Good stuff. Intrigued by the mix of scales and periods. That must create some challenges of it's own, especially in relation to terrain.

I'll be looking out for you at Warfare.

Excellent work, I do like the Hastati and the Norman infantry...

Those Old Glory ancients look good. Its nice that the ancient period has a lot of options for manufacturers and scales

The Buc-ees tshirt is amazing 😂 have fun on your trip!

Have you tried the rules “men who would be kings” ? Would that work for the Boar War? Ralph plays these as well. I have never tried them.

Jou geskilderde figuur om die Boereoorlog uit te beeld is uitstekend. ek het eintlik daaraan gedink om 'n skermutselingspeletjie te doen.

Okay! I realize you might not answer. I’ll just get a little touch on the heart button but think about this. We are as Wargamers are so caught up on figures being on individual stands that we can’t seem to think any differently. I think about WRG, DBA and how it is affected the entire, wargaming of biblical, ancients, medieval all the way up until the Marlburian Age of gaming. Everything has to be on a 40 mm frontage and heavies on 15 mm depth, lights on 20 mm depth and cavalry on 30 mm depth. So many figures per stand so many stands per unit and done. It wasn’t until a new set came out called Impetus that busted that convention. It stated that units have up to this point in predominantly created on a 80 mm frontage. Who cares about the depth everything then from that point on could be based on a diorama. You moved blocks of troops around the battlefield. Actually, it was brilliant. If you say that Russians never went to line and fought in large attack columns then, why don’t you base them up into two very large blocks For that matter one large block create a diorama and that way your flag is in the center. It’s very attractive. Many of my armies are based on much larger stand, and I move those around the battlefield and everything‘s on a diorama. Very seldom do my troops because of the size of my table have to go from column to column to line, etc., etc., what I’m saying is just build your troops onto movement trays that make you happy and center your flag. In the 1960s and 70s everybody thought you had to base your figures on individual stands and everybody was moving around 500 individual figures across the table. It took forever and it was actually frankly stupid.

Rules for the US conflicts against the Plains Indians might work for the Second Boer War, a lot of the indigenous nations were using modern firearms and horses. I also agree that Black Powder is really pushing it for the end of the 19th century. The Philippine-American War comes to mind as another one that would struggle with Black Powder: both sides, US and Filipino, carried bolt-action rifles and used fire and movement tactics. It also doesn't quite fit the "colonial" mold. Maybe there is another set of rules out there that fits that turn-of-the-century period.

Wonderful work, I do like your splendid Greeks!

Oh my dear friend, organization is always the difficult part for us Wargamers. It looks like you’ve got things on the way I invested in proper shelving. I had exactly the same as you did and it frankly pissed me off.🥴🥴 I think everybody in North America has that same damn shelving. But I also got some proper boxes and organizational tubs, etc. that really helped me. It’s nice to see your place. Makes us feel a little bit connected to you as a person.

It's gonna be great when finished

the problem of the hyper monetization of the wargaming creator space on KZbin also is that it creates unrealistic expectations for a lot of viewers. So for those of us who are a guy with a phone just sharing what we find interesting you can get those rude comments about video production. If a person has a professional or semi-professional studio where they are shooting their videos they are creating a commercial program. They are free to do that but it does create distorted perceptions of the hobby on KZbin. I also think it can give the impression to people that want to join the hobby that it looks like a highly polished video program, when most of the time is just sitting at our painting desks working away

Looks like you have a lot of room to work with, which is great.

Кельтские воины не были регулярной армией и атаковали в рассыпном строю. Римские легионеры, наоборот, побеждали за счёт дисциплины, а не диких набегов и криков. Значит, разумно, что на базе будет меньше кельтов и больше римлян, возможно в игре кельтам надо выделить какой-то бонус: храбрость, берсерк или вторая атака...

Davvid, as you well know, I’m not much of a skirmish player😂 I much rather build to feel like I have real armies on the table. I think Ralph is right you start off with the skirmish game get a field forward and build from there, but I can tell you if you look at my imperial army and my Swedish army that I enjoy large presentations. I loved the Armati rule set. I have his expansion covering the Renaissance but seeing a more in depth version would be very interesting. I play pike and shotte with some house adaptations to reflect MY own perspective of the 30 years war. My shorts is more integrated to the unit. It’s not separate. But I love playing 30 years war. It’s a change in warfare and rock, paper and scissors but to be honest, it’s even more than that if you based the rules on the constraints of the imperial armies versus the opportunities of the Gustaf Adolphus version, you can have a really very interesting game that really requires much more thought and approach to the battle and then just mainly lining things up and seeing who can smash each other with better die rolls. I find this period fascinating and at the same time deadly. Bad blood, religious heretics and national passions all boiling on the battlefield

I agree with you when you say that the small round multibases look similar to a group of reenactors coming together, it doesn't give you this sense of an overwhelming formidable force gathered together. I also share an interest in doing 30YW but also like you I've found it quite difficult to find people with a shared interest. I have only heard good things about Osprey's systems like Lion's Rampant and The Men Who Would Be Kings so if you went with Pikemen's Lament you would most likely be marrying a good ruleset at least.

