New AWI and SYW Artillery Equipment is Now in Stock!

French Valliere System artillery equipment (L-R) 4-pdr; 8-pdr and 12-pdr shown with Minden Miniatures SYW French artillery crew figures.

French artillery (L-R) Swedish 4-pdr; Valliere 4-pdr; Valliere 8-pdr; and Valliere 12-pdr, shown with Minden Miniatures SYW figures. Click all pictures to enlarge the view.

The shipment of the new SYW artillery equipment, pontoon wagon and munitions wagon sets arrived today from Griffin Moulds Ltd and I have to say that I am very pleased with final products, as shown in some of these pictures. I had to do a bit of assembly work this evening, so I did not have time to black wash the castings to enhance their appearance in pictures. I wanted to get these posted on the Fife & Drum blog ASAP so you can see them for yourselves.

Munitions wagon: wicker-sided with canvas cover.

Pontoon wagon

Prussian artillery (L-R) 12-pdr; 10-pdr Howitzer; 6-pdr; and 3-pdr.

Prussian 12-pounder (left) and 10-pound Howitzer (right) shown with a Minden SYW pioneer.

Prussian 6-pounder (left) and 3-pounder (right) shown with Minden SYW pioneer.

New Artillery Equipment Product Codes:

AE-008  Pair of limber horse with driver         -- $8.00 per set 

AE-009  French 8-pounder,  Valliere System  -- $7.00 each

AE-010  French 12-pounder, Valliere System -- $7.00 each

AE-018  Pontoon Wagon with Pontoon (horse team not included) -- $10.00 each

AE-019  Munitions Wagon (horse team not included)                    -- $10.00 each

AE-020  Prussian 12-pounder                           -- $6.00 each

AE-021 Prussian 10-pound Howitzer               -- $6.00 each

AE-022 Prussian 6-pounder                              -- $6.00 each

AE- 023 Prussian 3-pounder regimental gun    -- $5.00 each

AE-024 Prussian light limber with ammo box (use for 6pdr)  $5.00 each

AE-025 Prussian heavy limber (use also for French cannon) -- $5.00 each

I am not included limber horses and drivers with the various wagons and limbers -- those must be purchased separately (AE-008). I would recommend one set of AE-008 with each of the equipment pieces in this list, i.e. a two-horse team.

The AE-025 Prussian limber is a standard "Y-Frame" limber used by most countries in Europe during the Seven Years War, so it is suitable for any of the French artillery and for the Prussian 12-pounder and 10-pound howitzer. For the Prussian 6-pounder, use the AE-024 light limber which includes the ammo chest/seat attached to the limber frame.

Eventually, I will also sell pontoons separately as a set of two pontoons. I have to get the production mould made for these, so for the time being, the only way to get the pontoon is to purchase the wagon and pontoon set.

As all of these new equipment pieces are in stock, we are ready to take orders for them and ship them out immediately.

v

News Update

PRICE CHANGE & PRODUCT CODES UPDATES
Infantry figure prices have now been changed to $2.00 per figure, but mounted officers ($5.00) and artillery (mostly at $6.00 per cannon, but higher for sets that include horses and other extra figures) will remain at the same price.

I still haven't had time to enter and change the new product codes, so you can still order single figures up through Memorial Day here in the States (Monday May 27, 2013) as I should have some time to make the changes, given the long three day weekend.

ARTILLERY EQUIPMENT NEWS
I talked to Stewart Griffin the other day and he reports that the new artillery equipment  production moulds are being worked on this week. Once I have the configuration of the number of pieces in the new moulds, I can then order my initial inventory stock with Griffin Designs. Stewart is very good at turning stocking orders around quickly, so it should not be too much longer before we add at least 12 new artillery equipment products to the range. So we should be ready to ship cannon in June.

FACE BOOK: from time to time, I will run some special figure deals that will only be announced on my Der Alte Fritz Face Book page. So you have to be one of my "Friends" on FB if you want to get in on some of these tasty deals.

