Plastic Coftyrans

So it's taken about a month to get these fellows painted, flocked, and in front of the camera. Real Life has been getting in the way a bunch; some good, some not so much. 

I had hoped to write an amusing story, but my Muse is off searching the pantry for more tea and biscuits.

The siocast officers give a welcome boost to the Royalist command. I'm not a fan of siocast, being all flexible and bendy when you're trying to trim flash off. Some nice details like the Coftyran badge on the chest plate. Some details are lacking though; there are no scabbards or pistol holsters.

I have metal scabbards. I should paint a couple and add them. 

"I say, Byrti old snout, got any pipe tobacco going spare?"
"Dreadfully sorry, Chyzy my old termite. You've smoked it all."

A Medic made by removing the rifle from a right hand and adding a couple of metal small packs. The Laws of War naturally forbid targeting medical staff, so he doesn't need a sidearm. But his bright red helmet should protect him from shrapnel and being deliberately targeted.

I've got the Cook to remove shock. I'm thinking the Medic may have a chance to restore casualties as well as remove shock.

I needed two more Cryfen LMG gunners to complete the TO&E. Being more experienced soldiers, they both seem to have acquired packs stuffed with baguettes.

I also needed three Yawdryls to complete the TO&E. These don't have swords like the metal Yawdryls, but the Doru SMGs and gestures certainly mark them out as Big Quar shouting orders.

I have metal swords in scabbards among my Quar bits as well. I could easily add swords to the belts.

To further the First World War vibe, I needed some dedicated bombers. The grenade throwing arms and one extra grenade are on every sprue. Dan has loaned me his pill bottle full of extra grenades, so I've burdened them with extra grenades of various types.

I could have made 6 bombers, but I'm saving a couple of grenade throwing arms for a section of Trench Raiders  I'd like to build.

I haven't been able to figure out how to make rhyfle-grenade launchers however. The poses for the Harlech rhyfles are wrong, even though adding a grenade cup on the end would be easy enough.

But each company has an organic field gun. So they aren't lacking in high explosive fire support. 

To that end, here are three dedicated artillery Quar. Again, Harlechs were cut from a hand. I tried to make one holding a shell, but none of the right arms extend out enough to accommodate the bulky shell. These aren't wearing their packs, because gunners don't. 

And they will also crew the fortress/positional gun I made for Brequar Manor.

Finally, two rhyflers to finish the 4 sections that make up the company. One of them has the baguettes sack and they are looking forward to a snack of baguettes spread with the tin of Nan Ethyl's Spicy Beetle Paste found in a bombed out house.

"I'm hungry, Derfyl!"
"You're always hungry, Pythwyn."
"When's Tea then, Derfyl?"
"When Yawdryl shouts 'Brew up!' 'n not afore, kit."
"I'm glad we found tha bug paste an all."
"Aye, yon bug pate'll be champion. We'll be 'avin' our Tea just like the Big Snouts in the First Families, we will."
"It'll be grand. When's Tea? I'm hungry!"

General d'Armee 2

Scott has a new division of Württemberg troops to break in and the new edition of General d'Armee, so a small game was arranged to start learning the rules.

We decided that it was 1813 and Napoleon and the Allies were fighting to the last German. I fielded a mixed division of Prussians and Russians roughly equal to Scott's force; 8 battalions of infantry and 2 regiments of cavalry. His artillery battery was large at 3 models so I took 2x regular sized batteries.

Prussians 

Prussian dragoons and Russian uhlans

Russians

Württemberg cavalry brigade 

Württemberg Light infantry

Big artillery battery wearing proper helmets

Württemberg dragoons get stuck in. I opted to be aggressive and stand and fire instead of forming square, which hurt him badly (both regiments retired "Worn") but after two charges cost me the Jaeger battalion.

Prussian artillery

Skirmish lines skirmishing. Skirmish fire is a lot less bloody.

Württemberg fusiliers wearing proper helmets as well!

Scott enjoying himself. The game certainly gives a grand spectacle, which is I think the point of big Napoleonic games, rules bedamned.

Dragoons charging again! My infantry have gone into uncontrolled musketry, making them less effective

Jaegers about to be destroyed

Russian artillery. I'm not sure if Scott counted them as 12 pounders?

My cavalry charge!

