June Project - Napoleonic Naval Box Fillers

The project for this month is to fill up the gaps in my French and British 1/2400th Napoleonic fleets, which is something I've been meaning to sort out for a while. As previously mentioned, this involves assembling and painting three additional ships of the line for the Royal Navy and three for La Royalle, along with a couple of frigate for the latter. Not too much to do but enough to keep me busy. If I get them finished, I can then have a go at painting the American ships that I have assembled to fill in one of  the compartments at the front of the storage box. 

Napoleonic Naval Summer Project Box Fillers

HMS Brittania 

I was sorting through my box of 1/2400th Tumbling Dice models, ready for the Summer Project, when I discovered a small stash of ships that I had set aside as box fillers for my French and British fleets. These include HMS Victory or Brittania (100), HMS Neptune (98) and HMS Agamemnon (64) for the Royal Navy. For La Royale there's Mont Blanc (74), Argonaute (74), Indivisible (80) and L'Insurgente (36), as well as an unrated Xebec for dispatch duties. The plan is to assemble and paint these first, before moving on to the Spanish, which I've cleared a whole section of the box to fill up with!

Napoleonic Naval Review

The Royal Navy Fleet

The Spanish Fleet...

A couple of years ago I started a 1/2400th scale Napoleonic Naval project, designed for large scale fleet games but also for small frigate actions in a compact space. This was quite productive and I ended up with two fleets, one French and one British, although never got round to actually playing any games. I subsequently stared to build the models for an American squadron but they are still in a box waiting to be painted. 

I also gathered together a large selection of models for a Spanish fleet but, in the end, didn't make a start on them, or any new terrain for that matter. I'm now considering picking up the project with the objective being International Naval Wargaming Day in a few months time. The focus would be on the Spanish fleet or the American squadron, together with a few terrain pieces if I can find the time?

Summer Solo Naval Campaign

Every summer holiday I usually run a short solo naval campaign of some sort, occasionally interspersed with an air wargaming effort. This summer I'm planning to do the same and have three potential options:

1. Napoleonic Naval 

This would use my respectable collection of 1/2400th scale French, British and Spanish fleets, the latter being the only thing I'd need to paint in the run up. The rules would be Far Distant Ships or Grand Fleet Actions, so this would be for games with squadrons rather than individual ships, although a few frigate actions might well be in order.

2. WW2 Coastal Forces 

This would be a mini-campaign using Torpedoes and Tides, probably set in 1942 or thereabouts on the East Coast convoy route or along the English Channel. For this I'd need to re-base and tart up my existing 1/600th scale models, paint a merchant convoy of shipping and some German convoy escorts. A bit more work required but lots of potential for some narrative campaigning.

3. South American Interwar 'What If?'

A favourite theme of mine, as evidenced by a previous pre-dreadnought campaign, is a fictional yet feasible conflict between Chile, Argentina and Brazil. This time I'd be using the 1/3000th scale Navwar fleets for Argentina and Brazil, with the Chileans possibly making an appearance too. I would need to order some additional models from Navwar, now that it is up and running, as well as painting up everything required. I'd use Find, Fix and Strike for this campaign.

Projects and Plans 2026

Up, Up and Away...or more likely Kaboom!

It's that time of year again where I set out my projects for the year ahead in the hope of actually achieving some of them. Last year I decided to focus on the First World War as my principal theme and, with a few minor and inconsequential diversions, I managed to stick with it, with a specific focus on Algernon Pulls It Off!. I have really enjoyed this and ideally would like to carry on, so...

...in order not to let this fizzle out, I will be continuing my Algy project into 2026, with a focus on the French Aviation Militaire, subject to Paul at Tumbling Dice putting the new models I requested into production (this is very likely but just a question of time...as always). I will be writing more scenarios, rules additions and possibly a follow on article for next year's Lard Mag, who knows?

In other air wargaming news, I am planning to re-visit a couple of Bag the Hun projects in the shape of Arctic Eagles and the mothballed Finest Hour campaign that I started organising a few years ago. I have done quite a lot of the spade work for both of these and it would be a shame not to get at least one of them ticked off in 2026.

As far as naval wargaming goes, the plan is to add the long overdue Spanish fleet to the 1/2400th scale Napoleonic naval project and, if I have time, the Americans or possibly some other minor power as well. After that I may well do something with 1/2400th ironclads again, quite possibly revisiting the Second Schleswig War and Battle of Jasmund, or perhaps finally get round to a new pre-dreadnought project, the Sino Japanese War being a hot contender using Broadside and Salvo. Who knows?

Finally, the ever neglected land wargaming aspect of the hobby will get some attention. This is always my Achilles heel, as I hate painting figures and have a particular aversion to 28mm. Not to be put off by this affliction, I have been encouraged by my eldest son, now back home from university for at least two years (!), to do some samurai skirmish games in 28mm. I am also planning to finally get round to some medieval semi-skirmish wargaming, with both Lion Rampant and 'another set of rules' as a focus. 

As a final footnote to all of this wishful thinking, I may even get a Through the Mud and Blood 15mm First World War project underway in 2026.....just don't hold your breath!

Happy Trafalgar Day

... unfortunately not for me, as I've got a stomach bug that means I'm not going to be able to join in the Trafalgar club game tonight. I had hoped I would feel better by now but I can't seem to shift it, so will have an early night instead. 

USS President / USS Adams

That's tha last of the American frigates that I brought with me on holiday assembled and based, ready for painting. The 44 gun heavy frigate USS President was originally going to be the USS Chesapeake but was flipped so that I can use her for both the Quasi War and Barbary Wars. The much less powerful 28 gun frigate USS Adams saw extensive service and will be a very useful addition to the fleet. I have ordered some more models from Tumbling Dice to add to the project, with quite a few frigates, sloops and brigs as potential additions. This will obviously be a small action focussed project rather than a fleet level one, so some simple but fast playing rules are in order.

