The Spanish Fleet Has Arrived!

While I've bumming around between major projects, I've been trying to clean up a few other small ones that are either partly finished or never started. My 1/2400 Napoleonic naval is one of the latter. Vidal had talked me into purchasing the Spanish fleet for Trafalgar from Old Glory more than a year ago (see an earlier post for a picture of the unpainted ships). It wasn't til recently when he hosted a small game with his ships that I thought seriously of painting mine. Well, they're finished and itching to unleash the 136-gun behemoth that is Santissima Trinidad. This fleet also boasts three other first rate ships: Principe de Asturias (112), Sanata Anna (112), and Rayo (100). While these huge ships may seem impressive, the wretched state of training and seamanship in the Spanish navy at the time means that I'll have some serious trouble beating up on Vidal's Royal Navy dogs. At least my captains go into battle nattily dressed (at least in my mind's eye). The ships also tend to be somewhat more colourfully appointed than their English counterparts.

The Spanish fleet as fought at Trafalgar. The four first rates are on the right of the front line in the picture. The massive 136-gun Santissima Trinidad is farthest right.

On the WWII front, I attended MIGSCON on Saturday and was able to pick up a few accessories for my 28mm WWII forces. I found enough AGNM Opel Blitz trucks to motorize my German platoon and I also picked up two Pzkpfw IIIs with the 50mm gun. One of the latter is actually Alex's (which I will paint for him as I do my own). I also purchased a pioneer halftrack for my upcoming German engineer squad. This is only a single squad of 10 figures, meant as an add-on for my German platoon for specific scenarios.

Aside from my MIGSCON purchases, a thorough searching of various drawers and boxes in and around my painting desk yielded some other surprises. I now have in my painting queue (besides the aforementioned vehicles and engineer squad), another Pak36 37mm AT gun and 75mm infantry gun. The plan is to mount these on separate bases in limbered mode to replace my current crewed models when in towed configuration. Hiding away in one drawer was a Pzkpfw IVF2. This model has the 75mm L43 gun with the earlier conical (or ball-like) muzzle brake. Looking at the AGNM site, I noticed that this model is not listed. The model I have may be from a test batch that Vince may have run a few years ago. If that's true, it's odd that they're not offered for sale.

And maybe I could persuade Alex to take the Pz IV in exchange for his Pz III (allowing me to build the PzIIIs with short and long 50mm guns respectively...hmmmm, Alex, are you reading this? The Pz IV would go well with your later war Germans!).

My desk drawers have been a bit Yule-like of late since I also found very nice models of a Pak38 50mm AT gun and a Sig33 150mm Infantry gun, both from AGNM. The former should give my German infantry a bit of added punch should they run into any Russian armour in the future (seems likely, given Steve's armour output). The SIG33 will probably have little tactical use in our games but could make a nice scenario-driven objective or just look damned mean and dirty on the table.

Pak38 50mm AT gun from AGNM.




SIG33 150mm infantry gun from AGNM.