Another One Bites the Dust

 

After completing the Aztecs (minus Hordes) I can add another to my Meso-American collection.  Appropriate really as the Tarascans were bitter enemies and often beat their more famous 'brothers'.

Given that this is a bow heavy army that's quite surprising.  However, as various fights in 15 & 20mm scales have shown, re-fights mirror reality (or history anyway).  

On a side note 3 of the elements are mixed Bw & Sp that are treated exactly the same as any other solid Bw.  I can't help feeling that there should be some sort of differentiation but can't quite figure out what it should be.

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Next on the painting table are various fillers:

3 x Maya (2 x 3Ax & 1 x 4Bd)

5 x Polonesian/Melanesian (2 x 4Pk & 3 x 3Bd/Ax)

In the Meso-American world there are half finished trays of Toltecs & Mixtec/Zapotec - but I need a break from them.

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DBA @ Gt.Houghton - Sat 2.4.22 - Carthaginian scenarios (5 of)

I took the role of 'Rebels' and scored:

5:1 win        5:3 loss            4:0 win
5:2 win        4:0 loss

2 x 'Normal' games:

1.61a  Early Carthaginian     v 1.52i   Italiot Hoplite                     4:0 loss
1.53   Saitic Egyptian            v 2.7     Later Achaemenid Persian  4:2 loss

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DBA @ Gt.Houghton - Sat 9.4.22 - 'Arabs'

4.20   Ayyubid Egyptian  v 3.12    Christian Nubian              4:0 win
3.74a  Rum                       v 4.1a    Komnenan Byzantine       4:2 win
3.70   Tuareg                     v 3.70   Tuareg                               4:3 win
3.66   Fatimid Egyptian    v 4.17    Later Crusader                 5:0 loss
3.49   Tulunid  Egyptian   v 3.65    Nikephorian Byzantine    4:2 win 

Whatever Happened To......

 Are you humming the signature tune?

 Back in the days of yore I broke up my 6th Edition Aztecs.  The idea was to form as many DBA (Meso-American) armies as possible from the stock. The Aztecs have just been painted up.

 

The eagle-eyed will spot that there are only 11 elements in this group. I didn't like the Tlaxcalan shieldbearers so swapped them for more suitable figures.  They have now been moved to the head of the painting queue.

Checking the DBA army lists made me realise that I needed 2 x 3 Ax and 1 x 4 Bd (g) so that I have all the options. An order was sent off for Gladiator figures [I also spotted some Thracians with long spears].

After finding out that the 2 x Pk(F) just don't work for me in this Inca army I produced some alternative hordes.  Of course these are so generic that they could appear in many of armies (including the Aztecs).

 Still on the painting boards are - Tarascans, Mixtec/Zapotec and Toltecs.  There's also the small matter of the Pueblo Cultures but that's a matter for another day.

Loose Ends

(A)  Haiti

When I joined the DBN (Facebook) group I posted files on the Ottomans and the Qajars.  I also mentioned that there were entries on my old blog for the conflict in Haiti.  Turns out that they were either never posted or have been lost.  Sounds like a cue for a new series.

Anyway....here's another blogger interested in the period:    https://onelover-ray.blogspot.com/

British 14th Light Dragoons
British 69th Regt of Foot
Rebel Artillery
Revolution Generals
Royal Artillery
Uhlans Britanniques
York Hussars

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(B)  Napoleon in Egypt (plastics) - my stocks only contributed 3 additional packets of soldiers:

24 x HaT 8296 - Early to Mid French Marching - bicornes, unexciting
56 x Strelets M068 - French in Egypt - bicornes
52 x Strelets M071 - British Light Inf in Egypt - 40 tarletons, 8 brimmed hat & 4 bandana

The 'brimmed hat' men could find themselves serving in all sorts of wars - AWI, ACW, Haiti, Boer and other 'colonial' conflicts.  The bandana men could be destined to become pirates or the authorities chasing them.

Note:  When I originally built my AWI 'British Legion' I had to convert many figures just to get the horsemen.  The infantry had to be just re-paints (green not red).  Of course I could now replace my old BL figures but that would mean re-painting the previous efforts (don't think that I will bother).

