Thursday 30 December 2021

ECW conference 2022

 




Waking the Bear - a guide to wargaming the Great Northern War and Turkish campaigns 1700-1721 by Mark Shearwood


This book will make a Great Northern wargamer of you

I really enjoyed this and found it very useful. As someone who has an interest in the period but have not wargamed it I feel it has taken me closer to completing an army. All sorts of organisational information and historical orders of battle specifically tailored to the needs of the wargamer are there. I found the painting guides very useful. It does not presume a particular scale so there is plenty to suit the smaller scale gamer. It goes beyond just  the Swedish and Russian forces - there is quite an array of nations to choose from which also includes the Ottoman forces something I found very useful. So if you have an interest in Danish, Brandenburg-Prussian or Saxon they are all here. It is also a visual feast with many colour illustrations of some fine miniatures. Definitely recommend.

News from Steel Fist who are making a very good ECW range

 ECW 15mm - Foot pack reorganisation and price reductions.

I have new production moulds for the ECW Foot, which means I can now reduce the selling prices.

The new packs have 24 figures for the Pikes and Shotte, and the Foot Command are now sold in their own packs of 8 figures. I hope this gives more flexibility in building wargame units.

ECWF1 - Pikes Advancing (24 figures) £12.75

ECWF2 - Pikes Levelled (24 figures) £12.75

ECWF3 - Musketeers Marching (24 figures) £12.75

ECWF4 - Musketeers Firing (24 figures) £12.75

ECWF5 - Foot Command Pack I (8 figures) £4.20

ECWF6 - Foot Command Pack II (8 figures) £4.20

ECWF7 - Foot Command Pack III (10 figures) £5.00

ECWF1 to ECWF6 are now in stock in the online store.

Oliver is working on Foot Dragoons and extra Ensigns next.

https://www.steelfistminiatures.com/product-category/english-civil-war-15mm-product_cat-19/

Monday 27 December 2021

New Strelets-R box artwork

 I don't know who does their artwork but they are good. This looks like Spain.


Thursday 23 December 2021

Tuesday 21 December 2021

Thursday 16 December 2021

CHARLES X’S WARS VOLUME 1 Armies of the Swedish Deluge, 1655-1660

 

This is another book I have - it is the first in a series # read about it here.  Volume 2 is about the Danish wars. 

Waking the Bear A Guide to Wargaming the Great Northern War and Turkish Campaigns 1700-1721


 My copy has arrived. Just. First glance it is profusely illustrated. Read about it here

Wednesday 15 December 2021

Kesselsdorf 1745

 


Today's anniversary is this famous battle.

Sunday 12 December 2021

Wednesday 8 December 2021

The Perfect Militia by Peter Leadbetter. Stuart trained bands of England and Wales 1603-1642

This is an excellent book covering the history of the trained bands in the first half of the seventeenth century in England and Wales.  A very important study as this is effecting an analysis of their effectiveness as the Civil war looms on the horizon. The Bishop's wars also occurred during this period and that aspect is also covered. Annual musters were held where the men and equipment were assessed. The effectiveness and levels of training are examined across the country. The ratio of pike to shot both in theory and in reality are looked at. The author has restricted himself to primary sources in this book and as such it is very good history. I would recommend this to any 17th century enthusiast and specialist. Details here

Sunday 5 December 2021

Leuthen 1757

 Today's anniversary is the famous Prussian victory. Wiki



Friday 3 December 2021

Lund 1676

 Today's anniversary is this bloody battle of the Scanian war.


Thursday 2 December 2021

Wars and soldiers in the early reign of Louis XIV Volume 5 the Portuguese army 1639-1690 Bruno Mugnai


An exciting addition to a successful series. Covering the birth of the modern Portuguese army through its wars with Spain and their colonial actions during this period -  in Africa and Brazil - which is a first in the English language. There were English and French troops employed by the Portuguese in this era when their military was starting almost from scratch. From a Uniformology perspective this is a fascinating time. The transition to the adoption of the  French style of dress is covered in this volume. Mr Mugnai is not only a fine artist he also has a deep knowledge of costume history and as a result the illustrations are extremely useful. This is a book that I heartily recommend both from a historical aspect as this period is very obscure but also from a military uniform aspect as this is all new information and as such very welcome.