Historicon 2017 purchases.

My plans for  Historicon this year including not expecting to buy much of anything, really. However,  to paraphrase a well know  military aphorism, "The gamer's plans seldom survive contact with the Dealer's Area (and/or Flea Markets!). Just as I was doing may last minute organizing and packing, I saw a post on The Miniatures Page that was destined to wreak serious havoc with the budgetary plans.. . a series of new releases by Brigade Games, namely the addition of Spanish Napoleonic Cavalry to their existing infantry.

    Regular readers of this blog will perhaps recall talk on my part about starting a Spanish Napoleonic army for well over a year. Indeed,  I already have on hand lead for at least 4 line and one Grenadier unit. The sticking point has been the Cavalry. Only Front Rank (and Elite) do much in the way of Spanish Cavalry, and neither range would really fit that well with my other troops. So, I have been procrastinating committing myself to buying more infantry from any manufacturer, at least until I was ready to start my Napoleonic Spaniards in earnest.

    After running my Thursday AM game with To the Strongest, I headed out to the dealer area for the obligatory "walk about" through the hall. Scads of great products there as always, but I didn't see anything particularly new or compelling. Until, that is, I arrived at the large Brigade Games set up. As Lon was to tell me in a little while, they had just gotten the first of said Spanish Cavalry figures a few days before the show, but they already had them on display. Hmm, they don't look like giants (like the Front Rank Cavalry can sometimes next to other manufacturers - seriously, they must be about 35mm!), nice sculpts. I peruse the Brigade Games Spanish Napoleonic listing, which is now becoming pretty comprehensive... Line infantry in two poses, Light Infantry in Tarletons, Militia Infantry, Grenadiers, Artillery Crews, Spanish Infantry in later uniforms, and now dragoons and Line cavalry (2 different poses for each), Garochistas, Militia Hussar types, etc. even a portly Spanish General on foot and a female partisan.

   After hemming and hawing for some time, I sought out Lon Weiss, the owner, to see if he has any of the new Spanish Cavalry with him. "Oh yes!", and the rest of the entire Spanish line as well,. In addition, they had some kind of convention deal, something like buy 9 packs, get one free. Not a barn burner, but still a deal!  No shipping, too, of course. About 10 minutes later, I had purchased 30 packs.  :-)

6 figures each Spanish Line and Dragoon Cavalry (the command for these is coming shortly per Lon - lovely Paul Hicks sculpts!)

1 pack each of 6 artillery crew loading and firing; each pack is enough to crew 2 guns in my scheme. 

Spanish Line Marching - 3 packs/15 figutres.

Spanish Line Advancing - 3 packs, 15 fuigures

2 command packs of 4, 8 figures

and enough additional lead for 2 Cazadore (light) and 2 militia infantry units, and of course the fat General and partisan!

I have lead on hand already from Front Rank for a Grenadier unit (in the outrageous bearskins), which is presently AWOL, leaving behind the  above surplus 6 figures, mostly Command types. 

I also have on hand lead for 4 regular units from Miniaturos Dos de Mayo, a Spanish manufacturer (front), which I have just now started to paint. For comparison, the officer and Fifer in the rear are Front Rank, and the infantryman in bicorn in the rear is Brigade Games. 

View form the left - they all seem pretty compatible, especially if used in their own units. 

Rear view (note the great assortment of camp impedimenta hanging of the Dos de Mayo sculpts!) 

Didn't find much in the flea market, but Fredie and Jeff steered me to a guy selling Old Glory Hungarian Infantry for $10/pack of 30. I bought all 300 figures!  What the heck am I going to do with 300 figures (enough for at least 15 units)? Damned if I know, but I just couldn't pass up a deal that good - that's 30 cents a figure, less than half what they cost even with the 40% Army Card Discount!

I also picked up this paper Terrain 15mm Spanish Village kit from Scott Washburn. 

        Why 15 mm, and why Paper? Because the purchase of the Spaniards pretty much sealed my resolve to run Snappy Nappy "Campaign in a Day" event from the early Peninsular War (ie. in the era from 1808 - 1810) at Historicon 2018 in Lancaster. With that game's ground scale, the footprint of the 15 mm buildings works better... not to mention taking up less space in the car and being much lighter to carry! If I like them after I put them together, I will probably get some more of them.

    So there you have it! Between not sharing a hotel room this year for the first time, well, ever, and spending more on lead than ever before, this was easily my most expensive Historicon. Was it worth it?  Heck, yeah!  :-)

A little mood music, Maestro!    "Malagueña" 

We performed this in  Band in college, an absolute blast to play, although my friend and fellow bandsmen Tom complained it was "too Spanish", LOL!