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(C)  DBA Review

Here's the summary for 6th February 2022:

Book 1 - 86/142  -  60.56%  -  WIP  10
Book 2 - 169/193 -  87.56%  -  WIP  3
Book 3 - 96/129  -  74.42%  -  WIP  5
Book 4 - 63/141  -  44.68%  -  WIP  24

Combined  -  414/605  - 68.43%  -  WIP  42

No real change in the proportions for each book represented.  Book 2 is still way out in front with Book 4 trailing along behind.  

Looking closer at Book 2 gives the following missing armies:


14                       Ariarthid Kappadokian
42a & b              Tamil
43                       Maccabaean Jewish
45a & b              Servile Wars
50                       Hasmonaean Jewish
54a & b              Scots-Irish
59                       Jewish Revolt
60                       Caledonian
68a & b              Pictish  
69a, b & c          Sassanid Persian
80a, b & c          Huns
83b                     Later Visigothic

Notes:

Tamils would require some expensive models but I have the foot.
The 3 x Jewish armies might be a 'job lot' that could be worked upon.  
Similar situation with the 'North British' group - Scots-Irish, Caledonians & Picts.

Anyway..just my thoughts at the moment.

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Things Napoleonic...plus DBA

 

Attack and take of the Crête-à-Pierrot (4 - march 24, 1802). Original illustration by Auguste Raffet, engraving by Hébert.

 

 (a) 1/72 Plastics - managed to identify 6 more sprues:

HaT 8304 - British Napoleonic Infantry Command - 4h,3r,15ft
HaT 8297 - French Napoleonic Infantry Command - 2h, 2r, 15ft

This leaves only about 20 miscellaneous figures which will, no doubt, end up in the spares box.

Of limited direct use in the Egyptian campaign but could serve in Haiti.

(b) Russians - combining all options for the 3 DBN lists gives the following requirements:

57 foot  -  24 horse  - 5 guns & crew  

Now need to look through the 15mm metals that have been sitting around in my living room for far too long.

Of course I need to do some more research on the Russo-Turkish wars in order to see what variations applied after the end of the Napoleonic Wars.  

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Sat 6th Feb 2022 - Gt. Houghton - 'Fighting in Italy'

1.36b Sardinian v 2.33 Polybian Roman                           4:0 loss
2.12 Alex Macedonian v 2.17a Lysimachid                      4:1 loss
1.52i Italiot Hoplite v 1.61a  Early Carthaginian              1:4 win
2.8c Apulian v 2.13  Samnite                                            2:4 win
2.16e Peithon v 2.16a Antigonos                                      2:4 win

As usual much was owed to the capricious dice rolls.  


Sat 8th January 2022 - Gt.Houghton - 'Biblicals'

1.15  Later Amorite v  1.2a Early Egyptian                         4:0 win
1.4b Guti 'Great Revolt' v 1.9 Early Syrian                         0:5 loss
1.25b  Early Neo-Assyrian v 1.34a Later Hebrew              4:0 loss
1.37b Taurus Highlanders v 1.44a Early Neo-Babylonian  4:0 loss

Great start but downhill from there on.

Sat 22nd January 2022 - Gt.Houghton - 'Arabs'

3.49 Tulunid Egyptian v 3.65 Nikephorian Byzantine     4:1 win
2.55c  v  3.12  Christian Nubian                                       4:2 loss
2.62b  Abyssinian v 2.23a Nomad                                    4:3 loss
3.25b  Arab Conquest  v  3.29 Thematic  Byzantine        4:2  loss
3.31 Umayyad v 2.83b Later Visigothic                           5:0 loss

Same pattern as last time.

Napoleon in Egypt - Progress Report

 

Looking out my kitchen window I can see the weather changing from rain to sunshine to sleet to high winds.  You would think that it's too cold to be even a wargaming butterfly but, apparently, not.  

On a whim I purchased a load of figures that I thought suitable for my 'Napoleon in Egypt' project.  Once I got the package I realised just how much  I would have to prep.  The majority are Strelets with their awful sprues - my hand is still aching from the effort.

