The Whites are Coming!

Hello Chaps,

I've finished another faction to add to the ongoing tussle for Port Sunlight and the Wirral - White Russians! Read on...

Disgruntled by the rise of Communism at home and driven from Mother Russia, Kapitan Yvgeny Nikolayevich Vrangel (distant cousin to Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Vrangel) has fled to the Wirral. He hopes one day to return to Mother Russia and see the monarchy restored to their proper place. In the meantime the Kapitan and "personal assistant" Katya plus bodyguard will fight Communism abroad. Assisting them are the fiercely loyal Semyon and his troop of loyalists.

Read more about The Whites on the factions page.

The Port Sunlight Company of Territorials

Tally ho chaps!

I've been rather busy on and off with other projects but I'm back in the Wirral now and working hard. Here's the latest addition to the factions fighting for control of Port Sunlight and the surrounding countryside.

I present to you.... The Port Sunlight Company of Territorials, ‘D’ Company, 4/5 Battalion, the Cheshire Regiment. At present I'm still waiting on some officer figures for the unit command and I want to add some more support in the form or a mortar and possibly an artillery piece as well.

Remember to click for large versions of the pictures...

There is more info on the composition of the force on the factions page.

Toodles!
Millsy

The Twilight Years: The Paradox of Britain Between the Wars

I picked up a copy of The Twilight Years: The Paradox of Britain Between the Wars cheap on sale earlier this week.

It looks like a pretty decent tome and I'll post a brief review once I've had a chance to read it.

There's more info on the bibliogrpahy page.

Starhemberg's Storm Company

A new faction has emerged in Port Sunlight! Starhemberg's Storm Company is painted and fielded by the most honourable of gentlemen, Cory of Canister and Grape.

Here's some background and you can find a detailed unit breakdown on the factions page.

Ernst Rüdiger Starhemberg, one time vice chancellor of Austria and leader of the Vaterländische Front, was pushed from the Austrian government in 1936 for his anti-Nazi/anti-unification views. Forced to leave due to the impending unification with Germany, he was contacted by Emma Picton-Bryant of the British Fascisti, and was persuaded to come to the UK to form an anti-Bolshevik volunteer force from like minded Austrians. He gathered his closest supporters, collected what equipment he or his powerful friends still in Austria and Germany could find, and sailed to the UK.

The unit is rabidly anti-communist, anti-liberal and will happily fight any of these forces, on the other hand dislikes the BUF due to their pro Nazi stance. It is a close associate of the British Fascisti, more to do with their central European connections than any strong ideological links. Any LDV force with a significant Catholic membership could also probably count on their support if they were having problems with leftist forces. Starhemberg himself, particularly dislikes "Bully Boy" Boyce thinking he is a typical lower class rabble rousing bombast.

The unit musters a little under 70 men, it has 2 rifle platoons with attached LMGs, a HMG section, a AT rifle section and an assault squad of SMG and bomb armed troops. All troops have had some experience, even if for some it was guarding a important street intersection during the Austrian February Uprising of 1934. The assault squad, all the officers and NCOs on the other hand all have had a considerable amount of experience, ranging from service in WW1, various Heimwehr and/or Freikorps actions, to the February Uprising. They are familiar with both street combat and fighting irregular forces. The unit would count as trained regular troops except for the assault squad who would count as veterans. The unit's morale is uniformly high, but it likely to erode if the conflict continues for any length of time.

Starhemberg's Storm Company wears a mix of old Austrian and British uniforms, worn with peaked hats or Stalhelms. The Company uses the old Freikorp skull as a unit badge from Starhemberg's Freikorp Oberland days. It is armed with a mix of German and British equipment, the majority armed with Mauser rifles. The company is weakest in transport, with only a couple of cars and trucks, it's major coup so far though is that it has managed to capture a Rolls Royce armoured car.

The unit has been moved to a new base in Chester, after too many incidents with the BUF while being based in Manchester, and is currently being used in actions against the Liverpool Free State, and gasp! Port Sunlight.

Troubled times ahead for Port Sunlight it seems!

Toodles,
Millsy & Cory

Port Sunlight Worker's Militia

After a long layoff I'm back to work and have finished my first troops - the Port Sunlight Worker's Militia or PSWM, seen here with borrowed transport from the Soap Factory. These are Musketeer Miniatures with a DIY flag and finial from Crusader. You can read more about them on the factions page. Remember to click for bigger pictures and feel free to comment.

Cheerio,
Millsy

Motor Pool III

I've been a bit on the quiet side regards poor old VBCW, spending more time painting fantasy stuff. Anyway, I'm back in the saddle for a little while at least and have knocked out a couple more vehicles for the motor pool.

