News of a Royal Visit and Chauffer's, charabancs and passengers!

'Rumours had begun to circulate that even in the midst of the current rebellion, a royal visit was to take place. Just which 'Royal' nobody had been sure of, but the eventual official announcement  clarified the situation. The 'Royal' in question is Prince Wilhelm of the Confederation of Bavarian States and his young bride Princess Dragomira. A cousin twice removed, he had so far failed to commit any forces in support of the throne of Albion. The populace were alive with anticipation and preparations were in full swing. So much to do and so little time to do it!'

The paragraph above sets the scene for my end of year blog posts. Yes, there will be more than one. My plans are to post a 2nd part to this post on Boxing Day. That all assumes family and other festive complications don't get in the way! A 3rd unrelated post will follow early in the new year.

The third post is where I hope to float a few ideas for the coming years activities. I want to try out some new ideas and gaming scenarios next year. A solo campaign is something that both appeals and at the same time appalls me! Too much work when I just want to play with my soldiers. A narrative background to a loosely linked series of engagements is probably closer to what I want, but I will expand on this later. 

When trying to decide what content to create for these Christmas posts, I had to bear a few things in mind. Firstly, whilst very popular, I couldn't be sure I would have the time available for an ambitious battle report. They take ages to play, photograph and write up. I enjoy them immensely, but life is so busy here at Apperley Towers with an excited two year old running around, that I needed something that wasn't quite so time intensive. After battle reports, everyone seems to enjoy looking at lots of photographs of toys, so here you have it. I decided to close the year with a couple of linked dioramas which I hope you will enjoy. They have certainly been fun to set up! I wanted to shoehorn as much as possible of my town and civilian collection into two dioramas, together with some pieces which I don't think I have shown before.  

Without further ado, lets look at the scenes throughout the town on the day before the royal visit.  

The main thoroughfare is busy with all manner of traffic from the poorest pedestrians to the wealthiest lords!

 

The residents of the newly built row of houses are happy to just watch the sights passing their front gardens

Look Mama!

The Steptoe founder...all businesses start small!

A bit of gossip helps the world go round

Extra delivery for the Castle Officer!

The road down to the railway station 

Trains may come and go, but horses still need shoes!

Mowing the grass with a new fangled device

The railway allotments

The next train approaching platform one is ........

The age of steam!

You can't sit there all day sir! What do you mean you're a trainspotter?

More arrivals to see the royal visit

V.I.P arrivals draw much attention

 

The flower seller tries her luck

Spot of oil sir?

A veritable procession!

The Lords work is never done

The Sally Army march whilst the Territorials drill

The fire service practise their drills in front of curious onlookers

A stream of supplies continues to pour into the castle

The town square has rarely been so busy!

A grand view

The inhabitants of the castle viewing the town activities, as they too wait for the big day

So we leave the scene as the arrival of the Royal Party is eagerly awaited by everyone from the Queen to her lowliest subject.

 I hope you have enjoyed looking around and will join me for the visit itself with all of the pomp and ceremony that such a visit might entail.

A lick of paint........ Chauffer's, charabanc's and passengers ! 

This seemed an appropriate opportunity to talk about my recently painted and expanded collection of drivers, their passengers and of course their cars. Britains produced an excellent 'driver' figure for use in their vehicles, both military and civilian. This figure seems to find its way into my eager hands quite frequently and I now have four of them. Considering how difficult it is to acquire the vehicles they accompanied, I'm not quite sure why I keep finding them! I have just painted three of the drivers to represent different options for my collection.

Britains, as was their way, repurposed this figure with a change of colour or a head swap. I have taken my lead from them and done exactly the same. The reason I am so fond of this figure is because of its versatility and the fact that its compact enough to squeeze behind the steering wheels of a few of my early automobiles. This provides a combustion engine option to Generals and important personages in my armies and civilian population. 

My imagination armies are all formed from the cauldron of late Victorian and early Edwardian inspired imagery, with a little steam punk and literary fantasy elements mixed in for flavour. I am therefore happy to include cars and other vehicles as long as they don't appear too 20th century!

My favourite motor vehicle is this model of the Model T Ford Coupe from 1910 and I have a fleet of three now, none of which have cost me more than a few pounds. Its such a versatile car which feels right as both a staff car or a passenger vehicle. The driver figure also fits snugly behind its steering wheel as if designed for it! Made for the 'National Motor Museum' in 1:32nd scale, there is quite a range of cars stretching throughout the 20th century. I have acquired a few over the last two years and have my eye on a few more models from this range, if I can find them at the right price. The cheapest has cost me about £3 but most of them between £5 and £8. On E-bay they vary a lot but there aren't ever many for sale below £10. They are exquisite models with opening doors and other features. Highly recommended!

I am always looking for seated figures, both military and civilian as they are useful as passengers and as onlookers and participants in so many settings, whether sitting waiting for a train or quaffing a pint in the beer garden of 'The Flying Swan' my village hostelry. Thankfully the old hollowcast manufacturers all made such figures and I have quite a collection now of originals and recasts. 

Some favourite seated figures include Queen Victoria and her friend John Brown both Britains pre-painted modern collectors figures. They were sold with the Royal Barouche made by Britains as part of the 'presenting the colours to Queen Victoria', collectors club series from 1999/2000. There was a groom as driver and a lady in waiting as well.  I found all four of the figures without the Barouche in a mixed E-bay lot. Quite frankly they are more versatile to me without the Barouche!

The figure in the Pith Helmet is solid metal, maker unknown. I like him as he could be anybody from a retired gentleman to a  high ranking government official such as a governor, or even a member of the nobility. I have painted him in colours which I hope make him 'flexible'....why he could even be a 'damned Frenchie'! A gift from the ever generous Paul Watson.

 A seasonal note

The Apperley Towers Christmas Tree in all its glory. A sight which I still enjoy and this year with  renewed pleasure, as my grand daughter looks excitedly at all of the ornaments each day and watches the pile of presents under the tree grow. The wonder and excitement of a small child at Christmas is a precious thing! 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you, who have encouraged my efforts with this blog during its first year. Your comments and support have been truly appreciated and made my efforts worthwhile! So Happy Christmas to you all and I'll see you on the other side!

Tara a bit!