Well, just about every war gamer - just about every collector of any kind - promises to do this, don't they? To draw a line under their inventory. No more to be added.
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| Perry figures, painted as the Tartar regiment of uhlans. |
So, with this unit of Russian Uhlans - 28mm Perry Plastics - I have 'drawn a line' beneath my Napoleonics. I have plenty for my needs even though I have focused upon the main players, and much less so upon their allies. Possibly with a bit more thought, I would have fewer French and more - that is to say, something - in the way of Italians, Swiss, Bavarians, Saxons, Westphalians and Poles. I have none of them. though a unit of Nassauers somehow insinuated itself into my collection...
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| The white contrasts nicely with the dark red and even darker blue of the uniforms. |
But with somewhere in the region of 2400 figures overall, most of them metal, I reckon that will have to do. Here's a rough count:
- French: 750 figures, 12-14 cannon
- Austrian: 650, 10 cannon
- Russian: 300, 6 cannon
- Prussian: 330, 6 cannon
- British: 250, 5 cannon
- Brunswick: 50 (horse and foot)
- Nassau: 30
- Portugal: 20
- Spain: 20
Totals: 2400 figures, 39-41 cannon
Not the biggest collection in the world - not even the biggest amongst my limited acquaintance - but still a fairish number. That is plenty for a whole war with my Big Battles for Small Tables game system - even more so if using Bob Cordery's Portable Wargames. Of course, if at the next Bring-n-Buy at the club, something grabs me by the throat and says 'buy me, or else!' then I might be forced to rethink...
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| Still a little bit of work to do on these, but I quite like the look already. |
Now, there were 14 figures in the Perry box. A 14-figure unit - 2 more than my standard 12-figures for cavalry? I do have as small number whose strengths vary from that standard. Or detach a couple as General Officer escorts? Decisions, decisions...
In theory, a reasonable idea. Let's see it the notion sticks.
ReplyDeleteIt would have to be something VERY tempting...
DeleteLovely work on the Uhlans, I found myself looking at the same figures the other day but did not pull the trigger! I have always found 14 figures a bit of an odd number but can't grumble with value for money!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Donnie. I have no quarrel with the 14 figures. Italieri used do 17! One can always find employment for spares. But they are very nice figures, for sure.
DeleteCheers,
Ion
That is a goodly collection and in my world (given my storage and gaming space) a fine place to draw a line - though that doesn’t mean ‘for ever’, but as you say it would have to be something VERY tempting.
ReplyDeleteIt might serve a few of us well to take an analytical look at our projects and judge those that can be or are close to being able to be closed down with just a few more additions - a good way to increase focus on freeing up more time for gaming.
Norm -
DeleteIt is true that some of my collections are very unlikely to receive any more recruits - my 18th Century 'Wars of the Imperial Succession' stuff, My ACW, and my Mediaevals. My ACW has been pretty much 'finished off' apart from some figures I want to use as dismounted cavalry need a bit of work. My 30YW was always a limited project, but I STILL haven't painted up my Swedish horse. Ditto some of the Imperialist cavalry of my 18th Century. So there is always work to do.
But there are periods in which finds gaps. Will Grauheim get an army? Probably not, but the temptation is strong. And WW2 is one in which this or that piece of equipment seems just about essential to carry out some such project. And my naval projects - especially my chibi-ships - seem to insinuate themselves into my Chromatic Wars campaigns... Discipline comes hard on those occasions.
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo,
ReplyDeleteGood luck with achieving this goal, but I offer a word of warning. I am currently flocking and reorganising my WW2 Eastern Front collection, and as I am doing it I have been creating a list of little 'extras' that I need to make it complete ... but the list seems to be getting longer and longer the more I do!
All the best,
Bob
Bob -
DeleteWW2 is an especially insidious period to war game: those 'little extras' just keep piling up - and sometimes fetch up being large additions rather surplus to requirements. One can easily have too many Tiger tanks, or IS2s, but one can never have too many trucks or half-tracks. I have just 2 SdKfz250 types of half track, and I have mandated that 2 is all my German army is going to get (There are considerably more SdKfz251 types).
I don't have an American army - so how do I 'do' the Battle of the Bulge (and some other scenarios that come to mind on the US front)? I guess I just adapt them as 'disguised scenarios' somehow! Or arrange games with my pal 'Jacko'.
I'm not surprised at your dilemma, Bob - if dilemma it is. It can be part of the fun. But it can also delay getting started on certain projects. The reason for getting those uhlans was that my Russians had but two units of horse, and both of them heavies. The uhlans fulfil the light horse role. What about cossacks, then? Well, a small unit (8 figures) from another collection will fulfil that role... I needed them , of course, before beginning the 'War of the nations' - though when THAT gets going I'm not 100% sure...
Cheers,
Ion
I just ditched an entire period collection in one scale, as I realised I had all the same stuff in two other scales... That is a fairly drastic way of 'drawing a line' and probably not to be recommended. I actually find adding the little extras the most fun part of any army, there is no time pressure, they don't cost much and don't take up a lot of space.
