Touching History Terrain Book

I received in the mail of a copy of the first volume of the Touching History series on terrain making last night, the Peninsular War one.

It’s a magazine format book with a great many illustrations showing the buildings and terrain. I was greatly impressed by the quality of the photos, but not too impressed by the information presented.

I did not feel that the book really presented me with tips on making “Spanish” terrain. The section on making the terrain boards, while nice enough, presented some nice grassy scenery that might not have been out of place in any generic European layout.

There was no discussion at all of the differing terrain and climate conditions that one might encounter in the Peninsula. I always had the impression that Spain is rather diverse, and a bit more arid!

The buildings as describes are very nice to look at, but the emphasis seemed more on describing the finishing of the buildings than on the techniques used in making them. That’s fair enough – it’s always seemed to me that war games terrain is mostly about the finish, but a few more tips might have been useful.

Some tips that were mentioned were new to me – using brass sheet to represent pantiled roofing for example – but most were pretty unremarkable and frankly could have been gleaned from the Terragenesis website or past issues of White Dwarf.

The book contains a great deal of padding and irrelevance – double-page spreads of scenery layouts, close-ups of single miniatures, close-ups of scenery layouts from irrelevant periods and an astonishingly self-indulgent couple of pages on re-enactors of the 95th Rifles.

Surely some of this wasted space (and surely there’s not much space to waste in a 75-page publication) could have gone towards fleshing out the descriptions on building some of the more complicated buildings.

The problem today with this sort of publication is that there is so much material available on the internet. This material is filled with excellent, well-illustrated articles on virtually every aspect of terrain design. To produce a book on terrain building that is actually worthwhile, you may need to pitch it as being someone’s “master class” with perhaps tips on advanced techniques, perhaps some material on designing buildings from conception to execution.

I think that if you wanted to take a more useful look at creating the terrain of the Peninsula War, you might be better off hanging onto the GBP18.50 this cost me here in Australia (and spending it on some Connoisseur miniatures) and go here instead: http://www.fusiliers.net/wargaming6.htm

Eureka Miniatures - BG 6

Eureka Miniatures

Toy Soldiers, Warrior Frogs, Warrior Tortoises and US Marines.

A fairly massive pile of lead from the prolific workshops at Eureka Miniatures has come my way this edition. I really feel that I should have left something out for the postman at Christmas; lugging this stuff around must be doing his back in, poor fella.

Nonetheless, let me harden my heart and get stuck right in.

Toy Soldiers
It does feel a bit recursive to be reviewing toy soldiers of toy soldiers, but here goes.

Adding to their Toy Town range, Eureka have produced a set of toy soldiers done as what looks like an homage to the traditional toy-makers art, imitating of the style of wooden “peg” soldiers.

There are two “sides” represented; on the one hand, the obviously good and kind bearskin-wearers and; and on the other, the obviously decadent and cowardly shako-wearers. The infantry come in marching and standing poses, both with command consisting of officer, drummer and standard-bearer. There are light (Lancers) and heavy (Cuirassiers) cavalry available to both sides with officers, standard-bearers and buglers available to both sides, and of course guns and gunners, as well as generals to lead from their noble hobby-horses.

There is a lot to like in this range – the cavalry mounted on little wheeled hobby-horses; the cannon that are made to resemble spring-loaded matchstick-firers; the resin building blocks with which to build barricades. I can see many a war gaming parent buying a few to paint “just for the kids” and then being unable to give them up!

A note of caution, the joint between the shako and plume of the “Shako” infantry and the light cavalry is a bit delicate. I snapped one off in handling the miniatures – you might want to consider drilling and pinning them for long-term durability.

Infantry retail at $AU2.75, Cavalry at $AU5.50, a gun and crew for $AU17.00

Warrior Frogs and Warrior Turtles (and Terrapins)
I never knew there was so much conflict among the bull rushes or in the ornamental pond. How very wrong I was.

