Chinese Boxer Rebellion / Black Flag Pirate gun crews

I’m working on building armies for both Boxer Rebellion and Black Flag Pirates. Though they are distinctive and separate forces my research has shown that some of the figures can be used for both armies, IMHO. Here are some Chinese gunners converted from 25mm Old Glory Boxer Rebellion minis from their colonial range, codes CBC-01 & CBC-02 Boxers attacking with Swords and Pole Arms. Figure codes below  

I cut away the existing weapons and inserted gun crew tools in place. I left the sword in the hand of the gun commander as any self respecting Chinese gun crew commander must have a suitably large and sharp sword. I added a bucket from the bits box to make him look more part of the gun crew rather than just another sword armed Boxer fig. 

   

                   

                                             

I build all my gun crew teams as (4) man gun crews for my favorite rules system The Sword And The Flame. 

I removed the weapons that the other three figs were cast with and drilled out their hands with a small drill bit to allow me to insert the gunner tools. I made a sponge from .032” steel piano wire rod from Hobby Lobby, a bead, and green stuff, a worm from a Foundry Miniatures Crimea era gun crew set, and a linstock / match from I don’t know where, some of which I fabricated. 

I slightly altered the one fig to add a turban with green stuff to make him more useful to use as a Black Flag Chinese or Vietnamese pirate as well as a Boxer. Not my best work by far, but it would suffice when painted. 

 

                                              

                           “Tools of the Trade”

Here is the completed gun crew. I made grooves in the bamboo hats more pronounced by using a simple exacto knife and layering paint.  

I based these as I always do with painters gels from Michaels Craft Store. I’ve also used Renaissance Inks flocking gels. I mix the desired texture(s) with Delta Ceramcoat Burnt Umber acrylic paint in a small container using a mix of Extra Course, Medium, and Soft Gel to get the texture I want, sometimes adding railroad ballast and sand. This is applied with a small gel pallet knife and a cheap hard bristle brush. It’s left to dry for 24 hours and then I dry brush with the colors below in succession. 

This crew is manning a very large 17th-18th century artillery piece for the spares box, mfg and origin unknown. Here is the painted cannon without weathering or my usual Polyshades Minwax Tudor Brown dip which is a combo weathering, shading, and sealing / protection.

This next gun crew are from Wargames Foundry which I’ve had sitting around for years. They are from 3 different packs of Chinese troops.

Loader:

For the loader I used a lead shield from one of the Chinese Tigermen packs attached with a steel rod drilled through the head to mimic a commonly used Black Flag Pirate headgear.

I was going for headgear similar to this Black Flag Pirate from Gringo 40’s Miniatures.

Gun crew commander: 

I added another bucket for the gun crew commander and  a bamboo hat made of paper card superglued to his head and textured it slightly to give a bamboo /straw feel.

Bore Cleaner with sponge:

I added a sponge from the spares box, most likely from another Foundry gun crew set to this suitably upright standing fig with arm in the perfect pose from the Ever Victorious Army gun crew set, see below. 

Here are the (3) packs of Wargame’s Foundry Chinese

that I sourced figures from for this gun crew.  

 The Black Flag Army used a variety of artillery, here they are pictured with a 3-D printed 28mm age of sail naval cannon that one of my buddies gave me!

TSATF Colonial Games at HurriCon - Orlando 26-29 September

Tap on the above to see it clearly. 

These are the colonial games, mostly TSATF - The Sword And The Flame for the upcoming HMGS-South HurriCon-24 convention, 26-29 September 2024. There will be a colonial game run each session on the same table from Friday morning through Saturday night. 

Hosted by SMG, the South Florida Miniatures Gamers, whose members hail from South Miami to Central Florida and with members all over the country. 

                      HMGS-South HurriCon-24 link

A 7th game has now been added, a TSATF Sudan game for the Thursday night session. This scenario comes from an official TSATF Scenario Pack.

http://www.sergeants3.com/first.html

William “Bill” Moreno

                             Rest In Peace Brother

                                                                                  

Another long over due eulogy to a very dear friend. This was started upon returning from Bill’s funeral and languished since last May 2023.

Bill was a great friend and great guy! He will surely be missed for many a year to come. Bill touched so many peoples lives, he ran amazing games at cons all over the country, sold his miniatures world wide, was a fanatic painter, an exceptional GM, wrote articles and rules, was a big contributor to the electric football community, was an a vocalist, as well as many other talents. Many of Bill’s accomplishments can be read below form his official obit or on the HMGS-East Legion of Honor page, of which he was a member. So many people posted awesome anecdotes and memories of Bill which is a true testament of his mettal.

