HaT French Infantry update

 As I watch my 401K fall into oblivion, I am glad I went with the cheaper plastic kits. They are really looking good, but the assembly is driving me toward a therapy session. HaT did great with the kits as the quality is really improved. The rifles are painted for the test unit. I used Citadel Morningfang Brown, who the hell names these paints. The paint covered well. 

The hair was then done with Gorther Brown. I plan to wash later to darken it all in. I did add a flesh wash and will wait to see the results when it dries. 

I then painted the plumes on the Grenadiers. I am staying with red as Voltiguers were not available this early in the period. I used Citadel Flesh Tearer red contrast paint. The red is a bit darker than I like so I need to hi-light which I wanted to avoid. I hope the red can also be used for the piping and cuffs but I don't know if the paint can do it without bleeding into other parts of the figure. The Contrast paint may be too thin for trim work, 

I did use Citadel steel paint for the barrels and will use Nuln oil to give depth. If it seems like I have a lot of Citadel I do, as my son used to play 40K.  Since my order form Miniature Market did not arrive I am now working on assembling the command figures, then dry brush after a gray primer coat. It took way too long to assemble. The soft plastic was difficult to assemble and some of the pegs on the figures were a bit too long for them arm to fit, especially on the standard bearer. I have never hated a figure as much as I hate this one. 

I took off the peg on the body and glued the arm with flagpole direct on. It was so difficult I was thinking of buying on in metal. The heads also had problems staying on the body. It was an enormous pain in the ass. I have 3 more to do so maybe it will work out. 

The detail on the command kit is really good for the money. The downside is the assembly as the plastic doesn't want to hold. Superglue alone is nor sufficient. I am looking to get glue specifically made for plastics from Loctite on my next trip to Lowes. 

HaT French Infantry painting

 HaT 1/72 Early French Infantry

Now that the AWI project is finishing, I decided to start the French infantry. The gray undercoat worked well, and the dry brush really picked up the detail better than expected. Actually, I didn't expect the HaT figures to have that much detail. The belts turn backs and other details really come through but, removing flash on these figures is much more difficult than metal. The soft plastic cuts very easily and filing down parts doesn't work. It is VERY easy to remove parts of the figure with the flash. I did what I could, and I did miss some flashing which was not seen until I dry brushed. 

I did go back and trim the more obvious pieces but decided to move on. I think I can paint over some of the mold lines which were very difficult to remove. Another issue to consider is that super glue to attach the back packs and arms was extremely difficult to use for this soft material. I had to use PVA and Super glue. The PVA helps keep the item you need to attach in place.  A dab of each helped keep everything together. Superglue alone did not last as some packs I glued the day before falling off during paint. 

I used black contrast paint (Citadel Templar Black) and Citadel Cadian Flesh tone for the base flesh which will get a wash later. The dry brushing helped in the contrast effect. The contrast paint did cover well but there is no doubt the paint will rub off if the figures do not get a coat of varnish. I will use a dull coat. 

For the pack I used Snake bite leather. The paint really looks good on the figures. I did order Speed paints (Highlord Blue especially)from Miniature Market which have yet to arrive. When they do I will be able to continue. I will say that Contrast paints make painting enjoyable. I feel like I am coloring and not painting. I am moving through the figures quickly. 

HaT kit 8296 Early-Mid French Marching

 

This kit cost $6.99 and provides flanking company figures of Voltigeurs and Grenadiers as well but I may need to purchase another HaT kit of French Elites to add more elite company figures. 

As with the command box the figures are well sculpted, and the plastic is not as soft as I thought. Although there are no action poses with the kit, they can fill out units in the marching rank and file. 

I also plan to prime these figures gray and dry brush them white to pick up the detail to make them easier to paint up. 

There are 4 sprues with better-than-expected detail and the packs separate. I am not sure how many units I can build but with minimal investment I am off to a good start. 

HaT 1/72 French Command

 As the cost of everything is skyrocketing, I decided to look at 1/72 to build up some forces for Napoleonic gaming. The rules I am considering are Et Sans Resultat (need to buy), Black Powder (own), Volley and Bayonet (own) and possibly another set to be determined. 

I really want to play a Grand Strategy game in 10mm or 6mm (Et Sans Resultat) but I wanted to see if the 1/72 plastics have improved in quality.

