What they would have been fighting for...
I have been having a think about my current interwar interest and while there is some overlap with the VBCW (Very British Civil War) I have decided it is very definitely interwar. This might partly because 20mm is less well served than 28mm for specifically VBCW figures, but also because I am a little suspicious of some of the more fanciful VBCW flourishes and because it tends to operate at a skirmish or small action scale.. I want to fight brigade size actions. Everything is temporarily on hold as I am having some painting done in the hose but when this is finished I hope to get some troops on the table.I need to try out various rules but at the moment I am wondering whether I should try Donald Featherstone's 1917 WW1 in Africa rules and see what sort of a game they give.
Working on possible opposition is interesting. Nationalist Spain (attempt to seize Gibraltar), The Old Enemy (French interwar kit is so cool), Italy, and the USSR are all possibilities. I have all these available, plus a horde of FT 17s which should work for just about anyone. I have always been inspired by the "tank chase" at the end of "Comrade X" and the recent availability of some of the Fabbri Russian tank diecasts at The Works led to me looking at some of the other models in the range and I am now waiting on some T-18s and T-24s from ebay and the Ukraine which should provide some good looking and unusual kit. Not hugely representative (though I have shed loads of T-26s) but interesting and different. It is all conjectural anyway so I am giving myself some historical leeway.
Another project I hope to progress once I have some temporary gaming space is Georland and refighting some of the actions in George Keef's Journal. I am planning on using slightly adapted Command and Colors Napoleonic to give a suitable swift game. I have a hex fleece mat from Corsec Engineering for this and will start using Minifigs S Range Crimean War and Franco Prussian War troops. Ideally I would like to use Spencer Smith Classic 30mm but I can't fund that at the moment, i would be a long term aim as I would need at least 500 foot and 100 mounted figures and they would all need assembly and painting. (Actually their 42mm Shiny Toy Soldiers would probably be the nearest to George Keef's original armies but there needs to be some compromise on size and cost).
Meanwhile here are some pictures of my inter war armoured might. With a few swaps of vehicles they will work for a period between around 1924 and 1936 and a fair amount will do for 1940 BEF..
16 comments:
My, you have some lovely Inter-War vehicles to play with. I'm very jealous as there is some good stuff in 10mm, but not to the extent shown in your collection.
These look absolutely fabulous! I've in the process of selling all my VBCW stuff as its boring, but have kept some AFVs but they're 1/56 scale.
Brilliant models, love the RHA crew in the SP gun,
Have you mined Reviresvo for useful stuff in their 1/72 ranges?
Perhaps British intervention in a renewed Polish Soviet scrap?
Steve, this is only a part of it. I was lucky to have a lot of Blitzkrieg stuff which has been repurposed but can still work for BEF. Of course I would really love to have used Milicast/Dan Taylor Vickers Mediums and 1924 pattern Rolls Royces but in quantity they are out of my price range. I am pleased with my 1st DLI experimental MG Battalion from 1934-36 though this has needed a few quite heftily priced Giesbers kits so far. The two Burford Kegresse halftracks are my first go at scratchbuilding, they still need rivets adding and I'm tempted to redo them anyway as I think I could do a better job now.
Hi Colin, I'm not too fond of what I think of as the frilly bits of VBCW which is why I am classing myself as interwar, though I fully intend to do some VBCW actions. I think it will end up being a very flexible force. I'm also wondering about gaming some of the 1920s and 30s exercises, particularly those with the experimental mechanised/armoured force and 1st Tank Brigade. Once I have my temporary space sorted out, you should come and see them. i won't be using Black Powder.
Hi Ross
The gun in the truck with the Airfix gunners is a Reviresco 13 (or 18? pdr) on pedestal mount. I have quite a stash of Reviresco ships fittings and armaments I also have some Reviresco vehicles I may redeploy and I have a fair bit of their train stuff. However Reviresco is on the big side for some of my 20mm stuff so you have to mix and match carefully. I actually have a second train from Airfix kits and a third which is the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch marrow gauge armoured train from Sgts Mess which will be making an appearance once i get going.
What a wonderful collection - they really look the business.
I like VBCW, but I tend to play it pretty straight. The main idea is that I get to play what are effectively Second World War games without worrying too much about the right kit.
Other options would include the Anglo-Ruritania war of the 1920s, I believe there's a certain amount of early war Soviet kit available cheap at the moment. Or a Sealion type scenario?
I look forward to reading more on this...my WW2 interests have always been early war, purely, like you, because of the interesting looking AFV's... it all got a bit too serious after 1943, too much "my one's bigger than yours" mentality.. :o)
Thanks Clive, I would love to visit.
Steve - exactly, no uber panzers (except maybe the Vickers E/T-26b!) - it's much more interesting to me and some of the kit is seriously wacky.
Colin - will need to give it a week or two until the decorating is done but you're welcome any time after that
Stick with interwar- VBCW is too weird for me. What infantry figure will you be using?
I've got quite a mixture, most of which I had already rather than purchased specially. They include FAA BEF and Home Guard; SDD Home Guard; SHQ BEF gun and vehicle crews; old Skybirds marching in greatcoats and Vickers teams in gasmasks; RH Models Irish Civil War figures; Irregular police figures; some odd Britannia and IT Models WW1 figures; SDD Home Guard; Elhienm Royal Navy shore parties. I can post some pictures of infantry if there is an interest in them.
I'm sure everyone would like to see them. Have you considered some of the HaT plastics?
I wanted HaT WW1 british Artillery crew for my Birch guns and AA guns. I couldn't find them anywhere so I ordered them direct from HaT - you can see them in these photographs. I would also buy some WW1 British cavalry if I could find them so I may need to do the same for those.
You have some marvellous kit there.
I have never quite seen the point of VBCW. Perhaps it's because I'm not British and find myself distanced from it, or also, like you, because I find VBCW a little "frilly" for my taste, though what I have seen on blogs and show reports always looks first rate. I'm just not convinced by all the banners and Pudlicombe Workers and Constabulary Home Guard units and whatnot. Brigade scale actions featuring British equipment and doctrine ca 1930 would be absolutely fascinating.
Looking forward to seeing where you go with this.
Best,
M
Very nice figures and models, I admit to more than a little jealousy!
Solway seems to have sewn up the VBCW background. As other have said it seems a little frilly to me as well.
Based on my reading on the home guard, if Wintringham, Levy and the like had had their way (and Mosley had grown a spine), things could have gotten very interesting.
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