A Few More Spiffy, White-Uniformed Frenchmen

Hello everyone!

 

Another quick update for y'all. I painted up the command stand for the Chef de battalion of the 19e last night and finished up the base today (Remember to click on the pictures for bigger versions).

 

Again, for the first, kneeling rank I used the RISK board game pieces that I reviewed in my last post, and for the rear rank I used 15mm French command figures from Essex. The 1804 pattern flag is home-made, using a bit of printer paper folded over the flag staff, hardened and fixed in place with super glue, and then painted free-hand. I'm really starting to like the look of painted flags.

Like the stand of 19e voltiguers, these chaps are painted in the 1806 pattern white uniforms. I wasn't able to find any information on how the drummers were to be costumed under these regulations, so I chose reveresed colors of a red jacket with white facings based on the fact that foreign regiments in French service utilized similar reversed color schemes for their drummers and that historically military musicians wore reversed colors in all armies at the time. Historical or not, I like the reversed colors on this drummer and I won't be changing it.

Coming up: Probably more 3e Hussars, I'm priming up a bunch of them as I write.

Questions, comments and criticisms are always welcomed and appreciated! Thanks for looking!

-Chuck

I took a RISK on these Infantrymen…

 

Hello everyone!

I thought that I’d do some more infantry utilizing some new miniatures that I bought on a whim last week. These lads represent the Compagnie de Voltigeurs in the 19e Régiment d’Infanterie de Ligne. This regiment primarily fought in the eastern part of the French Empire against the Austrians, Prussians and Russians, but for a few years it fought in Spain. (Click on the pictures for larger versions.)



The kneeling figures are all the plastic RISK board game pieces I mentioned buying earlier. When I bought them, I had no idea whether or not they would even be usable with other 15mm figures, but I was lucky to discover that the infantry figures could be pressed into service without any difficulty; unfortunately, neither the cavalry pieces (which are way too small) nor the artillery pieces (which are silly looking anachronisms) could be used. The only modifications I really had to do to the infantry was to cut a bit of plastic from the bottom of each base and cut a space between the figures’ shako plumes and musket muzzles.

Before they arrived I also wasn’t sure what nationality I could use them for, but when they came in I immediately noticed that they had the distinctively French bell-topped shakos. The only real problem that I found with them historically is that all of them have the epaulettes and sabre-briquet of elite companies. Though there’s nothing I can do about the molded epaulettes, I did try carving off the sabre-briquet, without satisfactory results. So, when I start doing line companies I apologize to the hardcore button-counters out there as they will have short swords; as a historian I try to paint uniforms as accurately as possible, but sometimes you’ve got to play the hand you’re dealt.

These figures are quite small, almost too small for 15mm figures, but they are kneeling and overall they fit in pretty well with the Heritage figures that make up the back rank. At this scale the eye overlooks the fact that they are a hair on the small side, and besides they were dirt cheap. I got enough to flesh out the entire front rank of a 36 man battalion for less than $10 from eBay. With the whole front rank kneeling, my goal is to have a battalion that looks as if it has formed square. Moral: if you’re looking for cheap kneeling 15mm figures that fit in well with makers such as Heritage and Essex, try the infantry pieces from the 1998 version of the board game RISK.

I’ve painted this battalion in the white uniforms that Napoleon reintroduced in 1806. The 19e was one of only eleven regiments that ever received the unpopular uniforms before they were abandoned.  I think they are very different looking and quite snazzy; I can see why the Ogre tried to bring them back. They are also a snap to paint. The 19e will certainly stand out within a brigade on the tabletop.

Coming up: More French. I’m alternately working on the 19e and the 3e Hussars.

Comments, questions and criticisms are always welcome and appreciated! Thanks for looking!

-Chuck

French Hussars!

Hello everyone!

 

Wow, two posts in as many days, a new record for me! So, this time I actually kept my promise; here are some French Hussars! (Click the pictures for bigger versions.)

 

 

These dashing fellows are painted up as the command stand of the 3e Régiment de Hussards, with the Chef d'escadron in the center on the white horse, the bugler on his left and a trooper on his right. The 3e wore grey uniforms with red facings; to be honest I painted this unit because it is the unit Keith Carradine's character in "The Duellists" is in (if I do any more French hussars it will be the 7e Régiment, the unit Harvey Keitel's character portrays; I love that movie :D ). The bugler wears reversed colors i.e. red jacket and pelisse with grey cuffs.

 

The two flanking hussars are made by Herritage and are quite a bit smaller than the commander, who is an AB sculpt. The commander is actually not even French; he's AB's Stapleton-Cotton figure from one of AB's British command packs. Luckily hussar uniforms were pretty standard throughout the armies of the period, so only a little clever painting placed him in the right army. :)

 

Coming up: more hussars maybe? I'm not sure... we'll see what strikes my fancy.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

-Chuck

(Connaught) Rangers Lead the Way!

