Fire&Fury ACW rules set - Gettysburg in 20mm (part 19) - 2nd Corps ANV, Early's Division

Gen. Jubal Early's Division is preparing the attack on Blocher's Knoll on day one of the battle with Gordon's Georgians already overcoming Josiah Benner's property. 

Gen. Early is a conversion of a Revell torso, a Revell head and Italeri legs. 

General Gordon is a nice StreletsR figure that catches very well the heroic figure of this great Confederate officer. 

The Brigade itself is made mostly of charging Revell figures. 

More relaxed poses in Hays' Brigade with Imex, Revell and Irregular Miniatures figures. 

Avery and Smiths' Brigades are made of firing poses from Revell and Imex. 

The artillery is the usual mix of plastic and metal. Some Italeri cavalrymen were converted and a figure from the Revell Pioneer box was also used. 

Same story on gun number two. The shouting figure is converted Esci infantryman. The limber and horses are plastic with metal riders from Irregular Miniatures. 

Next: Rodes' Division, The Army of Northern Virginia. 

Fire&Fury ACW rules set - Gettysburg in 20mm (part 18) - 2nd Corps ANV, Johnson's Division

On the 3rd July another attempt was made by the Confederates to attack the head of the 'fish hook' at Culp's Hill. Here Johnson's Division already crossed the Plum run and moves towards the foot of Culp's Hill. In the lower part of the picture Steuart's Brigade prepares to cross the Pardee field and being slaughtered in the process.  

Gen. Edward Johnson is the usual Esci body with a proper Italeri head to suit its figure. 

 The Stonewall Brigade of Brig Gen.Walker is represented by the 33rd Virginia. I used this regiment because initially was one of the Confederate units to have blue uniforms and I just hope that some were retained this late in the war. Most of the figures are Esci with a few Revell. 

Dungan's Brigade is a mostly Italeri and Airfix unit with many head swaps. 

The 'Louisiana Tigers' Brigade of Col. Jesse Williams is a full Italeri unit. 

The big Steuart's Brigade is made of ACTA, Airfix, Revell, Esci and even has a few figures from the 1848 US- Mexican war by Imex placed here due to the caps still used  by some Confederate soldiers. 

The Divisional artillery has Irregular Miniatures limbers and Imex guns and artillerymen. The commanders of each gun are an Italeri and the other a conversion of the Airfix Napoleonic British artillery set. 

Next: Yes, you guessed it, Early's Division, the Army of Northern Virginia. 

Fire&Fury ACW rules set - Gettysburg in 20mm (part 17) - 1st Corps ANV, Picketts' Division

With Kemper's and Garnett's Brigades to the front and Armistead's in support, Pickett's Division leaves Spangler Woods not only to attack the Union Center on the 3rd of July, 1862, but also to enter eternity.  

Gen. Pickett is a conversion from several parts - torso, arms and head - of different Italeri figures. I tried to make him as close as possible to the character of the movie. 

The rank and file is made of block painted old Airfix, Esci and Revell figures. This was my first F&F ACW division to be painted maybe close to 25 years ago and even the flags are still hand painted. 

The artillerymen in front are conversions from Airfix British Horse artillery and others are Imex. 

Again you can spot two more Napoleonic conversions in this stand. 

The limbers are Imex with their usual overweight horses.

Next: II Corps, the Army of Northern Virginia. 

Fire&Fury ACW rules set - Gettysburg in 20mm (part 16) - 1st Corps ANV, John Bell Hood's Division

Hood's Confederate Division leaves Seminary Ridge after the famous long march around the Federal left and prepares to engage Ward's Brigade around the Devil's Den. Front left, Law's Brigade will enter history when engaging the 20th Maine around Little Round Top; front right, Robertson's Brigade will face the Devil's Den itself and also the Wheat Field and loose its commander and almost all Regimental commanders; on their back, in support, the smaller brigades of  Benning and Anderson will follow the destiny of their fellow Divisional Brigades. 

John Bell Hood is another great figure from StreletsR, sculpted some time before he lost the usage of its left arm on this day. 

