Echoes of Glory

Who makes the buildings in this photo?

2011-10-31T12:52:00.000-07:00

They look familiar, appear to be modular and pre-painted. Does anyone know who makes them???

A Few More 15mm Wild West Photos

2011-02-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

I don't have much time for text but here are some updated pics of the 15mm Wild West table. I still need to add "fort Apache" at the base of the mountain but most of the table is set up.

Below is a shot of the prairie leading into marsh at the foothills of the mountains...

A shot of the town, yet to be named, or "The Town With No Name," for now...

A shot of the road leading out of the mountain pass. The stagecoach is Minifig...

One of the mining camps in the mountains...

A glimpse of the teepee's, I still have to paint the minis for this section. Note the mountain lion in his den (rocks in the lower left)...

A shot over the mountains looking back towards the ranch...

Another big picture shot...

The ranch, inspired by McFarlan's Ranch in Red Dead Redemption...

The horse coral behind the livery in town. Note the tent city in the lower left.

The town is loaded with civilians and small details. I have to complete the building interiors but Ill start getting some more details pics up soon!

New 15mm Wild West Table

2011-02-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

I have been gone for some time but I've been working on a few things. The main miniature project has been 15mm wild west. I've set up a table that is a mash up of plains, high plains, open range, and mountains. After playing so much Red Dead Redemption I was motivated to create the following:

This table represents the bones, I have a fort/ trading post to add and a ton of other finishing details.

From the mountains looking back to town

I have a herd of buffalo I'll put in the plains...

The fort will go at the intersection of the left turn before town on the shot below...

28mm ACW 2ND MISSISSIPPI Foundry minis

2010-01-03T13:22:00.000-08:00

I finished my 2nd Mississippi Foundry minis a while back. They came out great but these pics are pretty bad. I'll get some better shots soon. I painted them mostly in blue battle shirts trimmed in red with a few red fireman's shirts here and there. Each man has a white Mississippi star most on the hat but a few on collars and sleeves. These were a lot of fun to do and makes for a really cool early war unit.

28mm Redoubts

2010-01-01T07:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I wanted to get some pics up of the redoubt pieces I have been working on. I got them from Acheson Creations at Fall-in in G-burg this past November.

They look very good with some simple modification. I found the texture to was a bit lacking in detail so I added sand, a quick dry brush and some static grass and the look is fantastic. Overall the product is great and the price is even better.

I made 2 angle pieces out of the 50 cent log wall sections he sells. These are very useful for making custom sections.

An example of a larger redoubt

One sepia shot to hide the flash wash out :)

One thing that was missing from the product line were end caps, a good way to to end the line you set up. I made my own using spent gift cards for the base and match-up edge, green stuff, and a row of the 50 cent gabions. This worked very well.

Gone but not Dead

2009-12-22T09:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm still here. I've been pretty damn quiet online but Im still painting where I can. Here are some shots of the latest projects.

Bears, one of the lady's xmas gifts

Perry siege guns. I dont have much use for them, the bases come out of the emplacement...love these big guns!

Some More Hi-Res Table Shots

2009-09-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, I have been very busy painting over the last few weeks. All of the infantry on the table are recent additions. I have completed 400 new infantry (200 US/ 200 CS) and updated all of my US collection to both National and Regimental standards. I'll get pics up soon. For now take a look at some of these shot taken a while back by Lord Ashram...

Granny and her kin hold the front porch of their "Pennsyltuckey" home

Federal column makes its way throigh town as a shop keeper looks observes

Another shot of the town

A run a way slave making his way north

Some More Details...

2009-08-25T06:32:00.000-07:00

LordAshram came by the other night with his hi-res camera and was able to get some shots for me. Here are a few for now, more to come...

Overall table shot

A pic of the federal cav dismounted on the ridge west of town

The CS column coming onto the field

New Table Detail Shots

2009-08-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some detail shots of the table. I was fortunate enough to get some more Herb Gundt models from Der Alte Fritz., those will come in a later post. These will have to hold you over for now...

Grannies homestead with the ladies ready for war

Front Porch of the Shenandoah House...

The upstairs of the the Shenandoah house...

The War Room is Ready!!!

2009-07-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

Well after 2 months of work the room is ready! LordAshram came over last night and we set up my first official table, it looks SICK!! Ill keep the text light and let the pics do the talking.

First up the table (5 by 10 with custom built edges and curtains).

The stuff (a selection of some of my favorite toys, aside from minis). This is my roomie Tank on his chair:

Fireplace, ACW NCO swords, 2 fraternal swords:

My first rope tension drum, this one is a 16x16 repop from Cooperman, made about 1978.