ReplyDeleteMartin -
DeleteThat is one thing I have not permitted myself - any period in more than one scale. Actually, that isn't quite true, but the occasions in which I have gone down that track (7YW and WW2 in 1:300 scale) have been short lived. I still have a whole lot of 1:300 WW2, but haven't done anything with them for well over 20 years. It's not a scale that appeals to me. I do have the Memoir '44 basic game, but ... I don't think that counts... does it?
Cheers,
Ion
Hi ION,
ReplyDeleteYes- You have a mammoth Napoleonic Collection for sure- well done. 'Drawing the Line' is something I've done already with my WW2 Project- at 8 Tanks for the Germans and 7 for the British so far it has reached the near complete stage of all that I will need for the size of my Games Table at 4ft x 11'6". Enjoy your Napoleonics in 28mm. Regards. KEV.
Kev -
DeleteMy Napoleonics have been well over 45 years in the building, and I have changed the objectives a number of times during those decades. A couple of armies I acquired 'serendipitously', their owners wanting to get rid of them for something they preferred. My earliest objective was simply French vs Austrian, the idea being that I always had an army that could take on an historical opponent, whatever any prospective opponent had.
My British, Russian and Prussian armies are second hand, with bits and pieces added 'to round them off'.
Your WW2 project reminds me of the games I played upon a two-piece arrangement balanced on 3 armchairs that yielded an 8' by 4' battlefield. This back in the mid-1970s. At least I could leave it set up!. At that time my Germans had 3 Panthers and 3 Jagdpanthers, and my Russians T34s and KV1s (not sure how many of each). My Brits had Shermans and Fireflies.
My original plan for the Germans was to build a 'Panzer Division' around a composite panzer regiment of 4 Panthers and 6 PzIVs, with armoured and motorised infantry and support weapons. I was having NO TIGERS. I sometimes wish I had stayed with that. In some ways my British force remains nearer that ... erm ... ideal - with an armoured regiment of 13 tanks: 3 or 4 Fireflies and 10 or 9 Shermans. A couple of Achilles have been added. I won't be adding to these lot.
This for NW Europe, of course. Then there was the Western Desert war. And amongst all the armour it possesses my 8th Army has but one 'I' tank...
I think your more disciplined approach is likely to yield at least as much fun as I have ever derived from my collection. Yours will all see plenty of action. Sadly, a good deal of mine - especially German - might never appear upon my battlefields.
Cheers,
Ion
Lovely work! Better luck than I have had drawing the line. It works for a little while but then temptation inevitably rears its ugly head...
DeleteThanks, Mark -
DeleteOddly enough the worst temptation is to buy something having no real plan for them. I have at least three small collections I'm not sure what to do with. I think that will be the topic of a second chapter along the 'drawing the line under' theme.
Cheers,
Ion
HI ION,
Delete13 Tanks is a huge tally- you'd need a big games table- I'm limiting my collection of Tanks to just 7 a side...this will be all I need for a Battle. Cheers. KEV.
Cheers, Kev -
DeleteThinking back, I can pin down the cause of my WW2 hoard: 'Command Decision' - a Frank Chadwick rule set. We got quite a bit of action with it about 30 years ago, but that petered out as people moved out of town or moved onto other things. 'Jacko' and I had a brief revival a couple of years back:
http://archdukepiccolo.blogspot.com/2021/03/command-decision-battle-of-bulge-action.html
The 'problem' with CD is that the rule set did seem to call upon a fair bit of kit.
I agree with you - 7 or 8 tanks a side is ample. That is my attitude towards my Army Men 'project'. Ra'esharn has 4 PzIV and 3 Patton tanks; Kiivar 3 lights and as two are pretty underscale, probably will keep just 3 of the 5 Centurions. Mind you Kiivar has my 5 cardboard scratchbuilt 'Beaverbug' armoured cars...
Here's an early action...
http://archdukepiccolo.blogspot.com/2011/11/worst-laid-plans.html
But were you to look up my version of Bob Cordery's 'Long Live the Revolution' campaign, you will find at no time did either side have more than 4 tanks. On the other hand, I recall from about 20 years ago a 'Panzer Marsch' game at the club that fielded about 100 Soviet tanks against about 70 German. Man, that was fun!
Cheers,
Ion
I've certainly been pondering on drawing the line with regards to my lead pile, especially as I turn 60 in a few months time. With hand issues already, realistically I know my painting time will become more limited, so I need to focus on core forces and periods I know I will play, rather than 'oh that would be nice' etc. Maybe when they are done I might look at others, but I would prefer to play more games rather than paint, but with painting a nice distraction now and then. Much to think about.
ReplyDeleteSteve -
DeleteYou touch upon something that was a bit of an issue - more than I at the time appreciated - about 5 years ago. Advancing age (I'm now 72) does bring its physical issues, in my case, it was vision. Sorted out, painting is no more enjoyable, but it is easier.
To some extent, I use painting and model making to fill in time between games, mainly owing to the chanciness of actually getting a game in!
