Breakout Normandy - comparison of big and original versions

This is how my double-sized version looks against the original. 

I may have said in an earlier post that the idea was to fill a 6 foot by 4 foot table with a boardgame that could stand beside a miniature game and be just as impressive a display.       

And here is one of the key areas on both maps. In some games, it's almost compulsory to send 7th Armoured and the 101 tigers to Villers Bocage.       

Breakout Normandy - 7th June on the 7th June

Time has moved on, but I meant to post this before now. 

This month we started playing my double sized version of the Avalon Hill game, Breakout Normandy. The idea was (and still is) that we play what we can in a club-night, then note where everything is, and then pick it up next time. Four of us want to play for fun and without feeling pushed into finishing as much as we can in one night.  

One of the guys took these photos on 7th June, just as we're about to start the 7th June turn. The photos are slightly fuzzy from a phone-camera, but hopefully give an impression of how it looks. 

And as for the game - the Allies made it ashore in reasonable shape, though Omaha was a bit of a worry. We got through 7th June turn and part of 8th. The next game session picked up and we went through to the overcast 9th June. A couple of nervous moments around Caen, but the Allies have managed to counter the drives of the panzers and are looking good to press forward.  
Next time will be the 10th June and onwards. 

Another 18mm French battery

And some photos of a horse artillery battery, just before it is passed on to the owner. 

 And the limber team.   

Hopefully the horses look OK here. I've tried to get a good look and feel for the horses. I don't know if the satin sheen to the horses coats are visible in the picture. Thankfully, the models were good to work with.

One of my pet peeves for several years has been that many sculptors and painters who do magnificent jobs on human anatomy, fail when it comes to horses. Some horse models look like they belong on a fairground carousel. And specially with Napoleonics, where people who paint little human masterpieces, complete with buttons and piping and all, then just fail when painting horses. 
For example, the photo on the box of this horse battery I've just done had lovely painted gunners (better than I've done), but every horse was the same flat shade of brown, with no facial or leg markings at all. Painters don't seem to realise that horses have facial and fetlock markings; that manes, tails and fetlocks are generally a darker hair; and most of all, that all horses (except greys) have a sheen to their coats.

Bah humbug! That's my rant over for this week. 

just for a larf - comparing French Napoleonic artillery figs

Just before I pass the 18mm figures on to their owner, I thought it would be a laugh to set them up beside some of my older figures.  (apologies if the picture isn't too great - that's me rather than the figures.)  And so, here we go ... 

On the left are my second generation minifigs from over 30 years ago. Lovely little figures, and still marching over tabletops. In the middle are Essex, which I though for a while were 'big' 15mm. And on the right are the new Napoleon at War 18mm figures. Just shows part of the changing face of 15mm and now 18mm Napoleonics.

Part of me wonders what rules the little guys will marching under in the future. For example, over the last 30 years and more, my Minifigs have marched to; Bruce Quarrie's rules, Newbury, WRG 1685-1845, To the Sound of the Guns, In the Grand Manner, Empire 3, Empire, Napoleon's Battles, Shako, Principles of War, General de Brigade, Age of Eagles, DBN and some other DBA variants, Napoleonic at War, and have been used as counter substitutes in the boardgames Napoleon's Last Battles and Napoleonic Command and Colors. (and there's probably some others I've forgotten). 
But, at the end of the day, I just hope they keep on marching for a long time to come. 

Finished French battery

That's it finished. Guns are just placed for the moment. I'll glue them on the base after a final review tomorrow.  

Nearly there, part 2

That's the figures done. Just the bases to do. All in all, I think the figures came out fine, though my photos may not do them full justice.     

And the limber. I'm not sure about the layered paint effect on horses though, so I did these with a mixture of wash and layer. Hopefully they'll look reasonably realistic.      
 

And the battery with the guns temporarily in the proper place.  

And the figures back on the painting tray. Last job is to finish off the bases and varnish the figures.  

nearly there

Almost done. Last bit of painting was all buttons and plumes. The figures are basically completed - unless I find something I've missed. 

Still to finish the limber horses and all the harnessing.  

And a bit closer on an artillery stand.