The long arms, Charleville, Potsdam, 2 band British Enfield, P53 Enfield, another 2 bander, 61 Sprinfield, Remington Zouave, a dug Liege conversion.

More swords and guns

These are my medical antiques, large collection of panniers, apothecary chests, and 19th century USA Hosp Dept antiques.

My AWI guys split by an 1870 7th Regt dress uniform with my pistols and revolvers overhead

That's all for now. I have a TON of stuff that I will get around to featuring soon enough. Hopefully these can tide everyone over for now. Videos (pretable) are below...

War Room Update

2009-07-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

I am suffering from the recent financial shit storm as much as anyone, as a result I didn't think I would be able to pull off the room as I envisioned it. I was going to build a bar, do dark hardwood floors, hideaway flat screen, a real officers club feel. Reality hit home fast and the mortgage payment became the focus very fast. I was so put off that I almost put it all on hold. Then LordAshram over at the House of War pointed out..."Sean you have a ton of great stuff, just start putting it up and I'm telling you it will look great." I think I have had my collections in storage for so long that I forgot how much I had.

Well I've added more items to my war room. A new standing gun rack reclaimed from storage, a family heirloom barrister's bookcase (15mm WWII, 25mm WWII, feudal armies) and my CS flags, all Ben Tart made, ANV battle flag with 12th Alabama markings, a Bonnie Blue (also Alabama), a 1st National, and my yellow hospital flag. I will be putting my silk 88th NY colors on either side of the fireplace soon. Then the 10 by 5 a few more odds and ends and I am ready to play! Thanks Ash for the needed kick in the ass!

The Guns Are Up, One Step Closer!

2009-07-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

The peg boards I needed arrived so I modified, sanded, finished and sealed them right away. This morning I was able to mount them on the studs and hang up part of the old gun collection. I think they look great!

I just need the barrister's bookcase for my WWII and feudal armies, a wall case for my pistols, the 10 by 5 table and I'm just about where I want it. My 15mm Nappys and ACW will have to wait until one more cabinet is in the budget before deploying from the cigar boxes.

The 10 by 5 has been sitting dormant in my parents basement since I left years ago, it will be good to have it home. I cant wait to start making that first table layout. I have so much terrain that has been in boxes due to the apartment life constraints of the past. This will be the first time I get to use it all on one table.

War Room Update

2009-07-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

I have been busy getting the war room up to par. The fireplace is in, chairs placed, cabinets all set up, except for one antique barristers book case.

I've made a rough video giving a preview tour. The center piece will be a 10 by 5 foot table with all the trimmings. The guns at the end of the video will be going in a floor to ceiling rack I'm making. The sad part is, I still don't have enough room for all my toys. I may need to make a second room!

New Wargames Room

2009-06-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I am back from the dead. I have moved to a new home and now that the boring work is done one of the main things I am focusing on is a new war room.

I am just beginning the project and have assembled 2 new cabinets, these house my 28mm ACW collection. I need to add cabinets for my various other collections as well.

At the end of the project I will have my 10 by 5 table surrounded by minis, antique muskets and mannequins with my original uniforms. I have a collection of military prints antiques and minis that Ihave waited years to display properly so I am very excited to get this done. I will go back to maintaining radio silence after this preview for a few more weeks. Once I am set up I will resume painting and posting, sorry for the long absence!

First up, 2 shots of the cabinets, left one is Federal right one is Confederate. There will be a fireplace in the middle with parlour chairs soon!

The Confederate case...

Here are some shots of my Federal army, first up, the Cavalry, Old Glory, Sash & Saber, Mark Fenlon...

The Federal Artillery, Sash & Saber, Old Glory

Federal Infantry, Foundry, Sash & Saber, Old Glory. Each unit only has one flag for now, I am going back and redoing these. I used to distinguish elite units by giving them regimental colors. Each unit will have a state and a national soon.

Federal command, hospital, engineers, and one unit, 146th NY Mark Fenlon

More Federal infantry, I have 31 units of 20 men each in total, these are mostly Old Glory...

Last of my main infantry battalions, Old Glory, Fenlon, Redoubt, Sash & Saber, Foundry

One shot to hold you over of my Confederates...

7th NJ 28mm ACW

2008-12-01T15:19:00.000-08:00

Well, I was going through some boxes and found 2 unused Flag Dude flags. So the 14th Connecticut is now the 7th New Jersey!

28mm ACW Federals

2008-12-01T13:52:00.000-08:00

I knocked out 2 new federal companies. Flags are still to come, I need to place a very large order with The Flag Dude soon!

Here are both companies, one mounted for skirmish use...

