DOMINION WARGAME, MY POSTAL SERVICE, BASIL BRUSH CAR

                                   POSTMEN, POSTWOMEN,POSTBOXES

I came across some nice bare metal castings for sale. They all related to the British postal service.

The figures and postboxes were only £13 delivered, so I bought them.

Decided to convert this postwomen into a city lady.....

(Several of the above have changed their post depot to Graham's Apperley Towers.)

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BASIL BRUSH CAR 

In 1971 Corgi joined with the Basil Brush Show to produce a Basil Brush die-cast car. For reasons unknown, the car they produced was different from that linked to the show, but it was still a fun collectable.

In February this year I picked up a rather damaged example from my local collectables shop. It was not only missing some items, but the paintwork would require redoing. While carrying out further research, and watching the show intros, I decided it would be more interesting to recreate something similar to the original show car.

This vehicle is painted with acrylics and several coats of varnish. Plasticard was used to create the correct car bonnet. The broken windscreen has been replaced, and car number plates added. It's one of those projects where you can always find something more to do, like tidying up my shoddy pinstripes. This really was a nostalgic and fun project!

Here is the original Corgi example, with the strange engine and red paintwork.

Here is the official artwork, as it should have been reproduced by Corgi, surely?

PART TWO

Popped into the collectables shop to seek out some hubcaps for my BB Car. I wanted to replace the incorrect spoked wheels on the original Corgi model. 

Found this broken jeep, and also four narrower tyres that fit the hubcaps, this should complete my BB Car. The shopkeeper charged £3. The surplus Jeep tyres will no doubt prove useful elsewhere.

And the BB Car with the new hubcaps.

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Dominion War Campaign News

The US Navy fleet in the Chesapeake has begun to take on ammunition and other supplies, some ships have already taken up positions towards the estuary mouth.

A new US commander has been appointed to the Canadian Campaign. An additional nine military units have arrived, and several divisions are moving forward.

Empire forces in Ontario have been re-organised in preparation for a probable American campaign. A fleet of ships has docked at Quebec with seasonal recruits. One dice was thrown, four more military units.

The US commander in North Florida his declared his intension to drive the Spanish out of Florida, for good. He has called for volunteers, promising them all the equipment they need to do the job. Two dice were thrown, furnishing six battalions of volunteer militia.

A treaty between the Empire and the United States to end hostilities on the Pacific coast of North America is holding, although California has allowed numbers to resign from their National Guard, leading to volunteers moving to the East Coast (D4, four military units).

 

DOMINION WARGAME

The war in northern Florida recently reignited. The US commander for Georgia and Florida instructed five regular military units, and two militia formations to launch an attack on the Spanish position near Madison. The garrison was serving as a early warning position, and comprised two infantry battalions and a battery of field guns. 

THE ACTION BEGAN

MOVE ONE I decided to throw a dice to determine if the garrison were aware of the approaching American force, they threw a D6...... local spies? The Americans entered to the north, leading the advance was a roving cannon. The Spanish guns immediately opened up on the vehicle, and a hit injured one of the three crew! MOVE TWO Aware that all chance of a surprise attack was lost, the Americans advanced at full speed. The Spanish guns blasted away, and another RC crewman was injured, due to low saving throws. But they did take down a Spanish artilleryman with a hit on the redoubt. A morale check on 50% casualties was required by the RC, and they just held on due to the commander being nearby. MOVE THREE The Americans advanced. The Spanish guns fired again, each gun threw a D6 on the RC. While the follow-on dice failed to explode the RC, the crew were silenced. Simultaneous firing can cause flukes.... the RC fired its gun and scored another hit on the Spanish artillerymen. Frighteningly, a nearby American battalion came close to routing having witnessed the loss of the RC. 

MOVE FOUR The Americans advanced, and the Spanish guns fired. A militiaman was hit, but his unit held on. MOVE FIVE The Americans advanced. Perhaps Spanish nervousness was beginning to show, both artillery rounds fell short. MOVE SIX The Americans advanced, with small arms fire breaking out from both sides. The Spanish Light battalion had occupied a watermill and took down two Germania Rifles (Americans), for only a graze on one of their own. The Spanish guns now roared and took down two bluecoated infantry. But the two militia skirmishing battalions began to take shots at the redoubt, and scored a hit. The Spanish artillery were now down to half strength and obliged to test their morale, but held. MOVE SEVEN The Americans slowed their advance to allow reload and fire moves. The Spanish commander consolidated his artillerymen to man one artillery piece, and threw his Marine Battalion into the redoubt, with loaded weapons.

This was a bloody action, with the two militia battalions showing their worth. Despite suffering a casualty each, they not only held on, but their shooting took similar numbers off the enemy. But the Spanish in the watermill were having an easy target day, having made the building a dangerous fortress to approach. 

MOVE EIGHT The Americans advanced slowly, to allow load and fire. One battalion could now claim redoubt sandbag cover for themselves! Those in the watermill maintained their accuracy, and it had the desired effect. The two attacking American units were reduced to half strength and broke.

MOVE NINE The officer commanding the watermill ordered his men to now move and support the main redoubt. Here, the Spanish Marines were at half strength but still holding on. MOVE TEN The American commander ordered his strongest battalion to charge with bayonets, the Spanish marines held and fired at point blank range, but could not check their charge. In the bloody melee that followed the Marines were defeated and scattered, and the panic spread to the artillerymen. Only the Spanish Light battalion was now still operating. 

MOVE ELEVEN Both the Spanish Light troops and American battalion inside the redoubt charged! In the following melee the Americans won, but the Light battalion held on. MOVE TWELVE Another round of melee. and the Americans won again. But the Light battalion held on! MOVE THIRTEEN Another round of melee. Same result. MOVE FOURTEEN Another round of melee. Nine Americans against seven Spanish. The Spanish lost again, but with fair dice, a Declared Position, and Commander present, they just held on! MOVE FIFTEEN Another round of melee, now nine versus six. But the Spanish held on. However, the American militia had now cut off the Spanish escape route, and a special morale test was required. But they still held on. They were granted the right to withdraw with colours and loaded weapons......the General and the five Marines. (For some reason, I can't find any photos of the actual melee, strange! But the next photo does show the American's final positions.)

The surviving Spanish retire.

GAME CASUALTIES

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THOSE TINPLATE GUNS AGAIN..... are they genuine?

I spotted this gun in an auction. It has that distinctive mechanism for firing peas, in particular the box-hook fixed to the trail. Now this one is described as 1930s, but apparently marked Made in England! 

My recently purchased guns.

I have been having a chat with PG, of 'Toy Soldiers and Real Battles', as he has some knowledge of German tinplate guns. He believes my green guns are genuine 1930s-40s, and German-made. I mentioned, it is a shame we don't know the factory, they might have some surviving records. PG used the German word 'Erbsenkanone' which does sound better than peashooter. 

Well, we can now confirm the distinctive firing mechanism with its trail box-hook was used by several companies in different countries, including England and Italy. But, it would appear, mine are likely c.1945, and German-made.

MGB

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