eBay Sale

I am clearing out some of the lead/plastic pile. I am also selling some boxed plastic sets and a few painted units. Please check out my eBay name:

Member id reggiedavis

Thanks for looking.

Sails of Glory: The Great Arms Race

Ares: Sails of Glory

This is the current state of my "Sails of Glory" collection. That is, before the Wave 2 series becomes available in May!

Some thoughts:

1. This is an excellent game, as much fun as Wings of Glory has proven to be for WW1 and WW2 aerial warfare.

2. The models are robust, pleasant to look at and game, cards, mats and boards are all of good quality.

3. The Anchorage is working hard to release brass ratlines/shrouds to improve the appearance of the models. Order them as soon as they go on preorder.

4. After a very successful Kickstarter launch, the production models quickly sold out and and are very hard to find anywhere. I did not subscribe to Kickstarter, a mistake I don't plan to repeat. I have been lucky to find the Kickstarter special models, notably HMS Bellerophon and Fougueux, on eBay for $75-80 per model (thank you 12-7 games!).

5. Order the complete Wave 2 series from the Anchorage store before you go to bed tonight. These are HOTCAKES!

6. Invest in 2 or 3 playmats. They make the game play so much more enjoyable. Also don't forget to order your additional ship mats since these only come with the Starter Set (unless you wisely ordered from Kickstarter). Keith at Aerodrome/Anchorage is a real hero of the hobby with the best customer service. Order from him without concern.


And keep supporting Wings of Glory. Can't wait to see what Ares does next...

"Daimyo at Sekigahara, 1600" the work of M R Pongchai Jayankura at "Monarch Regalia"

One of the many vignettes produced by Pongchai in his extensive range of late feudal Japanese at the start of the Tokugawa Shogunate. All figures are hand painted in Thailand and stand about 45mm tall. The animation and detail is excellent for "toy soldiers" putting them in a class of their own. These are the only toy soldiers in my collection.

The US stockist  for Monarch Regalia is the always helpful Ted Deddens, the owner of Tedtoys and a great artist in his own right:

http://www.tedtoy.com/monarch_samurai.htm

In my humble opinion, nothing compares with Monarch Regalia when it comes to Samurai. Its like participating in an Akira Kurosawa movie.

New from Black Hussar Miniatures

New from the very talented team at Black Hussar: a 3-pounder section of M1746 'Beauvrye's,  designed by GM Leonard von Beauvrye as battalion guns. Comes complete with 5 gunners in various positions. Also featured, a Military Chaplain. All are excellent sculpts and very compatible with the rest of my Foundry Prussian Army.

These figures were painted for me by Leuthen Studios.

3-pounder M1746 'Beauvrye'-design

Military Chaplain

"Gott mit uns!"

14th Brooklyn: Arrived

I have now had a chance to examine and take some photos of my 14th Brooklyn. I am very pleased with the sculpting and design by F&G and by the artistry of Leuthen Studious which performed the commission for me.

F&G has animated the unit beautifully, it is just full of action and dynamism. Well done! I'm now signed up for  F&G's Iron Brigade. I really like the approach of designing a nuanced, historical unit.

Colonel Edward Brush Fowler

Tokugawa Ieyasu 1543-1616

I have a large collection of "Monarch Regalia" deluxe Toy Soldiers, depicting Samurai and their armies from the period of Sekigahara, 1600.

The figures were collected by me from the sculptor, Mr Pongchai from Bangkok Thailand over many years, often at visits to West Coaster Toy Soldier Show.

 

If anyone collects Samurai or Monarch Regalia and would be interested in buying my collection under a private sale, please contact me. The figures are quite unique and charming but this is not a scale I really focus on. I have all of the beautiful boxes they came in. They stand about 45mm tall and are not 54's. The range is extensive and could be used for wargaming on the grand scale...or just for show.

14th Brooklyn (84th New York) finished!

Here is the 14th Brooklyn (84th New York) finished! The 28mm metal figures are by "Forgotten & Glorious" and the painting was done by Leuthen Studios. The poses are unusually well animated and show the Regiment in action at Gettysburg with Cutler's  2nd Brigade, Wadsworth's 1st Division, I Corps at McPherson's Wood on the first day of the battle and later on Culp's Hill on the second and third day.

HMS Victory

On August 20th 2007, my cousin Andrew Grantham Davis and I were in Portsmouth Dockyard for a visit to HMS Victory. This was one of those rare occasions when there was little restoration work being conducted and very few visitors onboard. Consequently Andrew and I roamed the ship and I took many photos that would not normally be possible, showing details of the ship in all its glory. Andrew asked me to send him the photos and I thought I'd share them on my Blog since they show detail of interest to ship modelers. Since I am collecting the new Sails of War 1/1000 models just released, I will use some of the images to provide a little extra detail to the otherwise very nice out-of-the-box models.

There is no finer example of a ship-of-the-line. I have visited HMS Victory since a boy and have never tired of seeing her. She has never looked so good as on this overcast Summer day. Here are my photos, un-retouched.