A shot of the 14th Connecticut

A Rhode Island unit, note the pleated frock on the officer

28mm ACW CS Infantry

2008-11-25T18:06:00.000-08:00

Here are three new companies added to my CS forces. These are mounted 2 to a stand as skirmishers. Flags to come...

Here is the 1st company

2nd Co.

3rd Co.

Another bad photo but I tried to get one of the facial detail.

Reinforcements

2008-11-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

No photos today but some big news. My ACW 28mm armies were 'completed' almost a year ago. So...what does that mean you ask? Its time to double the size! As much as I love painting and have a knack to bang out whole units in an evening I just cant seem to paint fast enough to build the large forces I want in a short time.

So, I had a conversation with a vendor at Fall-in who just happened to get in a huge lot of painted Sash & Saber minis. I have ordered a large group of them, and they are on their way!

30 units of 20 (15 US/ 15 CS, 600 minis) and 18 guns (90 minis).

When completed my armies will have 1,600 infantry/ 84 mounted cav and 84 dismounted with horses/ 34 guns with 136 crew/ 34 limbers/ 8 various wagons (supply, caissons, ambulances)

This will give me 2,222 painted (wagons, guns, and riderless horses included) ACW minis...now I'm getting close to all Ill ever need!

28mm ACW Horse Holders

2008-11-17T15:38:00.000-08:00

I'm sort of back on the painting horse after the 15mm reclamation project (more posts on that to come). This weekend I completed a group of Sash & Saber CS horse holders. I HATE painting horses so these bad boys have been sitting in a bag in a closet with the 2 other groups since I bought them at ColdWars. Now just 1 Federal group and 1 more CS group to go! For now some more of my usual awful pics. I have been saying it for years but I think this will be the Christmas season I upgrade from my 2001 Elf Snapshot.

28mm Tavern

2008-11-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

Here is a piece I just aquired at Fall-in. It's a very nice H.G. Walls model, best for my 28mm AWI but it will also see some ACW use. Here are 2 shots with some of my AWI 28s.

An officer from Butlers Rangers talking to a lieutenant from he 4th NJ Volunteers loyalist in ront of the tavern.

The same building out back...outkitchen with militia officer pointing the way to deserters hiding with-in!

Reclaimed 15mm ACW

2008-11-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

I'm back after a looooong hiatus. So my friend and I just did a 15mm acw game at Fall-in. We didn't have enough minis so we dipped back into the old collections.

The full report can be found at Lord Ashram's House of War.

This made me look at some of my own units and decide to remount them for future battles. They work OK as is, but once cleaned up with new stands, dip, and static grass they fit right in. Take a look, here are the first 2 units. ill get some 'before' pics up as well.

Distracted from miniatures at the moment

2008-09-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Well, I have pulled my usual move and disappeared. Work has been crazy, traveling all the time. I am not only missing out on painting but I am sure some friends have written me off! I AM ALIVE AND WELL! I'll be catching up with all of you shortly.

In the mean time, I have picked up an old art of mine...magic. I caught the bug again and decided to dust off the old tricks and learn some new ones, in what little free time I have. So sorry for the non-miniature related post but, check out some of the latest ones I have learned. Miniature posts to resume shortly!

28mm WWII Collection

2008-09-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry for being MIA once again. In truth I have not been painting much, the motivation has just not been upon me lately. I have some ACW items I will be getting back into soon but for now here are some shots of my 25mm WWII collection.

Here is an overall shot of the collection, which sits over my fireplace. The Germans are the three companies and 2 anti-tank pieces to the right of the pic. I also have armored compliments for both.

I painted these a few years ago so they are not up to my standard but they still look pretty damn good. I may go back and do some more work on the faces and bases. I made custom movement trays for each platoon. Here it 3rd platoon 'Fox' company.

Below is a shot of my Brit Paratroopers. These are Foundry and have always been some of my favorite minis.

25mm ACW CS limber

2008-07-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

The following pics are not the best but the first one is clear. I just completed a new limber for my CS artillery. I went into some extra details on this one. I drilled out the barrel and vent in the back. One of those small things only I will know but love to do. I also added the implements and a hook for the bucket to actually hang under the gun. The limber chest opens up and the gun comes off.

Here is a short clip of the gun. You can see the wheels move and the bucket swinging underneath.

145th Gettysburg QUALITY vs. Quantity

2008-07-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I apologize for falling into the black hole that is the real world. I haven't been painting as much as I would like but have been getting SOME odds and ends done. I am completing some limbers and horse holders and will post pics shortly.

