Just back from a lovely day at the Eastbourne show - the weather was perfect, sunny & warm, and the show as always was ideally suited to the retro feel of Eastbourne - slow, laid back, and altogether a little different to the usual highly commercial, big shows, that DG and I usually attend..
The show is a small one - as you can see in the picture - with no more than half a dozen traders but the atmosphere is second to none, and the location is just as good being in an old redoubt, or fort, on Eastbourne sea front which was built in the early 1800's as part of the general fear at that time of a French invasion. The Redoubt (click here) also hosts the military museums of The Royal Sussex Regiment, The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars and the Sussex Combined Services, and entrance to the show also gets you entrance to this museum.
...it may have been a small show but it didn't stop Henry doing what looked like a good trade...!
..those of you who also follow the Battlegames blog will know that Henry was busy painting this week for a participation game - here's the first group about to embark on their attempt to get the survivors from Isandlwana to the "safe side" of the board, in the face of what I was lead to believe would be a number of nasty surprises*
(* mostly wielding big pointy sticks and shouting 'usuthu'..!)
..two shots of the aforesaid survivors - I was advised that Henry was still gluing the sand to the bases this morning, but they looked damn good, and I was really taken with the colouring to the helmets, and the detail on the faces...
As always the Bring and Buy was particularly good again - DG managed to nab a copy of "Battles with Model Soldiers" by Featherstone in excellent condition for just £6, I got an Osprey Campaign on "Alamein" in mint condition for just a fiver... best of all DG picked up an entire 15mm Ancient Indian army for a pittance - all still in the original bags...!
So having shopped 'til we dropped (well perhaps not quite given the small trader presence!) we moved on to the museum - theme for the show this year was the Zulu Wars, and my eye was immediately grabbed by this Gatling gun:
It's a copy rather than being real - but I was quite surprised at how big it was!
As for the games - well I have to say not as good as last year - game of the show was this one, but there really was no other competition (as far I was concerned), the other games being Warhammer/SciFi or just not as pretty...
..this was put on by Deal Wargames Society, the same group that put on the crossing the Irrawady game that I featured here. This game represents the Allied invasion of Madagascar in the Second World War - Operation "Ironclad" click here
Other than that - these exquisite figures caught my eye on the Perry stand:
Lastly, no show is good unless you leave it feeling enthused to try something, or paint something, and this show was no exception - last year it had me rushing back to paint the Orange Lillies (click here) this year I have a feeling it will be these guys, representing the Earl of Donegal's Regiment of Foot (precursors to the Orange Lillies and the Royal Sussex Regiment):
..it's those orange facings again (!) but I am also just as enthused to also paint naval brigade!
The show is a small one - as you can see in the picture - with no more than half a dozen traders but the atmosphere is second to none, and the location is just as good being in an old redoubt, or fort, on Eastbourne sea front which was built in the early 1800's as part of the general fear at that time of a French invasion. The Redoubt (click here) also hosts the military museums of The Royal Sussex Regiment, The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars and the Sussex Combined Services, and entrance to the show also gets you entrance to this museum.
...it may have been a small show but it didn't stop Henry doing what looked like a good trade...!
..those of you who also follow the Battlegames blog will know that Henry was busy painting this week for a participation game - here's the first group about to embark on their attempt to get the survivors from Isandlwana to the "safe side" of the board, in the face of what I was lead to believe would be a number of nasty surprises* (* mostly wielding big pointy sticks and shouting 'usuthu'..!)
..two shots of the aforesaid survivors - I was advised that Henry was still gluing the sand to the bases this morning, but they looked damn good, and I was really taken with the colouring to the helmets, and the detail on the faces...As always the Bring and Buy was particularly good again - DG managed to nab a copy of "Battles with Model Soldiers" by Featherstone in excellent condition for just £6, I got an Osprey Campaign on "Alamein" in mint condition for just a fiver... best of all DG picked up an entire 15mm Ancient Indian army for a pittance - all still in the original bags...!
So having shopped 'til we dropped (well perhaps not quite given the small trader presence!) we moved on to the museum - theme for the show this year was the Zulu Wars, and my eye was immediately grabbed by this Gatling gun:
It's a copy rather than being real - but I was quite surprised at how big it was!
As for the games - well I have to say not as good as last year - game of the show was this one, but there really was no other competition (as far I was concerned), the other games being Warhammer/SciFi or just not as pretty...
..this was put on by Deal Wargames Society, the same group that put on the crossing the Irrawady game that I featured here. This game represents the Allied invasion of Madagascar in the Second World War - Operation "Ironclad" click here
Other than that - these exquisite figures caught my eye on the Perry stand:
Lastly, no show is good unless you leave it feeling enthused to try something, or paint something, and this show was no exception - last year it had me rushing back to paint the Orange Lillies (click here) this year I have a feeling it will be these guys, representing the Earl of Donegal's Regiment of Foot (precursors to the Orange Lillies and the Royal Sussex Regiment):
..it's those orange facings again (!) but I am also just as enthused to also paint naval brigade!
Since I am stuck in a fairly rural area of an island and am without access to any "real" gaming conventions or shows, I really appreciate accounts like this one, Steve.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your pictures and accounts of the show . . . it isn't like I was there; but it does give me a lift to be able to imagine that I was.
-- Jeff
Sounds like a great day out, thanks for the pictures of Madagascar, it's something I've contemplated doing for a while given I've already got suitable WW2 French and British
ReplyDeleteWill - if you fancy more detail/background on the Madagascar game I have the handout I can scan for you, but better still if you have access to Miniature Wargames issue 262 (2004) it featured in there.. I damned it with faint praise really, as it had no competition, but to be honest it would have stood up well even to games I saw at Salute.
ReplyDeleteSteve, thanks for the offer, I've already got virtually all the information needed. I just need a couple more vehicles first (as always)
ReplyDeleteWill
Great photos, Steve. I had half thought about going, but just a little bit too far from London for a Sunday outing.
ReplyDeleteGiles
Giles - got to say that unless you combine it with something else it *may* disappoint (one of our party was, but DG and I had the benefit of knowing what to expect and had a great day). I say *may* only because it's so small, and coming from London might be a trip too far. I'm guessing that in terms of size it's going to be very similar to the "Whiff of Grapeshot" show (which I think you went to last year??) - I think a number of the traders at this show also attend that....
ReplyDeleteI hear rumours of events in Eastbourne for 2023. Was I dreaming?
ReplyDeleteNot heard anything, John..
Delete