I purchased 4 HaT kits  for an early French army. The first to check out was kit 8297 Napoleonic French Command. It gives you the option to add the heads to fit any period you want to game. The heads fit  on pegs that will fit in the body and the detail on the figures is better than expected. 

Cost: $6.99 for 4 command sprues

There is some flash to remove which seems a bit more difficult to clean up than metal. The detail on the straps and uniform stand out with dry brushing white on a gray undercoat. 

Once these are complete I need to decide on basing them in a way that can cross over to multiple rules, perhaps 40mm square bases or 40mm x 20mm. 

Spray Primer and Dry Brush

 Rather than spend $16 for Citadel gray primer I went to Lowes (big box hardware) and spent $4 on Krylon Color max which is also safe for some plastics. I was pleasantly surprised at the excellent coverage on the Blue Moon miniatures. There was no clogging and the figures kept all their detail. 

All of the figures dried quickly and within an hour were ready to be dry brushed. No blobs of paint wrecked any detail. I will be using this primer from now on. 

I then tested the primer on plastic miniatures. I have a left over horse figure that would be sacrificed in case there was some negative side effect but there was none. The primer is safe to be used for the HaT figures I plan to paint. 

The figure took paint easily. The Krylon primer is a money saver for sure. 

Battle of Cooch's Bridge update

 The Blue Moon 18mm American Militia and Prussian Dragoons arrived. I am basing all infantry figures on 3/4 inch fender washers.  I had a lot of them and since these are skirmish rules the basing doesn't matter as long as they are based individually. The Dragoons and mounted officers are getting square basing left over from previous projects. 

The militia are in firing and loading poses. There was very little flash on the figures. The order from Old Glory arrived quickly, they remain a top notch company regarding service.

The Prussian Dragoons are also easy to clean up. 

These Hessian troopers will be reporting to Captain Johann Ewald to scout for the column. 

For painting I want to try something different. A gray prime coating followed by a dry brushing of white to help bring detail for the Citadel contrast paints. I noticed dark blue has trouble showing detail at this scale and I want to avoid hi-lighting if possible. 

I have finished painting the British and Hessian infantry so this will be the last batch to paint for a test run of the rules. I am contemplating the purchase of American Dragoons. They did not fight in the battle but were present in the area to reconnoiter British movement before the battle. Some of the American troopers were captured before the battle and I would like to have them as an optional force. 

Forces should be :

British

3x 10 man units of Light infantry

2x10 man units of Jaegers

2x Hessian 3lb cannon and crew

1 x 10 man dragoon unit

American:

3 x 10 man Continentals

2x 10 man Militia

Cooch's Bridge project

 Figures Blue Moon

Scale 18mm

Rules Muskets and Mohawks

Why this battle? Well, it occurred a few miles from my home, and I knew nothing about it. It was a great learning experience as I had no idea the Hessians were involved and how the battle even developed.  

Back story: 

After taking New York City the British attempted to take Philadelphia. Instead of marching through New Jersey General William Howe decided to take a different approach by sea. He could not sail up the Delaware river which was the most direct route due to the defenses and coastal artillery. He chose to sail up the Chesapeake Bay instead which meant landing in Maryland, marching north through Delaware and then on to Philadelphia. Howes army of 18,000 troops landed in what is now Elkton Maryland. To counter this move Washington marched his army of 16,000 troops south through Pennsylvania and Delaware to monitor and harass Howe's movements. Washington set up his camp in Wilmington Delaware along with a field hospital. 

As Howe moved out of Elkton his advance elements consisted of Hessian Jaegers and British Light infantry under General Knyphausen's command. General Cornwallis' command was close behind in column formations but took a more northern approach and beat Knyphausen to the rally point at Aikens Tavern.  

The American forces were missing their own light infantry and rifle units as they were sent north to fight in New York. Washington sent General Maxwell to impede their progress along with handpicked men from various units, as well as local militia, to act as light infantry to reconnoiter and ambush the British columns. 

Captain Johanne Ewald was voluntold to lead his Hessian dragoons to reconnoiter the road ahead. There is no doubt that Ewald saw the isolated road flanked by woods and thought, "This is bad" as he rode up the middle in the open. In typical fashion they were ambushed south of Cooch's Bridge and on September 3,1777 the battle commenced. 