Law's Brigade of Alabamians is identified by a hand painted flag of the 15th Alabama. The figures are the usual mix with a converted Italeri officer. 

Robertson's Texas Brigade is one of my oldest units and still have some Airfix figures in the mix of the usual Esci, Italeri and Revell miniatures. 

Also with two flags the Georgians of Anderson's Brigade were more recently painted and have more contrasting shades. 

Benning's Georgians are also more recent and were painted straight from the box with no conversions for a change. 

The artillery stands are Revell, both guns and crew but the limbers are Irregular Miniatures. 

The Irregular Miniatures limbers are very complete and catch very well the atmosphere of ACW. 

Here they go to the 'worst ground I've ever seen' (Hood's words).

Next: Pickett's division. 

Fire&Fury ACW rules set - Gettysburg in 20mm (part 15) - 1st Corps ANV, McLaw's Division

On the second day of battle, the Division of Gen. McLaws prepares itself to leave the woods of Seminary ridge and assault the exposed III Union Corps around the Peach Orchard. The two front brigades, the more powerful, were (L-R) Kershaw and Barksdale's which were supported by Semmes and Wofford's Brigades to the rear.

Gen. Lafayette McLaws is the handiest ACW figure ever, that is the Union Revell officer. 

Close by its the stand of I Corps commander, Gen. James Longstreet, a cute figure from StreletsR. 

McLaws Artillery division is made of the usual mix of Revell, Italeri and Irregular Miniatures parts. 

In a different angle you can see some kneeling Revell pioneers that came to give a hand to their fellow artillerymen. 

Kershaw's Brigade was made of  South Carolina men and thus a second flag was added to the command stand with the 'Palmetto' flag. This brigade is made mostly of Esci figures with a few Revell and Italeri in the middle. 

With the same mix of brands here it is Wooford's Brigade. The flag is the one of Cobb's Legion and the officer is the same Esci figure of the previous photo but heavily converted to look like something different. 

Gen.W. Barksdale Brigade of Mississipians got farther than any other NVA unit in that second day but it paid dearly and that included Barksdale own life. 

In these two stands you can see how fortunate the ACW wargamer is with Revell, Italeri, ACTA, Irregular Miniayures and Airfix all living together in harmony. 

A careful choice of some butternut or dark grey uniforms in the middle of the cadet grey gives plenty of colour to Johnny Reb and makes them more enjoyable to paint than Billy Yank.

With Kershaw's Brigade stepping over a lettuce field the division is ready to give hell to the Union's 3rd Corps!

Next: Hood's Division. 

Fire&Fury ACW rules set - Gettysburg in 20mm (part 14) - Major-General Gordon Meade's HQ and a few more bits to end the Army of the Potomac

On the second day of battle Gen. Meade and his staff are looking at the map of the Gettysburg area when a dispatch rider arrives with some important news about Confederate movements. 

The figures on this stand are all StreletsR with the exception of the Army of the Potomac's flag bearer which is a resin copy of the an old Airfix artilleryman. 

I just finished Leister's House, the HQ of Meade during most of the battle. 

Its a simple construction of thick card board with glued windows and styrofoam chimney as I generally do to speed up construction. 

This lonely stand (the above limber is another Irregular Miniatures piece) is the first of the 14 I need for the Army Artillery Reserve. Its a Esci British Napoleonic model with a new barrel in hard plastic. The crew are two resin torsos of the Airfix ACW cavalry on top of some legs and a Revell figure. 

Even if they are unnecessary for the big infantry battles in the three days of fighting I built a mounted cavalry brigade. The figures are mostly Italeri with the torsos of the carbines firers turned a bit ahead to look more realistic. 

In command of the brigade you see Gen George A. Custer which is a foot figure from StreletsR pinned on some cavalry legs. Later on StreletsR also released Custer on horse, which I also have, but too late as this one was already built. 

Also finished a few day ago, but not in time for the pictures of the XI Corps, is this model of the Almshouse. In fact this was a complex of some 5 buildings but that is better represented at brigade level with one of them. 

The Almshouse is another simple construction of card for walls, roof and windows and styrofoam for the chimneys.

Next: the Army of Northern Virginia starts its march into Pennsylvania.