Bolt Action : Japanese A5m Claude in Shanghai 1937

 Hi guys

I have just completed a plane for Bolt Action in the Far East.  I want to expand my tiny Chinese/Japanese/Manchukuo forces with more vehicles, this time a Japanese air support unit, a A5M Claude aircraft, as seen in the film "The 800" during the Battle of Shanghai in 1937.

There’s something special about early-war aircraft, and the Mitsubishi A5M Claude is one of those planes that instantly pulls you into a different era. Before the legendary Zero, this was Japan’s frontline naval fighter—the first monoplane carrier fighter in the world to enter service. 

The A5M made its combat debut during the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War, particularly in the fighting around Shanghai in 1937. At the time, it equipped units like the 12th Kokutai, one of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s key air groups deployed in China.

These aircraft often operated from carriers such as the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga, which played a major role in projecting Japanese air power during the conflict. The Claudes quickly proved their worth, outperforming many Chinese fighters of the time and establishing air superiority in several engagements.

I really like this less known pre-WWII aircraft :)

The kit itself is Hobby Boss 1/72 A5M is one of those kits that doesn’t fight you. It’s simple, clean, and perfect for a quick project because it´s for begginers, with some details simplified, so perfect for wargaming! The fit is good overall, and you can get a really nice result without going crazy on aftermarket parts.

Magnets and transparent acrylic rod made a perfect flying stand!

The classic look for a Shanghai-era Claude is the natural metal (or aluminium lacquer) finish, mixed with some masked red areas.

 I didn’t want it to look like a mirror, though, that can feel unrealistic at this scale, so I went for a slightly toned-down metallic with Ammo Mig paints: I used a soft aluminium base rather than a bright chrome,  I added subtle panel variation with slightly different metallic shades and finally, kept weathering minimal, with a pin wash in the panel lines and some dirt and smoke where it should normally be.

In Bolt Action, early-war Japanese forces aren’t always the most common choice, which makes something like the A5M stand out even more. It works perfectly as a thematic air support option for a 1937–1939 China theater force, along the Type 89 I-go tank and an armored car with some artillery.

I hope you like this little project.

30 Years War Commander base: Catalan/French Josep Margarit

 Hi guys,

I have just finished a command base for my TYW French army in the Pyrinees/Catalan front. 

As I normally play with  Warlord's Pike & Shotte rules, I need several command bases for the different "battalias" in the games, so I was (and I am!) short of commanders for my armies in the 30 Years War period. 

I wanted a commander who could be a generic general, but also I wanted to paint a miniature based on a real historical character.

So I opted for a Catalan who revolted against the Hispanic crown in 1640, Josep Margarit.

Josep Margarit was the main military commander of the Franco-Catalan forces during the Reapers' War (a War inside the 30 Years War). In January 1641, his actions prevented the Hispanic Crown from supplying its troops during the siege of Barcelona, contributing decisively to the victory at the Battle of Montjuïc.

He later led the defense of Camp de Tarragona, commanding the miquelets, and played a key role in multiple engagements that year: Valls, Cambrils , Constantí (freeing 400 prisoners), and fighting in Montmeló, Vilafranca del Penedès, and La Granada. Some historians attribute his effectiveness to experience in banditry and guerrilla warfare.

In September 1641, he joined a diplomatic mission that secured cooperation with Louis XIII.

Margarit’s military successes made him a prime target for the Hispanic Crown. In 1642, he blocked Castilian troops under Pedro de Aragón from crossing Catalonia to aid forces in Roussillon. He later led the recovery of the Val d’Aran (1643), organized grain supplies for Catalan troops in Lleida (1646), and became the leading figure in the resistance during the siege of Barcelona (1651–52), refusing to abandon the plague-stricken city. 

After its capitulation, he continued leading military raids (Ponts, Solsona, Cardona, Ribelles, Cadaqués, La Seu d’Urgell) in an attempt to regain control of Catalonia. The Treaty of the Pyrenees 1659 ultimately ended his hopes of defeating the Hispanic Crown.

 

I chose a miniature that had that kind of  strange moustache,  long hair and that black hat similar to those worn by priests. Also the figure had to be in armor, and wear a white sash.

As you can imagine, a I had to make some conversion, I cut a plastic head from one of the commanders of the plastic sprue of Warlord's TYW/ECW captains, and the body of a metal commander from 1898 miniatures.

