Colours 2025

My wargame show calendar closed on another year with mine and Steve M's drive up to Newbury last weekend to attend Colours 2025, which give or take a few hiccups between the Covid Lockdown and the odd visit to Warfare has become a regular finale in the JJ's Wargames show calendar and reported here on the blog since 2013, but seeing me attending for more years than I care to remember prior to that, going back to the show's earlier incarnation back in the Reading Hexagon days. 

A slightly truncated report on Colours 2013, put down to me just getting going with this 'blogging malarky' started my regular annual show reports here on JJ's, give or take.
JJ's Wargames - Colours 2013

We couldn't have asked for a nicer day to travel up to the show, with blue skies all day that showed off Newbury racecourse and the Dubai Grandstand off at its best which provides a first class show venue with plenty of parking and display space for traders, game organisers and wargaming punters alike to enjoy indulging themselves in the hobby.

A fact only emphasised once we got in to the lower tier, given over to the main traders hall, which as you can see from my picture was buzzing with gamers chatting and flashing the cash for those few additional toys to add to the collection.

As is our usual practice, Steve and I parted company with a time arranged to meet back up later, as we set off into the trade hall to make a few acquisitions of our own, which saw me indulging my passion in my current theme, 'The World Turned Upside Down' in the American War of Independence, but not before my eye was caught by another impending project, hopefully in the wake of the current one, namely Wars of the Roses. 

The objects of my eyes desire was to be found on the Athena Miniatures stand, where I had the pleasure of chatting to the chaps about longbows, the Mary Rose exhibition in Portsmouth and suggested book reading as I grabbed some pictures of the Wars of the Roses range of miniatures with ideas of incorporating these into my future army build plan.

There is nothing quite like seeing a range of miniatures 'in the flesh' and 'up close and personal' so to speak and the character of these figures was very attractive, not to mention the individual lead characters that I think would add a little bit more variation to the forces I have a mind to construct.

 

I have developed the habit of grabbing pictures of ranges that fire my imagination this way, so that I can easily reference them in the future and if you are unfamiliar with what's on offer from Athena, I thought I would include them here.

In a similar vein I took some time to stop at Charlie Foxtrot Models and specifically examine Colin Farrant's AWI range of builds, nearly all of which I now have in my stock cupboard ready to start putting together soon.

I'm conscious that Colin is planning his upcoming retirement, and with the sale of his business to Blotz, to complete by 31st March next year which is excellent news, I decided to grab some close ups of his range of AWI models to provide some inspiration for my own work and to ensure I had them during the change over period.

I have all the buildings featured here, together with several snake rail fencing kits and I am really looking forward to getting back to making model buildings and terrain again, but the figures are taking a priority at the moment.

There are lots of ideas here on weathering, the application of mortar between bricks, and clear plastic behind window frames to turn the mdf into a work of art that compliments the design skill that Colin has put in to developing this unique range of buildings.

 

As mentioned the figure collection build is taking precedence over terrain considerations at the moment, and one aspect in that process was overcome with a visit to the chaps at Gripping Best who now administer the Front Rank range of figures, with their range of AWI 28mm figures having already added to my own collection build.

However this time I was after something else, namely finials for my Regimental Colour Parties that help compliment the final look of those very important infantry command stands that carry them.

A close up of the Front Rank finial pack which contains eight of these metal casts.

I've recently been posting the builds of my plastic Perry units which come with finials in the infantry kits as seen below on my recent post looking at the 33rd Foot. However when it comes to the metal range, absence of finials could be a problem which is why I picked up a pack of the marvellous example you see above, which will be perfect for the job, carrying bags of detail that will compliment any set of regimental Colours.

As well as enjoying wondering around the trade stands and checking out the various ranges and associated stuff that supports our hobby, which saw me topping up my paint stock over at M&C Model Painting Services, and thank you to them for highlighting the colour variations in the new versus the old range of Vallejo model paints, which are my usual range, I also met up with other friends who travelled up for the day namely Steve L, Mr Steve and Lawrence.

The magnificent sight of a B-17 Flying Fortress, flying past the grandstand during our visit to Colours

Whilst catching a breath of fresh air out on the terrace of the grandstand overlooking the race circuit, our attention was soon caught by a rather large but familiar silhouette of an aircraft followed by four smaller types in diamond formation turning in towards the course, and I immediately unpacked the camera to zoom in and confirm my immediate assumption as to their identity.

