The Legatus' Napoleonic Wargames Armies: The Peninsula, Quatre Bras and Waterloo: July 2009

Monday, 13 July 2009

Hougoumont: The Farmer's House

I took delivery of my first piece of the Hovel's Hougoumont today. It is, as they state, really scaled for 25mm figures (in fact it would work well with my old Airfix figures) and looks a bit small next to my Perry Miniatures 28s but I'm not too worried as I'm sure it won't be too noticeable when the whole thing is put together. One thing that is a bit disappointing is the very poor fit of the roof on the main body of the house. It is, quite simply not long enough for the base unit and makes you realise how very good the Grand Manner offerings are by comparison. Never mind I am sure it will look better painted. I'm not allowing myself to buy another bit of the Chateau until this is fully painted (probably about 2012!)

Tuesday, 7 July 2009

Hougoumont

I asked on my main blog whether anyone made a model of Hougoumont suitable for 28mm figures and someone kindly pointed out that Hovels do. I've never been a big fan of Hovels as some of their buildings are a bit caricatured; like some of those miniature villages that people collect (compared with, say, Grand Manner).

I have to say, though, that the Hougoumont looks pretty good and for around £200 isn't that expensive (I paid that for my Weathertop piece from Forge World). Whilst I will continue to aim to do bits of Quatre Bras for 2015 I am quite tempted to start getting bits of this, as a game set around the chateau would be quite limited in the troops you would need (no cavalry or artillery). I could also use some of the individual buildings to represent some of the farms on the Quatre Bras battlefield.

Napoleonic Wargaming

Like many wargamers I began wargaming with Airfix's plastic HO/OO figures. I certainly had some at Junior school so must have acquired them not long after they came out in 1969. I remember the French and British infantry coming out in 1972. By the time the two artillery sets appeared my friends, Bean-Kid, Cess-Pitt and Brookbank and I were able to recreate Waterloo in cream coloured glory on the 7' by 6'6" board I laid on my parents dining table (much to the chagrin of my mother who insisted on personally laying the blankets on the mahogany table and moving her treasured early nineteenth century Trafalgar chairs out of the room).

I bought a few of Peter Gilder's Hinchliffe French, some carabiniers and some Imperial Guardsmen and I looked down at Lugs Willerton's Miniature Figurines figures as they seemed a bit short!

My father encouraged me in my Napoleonic interest and he took me to see the film Waterloo on its release. I still have the book by Ugo Pericoli of the uniform designs from the film and the original film programme (from the days when you could buy an illustrated programme at the cinema for the film you were seeing). He also took me around the Musée de l'Armée in Paris and bought me some 54mm painted plastic figures and a set of transfers of Chasseurs of the Guard with which I carefully decorated my wastepaper bin at home!

About 13 years ago I started to paint some Napoleonic plastics properly but got frustrated at the bendyness of them. When I began to paint 28mm figures shortly afterwards I realised that of all periods Napoleonics require huge numbers of figures for a wargame and, anyway I didn't like the proportions of the main two ranges Foundry and Front Rank. So I concentrated on Ancients and Dark Ages for several years.

Then, of course, came the Perry figures and they were right for Quatre Bras, the battle I had always been most interested in. Again I didn't get anything other than a few Dutch Jaegers because the Perry twins were quoted as saying that they would never do British. Something which has completely changed of course.

I recently decided to abandon any large scale plans but maybe it's time to look at large skirmishes instead.