FOR NOW...I just took part in the At High Tide 145th Gettyburg event. It was a great alternative to the mega turbo FARB fests that Gettysburg and the Lomas Machine usually create. The impressions were top shelf as was drill and the scenarios. What really gets me is that the mainstream events are FOR PROFIT!!! The men at the top earn money off of the backs of the reenactors! To add to the many reasons these more authentic events are better, all of the money goes to land preservation, and not to open a 3rd distribution center for the Regimental Quartermaster.

I was the right wing commander of the Chesapeake Volunteer Guard and had more then my share of period moments. Not the least of which was leading my battalion, after the good colonel went down, toward Mcphersons Ridge only to get ripped to shreds by the 1st Minnesota as they crested the ridge. Just as it happened and just when it was supposed to happen. Those of you that go to have funnel cakes and watch the circus this weekend will notice the difference in impressions. Here are a few teaser pics.

CVG Battalion at dress parade

CVG Staff behind the firing line

Company C (the finest company in the CVG) in camp

The battalion prepares to move out

25mm ACW Chaplains

2008-05-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

Painted these today. I realized I haven't posted in a while so I figured I better knock out something simple so I would have a reason to post :)

CS Chaplain with a representative from the Christian Commission

A US counterpart with a rep from the Sanitary Commission.

25mm ACW

2008-04-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

I realize I haven't made a post in a while so here are some shots I took of some more recent additions to my forces.

The 39th NYSV

Early War: Fire Zouaves

Louisiana Tigers

25mm AWI navy

2008-03-23T17:46:00.000-07:00

I few years ago after I got my AWI armies where I wanted them I decided to add a navy. Below are the shots of some resin ships, and some home made. Looking at them now I see a lot more details I want to add. Consider this another future remodeling project!

A pre-made resin ship painted for my British forces.

The shot below had 1 Old Glory ship and 2 I made out plastic boats from an old kids game called pirates.

This is a small set I bought from The Wargames Room.

This is my largest ship, its about 2 and a half feet in length. I made this out out of balsa and resin decks from Eureka miniatures.

A better shot of the ship I made from the pirates game.

The life boat from the big ship

The second modified 'pirates' ship

25mm ACW Photographer with POWs

2008-03-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a small "extra" I am working on. I took the Fenlon Gettysburg POWs and added another stand to the mix. Old Glory's photographer, I used an additional civilian as a photographers assistant. Ill be adding another stand of POWs and one of Federal guards.

25mm AWI

2008-03-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a blast from the past. A while back I had posted a pic I doctored of a Revolutionary War table. This was a set up from about 5 years ago when I lived in Manhattan and the 6X4 table took up most of my living space. It's collection of about 650 minis and is a mix of Perry, Foundry and Old Glory. I think I'm going to go back through this collection to upgrade the flags and bases. I will never build armies of this size with single mounted minis again!

Cold Wars 08

2008-03-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

I made the trip down to Lancaster for Cold Wars this weekend. Hurricane force winds and rain aide...it was a great trip! I had never made it to this conference before but I will certainly be booking my room for next year. There were some really beautiful tables and collections and the array of games was impressive. Here are some shots of the items I picked up. With Sash and Saber's 50% off sale Ill be painting ACW minis for quite a while.

I was only able to get one shot of a game that caught my eye. It was ACW, I thought the table was set up quite nicely. I think when it comes to Civil War tables, the more fences the better!!

2008-03-06T11:36:00.001-08:00

Here is an Old Glory Supply Wagon painted in regulation federal supply colors. I added some extra bits inside and the canvass cover supports. The pic is, as always, less then spectacular!

Below is a close up of the wagon contents. I plan to paint up about 3 or 4 more of these. You can never have long enough baggage trains!

Additional Battalion Commanders

2008-03-05T18:13:00.001-08:00

I am out pf 25mm ACW minis! I have gotten down to the random bits and spare officers. I made 2 more Federal officers stands and 2 CS outof the left overs. As always I must apologize for the poor image quality. Sadly I have yet to upgrade my camera! Below is General Asboth of the Western Theater. Below that, another 'yet to be named' officer.

I am heading off to Cold Wars this Friday so I expect to have plenty more to paint soon enough.

The 2 CS command stands were made from left over figures and 2 single mounted officers I had lying around.

The one below is a mix of old Glory and Redoubt. Next up is the commander of my 4th CS Battalion. This officer is an old style Old Glory figure. Judging by the casualties he's obviously in the thick of the fight!

Lastly, my friend and fellow gamer launched a blog recently showcasing his collections and newly constructed wargame room! Take a look as Lord Ashram's House of War. Featuring 25mm Nappies, 15mm ACW, and much more to come...

