Refurbishing my French

Maintainance and repairs

Some of you may recall I`ve played a few late war games using my 1940s era French over the last year or so. If not please check out these earlier posts:

https://baberonwargames.blogspot.com/2026/01/mulhouse-november-1944.html

https://baberonwargames.blogspot.com/2026/03/silencing-battery-at-les-huttes-pointe.html

https://baberonwargames.blogspot.com/2026/04/seizing-boyardville-ile-doleron-1st-may.html

I`ve also used them as proxy Spanish Republican regular army in a couple of my more recent games.

But I must admit I did notice the figures had suffered a fair bit of wear and tear: chipped paint, etc and also some were neither based or inked in (colour washed)!! Now whilst setting up some of the scenarios I also noted quite significant gaps in my organisation and also found I was a couple infantry platoons short of a full battalion in our rules, so I ordered what I needed off Paul @ Early War Miniatures - as always his service was excellent 😁 These have now reached the painting tray (cleaned, based and undercoated), but I have decided to bite the bullet and completely refurbish the whole force before I paint them, so all will look a similar standard. It has taken a few weeks, but finally I`m a bit more happy with the overall look. 

You will note I`ve mostly painted the greatcoats in a tan brown, this is because I built this force not for 1940 Europe but 1943/43 French North Africa. Though it should also be noted the tan overcoat was used in mainland France, it wouldn`t be silly to find troops wearing it.  

Horse drawn (hippomobile) 75mm battery 

Guns are both Hat Industrie as is the closest limber, the front horse team and limber is by Imex, the rear limber is by Irregular Miniatures and the horse team and rider Early War Miniatures

6 of the gunners are Hat Industrie (one from the pneumatic wheel set), the standing guy back right is an old FAA figure and gun captain an Italeri Italian with a head swap 😁

Republican Guard cycle platoon

A mix of Early War Miniatures Danes and French all head swapped with cavalry helmet heads, the walking figures have Raventhrope bikes and I`ve added stowage. 

Recce cavalry patrol

SHQ Poles with a Waterloo 1815 plastic officer (head swapped of course)

Genie platoon (engineers)

Figures from all over the place - FAA, Shellhole Scenics, Blitz/Battlefield. EWM, Airfix & Italeri Foreign Legion (head swapped), Airfix WW1 French (two have arm swaps), Hat Industrie gunners and the mine detector guy is a real Frankenstein creation - his legs are from an Italeri Italian, his body and detector are from an Esci American and his head is EWM. Several of the other figures are altered and have added tools, sachels or rifles also.

The two horse trailer is scratch built and covered one by EWM

Mule packed 65mm mountain battery

The mules teams are B&B Miniatures, the guns are by David Reasoner, the crews are a mix of Shellhole Scenics and Battlefield/Blitz, the battery commander is FAA.

25mm Hotchkiss AT battery

The left gun is Shellhole Scenics, the right is SHQ.

The gunners are L-R: FAA, Hat (pneumatic wheel set), Hat (spoked wheel set), Battlefield/Blitz

The infantry gun tow is by EWM obviously the guns can be towed by Renault UE or a P107 etc.

37mm (American) AT battery

The Yanks lent the under equipped (now allied) French forces in Tunisia quite a few of these obsolete guns (better than nothing after all). I cobbled together a pair of guns from the bits box using Hasagawa and Matchbox bits. The crews are same figures as with the 25mm Hotchkiss battery above.

37mm AC (anti-char) de Marine battery

These were secretly built in French naval yards in Vichy French North Africa, using 37mm Hotchkiss naval guns to build makeshift anti-tank guns. They saw action in Tunisia against the Germans serving with 64RAA and Marine AC units. 

I kit bashed the guns based on photos, visit this original post for more details: 

https://baberonwargames.blogspot.com/2013/07/batterie-f-37mm-ac-de-marine-hir-moussa.html

The crew are L-R: EWM with a head-swap - a Raventhorpe tam o`shanter head painted to look like a French sailor`s Bachi hat; Blitz/Battlefield, 2 more from EWM

47mm APX anti-tank guns

I`m pretty sure the green guns are by S&S Models, the third with a blotchy camo scheme is a very old Tom`s Tins model (may still be available through EWM?)

For these pics I have decided to reuse gunners, as there is no chance I will ever have to field every gun I own on a single table at one time. So L-R we have FAA, Hat (spoked wheel set), B&B Miniatures, Hat (spoked wheel set), Shellhole Scenics, B&B Miniatures, FAA, 2 x Hat (spoked wheel set) and finally Hat (pneumatic wheel set)

DCA (Defense Contra Avion)

Twin 25mm Hotchiss and crew all EWM, Twin 8mm belt fed Hotchiss (gun kitbashed by me), the gunner is Airfix, the No2 EWM, the truck is Raventhorpe Ready to Roll, 8mm Hotchkiss on AA mount, gun and crew EWM

1st Towed `75 battery

The guns are EWM, the limber is Hat Industrie, the crew L-R: 2 Battlefield/Blitz, 2 EWM, the battery commander is Hat (Pneumatic wheel set), the three kneeling figures are all Battlefield/Blitz, the last standing figure is Hat (spoked wheel `75 set)

2nd Towed `75 Battery

The Pneumatic wheeled gun (mle 1897/38) is an old Skytrex model, the spoked wheeled one is SHQ; the deployed limber is Hat Industrie the train rouleur is by EWM