Der Alte Fritz on Face Book

HISTORICON
I will be attending Historicon (July 18-21, 2013) at Fredericksburg, Virginia and bringing the full Fife & Drum range with me. I will also be running two AWI games featuring, what else, Fife & Drum Miniatures. The games will be held on Thursday and Friday evenings, after the dealer area closes down. I will be sharing booth space with Age of Glory (they were very kind to make this offer to me and I gladly accepted).

There will also be some special figures that we will be unveiling at Historicon. So you have to drop by the booth if you want to get in on some of the goodies.

Price & Packaging Changes Update

I have not had the time yet to upload all of the new packaging codes and so the old prices and single figure order option will remain open until I actually make the changes on this web site. I will probably do that within a week, so any orders made before, say, May 10th can be done under the previous price/packaging policy.

I'm sorry about the delay, but that gives you an extra week to slip your order in under the wire.

New Pricing Structure & Packaging

British officers (codes L-R: AC2, BC1 and BC2). Figures painted by Ioannis of Leuthen Studios. Photo also from Leuthen Studios.

As the product line expands and more stock keeping units (SKUs) are added to the range, I find that I will have to make some changes that are needed to accomodate the growth of the Fife & Drum Miniatures range.

New Price Structure

Effective April 26, 2013 I am implementing changes in the prices of figures and in the way that they are sold. Prices for infantry will increase from $1.80 to $2.00 per figure, but all artillery equipment and mounted officer figures will remain at the old prices. 

At the same time, I will be adding Unit Pack codes to the inventory so that you can still purchase Fife & Drum figures at  the old $1.80 per figure price point. Unit Packs will have 30 infantry figures and be priced at $54.00 per set (10% discount from the retail price). Artillery Unit Packs will include two cannons, two sets of artillery crew (8 figures ), and two limber teams and be priced at $40.00 per set (13% discount from retail price).

So if you purchase larger quantities of figures, you can effectively buy them at the existing prices. Smaller orders will cost 10% more than at the old price.

NOTE: I will not be posting the new product codes until after the Little Wars convention next weekend. So you can still order using the existing product codes that are listed on the right hand side of this page.

New Packaging Stucture

Figures will now be sold in packs of 4 figures, except for a couple of product codes that require a different number of figures in the pack. For example, the British Light Infantry Command pack only has 3 figures and the British Centre Company Command pack has 5 figures, due to the need for two standard bearers in the pack.

Why the change in packaging? The reasons are two-fold: one, I plan to attend more wargame conventions going forward and it is a logistical nightmare to bring over 100 different bins of figures to the convention site. Plus, it makes it easier for you the buyer to sort through the display bins and pick out your own bags of figures, rather than waiting for me to hand sort each individual order at the convention dealer hall. Secondly, selling the figures in small packs will make it easier for me to establish distributors both in the Eastern US convention circuit and eventually in Europe. Distributors want and need ready-to-sell packs rather than deal with the hassle of hand sorting individual figures.

Convention News

Fife & Drum Miniatures will be attending the Little Wars convention in the Chicago area on April 26 - 28, 2013. That is only a week away from now and I'm looking forward to meeting many of our customers and making new friends at the show. We will be flying the new Fife & Drum banner and logo for the first time at Little Wars, so be on the look out for the three Spirit of '76 fellows that are in our logo.

I have also made plans to attend HMGS-East's Historicon Convention in Fredericksburg, Virginia in July 2013. I believe the dates are July 18th through July 21st. I will also be running two participation games on Thursday and Friday evenings, after the dealer hall closes.

I would also like to attend the Fall In convention in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in late October or early November 2013, but this is not set in stone yet.

New Artillery Equipment
I posted pictures of the greens for 10 new pieces of artillery equipment on my sister blog, the Der Alte Fritz Journal, which you can access at the links below:

Artillery Equipment Greens

French 8-pdr & 12-pdr greens

The figures are currently at Griffin Moulds where the master and production moulds are being made. Prices will be comparable to our existing artillery equipment range, at approximately $6.00 per cannon. I will have to wait on pricing the wagons and pontoon train pieces until I get cost information from my caster. I would expect that the new equipment should be in stock sometime in May 2013.

The new equipment includes French Valliere 8 and 12 pounders, a French limber, Prussian 3/6/12 pounders and a howitzer and two different limbers, a wicker-sided munitions wagon, a pontoon wagon, and separate pontoons, and finally, another artillery train rider wearing a tricorne hat.