Dogs of War

2008-03-05T10:42:00.001-08:00

After reading up on Civil War mascots, and being a proud bulldog owner...

I decided to add a dog to each of my ACW forces. Below is General Asboth with "York" and below that "Grace" with an officer of the 1st Maryland Artillery.

SPAM crap

2008-02-27T20:28:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the spam to those on my e-mail lists and about the virus laiden comments on the blog here! I have deleted the users/ comments and issued death warrants for the posters, their friends, and their babies.

Battlelinescenics (Mark Fenlon ACW 28mm)

2008-02-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

I ordered some of the newly revived line of Fenlon minis. BattlelineScenics bought the Mark Fenlon line and are now selling minis. I ordered several zouaves and the Gettysburg CS P.O.W.s. The figures were very clean and the metal a good quality. I highly reccomend the line. The site is still under conctruction but if you email them they will send you a price list and photos.

The newly completed 146th NY

I was bored and didnt have anything to paint

2008-01-24T08:28:00.000-08:00

So I made this...

25mm ACW blacksmith and forge

2008-01-08T20:38:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of the support for my federal artillery train, caissons to come. I picked up the Old Glory french Napoleonic forge set and converted the minis with some heads cut from Sash & Saber minis. I think they came out fairly decent...

New US and CS 25mm battalions

2008-01-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

Here are 2 shots of my newest US and CS battalions. I still have to paint the command staff and will get some more pics up soon.

New 25mm ACW Federal Units

2007-12-14T10:31:00.000-08:00

I recently acquired another fellows collection, these were minis from several different ranges (Mark Fenlon, Old Glory, Foundry, Sash & Saber, Renegade, and Redoubt) I didn't want any units to stand out as different so I remounted them all in mixed manufacturer companies. I am pleased with the results. The pics below are not the best but i think it really adds an interesting level. When you look at photos of real ACW units you see men of all heights and builds. While I wouldn't do this for the ones I paint up on my own I really think this helped bland them into my current collection.

25mm ACW Federal Hospital and Ambulance

2007-12-02T09:23:00.000-08:00

I bought the Old Glory 2 wheeled ambulance. Its a nice cart but not really representative of a 2 wheeled Coolidge pattern ambulance (original image below). So I broke out some balsa, tissue paper, and paints and added a 'canvas' top and frame. I also made a rider up with a hospital flag. Would you have seen this in the field? No... but I like all of my units to have colors for display purposes. I left him unglued so I can remove him during games.

Here is the whole 'unit'

ACW game House Rules Fall-In 07

2007-11-27T08:47:00.000-08:00

So a buddy and I made our annual trip down to fall in at the start of the month and what a trip is was. After spending several thousand dollars on minis, terrain, food, booze and the room I can safely say it was a GREAT weekend! Here are more shots of the game we did, house rules developed by my friend for fast play and ease of use after a few drinks! It was a fictional battle. I jokingly named it "The Battle of I Can Use All My Fences - 1863"

MIA

2007-11-26T09:52:00.000-08:00

Hello all! Sorry I have been MIA for nearly a year! Life caught up to me and I simply didn't have time to post. I have, however, had plenty of time to paint. I have expanded my ACW forces twice over and will start to post images shortly. Here are 2 images of a game a buddy and I did at Fall-In 07 for now...

15mm WWII FoW

2007-02-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

Here are some shots of a fairly new foam/plasticard building with a few of my US Rifle Company miniatures out front.

You can't see terribly well, but I added glass to the jeep window frame then painted it to look as if the wipers had cleared it (top right). I had seen someone on the FoW forums do this and loved the look.

The shot in the bottom left shows how I modified the Peter Pig vehicle to make larger style coupe with a second spare tire in the fender.

Last is a shot of my 3 Peter Pig vehicle mods. First is the basic car, next the limo conversion and last the rusted out wreck complete with fresh bullet holes (silver spots). There are a lot of small details on the wreck that cant be seen here. I'll get better close ups of these soon.

I plan to pick up work again on my 25mm ACW federal cav soon, and will post some shots of them as soon as I finish.

25mm AWI

2007-02-15T11:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's winter weather made going out difficult so after getting some prep work done on my ACW federal dismounted troops, I broke out this old photo of a 25mm AWI set up of mine and had some photo shop fun.

Original Image:

My AWI forces are some of my favorite. They consist mostly of Perry, Front Rank, and Old Glory minis. I will get some good shots of them and do some AWI dedicated posts in the coming weeks once my ACW phase slows down.

Here is the modified image, with sky and smoke added, I also cleaned up the bases so it looks as though they are fixed on the table...