Yes, it is also the curse of having accumulated too much knowledge. I would never have noticed it in Crimea, but I had the same experience in Napoleonics. Browsing through old magazines can be relaxing... and motivating. ☺️

That Imperial infantry regiment is a big pain to glue together. The metal accessories especially the musket rests are frustrating especially if you’re trying to build a large army

We all go through this. I have never wargamed this period other than a few games of By Fire and Sword (Eastern Renaissance rules) but my own collection of unpainted 17th century minis is way too heavy to lift on its own. Most peoples' plans far exceed their capability to complete and the end goal is so far off that enthusiasm wanes. A solution might be to plan steps towards the final destination, rather like a settler crossing a continent and spending a year or so in a particular area before boarding the wagons again for the next stage of the journey. So aim to play a skirmish game such as Pikeman's Lament to begin with and gradually increase your forces till the point where you can play a larger game either using movement trays or rebasing your figures. That way you can keep the momentum going whilst getting some joy out of the figures. The one downside is rebasing, which I hate doing, but you can moderate this by beginning to base for larger games at the point where you have sufficient figures singly based for a skirmish game. If even Pikeman's Lament is difficult to reach, how about En Garde which requires a small group of figures?

This is really not a nice problem. Hope you could find a work around.

A very nice job on all, the basing has really enhanced the look.

Many thanks for this....Fascinating insight into ww2 uniforms of Greece from the museum. Although I lived in Greece for a year, ww2 Greece didnt rock my boat like it does today...so it was really nice to get back into these museums again through your photos. I have just finished my 550 point Bolt Action Italian army for Greece and on the verge of starting my Greek army. This vid has definitely confirmed the palette I am going to use..Really lovely to see uniforms you cant see anywhere else...Thanks again

Hi David. Really enjoying this series on the Crimean War, despite the fact that I don’t wargame the period. I once had a small Turkish force in 15mm but couldn’t find a decent range for the opponents, so let it go. Really admire the depth of the research in all the clips you’ve posted so far and looking forward to more. Also interested in how the Numidians will shape up. The problem with the paint guide in WI looks to be that Pale Sand, buff and Sand yellow also have different id codes while cloud in the box is the same! Perhaps they faded with the age of the magazine?🤔😉

I have cupboards full of back issues and must look to see if I have this one - it's about the time I stopped subscribing as I thought magazines were past their golden age. I once saw a painting tutorial for a French Foreign Legionary figure by an acclaimed 'expert' who had the turn backs completely wrong and many newcomers to the hobby would have followed her lead, which reiterates your point. Same with 'historians' on You Tube. I wish there was some way of requiring a person to have credentials before they titled themself 'historian' just as medical doctors are required to train and pass exams and then go on to gain experience. Perhaps a 'historian' can only claim to be so when they have a degree, have published at least one book or paper that has been peer reviewed and also their main source of income is through academic work. There are too many self-appointed experts on You Tube; regardless of how well they know their subject it can still be dangerous to listen to their opinions, just as you take a risk being treated by an unqualified medic.

Thats a nice looking magazine. My local games shop has a bunch of them, I should give it another look

May 2012, now that’s what I call a back issue 😂

Well, I’m glad that you have that magazine. I have it as well and enjoy the articles, but it did not influence my painting. I heard all the comments that you mentioned. I would say first and foremost I paint and build armies because it brings me joy and it is my counterbalance to my work. I am not a fantastic painter, I am also not a professional content creator , I am not a learned historian, nor am I a photographer. I do all of these things out of joy. I wish that I was a master at one of these things, but I’m happy with what God has given me. When you get to know me, you’ll know that I am always happy, always joyful and extremely content. I certainly am not one to always believe what I read or what I hear, but I just take it all in and I’m very forgiving. Even forgiving to myself.🥴🥸. For an example right now, I’m working on the American Army of the American Revolution. Some regiments nobody knows and I have no idea what flag they carried, but at the end of the day, I have to make a choice and I just choose a flag. That makes me happy. But I know that some enthusiast Will correct me. I was corrected the other day and one of my videos that the Austrian flag was not in the center of the regiment but on the right and I did it all wrong. I was corrected by another person saying the Russian army never went to skirmish so I should re-base some of my Russian for the crimean war because they never ever did that and he was really nasty. There is a reason why Ralph turned off his comment section. 🤔 Nonetheless, I enjoy your commentary and I listen to it with glee. I wish you lived down the street you and I probably would never come to anything but discussions and having a good cup of coffee. In the end I reach out and give you a hug as a friend and say thank you for all of your wonderful comments and perspectives. You are a good man.

