Well that is a little awkward...

It takes awhile for the steam packet to arrive from London and deliver the Times, so excuse my excitement in hearing of Brigade Models' Birthday Sale.  I had pulled out my 'wants and needs' list in a rush, somehow overlooking the fact that it was last month not this month.

Apologies to all and sundry, but my birthday wishes to Brigade Models remain undaunted!

Chin-chin!

Happy Birthday Brigade Models

and to celebrate, a 25% off sale  for the next 48 hrs only - Huzzah !!!

http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/Blog/2013/02/are-you-sitting-comfortably/

Reminiscences of a Volunteer

A free pdf download of George Chesney's classic tale is available at Book Depository here:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Battle-Dorking-George-Chesney/9781406591118

Sir George Tomkyns Chesney (1830-1895) was British Army general and brother of Colonel Charles Cornwallis Chesney. Educated at Blundell's School, Tiverton, and at Addiscombe, he entered the Bengal Engineers as second lieutenant in 1848. He was employed for some years in the public works department and, on the outbreak of the Indian rebellion of 1857, joined the Ambala column, was field engineer at the battle of Badli-ke-serai, brigade-major of engineers throughout the siege of Delhi, and was severely wounded in the assault (he received a medal and clasp and a brevet majority). In 1860, he was appointed head of a new department in connection with the public works accounts. His book Indian Polity (1868), dealing with the administration of the several departments of the Indian government, attracted wide attention and remains a permanent textbook. In 1871, he contributed to Blackwoods Magazine a highly influential short story called The Battle of Dorking: Reminiscences of a Volunteer, a vivid account of a supposed invasion of England by the Germans after their victory over France.

HM Airship 'Fearnought'

Lovely jubbly!
http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234912362-edwardian-steam-airbattleship-hms-fearnaught/page-4

D'Orcy's Airship Manual

I've found a rather fascinating book online:
D'Orcy's Airship Manual: An International Register of Airships with a Compendium of the Airship's Elementary Mechanics 
Well worth the effort of a free download - enjoy! http://ia600302.us.archive.org/8/items/dorcysairshipman00orcyrich/dorcysairshipman00orcyrich.pdf

Airship Captain

A great cosplay image from the collection of Tom Banwell.  Check out more of his work here:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/steampunkleather/pool/tombanwell/?view=lg

Empire of the Dead: Requiem

Halloo old beans! Well excitement abounds for you Little Wars chappies! There I was having enjoyed afternoon tiffin with the Memsahib when my poratble Babbage Engine burst into life. Gad! I nearly spilt my bumper of shandy-gaff! Anyhows it seems those coves at West Wind are releasing some more toy soldiers for their Empire of the Dead parlour game and would like some of your money as an investment to help their venture.

Now the boss there is a brick and I don't think we need to worry he is going to cabbage your silver so have a look at this chronophotographic advertisement and see if it gets your dander up! Harrumph! You can read more about their venture on your own Babbage Engine here. Toodle-pip.

In Her Majesty's Name

View Hallo Chaps! Gladstone's whiskers it's been a while but when Her Majesty calls ect. Harrumph! Any hows old beans some exciting news for you Little Wars fellas, you should be aware that those wags at Osprey Publishing are releasing one of your gamebooks in April entitled "In Her Majesty's Name" (stand straight there fella!) but new intel has appeared on my Babbage Engine about some toy soldiers to accompany it (all from those johnnies at North Star and post free for you fine chaps across the Empire in distant climes where the sun never sets like Australia).

Ragnarok 59

Is here - and a great issue it is too!  Thanks indeed to Steve B for stepping into the Editor's shoes for a third time to make it happen.  Contents include:

Aftermath - a Fantasy Warriors scenario

Burning Down The House - a Dirtside II scenario

The Drake Incident  - a Star Trek scenario

Mesing About on the Water - a generic fantasy campaign

To Keep Man, Man! - the Instrumentality of Mankind by Cordwainer Smith

The World Needs Heroes - inspiration for superhero wargaming

Aeronef Over Guahan - a secnario for Aeronef

Crush Your Enemies - recreating Conan the Barbarian in miniature

Assassination - a secnario for Kill Zone

Far Trader - Traveller ship statistics for Full Thrust

Fall of the Goblin Empire - a set of fantasy air wargame rules

Merry Christmas 2012

Very best wishes to you!

