Vintage Wargaming

Wednesday, 4 September 2013

Don Featherstone 1918-2013

Amid all the reports today of the death of Don Featherstone I was wondering what would make a fitting tribute here.

Wargamers Newsletter was on of his greatest achievements, not just for the length of time over which he published it monthly (1962-1980) but the way in the pre internet age it informed and sustained wargamers across the world.

It therefore seems appropriate to let Don's own words speak for him. In issue 201 of December 1978 he confessed he had forgotten to mark the 200th consecutive monthly issue. He then published this article looking back on those 200 issues, including a look back to issue no 1.

We also should not (and will not) forget his many books, which introduced many people to the hobby.

Just me then?

But a serious point - outside of the hobby Don Featherstone had many achievements and a whole other set of published work in his professional life as a physiotherapist, with Southampton FC and elsewhere.

Monday, 22 July 2013

Bellona Battlegame and Diorama Pieces

I am indebted to Mike for a series of photographs of his beautifully painted examples of many of the Bellona vacuum formed terain pieces, which are posted below.

The catalogue is available on a previous post here.

This series of posts has taken Vintage Wargaming, after a long hiatus, past the 500 posts count.

U-B5 Bellona WW1 German Trench Position

U-BB17 Bellona Nissen Hut in Natural Setting

U-RV8 Bellona Canal Wharf Set

This is the main piece - there were two further river sections and one sheet of rock face

U-A1 Bellona Row of Three Houses - Low Relief

U-D1 Bellona 1914-1918 Trench System

U-D2 Bellona The Menin Road

with and without ruined house

U-D3 Bellona The Redan

with and without bomb shelter roof

U-D4 Bellona Twin 88mm Gun Position

with and without bunker roof

U-D5 Bellona Fighter Dispersal Bay

with and without bunker roof

U-D6 Bellona 7.5ck Anti-Tank Strong Point

without and with bunker roof

U-D7 Bellona Ambush

U-D8 Bellona Fortified Beach Position

With and without pillbox roof

U-D9 Bellona The Ravine

UD-10 Bellona Roman Marching Fort

U-D11 Bellona three Nissen huts in natural setting

U-D12 Bellona Ancient Hill Fort

U-D13 Bellona American Civil War Log Fort

U-D14 Bellona English Civil War Star Fort

Sources, permissions and editorial policy

This site uses a range of sources to provide access to information about wargaming, for the most part from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. These sources are mainly paper based, may be ephemeral (catalogues, price lists, painting instructions etc), and in general are not easily accessible elsewhere.

I am particularly grateful to Don Featherstone and to John Tunstill, who have both given their permission for the reproduction of materials from their ground breaking magazines, respectively Wargamer's Newsletter and Miniature Warfare (and later Miniature Wafare and Model Soldiers).

Where possible I have made efforts to obtain permission for reproduction of any material covered by copyright.

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