As in any 'job lot' I have had to sort  them into various categories.  Some sprues are still unidentified but this list constitutes the bulk of them.

(a)  Immediately Useful:

133 x Strelets M068 - French Line in Egypt (bicornes)
 48 x Strelets M069 -  French Light Infantry in Egypt
 82 x Strelets M070 -  British Line Infantry in Egypt
 40 x Strelets M071 -  British Light Infantry in Egypt (tarleton)
 14 x Strelets 078 -   French Artillery - no guns
 13 x Strelets 079 -   British Artillery - 4 guns
 12 x Strelets 118 -   French Hussars in Egypt
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342

(b)  Of Some Use:

18 x HaT 8098 - British Marines & Sailors (8:10) - unfortunately no guns.  The sailors will probably end up as Renaissance pirates.

(c)  No Use - dispose of or swap:

11 x Russian Streltsi 'bonus figures'
90 x HaT 8036 - British Light Infantry (shakos)
42 x Strelets 146 - Highlanders in Attack
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143

Once I have identified the 'stragglers' I will have to venture up into the loft to find my stock figures.  Not looking forward to that chilly venture.

DBN - the Eastern Theatre - Russians 1804-12 (Pt.1)

 I was recently offered some unpainted Napoleonics (mostly Russians) at a good price.  My first thought was "opponents for Ian's mainstream DBN forces".  My second thought was "where else were they employed?"  A bit of research found the various scraps against the Ottomans, Persians & Georgians.  

               https://blundersonthedanube.blogspot.com/2011/10/cossacks.html

 

Stage 1 - Identification:

6 x [unknown] Cossacks (riders)
6 x Minifigs 11RC Cossack command
12 x Essex PNR19 Cuirassiers
2 x Essex PNR20 Cuirassier command (riders)
16 x Essex PNR17 Dragoons (riders)
6 x Essex PNR18 Dragoon command (riders)
12 x Minifigs 33RC Dragoons 1802 command
24 x Essex PNR4 Grenadiers
10 x Essex PNR5 Grenadier commands
19 x Essex PNR20 Hussar command (riders)
12 x Essex 29RC Hussars 1802 mirlitons
3 x Essex 32RC Hussars 1802 command
2 x [unknown] Hussars (one-piece castings)
8 x Essex PNR10 Jager firing
8 x Essex PNR11 Jager charging
6 x Essex PNR12  Jager command
7 x Essex PNR21 Lancer
2 x Essex PNR22 Lancer command
26 x Essex PNR6 Lifeguard
4 x [unknown] Lifeguard
15 x Essex PNR1  Line inf at ready
18 x Essex PNR2 Line inf firing
4 x Essex PNR3 Line command
29 x [unknown] Line inf marching, greatcoats
16 x Essex PNR26 Militia in greatcoat
1 x Minifigs 6THA Russian 6h team & driver, bicornes
17 x [unknown] artillery figures
5 x [unknown] artillery pieces
67 x 'loose' horses
6 x [unknown] Mounted Officers (one-piece castings)

I have not started work on the French who, at first glance, seem to be all guard infantry; or the Bavarians (less than 10 of them).

Stage 2 - Compare the DBN lists:

I can certainly make up any or all of the 3 'mainstream' sub-lists.

Stage 3 - What was different about the troops employed in the Caucasus regions?:

This will require some serious research...so here is my current reading list:

(1)  Russo-Persian War 1804-13

       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Persian_War_(1804%E2%80%931813)
(2)  Russo-Turkish War 1806-12
     (a)  https://www.balkanhistory.org/russo-turkish-war-1806-12.html
     (b)  https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2016/01/14/russo-turkish-war-1806-1812/
(3)  Russo-Turkish War 1811 

       https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2021/02/21/the-russo-turkish-war-1811/
(4)  Russian-Turkish & Russian-Persian 1812 

       https://weaponsandwarfare.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/1559216295.pdf
(5)  Russian conquest of the Caucasus 

       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_conquest_of_the_Caucasus

This may take some time......

