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Once I have unpacked from the move I will be continuing with my 6mm WHFB Wood Elf and Orc armies. So far they are looking really good. Will post some pictures soon
/nudges
Bouncing back from two weeks of ‘cold’ issues- problematic breathing and fatigue always takes me down…
So a polyglot of unfinished business; much as the earlier projects
– Russian jaeger battalion
– a few ‘new’ Eureka guns and unicorns (not shown)
– Austrian officers horses
– ditto French/ Garde/ ADCs etc
-Mal Soult and his entire (as selected) entourage
-refurbishment of Grenadier a Cheval staff and officers
-miscellany of French ADCs; Polish Ordnance/ Liaison offs
etc…
watched over by a certain Major-General Berthier- just awaiting his lace to appear…
Well better part of a month gone by and I put them aside again, many nearly 99% done and ready to base. However, put them aside to give the eyes a rest and surveyed not only the technical troops again, but also some terrain that was, embarrassingly started, almost two years ago.
So some wide river sections (450mmx 120mm wide) and curves/ direction changes- puttied and roughly contoured and coloured banks; along with an ‘expanded’ solid earthwork of much older vintage.
Also mounted the engineer work units and starting the final conversion figure into some sort of articifer.
In the pipeline, some refurbishment work to a shako wearing battalion/ French regiment and minor conversions turning those annoying pointy sticks firing types into the 3rd rank ‘deployed’ tirailleurs we all hate. I think I’ll try and make them ‘agnostic’ so they can be used by any line unit so requiring them.
cheers d
Various items on the bench, a bit slower than normal. Various reason not least the heat over the past few weeks and I keep getting sidetracked on other ideas for figure conversions.
A generic Highland infantryman converted from a Spencer Smith AWI figure.
These were the figures used for the conversion.
x
Bouncing back from two weeks of ‘cold’ issues- problematic breathing and fatigue always takes me down… So a polyglot of unfinished business; much as the earlier projects – Russian jaeger battalion – a few ‘new’ Eureka guns and unicorns (not shown) – Austrian officers horses – ditto French/ Garde/ ADCs etc -Mal Soult and his entire (as selected) entourage -refurbishment of Grenadier a Cheval staff and officers -miscellany of French ADCs; Polish Ordnance/ Liaison offs etc… watched over by a certain Major-General Berthier- just awaiting his lace to appear…
How are you getting on with that pile of figures OotKust?
For myself, Baccus WW2 tanks:
28mm Perry Minatures Colonials:
and some other bits and pieces, more details here
those annoying pointy sticks firing types into the 3rd rank ‘deployed’ tirailleurs we all hate.
Here’s a not very glamorous pic of these refurbishments, still quite a few details to repair/ touch-up, but working along, they will be 3 men instead of 4- though these are just posed on a larger base, as tirailleurs and swapped in and out of units to show the ‘expanded’ skirmish line.
Something along with my mock-up Marshal at
#190678
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regards -dI’m retired but no longer have a place to paint. Sucks getting old.
Suddenly Kyote, I’m believing the same- multiple health defects in a single month, all of which increase fatigue and reduce stamina to sit and work, then the comp gets screwed up as well!
How are you getting on with that pile of figures OotKust?
Thanks Whirlwind- meh, many have progressed to ‘glue on horses’ time; diverted to the terrain for a while.
I did put Soult and his entourage aside now that I’ve reviewed their progress and understand what I must do.
Now back to sampling some ‘revised’ figures that need electric drill/ engraving work before a leap in progress to another unit – the First Carabiniers.
My Garde ADCs and officers also mostly complete. Making the most of Garde Grenadiers a Cheval for both regiment, Gen de brigade commandant and Etat-Major de la Garde ADCs.
In the regiment (only a few untouched figures actually) I’m refurbishing a 1970’s paint job, better detailling of the riders and also correcting the ‘lace’ on the horses schabraques. Some ‘new’ paints will be required as I’ve shorn off officers to use as ADCs etc. That after deciding all Garde regiments will have two Aigles/ Entendards present.