Anti-Aeronef gun

In 1911 the threat of aircraft was already apparent, as this lovely light anti-aeronef prototype mounting shows:

"Rear Admiral Nathan C. Twining of the United States Navy is spending all his energies to make air craft unsafe, at least in warfare, while H. La V. Twining, brother of the Admiral, is seeking daily to improve aerial navigation. Rear Admiral Twining bas just invented a gun (see below) which, it is believed, will meet and prevent the menace of bomb-throwing airmen." ("Studying Airships in War; H. La V. Twining Builds Planes - Admiral Twining Has Gun to Destroy 

New range of Victorian coastal craft!

Now here is something that has caught my eye - a range of 1/2400 scale Victorian/ACW era craft by Tumbling Dice.  Cant see to find any pics of the range at the moment though:

ASV1 1st Rate 120 Gun Converted 3 Decker (1856) x1

• ASV2 1st Rate 120 Gun HMS Victoria (1859) x1
• ASV3 2nd Rate 90 Gun HMS Hero (1858) x1
• ASV4 2nd Rate 100 Gun HMS Duncan (1859) x1
• ASV5 Frigate HMS Phoebe (1859) x1
• ASV6 Frigate Souveraine (1859) x1
• ASV7 Frigate HMS Diadem (1857) x1
• ASV8 Small Frigate HMS Arrogant (1840) x1
• ASV9 Large Frigate HMS Galatea (1859) x1
• ASV10 Very Large Frigate HMS Mersey (1858) x1

http://www.tumblingdiceuk.com/product-category/12400-naval/victorian-period-acw

British Frigate HMS Mersey

Scandinavian Fleet takes to the air!

Those clever chaps at Brigade Models have released a new Aeronef Fleet: The Scandinavians!

In our (unofficial) Aeronef timeline, Sweden and Norway have been joined in a union by Denmark and control most of the Scandinavian peninsula, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroes and of course the Kattegat, Skagerrak and the Danish Straits between the Baltic into the North Sea. The Union is a primarily defensive organisation, with no expansionist agenda, merely a desire to look after the territory and peoples of the three countries. here>

The initial releases for this force include:
VAN-2301 Oscar II class Battleship £6.50
VAN-2302 Lillehammer class Battlecruiser £6.50
VAN-2304 Frederiksborg class Heavy Cruiser £3.00
VAN-2307 Udbye class Destroyer £1.50
VAN-2309 Scheele class Corvette £1.00
VAN-2310 Vanern class Torpedo Nef £0.50
VAN-2311 Glomma class Patrol Nef £0.50
VAN-7231 Scandinavian Heavy Turrets (x12) £1.50
VAN-7232 Scandinavian Light Turrets (x12) £1.50
VANF-2302 Swedish Union Flag £0.50
VANF-2303 Scandinavian Union Flag £0.50
VANF-2502 Norwegian Union Flag £0.50

http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/Aeronef/Scandinavian%20Union.html

Dystopian UUUULLLLAAAA!

Thats right, the Martians are coming to Dystopian Wars!

"As gamers of Dystopian Wars you know that the nations and factions of the world are locked in a bitter and gruelling World War with one another, with two major power blocs striving for supremacy, and many lesser nations flocking to support one or other of these great alliances. But what about this question: what would it take to pull all of these warring factions away from each other’s throats, and force them to stand together in common cause? Well we think the answer is a simple one. And it goes something like this: An invasion by a power not of this world, using technology so far advanced that it makes even the greatest achievements of Man seem like child’s play. And to make it worse, these invaders don’t want to simply win the war, they are hell-bent on cleansing the planet of the inferior race they see as infecting the world!"

And so we present the story of the Invasion of Earth by a hostile alien intelligence, known to humanity only as ‘The Invaders’. These mysterious beings command extraordinary powers, but are utterly inimical to all earthly life, seeking only to destroy it and alter the very world itself to suit their own needs. The events of this campaign are speculative – it is not intended to be part of the plotline of the Dystopian Wars game, which we are rapidly developing and expanding in our campaign books and other publications. Instead, it provides an account of just how the human nations of the world might react when faced with such a mysterious, deadly and relentless enemy."

"It is also a chance for you, the players, to pit your forces against the military might of a terrifying new foe from beyond both the stars and human understanding. Or perhaps you will choose to side with the Invaders in their attempt to purge this valuable jewel of a planet of its current unworthy residents. Either way, you must marshal your forces, stand fast and load heavy ammunition – the Invaders are here"

http://www.spartangames.co.uk/

Custer's Last Jump

Aero Squadrons and dirigibles during the American Civil War, biplane and mono wing fighters transferred to Cherokee and Sioux Indians, the US 505th Balloon Parachute Battalion attached to Custer's 7th Cavalry - this short story bu Stephen Utely and Howard Waldrop has it all!

A quick and fun read any advocate of Alternate History and clever chaps in flying machines will approve of!
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/u/steven-utley/custers-last-jump.htm