All that and more being said, simply put I will miss my friend, my con buddy, my hobby buddy, my drinking partner, the decade plus of games in Bill’s garage or at Das Krieg Haus, trips to Historicon, HurriCon, Recon, Rapier, etc. Bill is actually the one who got me into Irish whiskey, under his vigorous tutelage I developed a strong love for the Irish nectar, LOL…

Words seem trite, inadequate, good bye my friend.

                                                    

                                           

                                           

                                           

No one will miss him more than his beloved wife Barbara!

Here is the official obituary from the funeral home we attended:

William "Bill" Moreno Jr. Obituary

William (Bill) Louis Moreno Jr., passed away at his home in Buford, Ga., June 27 after a long illness. A beloved family man who spent his career in the travel industry, he was a military historian, an avid, award-winning gamer and small business owner. He was 62.
   Born Feb. 28, 1961 in Rockland County, N.Y., he spent his youth living in a variety of locations, including abroad, as the eldest child in an Army family. The biggest part of his life was spent in Huntsville, Ala., south and central Florida, and the Atlanta metro area.
   Bill is survived by his wife Barbara Terry-Moreno of Buford, Ga.; his step-son James Terry and his wife, Susan, along with their children, Kenneth and Jessica, of Suwanee, Ga.; step-daughter Staci and her husband  Grey O'Hara, of Kissimmee, Fla.; his mother Nancy Jones of Fayetteville, Tenn.; his sister, Vicki Richardson and her husband, Dale, and sons, Josh and Daniel, of Fayetteville, Tenn.; his sister, Michele Moreno-Myers and her husband Richard, of Monahans, Texas; his sister, Melissa Carpenter and her husband Nick, and their children, Robbie, Gabby, Nicholas, and Cameron of Bluffton, S.C.; along with numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, in-laws, and friends, many of them life-long friends.
   Bill was an avid player of sports and excelled in academics, graduating from Butler High School in Huntsville, Ala., in 1979. He studied at the University of Alabama and earned a BA in history from Florida Atlantic University in 2011. With a 4.0 GPA, he was inducted into the National History Honor Society, Phi Alpha Theta. He was director of strategic sales at the travel industry's Amadeus North America, where he worked from 1987 to 2021.
   He was an insightful conversationalist, no matter the topic, and loved to make people laugh. Always courteous, ever polite and polished, his company was always highly enjoyable.
   Bill, who as a young boy enjoyed chess, was an avid reader even as a young man. That would continue throughout his life, but history was his favorite reading material, with a particular interest in the Civil War. Years later he would learn that a distant great-grandfather on his maternal side fought for the Union with the 144th Infantry in that war, something that made him quite proud. Bill was an active participant in re-enactments, and was fond of recreating memorable battle scenes in miniature, all painstakingly painted with accuracy a key component. That would lead to a small business venture in the gaming industry.

   Bill’s passion was gaming, where he excelled. He was a prolific writer for the historical gaming hobby and gifted speaker. Those who know him said he lived for the hobby and was well-respected in the community. An active participant for some 35 years, he was an Historical Miniatures Gaming Society (HMGS) Legion of Honor recipient as a leader, promoter and organizer. His miniatures of epic battles spanned multiple wars, including the American Revolution, the Mexican-American War, Crimea, the Civil War, WWI and WWII. He won numerous “Best of Show” awards at HMGS events nationwide.

   Taking his hobby a step further, Bill owned, produced and marketed several historical figure lines, as well as other gaming products, through his small business, Good Ground LLC, maker of Cracker Line Miniatures.

   The world is a lesser place without him in it, and his extended family has lost one of its pillars, an unshakeable, dependable, loving, and yes, very handsome man who, like his father, did not look his age.
   The fond memories of those left behind are the true, living legacy of the departed, and no doubt there are many such joyous memories of Bill and the way he made everyone’s life better. Those memories are held by family, friends and associates alike. He will be with us whenever we smile thinking about laughs we shared. And we will fight back tears over tender, loving moments that will live on in our thoughts.

   There will be a tribute to Bill at HISTORICON ’23 in Lancaster, Pa., July 19-23, 2023, as well as HURRICON ’23 in Kissimmee, Fla., Sept. 21-24, 2023. The tribute by those in the gaming hobby is not surprising, since Bill was considered a “rock star” in the wargaming community, and he inspired many people.

   The funeral is July 7, 2023, and viewing is the evening before, July 6, at Hazel Green Funeral Home in Hazel Green, Ala. The family welcomes flowers for the funeral and/or the viewing. Donations can also be made to the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) in Bill's name.