Keep Your Powder Dry

Regular readers (hello all seven of you), will hopefully have seen my previous post about siege engineers  and will be familiar with the artefacts in museums across the country, and my attempt at creating some figures. As PP still do not make a pack of siege engineers, and not being 100% happy with my previous attempts, I decided to have another go. First off an easy conversion, to remind me how to use greenstuff.  Top tips:  Patience.  When mixing greenstuff twist rather than knead the two parts together. Let it go 'off' slightly before trying to work with it. Build stuff up in layers. A little and often is better than a lot all in one go. More patience.  Trim out and discard the little bit in the middle of the strip where the two colours have been in contact with one another. If you are remotely happy with what you have done, stop! Don't do anymore. You can add to it once it is dry.  Keep wetting your tools (but not too much).  If you have never used greenstuff before, th

A small expansion for the Scots Covenanter Army. With the apparent demise of Naismith-Roundway I discovered a stock of Naismith limbers at Keep Wargaming (no relation); as they are my preferred light limbers, I snapped up the entire stock. This has already seen a small expansion of Parliament's train of artillery, and the Royalist train is prepped ready for some paint. Time for the Army of the Solemn League to get some proper guns. They already have a number of frame guns in their train, this time they got themselves a minion and limber. Which is all rather historically inaccurate. Scotland's armies were lacking many things, but they had oodles of artillery pieces. It appears that a great number of Scots had earned themselves a living as artillerymen on the continent. One only has to think of Wemyss who was Parliament's master gunner. So a Naismith limber, with a PP dragoon horseholder with a headswap.  The gun and crew are all PP, the gun has utilised my new artillery pain

The last of the Royalist regiments of horse to take their moment in the spotlight. Sir Charles Lucas is probably most famous for his execution, or "The Loyall Sacrifice" as the Royalist newsbooks would describe it. Charles learned his soldiering, as so many did, in the Netherlands during the 1630s, before returning to fight in the Bishops' Wars. He would be knighted for his efforts in 1639 and be appointed governor of Richmond (the Yorkshire one). As the King was raising his banner, Sir Charles would raise his Regiment of Horse. The Regiment would have their  first taste of combat at a skirmish at Padbury; followed by First Newbury; Hunsborough Hall; Bradford; Boldon Hill; Chester-le-Street; and Marston Moor. Lucas would be wounded and taken prisoner. He would help to identify the eminent Royalist dead for honourable burial. It is said he wept at their numbers. The Regiment would continue fighting at Malpas; Dorchester; were possibly at the storming of Ledbury; skirmishe

Yet another confusing journey attempting to work out which Forbes we are talking about: why do landed families always give their offspring the same names? After several false starts with my research, I realised that these lancers were in fact Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Forbes of Echt 's Troop part of the Master of Forbe's Regiment of Horse. William Forbes, the Master then later Lord of Forbes would raise a retinue for the First Bishops' war, again for the Home Army, then various regiments from 1648 onwards. He would raise the Master of Forbe's Horse, the Lieutenant Colonel would be Arthur Forbes of Echt. Both William and Arthur were loyal Covenanters, having supported and raised men for the Covenant since 1639. Raised in Aberdeenshire and Banffshire, they were soon ordered to Perth where their numbers swelled. Seemingly a bunch of ne'er do wells, a number of their men appeared before the Presbytery Courts for getting up to mischief (in other words fornication, having

Thomas Leveson was Governor of Dudley Castle from 1642. Leveson was, apparently, a rather scary fellow who terrified both friends and foes. The Regiment was raised as a garrison regiment for the castle, although they did occasionally venture out to rampage locally, or further afield if asked nicely by Prince Rupert. Present at the storming of  Chillington House; they fought at  Newark, Marston Moor, Leicester, Naseby, and Stow on the Wold. Surrendering Dudley Castle in May 1646 to William Brereton without putting up any resistance, Thomas would go into 'permanent banishment'. He would die in France in 1652.  Dudley Castle was slighted, although the rather impressive remains live on at the centre of the site of Dudley Zoo. Straight out of the bag PP figures, cornet by Maverick Models, and bases from Warbases. Following on from the discussion with regular reader #4, Dex (see comments below): I clearly have missed a trick here with the cornet. There are three known cornet designs