Completed interior

2007-02-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

I finished the 2nd floor bedroom last night and made the furniture for the cabin. I will be adding the interior doors and a painting as well as a bear skin rug to the cabin...

Finished 1st floor...

I just picked up some Sash & Saber federal minis and will be starting on these next. I also am in the process of setting up some FoW dioramas and will have more pics in the next 2 weeks or so.

Shenandoah House Interior

2007-02-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

It wasn't long after I put the house out that the empty interior started to get to me. Today I started the first elements of detailing on the Shenandoah House. I made the first floor into 2 rooms, one whitewashed, the other wallpapered. For now there are some tables a desk, book shelves etc. I will eventually make the upstairs into a bedroom and add the fireplaces on both floors.

New ACW Table shots

2007-02-04T14:03:00.000-08:00

I recently acquired some of the Americana Series buildings from MBA and added to my table. As much as I love making my own terrain, its very nice to be able to take a piece out of the box and put it right out on the table. I plan to add a detailed interior and some more things to the outside.

For now here are some shots of the over all table...

Some more 15mm WWII Flames of War

2007-02-02T07:10:00.000-08:00

I have received a bunch of emails about my FoW stuff so here are some more shots for ya'll to take a look at. The Germans were painted up by a friend of mine. I have a US armored infantry company to get through before I move on to a force of opposition.

Below is a shot of the cafe I made. I used paper building from Paper Terrain. I found that if you cut the buildings out neatly you are left with great templates to make your own and that's exactly what I have done. The buildings are nice but I like lots of detail on my tables so I had to add my own touches...

Here we have a shot of the pontoon bridge at the rear of the town. This was a piece actually made for 20mm figures but with some gentle persuasion and sanding it fits right in!

Another shot the cafe and the "bookstore"

Here is a shot of a pre-made building from Miniature Building Authority. Great stuff and the insides are left plain so you get to do all the fun modeling. I added floors rubble, furniture, and wall paper...

The barn blown to hell. Here I added the horse stalls and rubble...

AIR SUPPORT!!!! Modified die cast P-47s

Here is a Peter Pig vehicle that I modified with green stuff. Made it more of a square back coupe

An overall shot of the town. I tried to come up with a realistic combination of buildings. I like varying heights on my rooftops, different roof tile colors, etc...

This is my favorite building. I have made more intricate ones but there's just something about this one I love. Not to mention the shot came out pretty darn good if i do say so myself.

One last shot of the town from the backside. Thanks for taking a look, hope you enjoyed!

25mm ACW US Sharpshooters

2007-01-30T16:24:00.000-08:00

I picked up a set of US Sharpshooters from Redoubt Miniatures. The figures are nice but required a bit of trimming and flash clean up to make look right. Overall I find Redoubts offering quite nice, but some of the features can be a bit over sized (large hands , legs, etc). They come with separate heads which is nice for painting as well as creating figures with a different look. They are true 28mm minis so they don't work well with my Sash and Saber armies. Most of my federal forces are Old Glory so these blend in quite well

Again The images are not the best, and to repeat my all to familiar mantra...I am getting a better camera!

Richmond Depot Jackets

2007-01-26T09:48:00.000-08:00

Sorry for being MIA! I have decided to write a post that’s bit more clinical in nature today. The topic is Confederate uniforms, specifically Confederate Depot jackets.

When painting an ACW army, the first thing one must do is decide whether to go early mid or late war. This is a bit easier with US forces, early war has more frocks, and state issue jackets, some shoulder scales and some more Hardee hats then you would see later on. With CS forces however, there are many styles you can choose from depending on the area as well as the phase of the war.

A close study of CS records reveal some startling statistics. During the last six months of 1864 and including to 31 January 1865, the Army of Northern Virginia alone was issued the following:

104,199 Jackets
140,570 Pairs of Trousers
157,727 Cotton Shirts
170,139 Pairs of Drawers
74,851 Blankets
27,011 Hats and Caps
21,063 Flannel Shirts
4,861 Overcoats

These were field issues only, and did not include issues to men on furlough, detailed at posts, exchanged prisoners or any other issues. Moreover, these were overwhelmingly central government issues, and did not include issues by any states except part of North Carolina's. During this same period, Georgia provided to the Confederate Army as a whole, over and above the figures quoted above:

26,795 Jackets
28,808 Pairs of Trousers
24,952 Shirts
24,168 Pairs of Drawers
7,504 Blankets

With all of these choices, none of which account for state issues or the commutation system, narrowing down the field is most important

I tend to concentrate on the Eastern Theater and the ANV as a result most of my troops from mid to late war wear some form of Richmond Depot Jacket, The Richmond Depot jacket had 3 styles for early mid and late war, Richmond Depot I, II, and III or RDI/RD II/ RD III. It should be noted that these terms are modern and were not in use during the war.

