I have a new obsession!
Back in April I succumbed to temptation (again) at Salute and picked up a copy of one of the 'Battle for Britain' series of books by Peter Dennis. This allow you to copy and cut out sheets of paper soldiers. The books also come with a set of rules for the relevant period. There are several books in the series now, ranging from Romans to the ACW and Napoleonic ships (Napoleonic armies are in the pipeline).
The one that got my attention was the Jacobite Wars book. This is a period I've always been interested in and fancied gaming, but not enough to invest in armies for the period. I always had a worry that I'd play a couple of games and then not go back to it. Having seen the really impressive display game at Salute I weakened and bought a copy of the book at a hefty £9.50!
A couple of weekends ago I bought some good quality paper (the book recommends 100gsm but I couldn't get this and ended up with 160gsm), checked the printer had some ink and watched this very handy YouTube tutorial...
Admittedly Peter makes it look very easy, but actually it is quite straightforward and, before I knew it, it was like I was back in a Primary school art lesson with Pritt sticks, glue and safety scissors everywhere! It is surprisingly therapeutic and relaxing snipping away and the results are very effective. It reminded me of the fad a couple of years ago for colouring books. My son finds it very amusing that I have spent several evenings 'cutting and sticking'. He even found me a set of safety crinkle-edged scissors in an old craft kit from when he was young and was even more amused when I exclaimed "that's just what I need to make a grass effect!"
The figures come on a cleverly designed strip which folds up, concertina-like, to create 2 ranks and a space for the front rank which requires a little more trimming. The sheets in the book cover just about everything you could want for this period and include stands for Grenadier companies, Militia, Commanders etc.
I'll probably use Black Powder for this period and in an evening I was able to knock out a 36 man infantry unit and prep some other bases in amongst doing some other bits and pieces. Of course the key question is 'how does it look'. I have to say I was really impressed with the impact the figures have. Obviously they are designed to be viewed from the front or rear but the overall effect is really striking. Needless to say I'm a huge convert...highly recommended!
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| Dragoons |
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| Government infantry |
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| Highlanders |
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| Grenadiers |
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Artillery can be made 2-D or 3-D. This was a bit trickier but looks really good |
I've had the same experience as you, right down to even choosing the same book to start with! I'm really impressed with the results. The only additional thing I did was to grass-texture the bases, which adds another step to the process.
ReplyDeleteFor me this has become the only way now that I would build a black powder era army. I have purchased the AWI version & have made a start on cutting out some Hessians. What once before would have taken many years of dedicated painting to achieve can be done in a relatively short time & it looks great. More power to your scissors sir! :-)
ReplyDeleteI also took a look at Peter's book, far better than all that tartan paint.. :-)
ReplyDeleteGood spot on the YouTube video.
Cheers
Stu
Outstanding!
ReplyDeleteI've just bought the Napoleonic age of sail book - looks brilliant and perfect for my summer holiday wargaming!
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking this might be a good project to take away on holiday...I can happily snip and stick in the evening when we're off in Wales.
DeleteI just bought the AWI book. I look forward to cutting and pasting too. I will affirm that cutting and pasting is very relaxing.
ReplyDelete