What if...

...after the 2nd WW, everyone had  signed up to genuine real and Lasting peace on earth? Not a cessation of hostilities for a short period while each and every side vied for new angles on causing friction in order to fill up the arms order books but a genuine   realisation we have the same Basic wants, needs, loves and fears and  work towards a bright future for humankind and the planet.
As part of this permanent peace, there would be no need for weapons, no tanks, no guns and  no need for war planes.
The swords would have to be made into ploughshares..or in this case, Spitfires into racing cars.

Wheels -  from a bashed up Siku post lorry
Axles - bits of  sprue from the original Airfix Spitfire kit
Suspension -  Florist wire wrapped around Pins
Headlights - two Pins with the bead type head, 1/3rd sliced off.
I left the wingstubs on as they make nice runningboards

The Inspiration for the  idea Comes from a Toy racing car from my collection..a Mercedes-Benz Racing Car (Dinky Toys 23c)  ....which is celebrating its 66th  birthday this year. It could be slightly older as They (Meccano LTD-Dinky) started making them in 1946, so just after  WWII  ;-)

Airfix ACW Wargaming - Bods and Generals

A round up of recent  bits and pieces.

Union General
He has appeared in a previous post but now he´s got a Standard bearer alongside him. The bod is from the Artillery set, sabre sheath added by welding a staple to his side.
The flag...I haven´t a clue whose or what Regiment it is...Looks ok to me though :-)

Confederate General.
Top half from the Confederate infantry set, bottom half from the US cavalry set. His Standard bearer is also from the Artillery set.
As for the flag, it´s one I came across whilst looking for possible HQ flags,  General Robert E. Lee´s HQ Flag*

Pipers.
Both of them are from the  Airfix Guards Band set with head swops and staples added as Sabres.
They´ll get based as soon as I work out wether to have them as part of a Regiment or as add ons to a marching column.

Union officer.
Converted from the Airfix Cowboys set. Staples for sabre and sheath.

Artillery Flags
I´m not sure how or often the ACW artillery   used battle flags, wether they were carried near the battery, flown when they were on the march or to Signal a central Point like the HQ.
Anyways, I found a couple so it seemed a waste to not have them.
The CSA one I´m not sure about. It seems a bit too Long in comparison to it´s height..or have I made a mistake of using the reverse and front sides as one ?

*I know the flags are big but as I´ve said before..this aint no historical reproduction and I like big flags :-)

Airfix ACW Wargaming (Pt4)

Two Batches of cavalry, one for the Union and one for the CSA. With the recent new recruits (HERE) I´ll be able to make up another two Units.
Then a bit of mix and matching and onto their bases they go.

The CSA have had a couple of head swops. Ok, anyone who has an idea about CSA cav (or, like me,  has looked at PSR) knows that the cavalry on both sides prefered the Hardee type hats but I reckon the use of hardee hats for the CSA cav makes them look more CSA looking....well it does to me.

Also, anyone who has an idea about CSA cav (or, like me,  has,  looked at the write up on this set at  PSR) knows These bods and thier nags (well, not so much the nags but the Equipment on them) that they are about as historically accurate as the film Gladiator, but this Project is old school. ...hence the big flag carried by the CSA Standard bearer...I like BIG flags!! :-D

In the distant past I´d have used a  small screwdriver heated over a candle to weld the pegs on the nags hooves (and sometimes my fingers..happy days) to the holes in the  bases. In most cases it never really Held for Long.
These days, I´m allowed Access to superglue to weld the pegs (and sometimes my fingers .. nothing changes)  to the bases.

I came up with a method  using thin metal wire "welded" to one of the supporting legs to attach the nags  as shown HERE . It´s a way more solid method of attaching them  than either of the "welding" methods but to use it on all the nags would be time consuming.

Some of the nags which were lacking their bases  have the same peg arrangement which fits  exactly to the bases from the Airfix Sherrif of Nottingham set  so they didn´t Need the Addition of metal Pins.

A bit more scenery,  some "snake fences" made using cut up coffee stirrers

I´ve mabe them in interlockable sections. The 8 (so far) have a total length, when locked together, of 1.6m. I was going to add the side stakes propping up the fence at the  intersections but that would mean they wouldn´t be joinable and as the stakes would stick out, theyéd be prone to damage.

Airfix ACW - A bit of a Bargain

New recruits for the Airfix ACW Project bought at  the 42.Plastikfigurenbörse, Herne.
I haven´t counted them but it was a bit of a bargain, €15 for around about 500 bods, horses and wagons.

In the bags there´s the marching poses, 40 plus Union, 20 plus Confederacy, 20 1st issue airfix foriegn Legion which will end up as Zouaves. The bods from the first issue set compare better size wise and scupting to their ACW companions. Also a near complete set of US cavalry. The pile of Shooting, running etc will end up being used for/as conversions.

4 new artillery pieces plus two complete limbers. The limber with the broken trail I can use as a cassion and the spare wheels will come in usefull.
In the bag there´s a full set (including the accessories) of the Airfix Wagon Train set! A quick Stress test Shows None of this copy of the set is suffering from plastic rot!

Airfix ACW Wargaming (Pt3)

Taking a bit of time off from painting the rank and file..Some conversions
A Union General. This one was a bit of a more complicated conversion than I´d intended but after rooting about in the bits box I found a similar conversion (seen HERE in glorious Humbrol enamels along with a few other early conversions) I´d made some 30 plus years ago so it  Counts as "old school"
Nag and legs from the Airfix US Cavalry set, Body from the Waterloo British artillery set and a small concession to the "Nothing but Airfix", head and hat from the Revell 30yrs war Swedish Infantry

CSA Musicians. The drums are made from bits of sprue..
The Drummer made using the odd running and waving pose. He Looks like he´s trying to ease something out...Wind?

CSA Standard bearers. I´m sure a lot of People have come up with These   (and other) ideas to create Standard bearers.
Flag poles - flower arranging wire
Flags - Printed

Another building, this time loosely based on General Meade's Headquarters (The Leister Farmhouse), Gettysburg.
As it´s a gaming Piece and not an historical reconstruction, I didn´t bother adding the steps at the front or the Windows at the sides and back. And look at the size of those shingles/tiles!!!! In reality Theyéd be what, 1.5metres wide and tall ? Still, it got the Roof decked in quick time  :-D


"Don´t worry Victoria, I´m sure it will all be over by Christmas"

Well, Big John may be being  a bit presumptive or he isn´t refering to this Christmas?