Prussians enjoying the autumn colours

Württemberg Light Infantry storm my battery!

You can see all the hits the Lights have taken charging the guns.

The initiative mechanic is interesting. Roll 2d6 high roll wins. But for every hesitant or broken brigade you add an extra dice and must use the two lowest rolls. So the extra dice give you more chances to roll badly.

Supports in charges can add reroll attempts, but you need to weigh the risk of rolling worse vs how bad the result is now.

Fire combat is less bloody. So smaller forces are more viable and give a better game. With the first edition I always felt that a single division wasn't enough for the game, but now it seems fine. 

There are some ideas that are new and require a bit of thought to wrap your head around, but they're interesting.

More games are required, and I should maybe buy my own copy.

Promising and Problematic Plastic Quar

As I said last week, this arrived last Monday. 24 plastic Coftyrans,  24 plastic Crusaders, 2 siocast Coftyran officers, and 3 siocast Crusader Anti-tractor grenade launchers. 

My order was from an early batch of the siocast and not as flexible as they were supposed to be. But the warheads glued back on with superglue after some accelerator, patience, and appeals to the Ancestors. 

Eek!

Warheads fixed

Comparing with older metal

Later batches of the siocast figures will include the plastic bases, but I'm okay with using fender washers so these guys don't bounce around in the box.

Coftyran officers

Comparing siocast with metal. Height is fine. Chubbier, and bigger heads.

After experimentally assembling a few figures I decided to lay out all my sections to help me visualize what I needed to build.

Crusaders need a variety of types. Assistants to the Torpedo launchers, Ryshi gunners for the 4th section, a couple of NCOs.

This helped me realize that I mainly needed section leaders and LMGs for the Royalists. 

This also helped me realize that I've got a good start on Support Weapons for a second company for each side.

Trying a few conversions. Gave myself a nasty cut working on Mr Armless, so I decided that I should go watch Star Trek. 

Coftyran bombers, Cryfen LMG gunners, and Yawdryls with Doru SMGs.

Had the inspiration to use metal bits to accessorize the plastics. The Bombers are suitably burdened with extra grenades

Ryshi gunners get some extra magazine pouches 

I like the extra magazine pouches so much I should retrofit some to my metal Ryshi gunners

Any of the rifle firing or carrying poses were a real pain to get both arms glued on and the left hand gripping the weapon and things oriented in an appropriate direction before the glue set. Fortunately I learned a while ago to glue the head on last so you can have him sighting along the barrel, or at least close enough.

Made a Medic for the Coftyrans. Crusader small packs become medical bags

Another view of Coftyran Medic. He's looking rather pugilistic. 

I was trying to make a Coftyran gunner holding a heavy shell, but it was a complete, glue covered, bodge. A suitable right arm being lacking, unlike the Crusader sprue that has a right arm with enough room to convincingly put an artillery shell in there. I think it was originally holding a ryshi heavy automatic ryhfle.

I managed a shell carrying gunner for the Crusaders

Coftyran gunners, without packs. Or shells.

Crusader Yawdryl waving troops forward.

I was trying to make a Yawdryl gesturing. I was hoping to have him doing the "knife hand" gesture, but didn't like the result. So I repositioned the left hand and put a pouch under it as if he's reaching for a magazine.

A nice detail on the Coftyran sprue is a pack with baguettes sticking out. Don't worry, the Crusaders got one of the baguette packs too. 

Coftyran Yawdryls pointing and gesturing. Although lined up it looks like their rehearsing for Alwyndvision.

Of course I always see people doing amazing conversions of plastics on Social Media, but it seems my vision for chopping, swapping, and gluing is limited. Or I just don't have enough spare bits? Of course, swapping arms and torsos and weapons between different medieval kits to make a cool Middle Earth hero is perhaps more reasonable than hoping some WW2 arms might work for Quar. 

Zombiesmith are doing 3d print .stls for extra arms, bodies, heads, and equipment that couldn't fit on the sprues, so I'll compose myself and wait for them to go on sale. They will be available printed out or as .stls.

I have 10 plastic Crusaders, along with 2 metal mortar quar, and 9 Coftyrans left over, waiting.

For now I'll paint what I've assembled, which should get me enough figures for assaulting the Battery at Brequar Manor.