20mm Jacklex Boer War Staatsartillerie - The range that never made it.

Just for the curious.  This is the range that never made it beyond a diorama in the Harrow Road Model shop and a few figures which we have. No production was undertaken and the 'pom pom' gun in the picture has gone completely, unless someone out there has it?  Jack says they were originally intended for the Boer War range.

We think the diorama may have been sold off when the Model Shop closed or maybe it was just thrown out!

The figures are shown around a British gun.

20mm Jacklex Colonial British

Following on in this series of pictures of the Jacklex range these are the Colonial British. Note the famous 'left handed officer firing'!  Again all the figures were painted by Jack in the 'hay day' of the range in the 1970s.  Although Jack made both kneeling and lying firing in various ranges he never painted any for his own armies.

I have not shown the artillery as it is quite wide ranging and deserves a post in its own rights.

The figures are still available from www.spencersmithminiatures.co.uk

20mm Jacklex White Coated Russians

For those to whom the name ‘Jacklex’ doesn’t mean much, or have never seen the Jacklex colonial range over the next few posts I will be showing pictures of the various nations.

The figures are still available from www.spencersmithminiatures.co.uk

We start with the classic White Coated Russians from the Russo-Japanese War range. 

Most of the figures come from Jack’s own army which he painted many years ago.  I have recently added 2 units of cavalry which I have yet to finish (base) and some infantry just for completeness of the poses. 

We have used these figures not only in games against the Japanese, but also in the scenario were the Russian invade Afghanistan and fight combined British and Indian forces.

My recent additions to Jack's Russian Army when you see the size of Jack's Anglo Indian force you will understand the need to add some units.

28mm Small Fort

Bob asked Jack to make me a small fort/outpost and this is what he produced. It has been used with colonials, pirates, TYW, Samurai and as shown here with the Tangiers garrison. It is small enough to have on the table without dominating it and large enough to take a unit or a battery.

The dock was also made by Jack. As well as being a dock for a variety of periods it also doubles as a platform for my Samurai houses. Although the Arab houses come from a variety of sources there is a “house that Jack built” – the square two storey house was made out of foam board and then stippled.

Bob tells me that the unit holding Jack’s fort are the Queen Dowager’s Regiment, the 2^nd Foot. The unit on dock are The Guards – both by Parkfield Miniatures. Other  British figures are a mixture of Parkfield and Dixons.

54mm Admiral's launch

For those who like their 54mm figures, this is the Admiral's launch that Jack made many years ago, just because he liked the idea!  Jack's 54mm  model of HMS Warrior is in the background.

Don Featherston's Naval War Games

Amongst the many anniversaries this month it is the 50th anniversay of the publication of Don Featherstone's book Naval War Games.

Don approached Jack to ask for his help on the chapter on how to make model ships.  Jack said 'I sent he some rough drawings expecting them to be redrawn, but they just appeared in the book as I sent them'.  

28mm Death Valley Wagon

Another 28mm 'monster'.  

Jack saw an article about a twenty mule team pulling wagons loaded with Borax across Death Valley, Califormia in the 1880s and decided to build it in 28mm scale.  Needless to say we have not used this in any of our wargames!

I remember being at the Redoubt Stand at one of the shows and Jack seeing a wagon they made which sparked the idea.  He bought the wagon and asked did they have any mules? The Redoubt staff are always helpful and said 'yes'.  At which point Jack asked for '20'!  Not your usual item carried in bulk by any trader to a show, so they handed over the 8 they had and good to thier word posted the other 12 plus an out rider to him within a few days.

Jack thought about the wagon and decided that whilst it was an excellent model it was too small!  He set about scratch building the 2 wagons in the pictures to scale based upon pictures he had.  

These were the juggernauts of their days a round trip took 20 days to complete and covered some 330 miles.