Cheers,
Ion
As we might have said at school “waayyyy back when I wor a lad”
ReplyDelete14 Uhlans = 1 x 12 man Uhlan unit, remainder 2 Uhlans (so clearly you need a further 10 to complete the next unit). I speak with the authority of a Yorkshireman. 😉
No, seriously - use them as couriers, “guards” for senior officers, detachments etc.
For whatever reason I seem to have an awful lot of 15mm Napoleonic Italians and Neapolitans.
These days, with relatively limited playing time and space I tend to collect/build a number of relatively small armies rather than, say, just a couple of big, big, big armies. Still, it’s your call Ion - you do whatever you want to do, for whatever reason at that time. As long as you can justify the decision (to yourself) then you’re fine.
Cheers,
Geoff
And, to be fair, I’m not even convinced that you have to justify any decisions to yourself.
DeleteAs the U.K. band Eddie and the Hot Rods sang in 1977 you can “Do Anything You Wanna Do”. Of course, you are based in NZ, so maybe not too familiar with U.K. popular music for the mid-late 1970’s. 😎
Well, Geoff - the army is there, and it's there to fight. I'm still undecided whether to have a 14-figure unit, or to detach two by way of General Officer escorts. I'm leaning towards the 14-figure unit. After all, my Austrians have a couple of 16-figure hussar units.
DeleteMy ACW forces are sort of comparable in army size - bigger, actually, the Union having a whisker over 1000; the Confederate somewhere between 700 and 750. As you might imagine, I had in mind a larger table than my 6' by 4' ...
Some of these featured in my unfinished 'Stonewall in the Valley' campaign of about 6 years back. If you haven't seen it, the thing begins here and runs for 14 posts...
http://archdukepiccolo.blogspot.com/2016/11/stonewall-in-valley-after-don.html
'Eddie and the Hot Rods' don't seem to be in the forefront of my memory, no. I googled the band and the song... still no bells ringing.
Other than my Napoleonics and ACW I have several other armies than I never intended to extend beyond a certain point, and mostly I have stuck with that. But though my original 18th Century armies stayed within bounds, the project acquired one, two, then four new countries, with their armies, this despite giving a friend a fairsized batch of Washington's Army and British Grenadier units. The most recent was my finally putting together the army of Hessen-Rohr. Mind you, those figures I already had, had 'em for decades, and I had made up the flags years ago.
Sometimes my armies just grow by accident... but sometimes it is the consequence of a plastic or lead mountain that needs to be clumb.
Cheers,
Ion
Geoff -
DeleteTo give you some idea of the ancientness of two of the units in my newest Hessen-Rohr Army: The Ewige-Blumenkraft Regiment I painted some time around 1975; the Zeitgeist Infantry maybe a year or two later. They were destined for the Army of Altmark-Uberheim, but when I received a whole swodge of Revell Prussian infantry, they became rather orphaned. I very nearly parted with them, but in the end didn't have the heart...
At any rate, all those armies a re complete in terms of figures, but are requiring some to be painted up.
Cheers,
Ion
Excellent work,there!
ReplyDeleteRegards, Chris.
p.s. I don't belieeeve you. Something will come along! :-D
Hi Chris -
DeleteYeah - there is always something, isn't there?
Just looking at my WW2 inventory, I discover that somehow I have seven Tiger Is. Actually 10, if you count 3 ROCO Tigers. I seem to recall a time at which I vowed and swore I was not having any Tiger tanks at all. Then I seem to recall flogging off/ giving away the three I had about 25 years ago. What happened?
Well, two are those metal fellows that used to come with a magazine (they look to be about 1:70 scale); one a 1:72 kit of a size very similar size, and 4 are Airfix, two of which have been modified by the addition of resin turret bins. Four of this inventory featured in a nice little scenario about 5 years back...
http://archdukepiccolo.blogspot.com/2018/09/surprise-party.html
Of course, I have also acquired somehow 3 King Tigers and a couple of Hunting Tigers as well. Second hand, and requiring a certain amount of repair work...
Yep: there is always something...
But would we have it any other way?
Cheers,
Ion
I can't imagine what different you or I could have done with collecting. And I am in a similar age bracket and size of army situation, except my WW2 spans 28mm,20mm, 15mm. At least my moderns are limited to 1/285th and 20mm.
ReplyDeleteI imagine we all have our own brands of discipline somewhere, 'pancerni'. I sort of 'don't do' moderns, although I did permit myself to be persuaded by a friend's invitation to 'join' his 'Harad' project - a semi-fictitious world with a roughly 1980s setting. However, as Brian moved up north (dream job), from my end this project has sunk into limbo. Again, sort of. Some 'back history' ideas led to the 'Long Live the Revolution' campaign (Portable Wargames). That project 'went the distance' ... and back again - a real contrast plot!
DeleteCheers,
Ion
I have lately been toying with a further 'back history', in which a rambunctious power neighbouring Tchagai, casting covetous eyes upon the untapped natural resources in the wild northern regions of the Nawabate, sends in a powerful invasion. To oppose the vast hordes of T34s and IS2s, The Khan can field a small number of Leopard Is, Centurions and Shermans...
DeleteWhat do you reckon?
Cheers,
Ion