Wargame Rules

BLOG BACKGROUND AND WARGAME RULES
I have set up this blog for my wargaming interests in the Muscovite-Tartar Wars, Reconquista Wars, the Barbary Coast Pirates, and the early campaigns of the Ottoman Turks and Saracens. Some lesser known crusades will also be covered. Miniatures are mainly 28mm with a growing collection in 54mm. If my photographs serve to encourage others to complete their collections I shall be pleased. I will also be mentioning other sites with interesting collections on the above. Do join the 'Friends' if you like what you see.

I prefer to use my own rules which are kept simple and involve eight-sided dice. These allow for fast results with various types of weaponry. Morale dominates my games.


Sunday 10 February 2019

RESTORING 54mm HERALD MEDIEVALS (PART TWO)

The rough, hurried paintwork found on W.Britains Herald Range of knights is still a very convenient resource, and any efforts to improve or restore the paintwork is no great inconvenience. Many of the castings were made in a steel (occasionally silver) coloured plastic which actually looks quite good. As a rule, its not my intention to radically replace the original 1970s artwork. Unfortunately, the paper-transfer shield designs rarely survive, but as these designs look more appropriate as comprehensive school blazer badges I have little incentive to keep them anyhow. Having taken care to prime just the cleaned shields, I have now painted on Guelph and Ghibelline designs belonging to Italian states and rulers. Many of these 1968-76 figures arrive with mismatched bases, or plastic sheet replacements, or no bases at all. I have sought to correct this irregularity with a general redistribution. Fortunately, the plastic sheet bases are a good, working alternative, and two units of Heralds now use this option. By the way, warped Herald bases will typically return to their correct shape if placed in hot water, and then rested on a cold surface. So here are some of the new, old Herald knights. I have only had one complete loss so far, an archer had probably been dipped into paint stripper and it had destroyed the integrity of the plastic, causing constant peeling. I must confirm, its been a real pleasure restoring these figures, and an even greater pleasure now owning once more some childhood toys. MGB

6 comments:

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    1. Cheers Robbie, a lot more to show very shortly, but I want to include a few small uploads on special restorations. Nothing great, but it will be of interest to some, and possibly some help to others.
      Michael

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  2. Interesting Project Michael- about 5 years ago I moved house and in the garage sale sold over 80 figures just like these! I think I regret it!

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    1. Hi John, to be honest, the idea of just raising another 28mm army in the hope it would excite my interest, just wasn't going to work. I have joined or viewed quite a few blogs etc which showed collections of 54mm, mainly Britains, being used in war-games. The gloss finish, simple rules, etc, just captured my imagination. And when I saw the photos of Peter Cushing doing the same, I was hooked. For the moment, I am aiming for a collection of about 280 figures for the Guelph-Ghibbelline wars in Italy. Looking at figures I had in childhood, repairing and restoring the same, is great fun. I do recommend this return to 'original' wargaming. (I lost my original collection in the early 1980s, shame!)
      Michael

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    2. Now I'm intrigued- what rules are they using?- and I'm getting nostalgic- I had hundreds of these figures in the 1980s gave them away when I got married.

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    3. John, I never promote my own house rules as a good game is so dependent on the the actual company you war-game with. I can confirm that they allow individual firing, with eight sided dice, morale dominates, and they cover about two sides of A4 in moderate sized print. That we have had numerous games in which visiting guests and wargamers have had a thrilling few hours gaming and picked up some understanding of the period says to me they do the business.
      Michael

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