This was a thoughtful video, I have said and thought similar things about the wargaming space on KZbin. I also think that the historical space allows people to engage more genuinely because you can see through people’s projects a little bit about their personality rather than a big Warhammer influencer painting the latest box set that will be forgotten in a matter of weeks or months. I am conflicted about monetizing my videos here, I do not like ads and would not want to have them. I did open a tip jar type link if people want to make a small donation for the research based videos I make, but I don’t like the idea of keeping that kind of material locked behind a Patreon or something. When the Midwinter Miniatures video came out I remember thinking it was rich he was casting aspersions at people for painting and gaming World War II German miniatures. That guy had an affair with his “assistant” and left his wife and two children. I find that to be a lot more distasteful than painting an Iron Cross or German WWII flag on a plastic miniature.

For me, putting together models is half the fun. I like all the bits and bobs, and putting together unique looking models is what I enjoy in the hobby. But then again, I don't really play games with my models (not that I don't want to, I just don't have anyone to play with) so I guess it's just what you want out of your miniatures at the end of the day

I agree with Ralph about the P3 Trollblood Highlight. I have an old pot here and it looks a close match. My initial thought was AK Interactive 3rd Gen Grey Brown, which is currently available. However it would need to be lightened with an off white or ivory, perhaps it would serve as a base for layering up?

A lot of these miniatures companies are bad at basic communication and just posting announcements. I also worry about ranges disappearing with little to no information

The colour I use is a recipe as you are aware, but the surface tone is Trollblood Highlight from P3 (Privateer Press). The range is no longer in production but I noticed recently it is coming back on Kickstarter. I have a Lifecolor paint called Israeli Sandgrey which is also an airbrush colour, principally intended for model tanks. I reckon your Mission Models paint is also intended for the same so theoretically the pigments should match. Comparing my P3 to my Lifecolor; the Lifecolor is slightly lighter but they are quite similar.

Looking forward to meeting up at Warfare. Your Numidians are 15mm aren't they? But just in case, Essex only take 15mm to shows. I should have completed some Athena figures soon and will upload a video - they are very nice but I'm not keen on the metal extrusions on them which are difficult to remove and can damage the figure. I noticed Tiger Miniatures as well and purchased some figures to see what they are like. The answer is they are much nicer than they appear on the website.

It would be interesting to try Regimental or Brigade Fire and Fury for playing the Crimean War

Just to add to the subject. During the Crimean War Russian Jägers typically wore black leather straps and belting. The black leather equipment was a characteristic feature of many Russian infantry units at the time, including Jägers. This contrasted with the white crossbelts worn by regular infantry (line regiments), which often used whitened canvas or leather. The Jägers were distinct as a specialized force meant for skirmishing, scouting, and operating in difficult terrain, and their darker belts were more practical for their role in field operations, offering better camouflage compared to the more conspicuous white belts of the regular line infantry. There are a few notable sources that provide information on the uniforms and equipment of Russian soldiers during the Crimean War, including the Jägers that I used for painting. These can only help to corroborate or cross reference details about their use of black leather belts and straps. I just ran with this 🫣 1. "The Russian Army of the Crimean War 1854-56" by Philip J. Haythornthwaite - This book provides an in-depth look at the Russian army's organization, uniforms, and equipment during the Crimean War. Haythornthwaite describes how Russian Jägers and other light infantry units were equipped with **black leather accoutrements**, while regular line infantry often had white belts. The black belts were practical for field conditions, especially for skirmishing roles, which aligns with their light infantry duties. 2. **"Uniforms of the Russian Army During the Crimean War" by Robert Wilkinson-Latham**: - This work outlines the variations in uniform across different branches of the Russian army. The Jägers are noted for having **black leather gear**, which distinguished them from regular infantry who had canvas or white leather belts. 3. **Osprey Publishing's Men-at-Arms Series, particularly "Armies of the Crimean War"**: - These publications are widely respected for their detailed illustrations and research on military uniforms and equipment. In these texts, Russian Jägers are often depicted with **black leather crossbelts** and cartridge boxes, contrasting the white belts of other units. To find contemporary sources from the 1800s that describe Russian uniforms during the Crimean War, including Jägers’ equipment, you might turn to military manuals, reports, or eyewitness accounts from the period. Some of these sources offer a more direct look at how soldiers were outfitted during the war. Here are several suggestions for texts and types of documents from the 19th century that might help corroborate uniform details like the black leather belts for Jägers: ### 1. **“*Russisches Militärwesen*” by Karl von Reinhard** (1855) - This book, written during the Crimean War, covers various aspects of the Russian military, including organization, equipment, and tactics. It includes descriptions of different infantry units, which could provide insights into Jäger uniforms. ### 2. **British Army Reports and Eyewitness Accounts** - Officers and soldiers from the British side wrote extensively about their encounters with Russian forces during the Crimean War. Many of these reports were published during or shortly after the war. For example: - **“The Crimean War from First to Last” by General Sir Richard Airey (1861)**: A firsthand account of the conflict, which includes descriptions of Russian troops. - **William Howard Russell’s dispatches** for *The Times* (1854-1856): These were some of the earliest war correspondences and provide vivid descriptions of Russian forces, including their appearance. ### 3. **Military Art Journals and Almanacs** - Periodicals such as the **“Journal of the Royal United Service Institution” (RUSI)**, which began publication in 1831, often included articles on foreign armies. They sometimes published details of the Russian army’s organization and uniforms during the Crimean War period. ### 4. **Uniform Plates from the Period** - Illustrated books and prints from the 19th century, such as **Knötel’s “Uniformenkunde”** (published in parts from 1880 onward), are invaluable primary sources for understanding uniforms of the era. Although published after the Crimean War, it