The RDI is great for early war. It features twill tape edging along the collar cuffs and shoulder flaps

The RDII below is basically the same as the RDI but the trim is gone. There are some slight differences in construction but more mini painting these are not noticeable.

Last we come to the RDIII. No shoulders straps, belt loops or piping. This is the simplest of the designs and was made as it was to save on time and materials.

I have not even gotten into commutation jackets, Tait jackets, or the various frocks . If you would like any further info on different types of uniforms email me!You can also follow up with the Company of Miltary Historians.

New 25mm Federal Cavalry Unit

2007-01-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

Last night I finished up a Federal cavalry company. These are more early war as they are decked out in full yellow trim with mounted service jackets. Again I have to apologize for the poor image quality but they are clear enough for you to get a sense of their appearance...

The League of Augsburg

2007-01-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

I got an email from a friend the other day with a link to a Waterloo game. I had frequented the site in the past but had not visited for a while. Well its been updated and loaded with great images of historical minis. The site is the home base of "The League of Augsburg" a loose organization of gamers over in the UK but primarily the showcase for the collections of Barry Hilton.

I have pulled one picture in particular from this site to showcase here. Mr Hilton apparently had a sizeable ACW collection at one point but sold most of it off. He has since ventured back into the realm of ACW with some Confederates. Below is a shot of his 1st Texas, and 3rd Florida regiments deploying by the right of companies into a battle line from column of companies. Take a look he has some great shots to offer!

New Fields and Fences

2007-01-05T07:41:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year and all that. I have made some modifications to my recent ACW set up and will add some full table shots. For now here are some images of the new farm fields and fences I made...

I made the fences out of balsa, going forward I'll be using match sticks, saves time. The corn stalks are made from an old Christmas wreath I cut up and the cabbage patch is made up from pieces of coarse flock and I used coffee grounds for the dirt...

25mm ACW 4x4 Table

2006-12-27T16:21:00.000-08:00

Here are some shots of a recent Civil War table a friend and I did at my place. The first is an overall shot of the table...

The is an an image of a good portion of the union line. 4 by 4 is a bit cramped so I wasn't able to use all of my collection...

Here are some shots of the Confederate forces...

15mm WWII "Flames of War" miniatures

2006-12-23T06:44:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to take a break form the ACW shots and dip into the archive for some old pics of a 6 by 4 ft bocage set up I did in 15mm using Flames of War figures. I made all of the terrain with the exception of the Miniature Building Authority models that are easily spotted.

Most of the buildings are made from paper and card, the roads from cork, and the bocage from steel wool. This first 2 shots are of a German 88 position behind the town. The Germans were done by a friend (the one who procured me the eagle and is painting 25mm French Nap)...

Here we have an overhead shot of a farm and chateau, these models are from Miniature Building Authority. The black rods you see are bases for my aircraft...

A wide view across the bocage back toward the town. Those are Americans advancing through the bocage...

A shot of the German defenses on the edge of town, The cafe and corner shop are buildings I made from card stock, the white Tudor style is another MBA product...

Last but not least this is a shot of the entrance to the town. I just wanted to get a few shots up to hint at things to come. Later this week Ill get some up of my 25mm WWII...

One more image, this is a pic of one wing of my 15mm Americans, my 105's and 2 infanry platoons. Ipained them us as the 120th Infantry 30th Division "Old Hickory." My great uncle John Van Nort served with this outfit and was killed at the breakout in St. Lo...

8th Wisconsin and "Old Abe" 25mm

2006-12-18T11:21:00.000-08:00

I had decided to make a unit to represent the 8th Wisconsin, contrary to popular belief this unit was not part of the same Iron Brigade that the 24th Mich belonged to but rather a group from the Western theater of operation. I was very underwhelmed with the mini offered by Old Glory to represent Old Abe so I decided to make my own. A friend of mine is currently doing a 25mm French Napoleonic group and since eagles are top of mind for him he was able to find me a figure that had a perfectly sized eagle on it.

This was a simple job so I didnt need much more then glue, sharp blades and a pin vice...

Below is a shot of the mini, its a Games Workshop elf, to the right you can see it with the eagle removed...

Next I had to prep the command stand. I clipped the musket off the mini on the front right and carved the remaining stock down to a poll and used a pin vice to drill a hole for the new eagle perch...

Next the perch...this was simple. I used some wire (flag poles) cut 2 pieces and made a 'T'. Next I took an old Games Workshop shield crest, cut it and sanded it some and it made the perfect platform for underneath the perch...