The B-17 was followed by a P51D Mustang, an early and late mark Spitfire, proceeded by a Bristol Blenheim light bomber, an aircraft I had only ever seen before 'stuffed' in a museum.

We were treated by three fly pasts of a B-17, two spitfires, a P51 Mustang and perhaps one of the rarest sights still flying, a marvellous twin-engine Bristol Blenheim light bomber.

There was an air show taking place at Duxford the same weekend of Colours, so I am assuming these warbirds were involved in that and were using the Newbury racecourse as a convenient landmark to circle over before being given their clearance to head on over to Duxford.

 

Either way the impromptu air show was a real treat and being a bit of an aircraft nurd, I hope you will excuse my indulgence in what was a totally unexpected pleasure to add to the day at Colours.

What a real pleasure, seeing these amazing warbirds flying past, and I was so glad I had my camera to hand.

So with the totally unexpected air-show over I headed back in to see what games were on show that would grab my eye this year.

Two games in particular stood out for me and is reflected in the pleasure I had taking pictures from various angles to try and capture the spectacle they presented.

Waterloo using General d'Armee 2 - Too Fat Lardies and Dave Brown

I have walked the battlefield at Waterloo a few times, the most recent being back in the summer of 2015, when together with my sons Tom and Will we stood on Wellington's ridge and imagined the ground shaking at the approach of the massed ranks of French cavalry led by Marshal Michael Ney.

JJ's Wargames - Waterloo 2015

Looking behind our position we then pictured the chequerboard arrangement of brigade infantry squares would have formed in readiness to receive enemy cavalry.

Here we are in 2025 and Dave Brown and the Lardies had this spectacle of a game wonderfully illustrating this most famous battle within a battle, as only historical wargaming can do, and with all the detail anyone familiar with the action would want to see.

Guard Chasseurs taking skirmish fire from the edge of Chateau Hougoumont and its walled gardens

British Guards in square ready to support the gun line ahead whose gunners will let fly with close range cannister before running back to the cover of the infantry's bayonets and musket volleys.

French gunners attempt to get forward to support the cavalry against enemy sqaures.

French Guard foot artillery 

The Farm of La Haye Sainte bearing the scars of multiple French infantry assaults

Nassau Infantry nervously await the oncoming horse-flesh supported by perhaps Mercer's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery.

KGL Infantry on the crest of the slope

The Duke and his staff oversee the brigade square arrangements with multiple Colour parties amid the ranks

The young Brunswick battalions, bloodied but unbowed after their bruising at Quatre Bras

The 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers

Battle of the Five Armies, using Midgard Heroic Battles - James Morris & Chums

I wouldn't describe myself as a fantasy aficionado by any means, but if any fantasy game is likely to hold my interest for any length of time it is more likely to be, what I would call Classic Fantasy, better known as the world created by the late-great Professor J. R. R. Tolkien; and so I was immediately captivated by James Morris's Battle of the Fives Armies interpretation, with a definite nod to the book of The Hobbit, in which this battle serves as a climax to the story, by the background mountain range mimicking the artwork from the book.

The Battle Under the Mountain - Matt Stewart

The five warring parties were of course the Goblins and the Wargs against Men, Elves and Dwarves on and near the Lonely Mountain.

Reinforcements at the ready including the giant bear better known as Beorn the Skinchanger and of course the Eagles ready to turn the tide of battle right at the end.

Did I mention Perry Miniatures?

Of course when I say Perry Miniatures, what I mean is Mr Dave Thomas and the team who are the usual go-to for required figures when visiting key shows like Colours here in the UK and with a recent significant birthday just passed I was looking to acquire some AWI reinforcements accompany those that friends and family were kind enough to get me, with a couple of plastic box sets and a top up of Infantry Command.

To this I came back from Newbury with a start to my elite British brigades with a unit of charging grenadiers, two units of light infantry in round hats, the 23rd Fusiliers, 42nd Black Watch, six more Hessian Jagers to bring my current battalion up to twenty figures strong and eighteen Continental Infantry firing line, a mixture of long coats and hunting shirts to provide some skirmish elements for my Americans. 

In addition to the figures currently allowing me to turn out a couple of units, every three weeks or so, I was gifted a new addition to my library, Victory or Death, by David Bonk and published by Helion which has proved very useful for tweaking my current build plan, details of which I will cover in a later post for those who might be interested in my ideas.

Thus with the weather in a rather splendid state for a pleasant drive along the historic A303 on our journey back to Devon, passing Stone Henge on our way over Salisbury Plain, Steve M and I decided to call in at the Swan Inn on our way to Andover for lunch and other refreshments to finish off a perfect  day.