The other guy in the base is an officer from The Assault Group's TYW range. I painted them using some Foundry Triads , which I love for this period:  Buff Leather , Dark African Flesh, Rawhide...  I personally use a lot these 3 triad for boots, buffcoats, gloves etc.

the  cloth armband in the officer's arm is black , which was the color (along with French white) of the Catalan units in French service or fighting the Spanish.

I hope you like it !

Cheers

Regiment Lyonnais PART II half of the musketeers done

 Hi friends,

Four years have passed since I painted the first base of my Régiment Lyonnais, and, as usual, projects take longer than expected… but finally I managed to get back into it. 😄

At last, I’ve completed the second base (out of three) for the unit. This time, I focused on musketeers.

For this base I went for a mixture of manufacturers, trying to get variety without losing coherence. I included one1898 Miniatures (30YW range), two Avanpost Miniatures, one Perry Miniatures ECW and finally  couple of Warlord Games leftovers I had in the bits box.

Blending ranges is always a bit of a gamble, but I think it works quite well here. The slightly different styles actually help give that “campaign-worn regiment” feeling, also the reason is that I have a pile a of miniatures of at least 5 or 6 manufacturers in my stock pile...

Regarding the painting of the musketeers, I kept a fairly muted palette, in line with early/mid XVII century French troops, but with some blues and yellows for laces (as seen in the color plates of Helion book about the French Army during 30 Years War). As usual, I paint with Vallejo Model Color and Foundry Triads, but also Citadel for washes.

For the base, sand, painted in earth tones, static grass applied sparingly and a couple of flowers to break monotony.

I’m quite happy with how this base turned out.

Now… only one more base to go to complete the Lyonnais!

More Civilians, Militias and Miquelets or XVII c. guerrilla mountain skirmishers. Part II

Hello guys,

following the first part: 

https://spanishleadpainting.blogspot.com/2025/12/coming-back-to-siege-of-gerona-1684.html

I have painted six new miniatures for this 17th century civilians and militia reinforcements for my 30 Years War project but also my late XVII c. projects like 1672, and siege of Gerona 1684.

For this, I used three miniatures from Bloody Miniatures, which I absolutely love. These are the first ones I’ve painted from a couple of dozen I own, and I’m very happy with the result. The idea is to use them as armed civilians or musketeers for the Thirty Years War.

I also converted an artilleryman from North Star 1672 to represent a night watchman, adding a plastic lantern or oil lamp.

Another miniature is a second friar (I painted another in December) from Perry Miniatures, originally from their Carlist Wars range and armed with a blunderbuss. However, it works perfectly well as a 17th-century friar.

Finally, this is a miguelete/miquelet, wearing the typical Catalan cap, the barretina. On his feet he wears alpargatas, traditional Spanish peasant footwear that has been used for centuries. The miniature was originally a guerrilla fighter from Perry Miniatures’ Napoleonic range, but I removed the anachronistic elements and replaced the sabre-armed hand with a metal, Northstar 1672 17th century musket. I also added a plastic Thirty Years War powder flask from a Warlord Games set.

For painting I used Foundry paints triads (Dark African flesh, Buff, Rawhide, Spearshaft, Forest Green) and Vallejo Model Color.  For  matt varnish I use Ultra matt from Greenstuff world which I recommend.

I also painted a small trench made of resin

I will add more of these, because I want a full second Miquelet unit using these Perry Guerrillas converted, as well as Bloody Miniatures.

Again all the unit so far.

Mighty Empires XVII c. Part II.

 XVII C. Mighty Empires Campaign Map – Part II

Hi guys, 

in this post let's talk about scales, miniatures and tabletop experiments...

In the first post I introduced the campaign map inspired by Mighty Empires, adapted to the 17th century.

In this second part I want to focus on something just as important: how to represent the campaign physically on the table, and which scale actually works best once everything is laid out.

1) From file to table: printing the map on canvas

One of the most satisfying steps was printing the map on canvas, using the maximum size allowed by the plotter.

note the size of the map next to a 28mm musketeer 

Seeing it laid out physically is very satisfaying, the quality of the print was beyond my expectations, because is larger than the original size of the game in paper.

The canvas surface works perfectly with tokens, avoids glare, and gives the whole setup an almost period-appropriate feel very fitting for the 17th century.

2) The second step was purchasing 17th-century miniatures in 2 mm, mainly tercios and pike-and-shot regiments from Irregular Miniatures.

The idea was never to use them as tactical units (although I am tempted!), but as army tokens at campaign level.