To business: I was charmed by the Frogs goofy, flappy-footed and highly animated style. The very smooth finish of the castings invites the air-brush and inspires me to go hunting through my books in search of the most poisonous South American frog colour schemes I can find. These figures have a very amusing, vainglorious style that I find very likeable; I’m especially taken with the mallet-wielding troopers. All the better to crack a Turtle shell, I assume. In a macabre touch, the troopers all use tortoise shells as shields. I invite you to wonder what happened to the previous occupants...

Pick of the litter is the palanquin of the Frog King or Chief Batrachian. This is a well-engineered, multi-part kit with four proud bearers, a parasol (or leaf) bearer and the lounging Chief Batrachian himself. Fit of parts is very good, although I did have to use some persuasion to get the Chief's ankles to mate up with his feet which are cast as part of the palanquin. The bearer’s hands need drilling out to accept the brass rod that forms the palanquins’ carrying handles. The brass rod is a welcome idea from the point of view of the strength it will give the model. You’ll need to do some careful offering up before you drill to get the whole thing sitting nice and square, but your patience will be rewarded, I think.

The Turtles are currently a smaller range, and as befits their nature, are a dour bunch in rather more static poses than the Frogs. They are cast with very crisp detail and are sculpted more realistically than the Frogs. The shells are separate which ought to make painting easier.

Many of them are engaged in firing weapons, either bows or arquebus. A terrapin with a musket rest supports the barrel of his gunner. I was fond of the officer with the telescope who is resting one knee on the back of a rather put-upon looking terrapin.

Individual figures retail at $AU2.75, “teams” at $AU5.50, and the Palanquin goes for $AU30.00


US Marines
Fitting nicely with their WW2 Japanese and Australians come the US Marine Corps. These miniatures are just about exactly 15mm from foot to eye and, so it seems to me, aimed squarely at the “Flames of War” market. Individual figures retail at $AU0.75

This is a pretty comprehensive collection. There is an entire rifle squad in beautifully animated “moving” poses. There are grenadiers, officers and BAR gunners. There are both (really nice) air- and water-cooled Browning machine guns. There are troopers with tommy-guns, troopers with grease guns. There are casualties and bazooka teams. There’s a flame-thrower a team and a mortar team. There is an artillery crew. What more could you want?

Detail is clean and fine, weapons and uniforms are accurate, anatomy is accurate and as I’ve already said, I love the animation. The odd dangling helmet strap is a neat touch that John Wayne would approve of. No cigars screwed into the corners of mouths that I could see.

Take a look at Eureka Miniatures web site: www.eurekamin.com.au

Eureka miniatures - recent releases

Eureka Miniatures

Empire of the Petal Throne, The Crimea, Napoleonic Russian Militia, Japanese Schoolgirls and Modern German Infantry. Stop press! – Arquebusiers de Grassin.

Empire of the Petal Throne

Empire of the Petal Throne? Tekumel? What’s that? I’d never heard of the fantasy world created by a Professor Barker, so I did a little research and apparently Tekumel is a world that has been colonized by various humans and aliens and then (by mysterious means) dropped into another dimension where, as time has passed, their technology and origins have been forgotten. Naturally now, humans being humans, the stage is set for war.

The costume style brings the Roman to mind, albeit in plate armor, with South American flourishes in the form of long feather plumes and exotically-bladed weapons. These are heavy infantry indeed, armed with sword, spear and bow, the idea being that one could represent “The First Legion of Ever-Present Glory”, the personal unit of one General Kéttukal who is himself represented here in miniature form.

This is the first release in a proposed much larger range that will include the various human and alien nations of Tekumel – one can only assume that initial sales will continue or curtail this range.


The Crimea

Sculpted by Mike Broadbent

Turning now to the 1850s we come to a rather catholic collection of additions to the Eureka 15/18mm Crimean Range.