USS Essex / USS Philadelphia

I've not had time to get on with the Quasi War project over the last week but have made up the time by assembling two more frigates. These are the USS Essex and USS Philadelphia, both built from the same Tumbling Dice ASN10 5th Rate Frigate 38/40 Guns pack. I only have a couple more of the USN ships to glue together but may well add a few more from the lead pile when I get back from my holidays including the 24 gun sloop USS George Washington, the 14 gun schooner USS Enterprise, the 18 gun brig USS Argus and the 44 gun frigate USS President.

Holiday Reading

I thought I'd give this a read through to tie in with my ongoing early United States Navy project, which is focussed on the Quasi War of 1799-1800, but could easily be stretched to cover the Barbary Wars too. It's a subject I'm a bit sketchy about, to say the least, but has potential for a range of historical scenarios and even some counterfactual 'what-iffery'?

USS Boston 1799

We have a guest staying at the moment so I haven't had time to get any Algy games played or make much progress with the 1/2400th scale United States Navy models. I have assembled one frigate, the 32 gun HMS Boston, which was launched in 1799 and saw action in the Quasi War and against the Barbary pirates. Hopefully, I'll get a few more of these ships built and based in the next couple of days?

United States Navy Underway

A few summer showers today so time to get started on the 1/2400th United States Navy ships. Here we have USS Enterprise, USS Delaware, USS Constitution and the previously assembled USS Constellation, using the Tumbling Dice codes most appropriate for each ship. I have plenty more to glue together but the weather's looking up this afternoon, so they'll have to wait!

United States Navy Summer Project

The weather has socked in for the next few days but I have brought a selection of Tumbling Dice Napoleonic naval models to glue together for the United States fleet of the Quasi War 1798-1800 and the War of 1812. I've had these set aside for a while, having wandered off to do WW1 air wargaming of late, so it will be good to get back to a naval project again, even if it's just to prepare the ships for painting. It's also a great way to spend the time when it's raining buckets and blowing a gale outside, especially as I can look out on the sea doing it's thing while I work. 

INWarD 2025

I'm planning ahead for this year's International Naval Wargaming Day on the 6th August, when I'll be on holiday in Brittany. Last year I prepared a Napoleonic naval scenario for Far Distant Ships but wasn't able to actually play it due to a clash with guests staying with us. I'm probably going to reboot this one but may do something different depending on what I can get organised over the next couple of weeks and then take with me on holiday. 

The 50 gun ship

This pristine hardback was only six quid in a National Trust second hand bookshop yesterday, which made up for the place being absolutely heaving and not very enjoyable. I don't have any 50 gun ships in my Napoleonic fleets, for fairly obvious reasons, but I quite like the idea of an earlier project, perhaps the War of American Independence or Anglo Dutch Wars, so there's a good excuse for adding it to my reference collection.

Holiday Half Term Project

I was looking for a little 'side project' for the half term holiday when I remembered that this time last year, I'd organised a flotilla of American ships for the Quasi War and War of 1812. I had a rummage and have dug them out of the lead pile, ready to be assembled over the week, although not painted as I have the Jasta 11 triplanes on the go too. I enjoy gluing these Tumbling Dice ships together and I'll be able to paint them in time for INWarD 2025 in a couple of months, when I'll be in Brittany and will have plenty of time for some solo Napoleonic naval wargaming.

Summer Naval Project Options

I've now wrapped up the Jasta 18 Algernon Pulls It Off! project, apart from play testing and some background blurb, so will be moving on to something new when I get back home at the weekend. I haven't decided what this will be but it will either be naval or land based as a change from aerial wargaming. At the moment, it's possibly going to be my Napoleonic Spanish fleet in 1/2400th scale, which I have wanted to assemble and paint this year, or possibly something naval for the First World War, for which I have several options.

2024 Review - Painting Things

This year has been even more of a washout when it comes to painting stuff, once again due to work and illness sapping my time and energy. I did complete the 1/3000th scale heavy units for the Kriegsmarine and Royal Navy early war fleets but not the rest of the British forces which are still waiting to be tackled. I also completed the 1/2400th scale Royal Navy Napoleonic fleet, which I really enjoyed painting albeit stretched out over several months, although I still haven't played any games with them yet.

The Soviet half of the 1/600th scale aircraft for the Continuation War project were finished but not the Finnish contingent, or the 1/300th scale Soviet aircraft either, despite making a good start on the latter. I also built a 1/72nd scale Bristol Scout for Knights of the Sky but had to drop out of the actual game due to illness. A handful of 1/600th USAF aircraft were also finished for MiG Alley. To wrap up an unspectacular year, I painted three test bases of 2mm English Civil War infantry, cavalry and artillery, then ran out of time to do any more before the holidays. I think my report card for 2024 will read 'must do better!' 

Precursors of Nelson

A rare trip into town today and the Oxfam bookshop. The result is a pristine hardback copy of this book, which looks excellent as reading material for the upcoming holidays. At least one of the projects for next year is to complete my 1/2400th Age of Sail Napoleonic fleets, but in the longer term I could definitely extend my focus back to the American War of Independence. 

Happy Trafalgar Day

I'll just pop this here to wind up the in-laws.....😁

Long Face Games Facebook Group

It's slightly over a year since I set up the Long Face Games FB group and, as you can see for yourself, it's now doing pretty well and ticking along nicely, thanks to some active participants and a fairly regular rate of new people joining. It's not always easy to contribute as my wargaming has dropped off a metaphorical cliff this year due to full time work, but I'm hoping to do more in what's left of 2024, particularly with Far Distant Ships and Broadside and Salvo.