Battle of Cooch's Bridge Sept 3, 1777

British Brigade of Guards advance with Jagers covering their right flank.

This is the first of many AWI scenarios that I intend to develop and post on the Fife & Drum Miniatures blog. While the blog is intended to be primarily a vehicle for promoting my miniatures, I want to augment it with wargame scenarios for AWI battles. I will endeavor to keep adding historical content to this blog, so please stop in for a visit periodically... and if you are not a "follower", then please click on the "follower" button on the top left hand corner of this page so that you can keep up to date on the new content that we will be posting.

Battle of Cooch's Bridge, from Campaign to Valley Forge by John Reed.

Given that Fife & Drum Miniatures are intended to cover the Philadelphia Campaign of 1777, I am interested in all aspects of the campaign and all of the actions, encounters and battles, no matter what their size. Cooch's Bridge was the first encounter between Howe's British army and the advance guard of Washington's forces in Delaware. It is also a very small encounter, involving no more than about 700 Americans and perhaps an equal number of British light infantry and Hessian/Ansbach Jagers.

The Osprey book on the campaign: Philadelphia 1777 by Justin Clement gives us the following order of battle for the opposing sides:

Americans (Brigadier General William Maxwell)

700 to 800 light infantry, marksmen drafted from various Continental regiments

British-German Forces (Lt.-Colonel von Wurmb)

Ansbach and Hessian Jagers - 400

1st Light Infantry Battalion - unengaged

2nd Light Infantry Battalion - 550 (Reed says that it was the 2nd Btn that got lost in the swamp)
Amusettes*

* Boatner's Encyclopedia of the American Revolution (page 283) indicates the presence of some amusettes attached to the jager contingent.

This encounter appears to have the makings of a fun skirmish wargame. Using a 1:10 ratio of figures to men, the Americans would need 70 to 80 figures and the Allies would have 50-55 British Light Bobs and 40 Jager figures. 

The Osprey book on the Philadelphia campaign indicates that Maxwell's force was augmented by 1,000 Delaware and Pennsylvania militia, but none of the sources that I have read mention the presence of any of the militia. So I would assume that the militia were not involved in the action.

The 1st British Light Infantry battalion attempted to outflank the American position on Iron Hill, but they got lost in the swamp and morass that lay to the north of Christiana Creek and thus were never engaged in the fight. A battalion of British Grenadiers were also part of von Wurmb's advance guard, but the rapid advance of the Allied light infantry forces left the Grenadiers far behind and so they too were not engaged in the fight.

Background  (from Boatner):

"To harass the advance of Howe from Head of Elk, Maxwell's Light Infantry took up a position near Cooch's Bridge (or Iron Hill). This place was on Christiana Creek about five miles NE of Elkton, Maryland. On September 2, 1777 Washington warned Maxwell that the enemy would move in his direction the next day. About 9 o'clock the morning of the 3rd the advance guard of Cornwallis' "grand division" was fired on by Maxwell. Lt. Colonel von Wurmb, commanding the leading elements of jagers, brought his amusettes into action and then drove the Americans back by an envelopment and bayonet attack against their right. Maxwell was forced out of several delaying positions. The British light infantry came forward to support the Germans, and although the Americans delivered  several close, well-directed  fires, the running fight soon degenerated into a running flight back to Washington's main body on White Clay Creek, some four miles north of Cooch's Bridge.

Baurmeister says the Americans left 30 dead, including 5 officers, but evacuated their wounded. Ward accepts this figure, but mentions Montressor's figure of 20 American dead left on the field, and Marshall's estimate of 40 American killed and wounded. Enemy losses were 3 killed and 20 wounded, according to Montressor, or 30 killed and wounded according to Robinson.

The recently adopted Stars and Stripes is said to have made one of its earliest appearances in this battle."


Howe had landed his army at Head of Elk, in Maryland, on August 26, 1777 concluding a months long voyage that began in New York harbor on July 23rd, with a brief detour up the Delaware Bay, followed by a back track to the Chesapeake Bay and a subsequent landing in Maryland. The first units to land were part of Cornwallis' elite division of all the Light, Grenadier, Guards and Jagers and over the next several days, the balance of Howe's army landed and a perimeter was secured. The few American militia in the vacinity took off as soon as the British first wave landed.