I agree with the varied plastic miniatures with all the different pieces. Just my opinion but it's too much fiddling around and gluing them together. I rather like the one piece figure, so I can start painting. be well.

It's weird that some of the best references are paintings. The colors there are considerably altered by the lighting and mood chosen by the artists.

I think as far as my army that I built is concerned I use the figures that I had. They were in greatcoats. I painted them having red colors because most of the images I saw had them that way. The first regiment in the brigade had red epaulettes and the second one white. the Yeager battalions I had with different colors. I did my best, but I think that in all it was a good representation thank you for your research. Always very nice to see.

An excellent discussion I don't like all the bits a pieces you get on a sprue,simply because I'll never use all the extras,again a great discussion

An interesting discussion. I hope you avoid the storm of dislikes I received for my two videos on disappearing companies and on plastics. Not sure why so many people should actively dislike anyone expressing perfectly valid opinions but you may find you ruffle feathers. On disappearing companies that is the first I have heard that Aventine will sell the range on; up until now I had assumed from their announcements that they were simply shutting up shop. That may explain the panic buying. I would really have liked to meet up at Warfare as it's looking likely I will be there. I'll only be able to attend on the Saturday however so we are going to miss one another unless your schedule alters.

Whatever I am painting I always get bogged down with these kinds of doubts to the point where I feel paralysed and unable to put brush to figure. One thing I would be fairly confident of is that the collars on the greatcoats are standing upwards in most of the illustrations you show and are folded down on others and there is no absence of a collar with the tunic collar showing through. I'm also confident that collars are always red and fairly happy that shoulder straps are red in the first regiment in the division and white in the second. From there on I descend into uncertainty, recognising that this was a period of transition in uniform regulation in the Russian Army and that different units would be equipped in different fashion so for instance the six infantry corps of the Regular Army might have a different appearance to the army of the Caucasus. Also the exigencies of service in the field will rapidly encroach on conformity with regulation. Careless use of terminology (such as the blurring of terms such as shoulder straps, shoulder patches and shoulder boards which were all separate entities) by certain authors then adds to the confusion, leaving the wargamer with little option but to decide on a system and then stick to it, comforting themselves that no-one other than the most extreme rivet counter will notice small discrepancies on the tabletop. My own feeling is that the shoulder patches (that I have never had to consider for my 18mm figures) were on the upper side of the greatcoat collars and therefore not in view when the collar was turned up, likewise the red colour on the collar of the greatcoats was on the underside and therefore only apparent when the collar was turned up. Then you have the issue of which regiments had black leather items and which white, this in turn determining the style of drum hoops (see plate F in the 1991 Osprey). I believed this to be a question of place in the line but now am not so sure. I agree that the regiments only carried one flag. Figure manufacturers that supply two standard bearers are probably following their practice from their Napoleonic ranges. But then again I have never been able to discover why certain regiments had distinctive flags and others the generic green and white one. Perhaps the former carried two flags? It all goes to show there is no greater certainty than doubt.

For your bronze try Darkstar molten metals brass colour. A really good range of metallics.

Some nice figures. Were those old Citadel colors in the background? The Relic Miniatures stood on the two pots. I still have some of this colors. After all these years, only the metallic colors have dried out. The others are indestructible. 😄 You were really busy in the hobby. 👍

Excellent update

I can suggest Citadel Contrast Skeleton Horde and/or Aggaros Dunes over a zentithal applied white on black gives a great mid yellowy brown which I think looks good for greatcoats

great work on these

Very nice. Superb job tbh. Like the grass

Those Grenadiers look amazing!

Excellent work on those