In addition to that, the fly-past brought back memories of my birthday spin up to Beachy Head and back to Exeter in time for tea.

What a great year 2025 is turning out to be, with all the fun of the autumn still to come.

As always, more anon

JJ

The World Turned Upside Down - His Majesty's 33rd Foot.

In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, raised a new regiment, “The Earl of Huntingdon’s Regiment” in and around the city of Gloucester, by order of Queen Anne to fight in the War of the Spanish Succession.

A soldier of the 33rd Regiment of Foot, c1742

It was disbanded on the 25th March 1714, then re-raised on the 25th March 1715, as George Wade's Regiment; then Henry Hawley's Regiment; Robert Dalzell's Regiment and John Johnson's Regiment, eventually becoming in 1751 the 33rd Regiment of Foot after serving with distinction in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748), winning its first battle honour, 'Dettingen' in 1743.  

 

In 1745 it was recalled to England and sent to Scotland to face the Second Jacobite Rebellion, but a year later was back in Flanders, fighting at Rocoux and Lauffeld in 1747.

From 1749 to 1753, it garrisoned the new British colony of Minorca, during which time it was given the number 33 in the order of precedence. After that, it remained in England until the Seven Years War (1756-63), when it was used in raids against St Malo and Cherbourg on the French coast (1758) before moving to Germany.

Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
(31st December 1738 – 5th October 1805)

By the early 1770s, the 33rd Regiment of Foot was widely considered to be the best-trained infantry unit in the British Army, with its rise to prominence stemming from its colonel, Charles, Earl Cornwallis, who took command of the regiment in 1766; and who proved to be the best kind of commander, diligent, meticulous, and focussed on improving the 33rd in every regard, from drills and field exercises to the quality of the unit’s weapons and clothing.

The 33rd subsequently became known as the ‘pattern’ for the army, the unit on which other successful regiments were based, and prior to the outbreak of fighting in the American colonies in 1775, the 33rd’s abilities, particularly in new light infantry drills, were frequently praised, a reputation that would be tested beyond breaking point over the course of the American Revolutionary War during which, from Saratoga to South Carolina, the 33rd was one of the most heavily-engaged units on either side throughout the war.

Missing the first year of the American War of Independence, and sailing for America in early 1776 as part of the ill-fated expedition to capture Charleston, in South Carolina, the regiment joined the main British force in North America outside New York in August 1776, with the 33rd brigaded with the best units in the army, including the composite grenadier and light infantry battalions, for the coming campaign. 

The Battle of Long Island on 27th August 1776 - Map by John Fawkes

They were part of the flanking manoeuvre that drove into the midst of the Continental Army at the Battle of Long Island and were involved in forcing the enemy from Manhattan at Kip’s Bay and then the inconclusive skirmish at Harlem Heights.

British landing at Kips Bay on 15th September 1776, prior to the Battle of Harlem Heights on 16th September 1776 - Robert Clevely

In early 1777, during the partisan war in New Jersey, the regiment gained a well earned reputation for its vigilance, with its lieutenant colonel, James Webster, ensuring the garrison force at the settlements of Amboy and Bonhamtown were on continual high alert for surprise assaults.

Later, the 33rd were part of Howe’s move to take Philadelphia, again fighting as part of a strong flanking movement that won the Battle of Brandywine, where they fired some of the last shots of the engagement.

Battle of Brandywine, September 11th 1777

The map above shows the development of the British flanking attack at Brandywine and the position of Major-General Agnew's 4th Brigade in reserve atop Osborne Hill. The brigade played a pivotal role supporting the First and Second Light Infantry's battle to push through Birmingham and defeat Stephen's Virginia Division, turning the latter's flank and pursuing the retreat to Dilworth, as the battle drew to a close.

A private soldier of the 33rd Foot - Don Troiani

A few weeks later at the Battle of Germantown, October 4th, 1777, they held firm against several regiments of Maryland Continentals in a short but sharp firefight in dense fog.

Battle of Germantown, October 4th, 1777

In the map above the 33rd are highlighted in position as part of Agnew's 4th Brigade in the British centre and supported the advance by the 17th and 44th Regiments to drive the Americans out of Germantown, during which Major-General James Agnew was shot and killed by a civilian sharpshooter.

Whilst the regiment was in action in the Philadelphia campaign, a number of recruits from Britain intended for the 33rd found themselves separated by an administrative error and bound for Canada. 