BARS - What's In a Name?

 

                                                                               Bulgar HC

Whilst checking the requirements for my DBAv3.0 Slav armies my eyes strayed down the page to the Avars and Bulgars.  Much to my surprise (and delight) I could put together these armies, largely, from my Slavs and early Russians.  Of course the figures might be quite different!  Time to consult ADA80.

Illustrations 75 to 80 (pp 95-97) show Slavs (sort of).  Item 78 is actually a Pole and 79 a Hungarian.  However...para 4 says "Their costume is otherwise no different to that current in Western Europe, the Slavs being greatly influenced by foreign fashions of dress."

For the cavalry Fig 85 is an Avar that looks similar to some Sarmatians I have in another tin.

The Bulgars get little mention - only a passing reference to the Volga Bulgar Lh - nothing on the cavalry or infantry.

The 'Slingshot Index 1964-2010' doesn't have anything to contribute (no change there then).

Ospreys:

MAA491 'Armies of the Volga Bulgars & Khanate of Kazan'(I may well acquire this one at Recon);
 MAA333 - 'Armies of Medieval Russia 750–1250' (May be out of date given its number).

So the available information is pretty sketchy.  On-line research found the following:

(a)  'Ethnic Origins of the Bulgars' [interesting discussion]
     - http://archive.worldhistoria.com/ethnic-origins-of-the-bulgars_topic20020_post368084.html

(b)  'noch mehr Bilde & Fakten zu Slawenschlachten' [about the Slavs - if you can read German]
     - http://www.tabletopinzuerich.ch/saga2/slawe2.html  

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15mm Miniatures (if I have missed any please let me know):

(Essex) HSA11 - Avar HC
(Essex) HSA11a - Avar EHC
(Essex) HSA12 - Avar horse archers
(ND) DSC01 - Avar mounted general
(ND) DSC02 - Avar cavalry  [No Picture] - lamellar armour, boots, lance, bow, plumed spangenhelm, buckler
(ND) DSC03 - Avar/Hungarian horse archer - tunic, trousers, boots, firing bow, buckler slung
(ND) DSC04 - Avar [foot] - coat, trousers, spear, bow, fur trimmed hat

(Essex) HSA3 - Bulgar horse archer
(OD) ASC01 - Bulgar horse archer - tunic, fur-edged cap, sh, bow, shooting
(OD) ASC02 - Bulgar horse archer - tunic, fur-edged cap, sh, carrying bow
(OD) ASC03 - Bulgar horse archer - tunic, fur-edged cap, sh, bow in case, carrying jav/lgt sp
(OD) DSC06 - Bulgar cavalry - long coat, sp, bow, helmet, buckler
(OD) DSC07 - Bulgar cavalry - long top coat, waving sabre, bow, fur-trimmed helmet

(Essex) HSA7 - Slav foot archer
(Essex) HSA8 - Slav spearman with axe & shield
(Essex) HSA9 - Slav javelinmen
(Essex) HSA10 - Slav MC
(Irr) V13 - Rus/Slav Archer
(Irr) V14 - Slav javelinmen
(OD) BYC11 - Slav cavalry - spear, almond shield, helmet
(OD) DWC02 - Slav cavalry - tunic, trousers, javelin, buckler

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Key:

ADA80 - Armies of the Dark Ages 600-1066 (2nd Ed) by Ian Heath Pub: WRG 1980
BARS - Bulgars, Avars, Russians & Slavs - one of my tins.
DBA3 - De Bellis Antiquitatis v3.0 by Phil Barker  Pub: WRG
Essex - 15mm Ancient - Asiatic Hordes - https://www.essexminiatures.co.uk/collections/15mm-ancient-asiastic-hordes
Irr - Irregular Miniatures - http://irregularminiatures.co.uk/  [Dark Ages range]
ND - 'New Era' Donnington - https://shop.ancient-modern.co.uk/2-donnington-new-era-110-c.asp
OD - 'Original' Donnington - https://shop.ancient-modern.co.uk/1-donnington-originals-1-c.asp
Slingshot Index - 1964 to 2010 version