As well as the ‘tirailleurs’ above (6 plus added 3 new available) I’ve pulled from storage box a pair of fusilier battalions that were part painted after modifications a long while ago. One normal French (tho Spanish figures with French shako heads):
and another a ‘German’ conversion- an 1806 style French 3rd Battalion* re-equipped with captured supplies, herewith from 2020:
*The premise I’m using is that, for an ‘expansion’ of certain units in 1806/07 campaigns, different uniforms are a bonus and thus some of my ‘two battalions only’ IVCorps can get a modest expansion from the ‘wealth’ of demobbed infantry in the lead pile from many years back; also have much command and elites, though by my reading will need less of those soon!
In the wings are my ‘opponents’- old WF Austrians (only two battalions worth creeping along; and ‘new’ 1799 old style Russians in a polyglot of uniforms looking like proper campaign messiness.
Completed 4 new Russian guns/ unicorns- nice looking units!In the cooler/ wet moments, well here researching… all the titbits that make it unique. Even did a sample pair of Garde Dragoons- again figures I’d never anticpated but I have some mismatched horses that may look good and otherwise I wouldn’t have used. But throw nothing away… oops…
Take care, dave
@OotKust, Thanks, interesting. Is doing up older Napoleonic figures your ‘thing’? Was quite curious about the small batches.
Heh heh, thanks for asking.
Well, these are figures that used to be units, back in the 70s/80’s when working life really kicked in and fouled up my hobby time.The small numbers are because I set aside shako wearing infantry- recall I customised French into ‘bicornes’ in preference to shakos- utilising the very good Spanish fusilier model, but also creating bicorne heads for the ‘French’ body fusiliers and elite companies (ie milliput epaulettes etc.).
So my mission was to create a complete Division (of IV Corps of la Grande Armée) in bicornes, perhaps the gaming Army in toto, though I never really tried the latter.
As I said various shako wearing infantry were set aside- but never sold off; some units stripped (I had the megalomania of the 70’s and painted many diverse units, but hardly any pure ‘French’; those demobbed units are the result here. By 1980 I had started to focus on an OB, hence my trip to France in 1984 for research.
I also had technical problems when I rushed matt spraying figures a couple of times over the years- too many turned yellow shade and so I’d rather decided to repaint them by touch-ups rather than full stripping of units. From my ‘bulk’ storage WIP/ Planning drawers another- an old representation of the 28eme de ligne – various officers and special figures have been taken for ‘living’ units rather than leave everything dormant:
You can see 5 of the shooting figures that I’m turning into tirailleurs. I was never happy with combining the extended bayonets ‘firing’ pose in with other poses anyway. So in a way [and my mind resolves] it solves a problem, and enhances reality of French tactical usage (deployed 3rd ranks or companies…) on occasion.
Here are a regiments worth (2 bons) of fusiliers- my customisations; elites with sabre-briquets, epaulettes and large plumes (actually one is a master figure you can see rhs); the unpainted are new purchase Minifigs of the Revolution range (very limited) and not at all the correct scale size either! And a few other randoms.
These pics from when I methodically catalogued the lead pile in mid-late 2019 and restirred my ‘projects’ status, including writing notes and later a diary of progress/ planning changes AND why!
While these sat in a cardboard box in this chocolates tray, others like the 28eme above were in a metal parts box, so movement was minimal. These are my ‘go to’ spares for random command figures should I choose not to start from scratch.
Many, like the ‘new’ Grenadiers of the Reserve have uniform peculiarities that require conversions, so like ‘Deadhead’ at the other place, I batch my work, but only on a unit basis.
And the megalomania continued to expand- since I also added the ‘enemy’- in 1990s a decision to create the split Austrian corps at Austerlitz; and by 2021 also the Russian army units in ‘supporting roles’ to the Austrians.
I did this for two reasons- gaming here became fragmented in the late 90’s and 25/28mm Napoleonics was no longer popular mainstream (15mm was); and the need to host games with both sides fielded was the impetus to create the Austrians. Much agonising done, I chose WF for them rather than continue with Minifigs for other than French! [Gamers of interest will note that you don’t have to worry about any ‘Hungarian’ units of infantry as they were not ‘called out’ to war in 1805.]