At this scale, a small block can convincingly represent an entire field army. You lose individual detail, of course, but you gain something far more important for a campaign map: clarity and a strong sense of strategic movement.

For this type of game, 2 mm works remarkably well.

the forts, towns and cities are maybe, bigger than I would like, but I think they will do the job. But of course you can use paper o card counters as in the original game.

These Irregula Miniatures models were not meant for play yet, just to see how they interact visually with the map. Do they help reading the territory? Do they get in the way? Do they add atmosphere or simply clutter the table?

So far, the answer seems clear: used sparingly, terrain adds structure and context without stealing the spotlight from the campaign tokens.

I am not sure of the size of the round bases... for big armies maybe 5mm diameter round bases ? do they hide too much terrain under them ?

The 10 mm experiment: Pendraken order:

Still undecided, I decided to push the idea further and placed a custom order with Pendraken Miniatures, this time in 10 mm.

The concept is the same , campaign tokens,  but with far more recognisable formations: visible pike blocks, musket lines, and a stronger visual identity.

I will paint a few of these and see if they do the job better than the tiny 2mm scale.

The key question is :

Does the visual gain justify the loss of scale and table space?

Early impressions suggest that 10 mm looks great,It becomes more “miniatures-driven”.

At one point I even considered something more extreme: using 1/72 scale plastic figures, both from the Thirty Years’ War and the Nine Years’ War.

The idea didn’t last long, but it’s worth mentioning. The result would be spectacular — but it would probably turn the campaign map into a semi-permanent diorama rather than a practical gaming tool. Still, I wouldn’t rule out a limited test at some point.

My conclusions so far are:

1) 2 mm is excellent for strategic-level campaigns

2) 10 mm is visually tempting, but needs careful balance

3) Terrain should remain minimal and functional, probably I will combine cardboard terrain tokens (forts etc) with 2mm metal and resin.

4)Printing the map on canvas was absolutely worth it

I’ll keep experimenting until I find the right balance between playability, visual appeal and historical atmosphere.

There will definitely be a Part III.

Cheers!

1/1200 Mad for War: 30 Years War's Galleons and fort.

 Hi guys, 

Happy New Year!

Today I’d like to share two small additions to my Spanish fleet in 1/1200 scale, both built and painted for naval wargaming in the Mediterranean during the Thirty Years’ War and Franco Spanish War. The models come from Ark Royal Miniatures, produced under the Warfare Miniatures range, a line nowadays well known among small-scale naval warfare lovers.

The models are a 38 gun frigate/galleon,  an  old merchantman and a 3d printed naval fort. The ships although modest in size, play an important role on the table top.

I also bought scenery in 2mm from Irregular miniatures , intended both for Mad for War naval rules and my campaign map game (see previous post).

The first model is a small merchantman, lightly armed and clearly intended more for patrol, escort, or convoy duties than for line-of-battle engagements. Unfortunately, I no longer remember the exact catalogue reference, but its compact hull and reduced artillery make it immediately recognizable as a secondary combatant rather than a major warship.

For painting, I aimed for a restrained and practical look: muted hull tones, simple decoration, and weathering that suggests long service at sea. In Mediterranean scenarios, this type of vessel works perfectly as a support ship, a scout, or an objective vessel—valuable but vulnerable if caught by heavier enemy units.

The second model is the 38-Gun Frigate, a much more aggressive and versatile design. Fast, well-armed, and capable of independent action, this type of frigate represents, along the galleon/Man o'war, the backbone of many Spanish naval operations during the conflict.

I painted her to stand out slightly more than the galleon, with sharper contrasts and cleaner lines, with paper flags attached.

Both ship's flags are metal painted and paper printed,  the paper flags are slightly oversized, but I don't care about that, because the are easier to identify from distance in games.

Both ships are intended primarily for Mediterranean naval battles, where shorter engagement ranges, coastal actions, and sudden encounters dominate play. In the context of the Thirty Years’ War, they fit naturally into scenarios involving Spanish–French naval rivalry, convoy interceptions, and regional control, but also massive fleet actions.

I started painting this range back in 2023, and I am very happy with it, at 1/1200 scale, these models strike an excellent balance between detail and playability, allowing entire squadrons to be deployed without overwhelming the table.

Now my entire fleet so far:

4 galleys, 2 small galleons/frigates,  a yacht and an armed merchantman, all of them Ark Royal Miniatures , and a 3d printed galleon by Turner miniatures.

Cheers