18mm Hessian Jaegers and Continental infantry from Blue Moon

I wanted the game to have a lot of room to maneuver the forces and keep the theme of fire and movement, so I decided on a smaller scale of figures with a set of skirmish rules. The figures from Blue Moon in 18mm is a great range and has all the forces I need. They have a lot of detail and character and are very affordable. I may do more periods in the same scale. 

The rules need to be simple and allow for fluid movement. I picked up Muskets and Mohawks from 2 Hour Wargames which is only a $10 investment, and it allows for actions and reactions regarding movement and firing. 

So far I finished 20 Jaegers, a Prussian Gun Crew with a 3 lb canon (Grasshopper) and 20 Continentals. The British light infantry are a work in progress. The Militia and Hessian Dragoons will be the next purchase as I wasn't too sure about skirmishing in a smaller scale but the figures exceeded my expectations on variety and detail, I 'm all in on the look of the Blue Moon figures. 

Peiper at the Gates - Scenario 2 Splitting Timber

 NUTS 4th edition

I decided to give the new rules a try while playing through a Battle of the Bulge campaign

The second scenario of Peiper at the Gates involves a US static defense of a narrow forest path. My squad is led by a REP 5 leader while the 2 engineer half squad, .30cal MG team, bazooka team, medic and infantry half squad are all REP 4. The Germans (All REP 4 for ease of play) entered on the muddy road. The Germans must exit as many forces as possible off of the opposite table edge. To make matters worse there is a snowstorm in effect and all visibility is limited to 8 inches and infantry movement is halved. There is no road bonus for vehicles either. The US must prevent the Germans from exiting the board and will try to place roadblocks by felling trees and moving them into position.  

The Germans activate first and move in 2 PZIV tanks and an SD251 holding an MG 42 team. The 2 assault engineer half squads are riding the tanks. With the snowstorm masking their movement the infantry feel safe riding the tanks for now. 

The US forces deployed in the house and in the woods which was too conservative considering the slower movement and lack of visibility. The Germans are able to move freely for 2 activations. I decide to move the bazooka team and half of my squad forward to cover the rod and try to ambush the lead tank. 

The units trudge up the hill to get a good shot. The German infantry disembark and move forward.  As the column comes into view the Americans win the in sight check and open fire on the infantry killing one soldier. The Germans return fire and cause the Americans to duck back behind the hill. The Germans duck back behind the tank as they fail their man down check. When the lead tank activates the Bazooka team wins the in sight check and shoots, and misses. The Coaxial machine gun cuts him down while his loader ducks back behind the hill. 

As the lead tank carves a path the second tank and half track follow close behind. The infantry is now on foot and their progress is slow, their quick move attempts result in a partial success of 6 inches of movement. They are getting left behind, and may leave the vehicles vulnerable to assault. 

Meanwhile my squad is assisting the 2 engineer half squads. The engineers were able to drop some trees near the road and are attempting to drag the trees across the road. They may not stop the tanks but it worth a chance as the tank might bog down on the trees. While the trees are being moved into position the lead PZIV rounds the bend and fire a machine gun burst killing one engineer and causing the other to duck back. The other teams working see their comrades take fire. 

The next activation is critical, the tank cannot see the other teams working. If the US wins and can activate they can place one, possibly 2 trees in the path of the tank increasing the odds to win the scenario. If the Germans win the tank will activate and attack the squads placing the road blocks. 

The US wins the activation and the teams finish moving the fallen trees across the road but are exposed. Those that finished moving the trees last activation break for the safety of the tree line.

The teams in the road hope the roadblock offers protection. As the rest of the German column moves up they fire on an MG team that popped up. The Gunner is killed and the 2 other crew are driven out of their position. 

The infantry are bringing up the rear and engage in a firefight as the US occupy the hill once again. They drive off the US half squad causing them to Duck Back. The MG 42 is suppressing the enemy quite effectively. 

The head PZIV approaches the first felled tree and spots 2 engineers. The shot misses but the hull MG causes and OOF result. The driver is able to push the first tree by passing the driving test at a -1 to his REP. He will need to do this 2 more times in the next 3 turns. 

He is successful on the consecutive turns and the armor is able to exit on the final turn. The US infantry could only wait in the woods. 

Conclusion: I should have been more aggressive in setting up the US defenses. The Bazooka should have been set up at the roadblocks as well to get a side shot on the lead tank. The 4th edition NUTS! rules play more easily in regard to fire combat and "In Sight" checks.