FARMERS' BIG GUN

The Marlbrook Agricultural Militia, notwithstanding having lots of infantry types (plastic, courtesy of EM-4 Miniatures), lack all forms of support equipment. Attention has therefore turned to the provision of a suitable "Big Gun" for future games, and this interesting conversion recently popped up on the VBCW Facebook page:

Farmers' "Big Gun" - Perry ACW Cannon with scratchbuilt gun shield
and Wargames Atlantic French Resistance "Partisans" Gun Crew.

A useful reminder that all sorts of plastic multi part figures, stripped of their weapons, are jolly useful for gun crews and other support types - and that a gun shield converts pretty much anything into the 1930s:

Gun shield - corrugated cardboard covered in varnish for hardness and durability.
This cardboard modelling thing seems to be gaining in VBCW popularity...

Note : unfortunately, we didn't keep the name of the modeller when nicking the above photos from the VBCW Facebook page, sorry. Anybody wishing to claim the credit please leave a comment below!

VBCW FARMERS (4) - MARLBROOK AGRICULTURAL MILITIA

As a vast array of Anglicans and Bromyard Republicans descend upon the Cadbury's Factory at Marlbrook, Sir Charles Tite-Wadde, Bt., leader of the Combined Corporate Guards, has persuaded the local farmers and tenants of Marlbrook to lend him their support:

Farmer Albert Fruitful, Leader of the Marlbrook Agricultural Militia, with his HQ Section -
Allan, his No.2 (with elephant gun), a standard bearer, two "runners", and
acting as a nurse and medic, his niece, Luscious, with her "pail of healing herbs".

No.1 (or "Green") Section, Marlbrook Agricultural Militia

No.2 (or "Black" Section) Marlbrook Agricultural Militia

No.3 (or "Blue" Section) Marlbrook Agricultural Militia

No.4 (or "Red" Section) Marlbrook Agricultural Militia

HQ and Infantry Contingent, Marlbrook Agricultural Militia.
Sir Charles Tite-Wadde, Bt. has promised Farmer Fruitful "the best
of heavy weaponry" from Corporate Guard Stores - AT Element,
Mortar or MMG, Tank or "Big Gun"- thereby making the Militia
a full Platoon under "Went the Day Well" rules.

28mm Notes:

(HQ Section) Farmer Fruitful is an old boardgame piece obtained from EM-4 Miniatures; the standard bearer and runners are Old Glory ACW from the spares box, "Allan with Elephant Gun" is a Wargames Illustrated Giants in Miniature figure (Allan Quatermain), "Luscious with pail of healing herbs" is an old plastic Britains/Herald 30mm figure from an Ebay joblot - see HERE.

(Infantry Sections) All (apart from Section Leaders) ACW figures from EM-4 Miniatures, painted and slightly converted versions of the "cheep plastic" miniatures originally featured HERE. Section Leaders (with shotgun) are venerable Britains/Herald 30mm farmers - see HERE. Four infantry sections, or 40 figures, for a about a tenner - and painted to be "flexible" for future games - Black Section as BUF Rural Militia, Blue Section as Anglicans, Red Section as Communists, and Green, ummm....well, rural types in support of any faction.

VBCW FARMERS (3) - LEADERS AND SPECIALISTS

After the happy discovery of EM-4's Confederate Infantry as a "cheep" way of producing a VBCW "Angry Farmers" Platoon, some suggestions (if you're not up for converting EM-4s figures with Perry ACW or Desert Rats sprues) for compatible Leaders and Specialist figures:

A venerable Britains/Herald plastic farmer figure from the 1960s.
30mm tall, originally sold with two types of milkmaid, quite often
on Ebay - but beware, precisely the same figure was also made in
40mm and 54mm! Excellent as a leader, or his shotgun can easily be
 removed and replaced with a cradled Lewis Gun or other LMG.

Crusader Miniatures 28mm Russian Partisan LMGs. Two of these
would work straight out the packet - the other two would need headswaps
- or banishment to a VBCW Soviet backed force.

Crusader 28mm Partisans Mortar. Only one headswap really needed, and then only
if you're fussy.

Steve Barber Miniatures 28mm ACW Confederate Grenade Throwers.
Great for AT Bomb teams.

Steve Barber Miniatures 28mm Confederates again - good for gun crews/logistics teams

Eureka Miniatures Australian Home Guard/Ex-Diggers Vickers MMG. No worries!

Eureka Miniatures Australian Home Guard/Ex-Diggers Molotov Cocktail teams.
Excellent for AT Bomb Teams!

VBCW FARMERS (2) - GET OFF MY LAND!

A variety of signs that can be found across the agricultural parts of Herefordshire, indicating the strong desire of VBCW farmers "simply to be left alone":

And here's some more - print and play!

VBCW FARMERS (1) - "ON THE CHEEP"

Herefordshire has always been a predominantly agricultural County. Farmers (and their tenants) therefore formed a sizeable proportion of the 1930s population, but (astonishingly enough), no-one has yet produced a 28mm range of "jolly bucolic types with rifles, Lewis guns and support weapons" suitable for VBCW action.

Well, that is not quite right. Eureka have produced THIS RANGE of 1930s Australian "Home Guard/ex Diggers" types which are reasonably suitable. Some types can be salvaged or converted from the latest lines of French Resistance figures, and in the best VBCW way, the spares box can also be searched for left over "agricultural looking" figures from the Boer War, or other time periods, such as these Casting Room Miniatures Victorian/Edwardians or these Wargames Foundry 18th Century Civilians. 

Nonetheless, the absence of a 1930s farmers range is even more regrettable given that the "distaff side" is now astonishingly well-catered for by Bad Squiddo Games:

1930s Female Agriculturalists ranging from pig keepers to "ratters" - but not a male Farmer in sight

1930s Farmer's Wives with improvised weapons - but no Farmer Husbands.

A whole posse of Land Girls (armed and unarmed) - but (yawn!) again no Farmers.

Clearly, a rare case of "inverse sexism" in the 28mm manufacturing market, which would only be truly upsetting if the term had the slightest meaning in the much simpler world of 1938. Still, we need 1930s farmers, and this being the Herefordshire VBCW, we need lots of 1930s farmers and therefore need them cheep - in the old phrase, so cheap that they can't even afford a second vowel.

Well, here's the best solution that we've found - EM4 Confederate Infantry at the best value ever price of £4.99 for twenty, or a mere 25p per figure:

As this REVIEW HERE points out, the hats on these Confederates are more of a type of "bush hat" than any sort of headgear associated with the Southern States during the ACW, but that is all to the good for VBCW farmers. The "blanket rolls and beards" look equally produces a "1930s agricultural" vibe without any need for conversion - and if you're lazy in that department, all you need to do is turn a blind eye to the length of a musket as opposed to the length of a rifle (or invent a backstory where all your farmers are musket armed, but "fire as if they were rifles").

All in all, the need for conversion is minimal. Lewis Guns can be obtained from Colonel Bills or elsewhere. If you want additional poses, you could always headswap the "confederate bush hats" on to some of the equally value for money EM4 Union figures (some with puttees and boots, some with shoes and trousers):

As the linked review points out with helpful photos, the EM4 miniatures are compatible with Perry Miniatures ACW plastics, which also makes them compatible with other Perry plastic figures, such as the Desert Rats (with helmets, rifles, Brens, Boys AT gun etc...). With a bit of scrounging around and a few metal figures for Command HQ characters, a "Went the Day Well" Platoon sized "VBCW Farmers Field Force" can be built up for little more than a tenner...now that truly is "cheep"!