And so too- so many damaged bayonets meant a special unit- so the 6th Bn/ KK IR #23 Salzburg was born. The only ‘complete’ Austrian infantry regiment that fought at Austerlitz, and rather well for a short time, even the ‘reserves’ of the 6th Battalion (no it was NOT the depot battalion!). They are not quite as pristine when standing in ranks (pic taken 2022 so some progress from this). They are nearly ready for debut…
Hope this isn’t too overwhelming or boring to read again… cheers dave
Spencer smith hard plastic AWI figures, head swap (Zvezda grenadier head) and backpack carve. Hessen-Darmstadt grenadiers.
These were the figures used.
… so I had to start putting away all the ‘extras’ from painting desk and focus, focus, focus, much better than before. Poor Berthier never did get his gold lace done!
However, I have Bessiéres command well in hand and finishing touches like recovering paint slips and colour mismatches (how many French cockades on chapeau and shakos have I done in 45+ years and still I tremble and slip when doing the odd ones). His retinue, plus the ‘associated’ officers by regimental uniform colouring, Grenadiers á Cheval, shall be completed this week. I’ll base something or be damned… That and I have pics to load for a fella… regards d
Depth of field is shite, the gamut, everything French that is 95+% completed, from all over – at least so many elites of differing kinds, maybe I’ll get one or two based by Sunday!
The engineer sappers should be easiest- PVA didn’t work as well as expected on acetate, so the CA Super will have to come out!Excepted- handful of ex-Brunswick in greatcoats being ‘groomed’; fusiliers firing, will be a down the track a bit… ditto new second squadron Garde horses for exisiting Grenadiers. A few Generals and Etat-Major in the distance, had their hair done today!
cheers -dAnd here’s what little I’ve managed to do since I lasted posted. I’ve been struggling to get anything done for reasons…
And I buggered up the paint on one arm so badly that I had to strip it and have to fag around with repainting it. Oh the joy, how do I manage to contain the sublime epiphany of life’s little challenges.
One is good, more is better
http://panther6actual.blogspot.co.uk/
http://ashleyrpollard.blogspot.co.uk/Whell, a little something coming along- after all no good painting soldiers if they’ve nowhere to hang out…
Just solid fibre cardboard and offcuts from previous projects- cant get much cheaper! 100mm/2
And an over exposed ‘special’ command group, also two years in gestation:
Not as blue as they appear ! Still a lot of piping to be done, and I don’t mean the melodious kind…
And noticing all the defects that the camera picks up, I decided to make an inspection of La Garde, so Major Barbanegre became the latest victim:
-dOld photo because the current set is a mess still, but I’ve come back to my project for the “Thousand Years’ War,” a science fiction world where, for reasons unknown, the Hundred Years’ War has been extended indefinitely into the 25th Century. Right now I’m doing an English cavalry regiment under the command of the Duke of Norfolk. I’ll then move on to their French opponents under the Duc d’Alençon.
I’m also working on some forests for them to fight over.
Here’s what I’m working on, the largest “miniature” I’ve ever worked on, a 28mm scale Type ‘S’ Scout for Traveller:
I’m about 40% done with the interior. Lots of detailing to do including carpets, rugs, posters and the like. Then I can start on the exterior after I have new alternate landing gear printed up.
"I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."
Well I can’t compete with that~ so at the other end of the month, heres just a few days worth of accumulated ‘Project for the week’- getting various nations artillery pieces repaired, reconstructed, preppd and new ones made up (Eureka !) and to find a one-piece Art Parc that will travel.
Various models had broken their AC joints in use; others new to build; my converted Gribeauval 4pdrs- 6pdrs conversions and a couple of ring-ins from the second hand buys still waiting in the wings.
The Eureka Russian Unicorns (1/2pud); Light and Heavy 12 pdrs round out the major needs there- next must get the infantry they support under way properly! [But wait, there are several Austrian battalions almost there as well… bugger…]
Also visible is the mockup for Marshal Bessierés command group- thats about as many mounted figures as reasonable on a 100mm’2 piece of terrain. Not sure about the standing ADC just in front.
Also succumbed to angst and repainted my last Neuchatel Battalion remnant, converting to a ‘higher standard line artillery uniform’ – not sure the darker blue is warranted but it looks ok for a recoated man…
The draught horses and equipment will also get a bit of a retouch with some direct shading, engraving (on the sheepskin) and lightening of the visible parts.
cheers -d
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