkey is a converted farm animal, baggage items from the spares box. I made the stove completely from scratch using bits from the spares box but the pots in the foreground are repainted Crescent(?) items. The two bodyguards are repainted 54mm Britains Saracens.

Whether HSH The GT actually leads his men into a Garden Wargames battle remains to be seen. He probably will follow the example of King Boris and find a high tower to survey proceedings bravely.

All the best!

Esteam Tarbooshia's Might, Anahuaco!

As promised I've finally got around to photographing and uploading the rest of the Tarbooshian steam landships. To avoid an arms race I've adhered to them being artillery tractors and not gun tanks. I'll leave that for the band of brigands to sort out!

Charity shops really are rich in potential. The two prime movers shown below were both found in the unwanted and unsellable items box and both snapped up for pennies. They scale in quite nicely with my other 54mm toys. Not that I would have cared a damn anyway. It's the look of the thing I'm after and they sure got the look. Charity shops, little do they know they are the new FLW arms dealers.

The LH tractor started life as some kind of Massey Ferguson tractor malarkey. I sawed off the engine block, sanded down the deck and fitted towing gear to front and rear. Then washed, primed, painted and varnished. Eagle eyed readers will notice that there are two types of green paint thus perverting the Four Colour Theorem. This happened due to battle damage repair parties not having the correct shade and does not detract from the unit's efficiency.

The RH tractor's funnel was missing and its forward axle was damaged. Once repaired it was given the same lavish workshop treatment as its fellows. Note also the rather neat tarpaulins covering the bullet boxes. Once again HSH The Grand Tarboosh extends his grateful thanks to Miss Clarice Cliff for her sterling work on our camouflage schemes. Miss Cliff has been awarded The Golden Septum 1st Class for her work on our steam landship fleet.

On with the motley!

Glorious & Courageous!

To The Front!

HSH Landship Şanli

HSHLS Şanli

HSHLS Cesur

HSHLS Cesur

HSHLS Cesur

Garden wargames are going to be exciting next spring. And over winter if I can find a local opponent and a large floor area. I live in hope!

That's all for except to say HELLO! to two new, and most welcome, blog followers: Jim Duncan & Bob Cordery. Bob's blog is a treasure trove of stuff. Jim's blog  ain't bad either. Go and have a look this very instant! 

All the best!