A Few Blog Layout Changes

Governor William Shirley

Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts has nothing to do with today's blog entry, but I wanted to put some kind of picture at the top of the page and thought that he was a distinguished looking gentleman of the times, so why not?

I am on my annual required two weeks of vacation right now and I hope to use some of that time to clean up a few things on this blog. For starters, I have added a box on the left hand side of the page to show some of the Links germane to AWI topics. This way, I can come directly to this page (and you can too, of course), and use it as an entry point to other useful AWI blogs and web pages. Over time, this collection of links will grow to a sizable amount.

I am in the process of painting one each of every figure in the Fife & Drum range so that we can take color pictures of the figures (front and back) for posting on our new web site. The web site will enable you to purchase figures on line without having to go through the current, more cumbersome ordering process. Stay tuned for a further announcement on the web site in about another 1-2 months. I hope to have a big web site roll out in say, October 2012, along with some special items added to the range just for the web site roll out.

Finally, thank you to everyone who took advantage of the 1776 Deals that we ran in the month of July. The metal was literally flying out the door as we had to keep sending in restocking orders to keep up with the demand. Thank you to those of you who had the patience to wait on some backorders. These were promptly filled when the new stock arrived. Our policy is to try to fill the order as completely as possible and to back order the few miscellaneous items. All back orders are shipped postage free as I don't think that it is fair for you to pay twice for postage.

July Drawing Winner Is: Volleyfire!

Volleyfire! is the winner of our July random drawing of followers. Please contact me to collect your prize of $50.00 worth of Fife & Drum Miniatures of your choice.

Congratulations.

New Artillery Pictures

AE-12 British Crew Firing (left) and AE-11 British Crew Loading, both with AE-3 British 6-pdr.

I have posted a few pictures of some of the new Fife & Drum artillery equipment and the British and Continental artillery crews, showing how they look painted. I had hoped to get these beauties into a game soon, but they will have to make a first stop in the UK, where I am sending them to be photographed for inclusion in our new web site (to be announced soon). The pictures are OK, but Henry Hyde is a better photographer than I am and we want to put the best possible pictures on the web site. Each stock number will be accompanied by a picture of the painted figure that you will be purchasing.

AE-14 American Crew Firing with AE-1 French 4-pdr Valliere cannon.

I really like the way that the French 4-pounder turned out. It is the equivalent of about a British 6-pounder in cannonball weight because the French pound was larger than the English pound measurement in those days. I black primed the cannon and used a base coat of "clotted red blood" and then did some highlights and wood grains with a common red paint. The iron fittings are painted black and then highlighted with a mixture of black and flesh paint, to give me a black highlight. The crew were grey primed.

AE-14 Firing Crew with AE-1 French 4-pdr

AE-13 American Crew Loading with AE-2 American-cast 6-pdr.

New Fife & Drum Logo Unveiled!

Fife & Drum logo created by Mr. Henry Hyde

Here is what the new logo for the Fife & Drum Miniatures range will look like. I want to thank Henry Hyde (editor of Battlegames Magazine) for his fine work in creating this logo. It really evokes the feeling of the 18th Century and the AWI/American Revolution period that is the focus of our figures.

You will start seeing our logo on The Miniatures Page (TMP) in our new banner ads as well as advertising in  the various wargame magazines.

By the way, the 1776 Deals will expire on July 31, 2012 so if you want to take advantage of the 18% and 22% discounts on the regular 12-figure and 84-figure deals, respectively, then get your order in today. Time is running out so don't put this off if you intend to order some of our deals.

1776 Deal Is Extended To July 31, 2012

I have decided to extend the "1776 Deal" (12 figures for $17.76) and the "1776 Grand Deal" (84 figures for $117.76) through the end of this month, July 31, 2012. So if you missed out on your chance to purchase Fife & Drum miniatures under the discount plan, then fear  not, there is still time to snap up a good bargain or three.

I am working on getting some of the artillery pieces and gun crews painted over this weekend so that I can post some color pictures of how the new items look when painted. So keep checking back in at this site.

British Artillery Equipment & Crews

3-pound Galloper Gun with British artillerist shown for proportions.

 Today I am posting pictures of the Galloper Gun set (consisting of the horse, limber and 3 pound cannon), crew are extra, which can be used in either the British or the Continental armies. These are particularly useful for those of you who are interested in the Southern Theatre of the AWI.

Galloper Gun Unlimbered and Manned By British Crew

At first look, I thought that maybe the 3-pounder was a little bit on the small size, but don't forget, everything in the Fife & Drum range is done to 1/56 scale. Thus the equipment is correctly scaled to the height of the men. I was looking at a picture of a galloper gun on the Colonial Williamsburg web site and their picture indicates that the wheel was up to the man's waist. So I think that we nailed it correctly with our models.

British 6-pounder with British "Loading" Crew

Above is shown the British 6-pounder with the AE-12 Loading Crew. One figure is holding a shell sabot (left foreground), a second is ramming the tube, the third figure is the ventsman - holding his thumb over the touch hole, and finally, a fourth figure that can hold any number of tools in his open hand. I was really impressed with how easily the rammer fits into the hands of the figure, while seating very snuggly in his hands. The rammer will NOT fall out of his hands and gluing the tools into the figures' hands is so easy peasy.

British 6-pounder with British "Firing Crew"

Finally, we see the 6-pounder about to be fired by the AE-11 Firing Crew. Note the fellow on the left covering both ears with his hands. The crewman in the right foreground is covering one ear, while holding a tool in the other hand. I can imagine that the officer figure will wind up on a few command stand vignettes.

Artillery Equipment Pix

American-cast 6-pdr and Continental Crew Loading

Here are a few quick pictures of some of the new Fife & Drum artillery equipment and Continental artillery crew. I will post the British crew and 6-pdr tonight or tomorrow. Everything shown is in stock and available to order.

French 4-pdr Valliere and Continental Crew Firing

Limber set

Limber set and French 4 pounder in tow