The crews are mixed: left gun has 3 by SHQ and one Hat (pneumatic wheel set), the right gun has 2 from Hat (spoked wheeled set) and 2 very old B&B Miniatures, the battery commander is FAA 

No2 gun on its train rouleur

For more info on this interesting piece of interwar technology check out my short article:

https://baberonwargames.blogspot.com/2019/06/le-train-rouleur.html

Battalion support weapons

Hotchkiss MMGs

The left hand gun team is FAA, the others Tumbling Dice

81mm Brandt mortars

Tubes and crews all FAA

Command

2 x Shellhole Scenics, 1 x battlefield/Blitz

All EWM, the colonel was a gunner, now with a Raventhorpe kepi head on an ancient Citadel Miniatures horse (must be 45yrs old at least)

Communications

L-R: Raventhorpe telephone op (from their WW1 range), EWM radio team, Irregular Miniatures bugler, EWM signaller, Blitz/Battlefield RTO & officer

Observers

EWM observer with scissors scope, old Airfix observer and carrier pigeon guy

Medical unit

Classic Airfix wounded French soldier, nurse (Elheim German female auxiliary), Elheim French nun, medic (British gunner by SHQ)

EWM stretcher team, doctor (Combat Miniatures Japanese officer with minor modifications and a  head-swap)

Infantry

10 x Shell Scenics

3 x Irregular Miniatures WW1 French

3 x Tumbling Dice WW1 French

L-R: FAA (I think?), Shellhole Scenics, FAA and old Tom`s Tins

27 infantry and a company commander by Blitz/Battlefield

5 old Fantassin Miniaturers and a Tumbling Dice NCO

Broadside 2026 (show report)

Broadside 2026

Held at the Medway Park Sports Center, Gillingham, Kent on Saturday 13th June.

My wife has a lot of family in the Medway Towns area and we as a result we visit the area several times during the year. Now I had read about this show in the wargames press and online and have tried for years to try and get my Debbie to plan a trip home to coincide with the show dates - well this year i finally made it 😁  

The sports center is situated very close to the Royal Engineer`s Museum, so if one is so inclined you could combine the two to make a great day out. I haven`t been to the museum for a few years, but well worth the effort:

https://baberonwargames.blogspot.com/2021/09/royal-engineers-museum-chatham-kent.html

Gate guardian - Chieftain AVRE

The venue was well sign posted and the staff very pleasant, entry cost 4 pounds for adults (children and wives FREE if accompanied by a paying adult).

Nice big airy hall with traders spread out along the sides and games plus the bring and buy in the center. A lot of the traders were selling Sci fi, fantasy stuff or Bolt Action stuff; there were also people selling various types of  terrain, plus books, board games, etc. Bur for quite a few years now I`ve been very controlled about my spending, so only visited two traders, that stalwart of the UK show scene - Andy Grubb (Britannia Miniatures) and Newline Designs. I was also looking for a 20mm T-26 and found what I was looking for on the stall of a new name to me - Battlezone Miniatures

There were some fantastic games om show, all sorts of periods and eras.

Of course I was drawn to the C20th games and spoke to the guys running these at length, the quality of the games was high and everyone was enthusiastic and happy to explain their games and the modeling involved.

The center of the hall was dominated by a spectacular D-Day "Sword Beach" set-up in 15mm by Milton Hundreds Wargames Club

Whilst chatting to the guys, they said how busy things were and they were hoping to expand into the smaller hall next door for next year! We all commented how maybe the demise of our hobby might not be so as soon as people in the gaming press (and online) keep saying 😀

The next game I spent time over was a 6mm Austrian/Serbian clash at the start of WW1 by the "Dad`s Armies" group. The guy explained they were all young fathers with young kids who were trying by forming their group to keep their sanity 😀They were using Great War Spearhead rules which i admitted I had not tried, but was familiar with them through the blog and posts of SOTCW stalwart Robin Sutton.

Next up was a 20mm game using Rapid Fire Reloaded by Deal Wargames Association - the Polish raid on Fraustadt, 2 September 1939.

A really nice set-up and an interesting historic scenario. The guys were very willing to chat and enthusiastic about the game and the rules. It was very nice to finally meet and chat to Adrain White who`s work I follow on Facebook and who in person was as nice as he is online.

Last, but by no means least a naval game using Gods of War: Togo rules by Tonbridge Wargames Club. Now I was not familiar with the rules, produced by Polish company, but I have dabbled with the period: Russo-Japanese War 1904/05 and was actually reading yet another eye witness account during that weekend. The small ships looked excellent and the guys were very happy with the company and their products.

Whilst I qwas taking photos a guy asked me if I was into this period, I had to confess I`ve been reading about the landwar, but did have set of rules by David Manley (my goto guy for everything boat related). The gentleman the said he was familiar with David`s work through the glossies and SOTCW Journal, I was wearing an SOTCW shirt!! He asked me my name and shook my hand introducing himself as Bernard Geraghty a regular contributor to the society magazine for a number of years - small world isn`t it. We then had a long chat about the society, my blog and living in Spain.

My purchases

Three different Britannia carriers

Britannia Sikhs & British infantry

Newline designs C19th Gurkhas

Battlezone Miniatures T-26

Only some minor irritations: Newline didn`t have their plains Indians (rectified by a quick online order) and Andy Grubb didn`t have his Bersaglieri, which again will be sorted once he answers my email.

All-in-all a nice day out, great to catch up with some people I haven`t seen in years and put faces to names I only know from correspondence or the internet.

Update 17/06/2026

Andy Grubb has been in touch and the Bersaglieri are on theri way to Wales 😄