 

Hello everyone!

 

Another quick update. I finished these lads last night. They are the command stand for the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers). This Irish regiment was a veteran of almost every major British campaign of the Napoleonic Wars and was brigaded with the 45th for the majority of the Peninsular Campaign. They were known as ferocious fighters-it was their charge that secured the town of Fuentes de Onoro from the French during the eponymous battle. 

 

This stand will the only ones painted from this regiment for a while, since I don't have enough Peninsular British to flesh out a whole 36 man battalion. (Click on the pictures for bigger versions.)



 

All are the outstanding AB figures and include a drummer, sergeant and pioneer in addition to the battalion commander and two ensigns. This stand was the first time I ever painted a cast flag (the King's Color), but I think I did a decent job. I also hand-painted the Regimental Color as well; I used printed flags for the 45th. I think I like the look of the painted flags better.

I've got some figures coming in the mail that are a bit odd-they are game pieces from the 1998 version of the board game RISK. They were really cheap on eBay and they should be about the right scale. Plus, this version of the game utilized pieces that have shakos and Napoleonic uniforms instead of the distinctly 18th Century uniforms of the latest edition's pieces. We'll see how it works.

Up next: maybe some French hussars?

Thanks for looking!

-Chuck

The Ogre



Hello everyone!

 

So I decided that my French needed some reenforcements. Did I paint up another line battalion, a cavalry regiment, or artillery base, all of which are useful tactical units? Nope.

 

I painted up the Corsican Ogre himself: Napoleon I, Empereur des Francais.

(Remember to click on the photos for bigger versions)



 

All of these are Italeri 1/72 plastics from set 6016, French Imperial General Staff. In the group I've painted up Napoleon himself (on the white horse), General Count Bertrand, ADC to the Emperor (on the dapple gray in the back), a French Infantry Colonel reporting to the Emperor (on the black horse in front), and two members of Napoleon's personal bodyguard, the Chasseurs a Cheval (mounted on the brown horses). These are some of the snazziest uniforms I've painted so far, but it was a nice break from the many repetitive uniforms of foot soldiers.

I also tried my hand at doing a bit of battlefield scenery on the base. The little grey/black blob to the right of Napoleon is supposed to be a cannonball furrowed into the ground: however the plastic airsoft BB I cut up to make it is HUGE compared to the minis... I guess Napoleon's staff is the target of a Russian Unicorn battery or seige guns of some sort? It looks OK, and now that it's done I'm not going to change it.

As I stated in my earlier review of these plastics, the Italeri figs, while very detailed, are massive compared to pretty much all 15mm minis. However, I've decided that I don't care too much about the sizes, as long as they all look good on the tabletop. I'm the only one I have to please, afterall. :)

Coming up next? Who knows, whatever strikes my fancy, I guess. Maybe some British Riflemen, or French cavalry...

I would also like to welcome BibraX to the blog. I hope you enjoy all you see!

That's all for now. Thanks for looking!

-Chuck

Aargh... Pirates!

Hello folks!

For those of you that follow this blog, I'm sorry at my infrequent postings. I'm still alive, I promise!

It is definately too late for it to be "tomorrow," but here are the promised pictures of the Baratarian Pirate Company for the American New Orleans Militia (remember to click on the pictures for a bigger version!):

Like they were supposedly in real life, these pirates are all wearing red. All of the miniatures are from the Spanish company Capitan Miniatures and they scale well with my AB figures, if a little rougher in finish. I still like them though.

I don't think I've even gotten my French Lancers out of their packages... real life has been laying it to me the past few months. We'll see what I can work on next...

Thanks for looking!
-Chuck

Update

Hello Everyone!

I thought I'd get a quick update in on what I've been up to. Currently I have a stand of New Orleans Militiaon the stand and drying (I told you more Americans would be up soon). These guys are the Baratarian company of the New Orleans militia, amde up of Jean Lafitte's river pirates, all decked out in red. I'll have pictures of them completed by tomorrow.

I also thought that I'd change things up a bit, so I bought some French lancers off of eBay. Unfortunately I didn't look carefully at their caps, so I have most of a battalion of French cheveau-leger lancers in the helmet and most of a battalion of Polish lancers. A few more figures apiece and they will both be full strength. I currently don't have many cavalry figures, and I thought these would be interesting to paint. I will paint them up as the lancer regiments used at Borodino.

Well, that's all for now. Pictures of the pirates up for tomorrow, then on to some lancers! (And maybe some Russians too...)

All the best,

-Chuck