To begin we have a rather full selection of French infantry. These consist of both Command and Line in Kepi or Shako. The greatcoat-clad troops are in firing, advancing and marching poses. Gorgeous. If you’re not too fussy about firearm detail, the kepi-wearing troops might be willing to serve in the Franco-Prussian War.

There are nice foot and horse crews (three figures each) in fairly static poses for a lovely little six-pounder gun.

For the Russians there is a very attractive group of three mounted and three dismounted Staff Officers all in the peaked cap.

Note that while billed at “15/18mm” these figures to actually measure 18mm from foot-to-eye.

Napoleonic Russian Militia

Sculpted by Tony Barton

As with their Crimean Range, this addition to the AB Napoleonic range is 15/18mm range which in Eurekas’ case seems pretty much to mean 18mm foot-to-eye. As ever, they are very nicely proportioned with excellent anatomy and attention to detail.

Sets R19-20 are of the St Petersburg Militia, armed with pike and musket in static poses. R21 offers firing and loading infantry. Dressed in greatcoat and peaked cap – this latter I assume was the signifier of the St Petersburg men, as the Moscow Militia are differentiated only by their head-gear. This is in the form of a tall, cylindrical, peak less shako.

Tony has also sculpted up three generic staff officers as well as very nice representations of Generals Kutuzov, Platov and Bagration. All have a lovely sense of the age to them.

Japanese Schoolgirls

Sculpted by Mike Broadbent

They duck, they weave they perform explosive high kicks that in conjunction with their flippy little skirts, show you pretty much what they had for lunch.

These are the Japanese schoolgirls. There are seven poses available; four are pulling various martial arts moves, three are waving large samurai swords about.

They are sculpted in something like the “manga” style – short torsos, exaggeratedly long legs, prominently displayed underwear; I am sure that Tarantino fans would approve.

That being said, at a time when here in Australia at least, we are having a debate about the sexualisation of young children, I think these figures are in poor taste. At the very least, I wonder what sort of image this presents of war gamers both within and without the hobby...

Modern German Infantry

Sculpted by Kosta Heristanidis

This set off figures comprises three iterations of the same set of 10 or so poses with differing levels of kit; i.e., in full kit with or without gas-mask or, lightly equipped without gasmask. These last are billed as a “zombie containment team”. The troopers are armed with G-36 assault rifles, MG 5s with separate bipods and man-portable AT weapons

Additionally, in a supporting role; three HQ staff designed to go with Eureka’s’ recently released office furniture set.

These are as handsome a set of modern troops as you are likely to see. I expect to see them in any of a dozen peace-keeping operations from Bosnia to “somewhere in Africa” on the one hand, and fighting off hordes of zombies or resurgent neo-Sovs some time in the near future on the other.

Strange to say, I’m finding it hard to decide whether it’s their anatomy or just the general military clutter they are draped in that lends the figures a certain chunkiness.

Still, all up, these are really cool.

Arquebusiers de Grassin

Sculpted by Alan Marsh

Fruit of my very own “100 Club” project, the Arquebusiers de Grassin owe as much of their fame to the pen of Charles Grant as to their actual exploits on the field of Fontenoy in 1745.

Comprising the usual 100 Club mix of three command and a number of troopers, you get an Officer, an Ensign and a Hornist blowing heartily on his “trompe de chasse” and five troopers in poses inspired by the 1750 drill manual.

The level of surface detail on these figures is excellent – two examples are the lace brandenbourgs on the Officers’ coat and the fleurs de lys on the trooper’s caps. The hunting horn is a delicate and complex casting that is produced in one piece with the musician and must have caused the mould-maker some pain. Flash on my samples was almost non-existent; there is evidence that the hunting horn must have had to be fairly heavily vented to get it to cast properly, but this is easily tidied up with the surreptitious use of the family nail scissors.

Eureka 28mm Infantry retail for $AU2.75; 15/18mm Infantry for $AU0.86; staff sets for $AU5.45.