Firstly, a BUF recon / post racer. Not sure how much use I'll have for this but I couldn't think of a better use for the car and it might provide some interesting scenario opportunities...

Secondly, an armoured car for my Royalists (or possibly others if captured). This is the Austin Type 3 from Sloppy Jalopy and very nice she is too. The machine guns are a little low meaning they might have some issues firing forwards, all adding to the chaos I suppose. ;-)

Comments welcome as always.

Toodles!
Millsy

The Thirties in Colour

Last night I started watching The Thirties in Colour (BBC DVD, 2009). I would not say I'm disappointed with the DVD but there are certainly elements that are less than ideal to my mind.

I was hoping for a general look at the period with simple background info on the footage. Stuff like, where, when, what, etc. There would have to be some interpretation to put the footage in perspective but this might have been kept to a minimum and simply factual.

Instead the DVD is a series of video opinions from a series of academic and "expert" talking heads, overlaid on admittedly spectacular footage. The commentators spend a lot of time explaining that the people taking to pictures are white and upper middle or higher class which is hardly earth shaking news to be honest. Everything is coloured (no pun intended) with the commentator's perceptions and opinions.

This doesn't detract from the footage itself but it does make you want to turn the sound off at times so you can absorb what is on the screen and take from it what you want, not what somebody else thinks you should. In the end the footage is worth the effort though. There is a good combination of subjects and places and the quality itself is quite surprising at times. Thankfully there is also little in the way of reconstructions which are fine in their own right but are often used to pad out a lack of genuine material.

Still worth a watch but not a DVD I'd be in any hurry to buy. I got mine from local library. More details are available on the bibliography page.

Cheers,
Millsy

Port Sunlight Worker's Militia (PSWM)

Today I properly kicked off plans for the first of my factions - the Port Sunlight Worker's Militia a.k.a. the PSWM.

As I said in my opening post, the PSWM are more socialist than communist. They are composed of workers from the soap factory who have formed themselves into a militia to defend their jobs and homes and often "borrow" factory assets like trucks to further their activities. Whilst the factory managment don't directly endorse the PSWM they certainly turn a blind eye to their activities, happy to derive the benefits of their efforts whilst remaining in the background.

I've designed a flag for the PWSM to be carried into action alongside the unit. The sun and anchor represent Port Sunlight, whilst the red, white and blue are popular colours with the soap brand.

The initial strength will be a meagre 10 men composed of Leader, 2iC, Colour Bearer, LMG Gunner, Bomber and five Militia. They already have transport so it's time to get painting.

For more info see the factions page.

Cheerio comrades!
Millsy

Wheel meet again...

Gentlefolk, good morrow!

Here's the next batch of diecast repaints, hot off the production line. This set are Lledo / Corgi / Lledo from a couple of eBay auctions. Little in the way of modifications or repairs to these were required with the exception of the bus which had the wheels replaced with set of Lego ones ("liberated" from the kids).

Remember to click for bigger images...

Stately Saloon, Wirral Socialist Collective Bus and Lever Brothers Steam Lorry

The saloon was disassembled, rubbed back and given a spray of matt black. This was followed by a coat of GW Dark Angels Green and dry brushed in GW Snot Green. The wheels and tyres were left "as is" because I was happy enough with them.

The bus was disassembled, given a rub back and then a base coat of GW Foundation Red followed by GW Blood Red and a final dry brush of GW Bleached Bone. The wheels are a really old set of Lego solid rubber numbers from when I was a kid (yes, me). That makes em 30-35 or so years old and still going strong. Some cutting was required but they fit nicely and are much better than the tatty Corgi plastic ones. Signs done in Photoshop completed the job.

Finally, the steam lorry was once again disassembled, rubbed back and given a coat of matt black. GW Dark Angels Green followed with a dry brush of GW Goblin Green. The wheels were dressed up a bit with the nuts painted but nothing else. A new timber tray was added and stained / dirtied up and finally some more Photoshop signage added.

As with the first set these are awaiting only number plates and a spray of matt varnish but until the weather improves for a few days that won't happen.

Toodles!
Millsy

BUF Signs & Posters

I produced a bunch of BUF images, signs and posters for the diecast vehicles I repainted recently. A number of people have expressed an interest in a PDF version for their own use so here it is! At some point I will most likely produce a second sheet of material but I'll need some help with inspiration - slogans, images and the like so feel free to leave comments...

You can download a hi-res version or lo-res version depending on your needs.

It's also available on the resources page.