After that, all that was needed was to paint the perch and the eagle and glue it all into place. My apologies for the bad pic yet again, new camera coming soon!

More of the 25mm ACW collection

2006-12-15T19:23:00.000-08:00

Here are some more shot of the 25mm ACW collection. I wil lbe adding photos of my other collections as the weeks go by. Im starting with these as the Civil War has been my current interest. The shots arent the best (I'm in need of a new camera) . Below is a shot of one of my Confederate cavalry units with its dismounted counter-part. For displays I use these as 2 seperate groups but it games they would be used to represent one unit...

Here is a shot of the 24th Michigan, part of the famed Iron Brigade. The figure are Old Glory, I normally dont use these but I think they look good and the price was right!

Here is a quick movie of the Confederare army, its not the best but hey Im new at this blog thing and Iwanted and excuse to use a video! Check it out.

Dr Fausts Painting Clinic

2006-12-13T07:27:00.000-08:00

I came across this site last night...http://www.paintingclinic.com/

Some great stuff here... painting tips as well as some really nice images to check out. Lots of 15mm Flames of War. If you are having difficulty using inks washes or dry brushing methods take a look, its bound to have something helpful for you.

My recent 25mm ACW 5th NY Zouaves

2006-12-12T16:11:00.000-08:00

recently got a set of figures from Sash & Saber Castings. The figures are first rate, the details are great right down to the rank insignias on officers and NCOs. Here are some shots of the work so far. the shots are not the best andI still have some detail to work to do but you can get the idea. More and clearer photos to come...

Here are more from Sash & Saber. This is my Confederate Army (200 infantry/ 3 artillery pieces with limbers and 24 Cavalry with dismounted models as well)

Great links to Wargaming sites

2006-12-12T12:57:00.000-08:00

Here are some great links to eat up your time. I have posted them by category. The collections featured here are top notch and have been put together by some of the best artists in the field. I will post a more compelte list in the coming weeks with more info but here you go for now…

Miniature collections (Theses sites are loaded with eye candy)
http://dare.paradise.net.nz/roly.html
Great site feature the work of Roly Herman out of New Zealand (Seven Years War French - Napoleonic France - Napoleonic Confederation of the Rhine - Napoleonic Britain - Napoleonic Spanish - American Civil War)

http://www.io.com/~beckerdo/games/FlamesOfWar/
Really nice 15mm WWII Flames of War minis (early war French) by Dan Becker

http://www.fusiliers.net/wargaming.html
Wargame club out of New Zealand. Some great figures and nice pics

http://perso.orange.fr/midgard/ww2/
Perry's Heroes - nice images of 25mm WWII beautifully painted figures

http://wk.frothersunite.com/sc/pulp/ww2.htm
An amazing site with reviews of figures from all the top manufacturers. It also features good shots of product lines and some nicely painted stuff.

Painting Services
http://www.evilbobs.biz/
http://www.pictorsstudio.com/
http://gajominis.com/
http://djdminis.com/

Resource Sites
http://theminiaturespage.com/
Great sites full of info on dealers/ retailers/ rule sets

http://www.bartertown.org/
Community for trading and buying. Great message board for research and questions

Historical Mini Manufacturers
http://www.perry-miniatures.com/
Some of the finest in the business Napoleonic/ AWI/ Samurai and more! The Perry brothers are artists in the truest sense of the word

http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/main.asp
Detailed minis, can be a bit flash heavy but there is a nice level of detail and the accuracy is spot on

http://www.frontrank.com/
Some of my favorite minis. I use the 25mm AWI line and have been very pleased with them!

http://www.sashandsaber.com/
Absolutely beautiful miniatures with a great level of detail. You will not be disapointed!

http://www.black-tree-design.com/
25mm WWII, Zulu Wars and more. Great minis and good prices. Can be a bit flash heavy but they are fun to paint.

http://www.flamesofwar.co.nz/
15mm WWII wargame system rules, minis, terrain. A great system and fun figures to work with!

Welcome to Echoes of Glory

2006-12-12T11:53:00.000-08:00

Hello, thanks for stopping by. This is the first post on Echoes of Glory, your destination for all things wargaming and military history. My names is Sean Stevenson I have painting minitatures and collecting militaria for the past 20 years. In that time I have been struck by the lack of sites pointing to quality images of collections and research. I specialize in 25mm AWI/ ACW/ WWII and 15mm ACW/Napoleonic/ WWII (flames of war). I wanted to create a place where wargamer's collector's and military historian's could go and find useful information. Check back as in the coming weeks I plan to add lots of links and images of collections and reaseach from around the web.