This has been posted elsewhere sorry if your reading it twice.
Just reading through this months Wargames Illustrated, as always very a good wargames mag ....But as always showing photos of 10mm armies they got it wrong, under a photo of a HYW era army they put ' archers at the Battle of Bannockburn..'!!??. There's knights on foot in full plate and a French banner and knights wearing Hounds Hood or Dogs Face Bascinets, when will the war games press do a good article on 10mm war gaming and show the right figure with the right caption or artical. If it had been in 28mm and they have used HYW figures to show the Battle of Bannockburn I'm sure the letters and e.mails would have poured in.The miniatures are available for the Bannockburn era so why not use them?
There we go rant over... :)
Jason
Send them an email then.
I can check this out if you like - one of their staff photographers lives near me (& is going to cover Nikfest for WI - so we'll have *lots* of good 10mm coverage after December!)
Yep, e.mail sent :)
If you look at the time difference Bannockburn 1314 and the appearance of the Hounds Hood or Dogs Face Bascinets around 1400 and a little later for full plate armour and Bascinet poss 1430's, it would be like an article on WW1 say the battle of the Somme with a photo showing a Spitfire in the air and Tiger 2 tanks roaming around. Yep we all proxy figures when we need to but WI is supposed to be at least a little bit historically correct...aren't they?.
Jason.
Don't mistake them for people who give a damn ;)
Quote from: SV52 on 01 September 2010, 02:45:05 PM
Don't mistake them for people who give a damn ;)
That's a bit harsh :)
From my experience & contact with Paul, staff photographer & terrain-builder, they're doing this on a shoestring with very few staff and resources...he, at least, is incredibly passionate about wargaming in its entirety and is keen to give everything its coverage where he can. He takes an active interest in things that he knows little about - but is also not expert on every period / nuance etc etc - which would of course be an absurdity. You show me a political journalist who knows, in detail, the full extent of political history and I'll eat my hat ;)
But to suggest they don't give a damn? Nah...they do. Really. Further evidence would be their support for Nikfest - my little gaming get-together this year: a grassroots & smallscale event - for which they have promised coverage in the magazine, things for goodie-bags for attendees and prize for raffle / auction.
Now tell me they don't give a damn :P
I agree with Nick. You could always offer to do an article and supply figures for the photo's so it would be correct.
The publication does a darn good job :-)
Quote from: sixsideddice on 20 September 2010, 11:41:32 AM
The publication does a darn good job :-)
Too right - there's a Nikfest mention in the current issue 8)
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f175/nikharwood/Nikfest2010-1.jpg)
excellent Nik... I`ll pick up my copy next time I`m in Tralee.
Sweeeeet.
Six
Not even Mel Gibson put knights in full plate armor in braveheart,
And he put Nazi SS British in The Patriot so he isn't exactly know for this historicaly accurat movies
THis seems to be a common rant in most magazines x put a figure with the wrong whatever as they didnt come in until 40 years later. However my take on it is this :
I know Roman stuff emmm err ask me anything you like about the Polish lancers in the Napoleonic wars, and I can give you most of the information you require, now ask me about the Prussian cavalry oif the same period and I wil go...errrrrrrrr. So I will ask someone who might be able to give me the information, the downside to this is they might be only a little more knowleadgeable than myself.
Now if I was doing a photo for a magazine the lancers would be spot on, however the Prussian cavalry would be whatever someone gave me and told me was correct, providing it looked right, I would use it for the photo. And only when somebody pointed out that it was the 1817 dress would I realise the mistake.
QuoteWW1 say the battle of the Somme with a photo showing a Spitfire in the air and Tiger 2 tanks roaming around
bugger you mean they didnt?
No wonder I keep getting possed no matter what side I play!
Quote from: nikharwood on 02 September 2010, 09:51:51 PM
That's a bit harsh :)
A
BIT harsh?!
That's an understatement.
:o
As to the OP issue of 'getting it wrong'...well it happens.
And in my opinion long may it continue.
Wargaming is the epitome of a 'Heath Robinson' hobby; at the same time 'unprofessional' yet stuffed to the gunwhales with 'professional experts'. Its why i love it so much! (And incidentally is possibly why those company's that 'go professional' (or attempt to) come in for such flack from the wargames community).
We can't all know everything, but we all know bits and bobs...
On the specific issue, there are many possible reasons as to why the armour in the photo may be 60 years out; the least of which is likely to be the carelessness of the editor/publishers.
Its very easy to heckle from the sidelines. Rather than complaining to them about it by email, i'd agree with Sandinista's suggestion of a more positive approach...write and illustrate an article that explians and informs the issue you feel strongly about and submit it for publication. I'm sure if its up to scratch the chaps over at WI would love to receive a good quality article.
Filling the pages month after month is an endless trial and i'm sure they'd welcome the help! :)
It's not an issue unique to 10mm pics, proxies/mislabelled figures have been used on many an occasion in the wargames press. It is often down to what is available to the photographer. We do not know the provenance of the photo, for all we know it could be of a refight of bannockburn where these were used because that's all they had, yes it would have been nice if they had been described accurately but let's not take it as some sort of attack on 10mm. They were well painted for what they actually are IMHO let's be happy with that. I remember seeing pics in MW with 1806 Prussian Fusiliers painted (badly) blue.
As I said I think WI is a very good publication, and a e.mail was sent enquiring about the mistake and to enquire about any future 10mm articles .The reply was yes, point about the figures used was taken and the editor would be asked about any 10mm articles.
Jason
From what I have seen WI is in the top echelon. I never miss a magazine.