On August 28th, the British advance guard took up position on Gray's Hill, which overlooked the Head of Elk. From there, they could observe some of the Americans atop of nearby Iron Hill. Howe and his staff spotted a group of American officers and it was thought that the party include General Washington himself.

On September 3rd, the British at last moved forward with Cornwallis' vanguard departing from Aikin's Tavern a few miles south of Iron Hill. This force, as noted above, consisted largely of the British light troops and jagers. The road traversed through a wooded area, making the ground perfect for ambuscade and Indian-style fighting. The first fire commenced around 9 AM and a running firefight began as the American fell back toward Cooch's Bridge. Evidently, the Americans soon ran out of ammunition and the British lights went after them with the bayonet. Since most of the Americans either had rifles, which could not use bayonets, or they had so few of them for those armed with muskets, they were no match for the British and the Jagers once their ammo had run out.

At some point during the battle, the 2nd Battalion of Light Infantry attempted to outflank the American position at Cooch's Bridge, but they got mired in the Purgatory Swamp (aptly named it seems) and did not arrive until after the battle was well in hand. Had they been able to successfully complete their maneuver, then Maxwell's entire light brigade might have been captured.

Best Historical Range of 2011 - Fife & Drum!

Fife & Drum Continentals. click pix to enlarge view.

Some of our new Continentals in Hunting Shirts

Best Historical Miniatures Figure Range for 2011

I want to thank everyone for their support in the recent poll on The Miniatures Page ("TMP") to select the Best Historical Miniatures Range of 2011. Thanks to you, Fife & Drum Miniatures won the vote for the Best Historical Range, covering our American Militia, British Light Infantry and British Briagde of Guards figures. Presumably there will be another poll soon for the 2012 calendar year. We released a lot of figures in 2012 including Artillery Crews and Equipement, British Centre Company and Grenadier Company figures, Continentals in uniform coats and in hunting shirts. The range now has around 90 pieces so  I would expect that we will surpass the century mark this year and push on towards 200 different figures.

Free Stuff!

This evening,  I just packed and got ready for shipping, an order that is bound for the United Kingdom. The gentleman had ordered some artillery pieces and limbers, but no artillery crew. So I threw in two free packs of artillery crew to man his cannon - one British crew and one American crew. I like to do that, i.e. give away free stuff from the range. Often you will find that I have included some extra samples so that you can see first hand what else in the Fife & Drum range. For example, if you ordered only Americans, then I am likely to throw in some free British samples and vice versa if you order the British. I've been known to drill open the hands of flag bearers too, if you ask nicely. :)

The bottom line is that customer service is really important to me. I want you to be happy with your figures and your buying experience when you choose Fife & Drum Miniatures. I know that there are lots of good competitive products out there, not only in the AWI genre, but across all historical miniatures genres, so anything that I can do to make F&D stand out a little more, then I will do it.

Thank you again for your kind support of Fife & Drum Miniatures.

cheers,

Jim

Continentals in Hunting Shirts

4th Pennsylvania Regiment using the new Continentals in hunting shirts, firing line poses. GMB Designs flag.

I finished painting a regiment of Continentals in hunting shirts and in the firing line pose this evening. The first step in the base terraining has been done and I will have to set them aside overnight so that the goop can dry. Tomorrow, I will apply brown ink to the base, dry brush some light tan and then apply the static grass and tufts to finish off the stands.

The complete regiment. (click pix to enlarge the view)

Your Help Is Requested

There is currently a poll on The Miniatures Page for the Best Historical Figure Range of 2011 ( I know, it should be 2012, but they had to do a little catching up before they could run a poll for 2012). At any rate, if you like our Fife & Drum figures, then please click on the link below and cast your vote for Fife & Drum Miniatures. This is the final round of voting, with the poll closing on January 10, 2013.

TMP Poll

And Now for your amusement:

Royal Artillery Amusette and Crew (AE-6)

I also had time to start the basing for the Amusette (stock number AE-6) set for your review. Everyone needs to have at least one amusette in his British army.