Friday, 29 May 2009

Noo Yoik, Noo Yoik







This is my version of the 3rd New York Regiment c. 1778, 30 figures strong, all Hinchliffe castings designed, of course, by Peter Gilder. Alexander Hamilton (a slight modification of the Suren George Washington on a Gilder Foremost horse) provides moral support.

This unit is a fairly new addition to my collection and has only fought once.. i say 'fought', actually they didn't fire a shot, nor suffer a casualty - they just stood and watched as [enter Mel Gibson mode] the vile oppressors were soundly thrashed by the defenders of liberty [exit Mel Gibson mode] ......

As you can see my first efforts at photographing a decent sized unit have not been entirely successful - no doubt there are settings i could use to improve the focus, etc. but me and digital devices (including our camera) just don't get on, give me analogue anytime...






Friday, 22 May 2009

The Hinchliffe Philosophy....


Well.....perhaps not, but i do think this piece (the Introduction to The Hinchliffe Guide to Wargaming) sheds some light on Frank Hinchliffe's attitude and approach to our hobby. More on Frank Hinchliffe in due course.

Wednesday, 13 May 2009

Peter Gilder Bibliography

This is my current list of articles and publications authored by, or largely focusing on, Peter Gilder. It's something of a work in progress, and i am sure i am missing things. Please comment if you can add anything to the list.

Wargamers Newsletter:
Issue 18 'What is Gilder up to These Days' (letter extracts edited by Don Featherstone)
Issue 91 'Counsels of War' (letter extract edited by Don Featherstone)

Miniature Warfare
April-July 1970 'In The Grand Manner' (preparations for a Waterloo refight)

Hinchliffe Models Publications:
1972 Catalogue 'Painting Guide'
1976 Hinchliffe Handbook 'Bases for Wargame Figures'
1977 'Hinchliffe Guide to Wargaming'

Military Modelling:
May 1974 'CALLAN goes to war' report on the film production by Phil Stearns 
August 1975 'The Battle of Waterloo' OOBs, etc. by PG, David Golden & Duncan MacFarlane
September 1975 'The Battle of Waterloo' a battle report by PG, David Golden & Duncan MacFarlane
May 1980 'Wargamers' Holidays' a visit to the WHC by Ken Jones
December 1981 databooklet No. 6 'Painting Wargame Figures and Armies'

Battle (and Battle for Wargamers):
March 1978 'Personalities on Parade' (an interview with Don Featherstone)
June 1978 'Battleground' (a preview of the TV series by Terry Wise)

Miniature Wargames:
Number 1 'A Holiday at the Wargames Centre' by Mike Hodson-Smith
Number 4 'Let's Fight Leipzig: Part 1'
Number 5 'Let's Fight Leipzig: Part 2'
Number 6 'The Sudan'

Wargames World:
Issues 1-5 'A Sudan Campaign'
Issue 3 'In the Grand Manner' (artillery in wargames)

Wargames Illustrated:
Number 40, January 1991 Obituary/Editorial by Duncan MacFarlane

Osprey Publications:
'The Campaign of Naseby 1645' by Stuart Asquith & Peter Gilder, Osprey Wargames 1, 1979
'The Campaign of Leipzig 1813' by Jeff Parker & Peter Gilder, Osprey Wargames 2, 1979

Miscellaneous:
'The Wargame' edited by Peter Young, Cassell & Company, 1972 ('All terrain made and supplied by Peter Gilder of Hinchliffe Models')
'Battles of the American Revolution' by Curt Johnson, Sampson Low, 1975 (illustrated with photographs of PGs AWI collection)

Wednesday, 6 May 2009

Howzat!


Recently i came across a '70s vintage Hinchliffe 25mm British Napoleonic 5.5" howitzer, it's a relatively small piece so i thought it would pass for an American King howitzer (the howitzer equivalent of a grasshopper). In the end it turned out to be too big - but i won't tell anyone if you won't...

Hinchliffe equipment pieces (in all their various scales) have always been of the highest quality and (casting issues aside) remain unsurpassed even today. Even those obtuse characters who didn't like Gilder's sculpting would often equip their armies with Hinchliffe guns and wagons. The man behind the majority of these pieces was, of course, Frank Hinchliffe himself. Although a very talented scale modeller, hobby innovator, and the man behind one of the most influential companies in wargaming and military modelling FH seems to have largely avoided the limelight and received little recognition for his role in developing our hobby. With this in mind i've embarked on a little research, and with the very generous help of various wargaming luminaries i hope to present a small article on Frank Hinchliffe soon.

Incidentally, the gun crew are conversions of Hinchliffe ACW artillerymen.

Sunday, 3 May 2009

The Crusade Against Black Undercoat...


....will be led by this rather splendid Essex Bishop. I've never really been keen on Essex figures (not even back when they were fashionable) - they are decent, solid wargaming miniatures but they lack the drama and realistic human proportions that i find most appealing. That said, the (unknown) artist that created this vignette has done such a good job that i am willing to overlook the huge heads. I like it so much i found myself browsing the Essex Crusades range the other day...oh dear....must focus....focus.....[sadly i think for me Focus will never be more than a dodgy Dutch prog band].

BTW, is it just me, or does the standard bearer scream 'Monty Python'....?