The Royal Artillery in action at the Battle of Freeman's Farm September 19th 1777 - Adam Hook (Osprey)
Recruits from the 33rd Foot helped to man the Royal Artillery’s equipment during the Saratoga campaign

Their level of training and the excellence of their uniforms and equipment meant they were not simply amalgamated into another regiment, but remained as their own small, distinct force. They joined the Crown army under the command of General Burgoyne during the ill-fated push down the Hudson River, helping to man the Royal Artillery’s equipment during the Saratoga campaign before being captured with the rest of the army at its close.

After Philadelphia was evacuated, the 33rd’s reputation for excellent discipline meant they were the last British regiment to march out of the town, trusted to sweep up any stragglers and not burn and loot along the way. At the ensuing Battle of Monmouth during the British withdrawal to New York, they came to the rescue of a stranded battalion of British grenadiers and, in the last act of the battle, helped see them to safety.

In 1779 the 33rd were garrisoning the fortress at Verplanck’s Point, overlooking the Hudson River north of New York, when Continental forces attacked and overran the neighbouring defences at Stony Point. For several days the 33rd were cut off and surrounded, but there was no attack on Verplanck’s, and under Webster’s orders the small complement of artillery in the fort opened fire on an enemy-manned barge being used to ferry away cannons captured from Stony Point, sinking it and its cargo.

In late 1779 the 33rd were chosen to accompany their colonel, Cornwallis, on the British southern campaign, a fresh offensive intended to bring the Carolinas back under royal authority. The regiment was again in the army’s vanguard as it closed in on Charleston, South Carolina, acting as an entire regiment of light infantry. 

Towards the end of the battle of Camden, British troops of the 33rd Regiment close in on the Continental soldiers of the 2nd Maryland Brigade, plus a few militiamen from North Carolina, who had become isolated when the bulk of the American militia on their left wing had fled - Graham Turner, Osprey, CAMDEN 1780.

They went on to play a pivotal role in arguably the most complete pitched battle victory of the war at the Battle of Camden, 16th August, 1780, an action that also proved to be the bloodiest for the regiment. 

The Battle of Guilford Courthouse, 15th March 1781

The Battle of Guilford Courthouse, seven months later, was similarly ferocious, leading to the death of Lieutenant Colonel Webster. It was the last major engagement the regiment fought in the field. 

By late 1781, Cornwallis and the rest of the army had been cornered at Yorktown where, after a short siege, they were forced to capitulate.

In 1782 it was decided to link regiments to a county, and the Regiment then became the 33rd (or 1st Yorkshire West Riding). 

Lord Cornwallis, Colonel at the time, wrote, 

“…the 33rd Regt. of Infantry has always recruited in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and has a very good interest & the general good will of the people, in that part of the country.” 

They also acquired the nickname “The Havercake Lads” after a type of oatcake used by recruiting parties to tempt recruits with promises of regular food.

My interpretation of the 33rd Foot uses the plastic British infantry from Perry Miniatures and takes Don Troiani's depiction of a private from the regiment during its time in America as the inspiration for the look, wearing the cut down coats and broad hats adopted by many units operating with the main British army under Lord Howe and most likely those that went south with Lord Cornwallis.

I have depicted the regiment as a particularly strong one at between 350-400 men to better reflect the regiment at the Battle of Monmouth where Greg Novak's order of battle suggests the 33rd were around 350 strong, hence the five stand arrangement instead of the more normal four stands for most of the other battles and actions it was involved in.

The 33rd is seen below with another strong regiment for my growing British army, the 4th 'King's Own', seen to the rear in the picture below and set to feature in my next unit showcase.

The 33rd lead the way with, to their rear, the next to feature regiment, the 4th King's Own.

My 33rd Foot are seen here complete with another set of marvellous colours from GMB Designs and finished off with a set of low profile sabot bases from Supreme Littleness Designs. 

Progress on 'The World Turned Upside Down' project is continuing apace, since my receipt of major reinforcements at Partizan back in May this year, and another group of reinforcements will join them after my trip up to Newbury this weekend to visit Colours 2025.

'Reinforcements' acquired at Partizan 2025 back in May.
JJ's Wargames - Partizan 2025

My plan is to do a bit of a review of the gathering forces and my plans for 2026 as we approach the end of this year and I can better assess when we can get some troops out on the table to playtest some ideas I have for the collection going forward, with my American War of Independence theme staying front and centre for the foreseeable.

So lots to come here on JJ's including a show report from Colours.

More anon.

JJ.