Napoleonic British 11th (Light) Dragoon Regiment

Last night I completed the second half of this regiment that I had started many years ago.  The first half was done back in the early Spring so I could use them in my Battle of Plancenoit convention game.

The 11th British (Light) Dragoon Regiment



These are very early Miniature Figurines (MiniFigs) with the saddle and horse blanket molded to the rider.  They'll join my small British expeditionary force for the 1813 Befreiungskrieg campaigning as part of the Armeeabteilung Walmoden in northern Germany but they may make it a little further south and find themselves ensnared in the actions of the Army of the North, especially with the Prussian III Korps.

French Heavy Artillery

My Napoleonic French army has added two new heavy (12-lbr) batteries to their artillery park.  These are 25mm Miniature Figurines (MiniFigs) guns and crews that I have acquired over the years and finally gotten painted and based.

In the rule set I use, The Sound of the Guns by Larry Brom, each battery is represented by a number of guns and two gunners per gun.  Each gunner represents two actual guns so a 6-gun battery would have three guns and six gunners.

Heavy Battery number one with four 12-lb guns and two howitzers

Heavy Battery number two with four 12-lb guns and two howitzers

 

My Napoleonic forces are developed around the 1813 Befreiungskrieg (War of Liberation) campaigns.  These French batteries are slightly under strength since so many guns were lost in Russia in 1812.

Southern Hold Garrison Archers

As I continue to prepare for my first game of Lion Rampant, I've been adding to and updating the painting of a number of previously unfinished units.

These archers form part of the garrison of the Southern Hold, a castle and desmense in the southern part of the Duchy of Bentwood, my Medieval imagi-nation.  They are a mix of Miniature Figurines and other vintage manufacturers.



Four of the figures were painted a long time ago, six of the remaining eight are freshly painted, and the last two have had some repainting and touch-up done.  The unit leader is the archer on the front left of the first row.

Other updated and newly painted units will be joining them over the coming two weeks.

'Murican Reinforcements

The 'Murican army has just received some reinforcements to assist in its campaign to free the colonies from the Britannians.

Barber's (New Jersey) Light Infantry Battalion, composed of vintage Jack Scruby figures

Morgan's Continental Regiment, composed of a mixture of figure manufacturers

I have had the old Jacks Scruby figures I used for Barber's Battalion around for probably 30 years.  Only this month have I finally gotten them painted!  Morgan's Regiment is designed to be used as either a rifle regiment, a "mismatch uniformed" Continental regiment, or a militia regiment, as needed.  Twelve of the eighteen figures have been painted for a number of years.  This month I added another six to bring it "up to strength."

In addition to these 'Murican reinforcements, a new general has arrived from Hesse-Coburg to lead some of the Hessian units in the Britannian army.  I haven't decided on his name yet; any suggestions?

A Miniature Figurines mounted American Revolution officer painted as a Hessian

First Painting of 2013

My first painting of the new year continued two themes -- American Revolution and clearing off the painting desk.

So I began with completing the painting of four Ral Partha pack mules/donkeys that I acquired sometime last year or the year before.  They sat, partially painted, on an upper shelf on my painting desk for months.

Four Ral Partha pack mules with their muleteers

My interpretation of William Washington's Regiment of Continental Dragoons uses Miniature Figurines figures.  I have had six troopers painted and mounted for several years.  Finally I obtained three command figures and three more troopers so I could upgrade the regiment to six 2-figure stands.

William Washington's Regiment of Continental Dragoons

The flag is purely speculative.  One of the command figures was a mounted standard bearer, so I had to come up with a flag.  I do not know if any of the Continental dragoons carried flags, but this regiment in my Continental army does.

Final Painting of 2012

Yesterday I completed a small batch of disparate figures that had been sitting around my painting desk for far too long.

First some Miniature Figurines American Revolutionary War figures:

An American general, using the MiniFig General Washington figure, painted from scratch.





And a Hessian general, using the same figure.  This was a repaint of a previously painted figure that I purchased.



New figures for Bland's Dragoons (American).  I previously had inherited a unit of nine of these from my friend Doc Ord.  With the acquisition of three more, they are now part of a six stand regiment.  The newly painted figures are the officer on the front stand and two of the four figures on the back stands plus three of those four horses.  I think I did a fairly decent job of matching Doc's paint job.

And the whole regiment together.  They will be used to help oppose my British cavalry - 17th Light Dragoons, Queen's Rangers, and the Loyalist York Dragoons (an "made-up" designation).

An Old Glory Darkest Africa figure:

This is the leader from the Old Glory bearers set.  I needed a senior leader for my Zanzabari units and he seemed to fit the bill perfectly.  He is a slightly taller figure than the rest of my Zanzabari so he'll stand out as their leader.



My Chinese Back of Beyond forces needed some additional leaders so I added the Pulp Figures PYG-14 Chun King warlord command pack.

The warlord in the center and the standard bearer will lead the entire Chinese force.  The two figures on each end will join one of his warlord infantry units to replace some leader figures who are getting promoted.  The bald-headed guy in khaki will lead my German uniformed Chinese forces.  He's armed with a submachinegun and looks rather nasty so he'll be a good guy to keep them in check.  The basing details correspond to the units that are already done to which these guys will be added.

And my early 20th Century "Pulp" forces got some additional stalwarts to increase the strength of the "Knights of the Cresent Moon."



Three Tommy Gun toting "Knights" from the Brigade Games line of figures.  They'll join the ones I already have painted.



To make a fairly heavily armed band to help protect the treasures of the Near East from those ravenous "tomb raiders" who plague that part of the world.



And finally, Bob Murch's Pulp Figures of "The Sergeants Three and Gunga Din."

Those three brave and rogueish sergeants plus the bugle tooting Gunga Din.  The bases aren't completed yet but they are ready for adventures.



Sachsen-Wachsenstein Dragoons

Using a small batch of Miniature Figures Russian SYW cavalry, I've completed the Sachsen-Wachsenstein Horse Regiment by adding a squadron of 12 dragoons.  Along with the heavy horse and horse grenadier squadrons, these three squadrons make up the cavalry component of the small army of Sachsen-Wachsenstein.

The Sachsen-Wachsenstein Dragoon Squadron

The figures are actually Russian horse grenadiers but they are so similar to one of the Saxon dragoon regiments that I saw no difficulty in using them for Sachsen-Wachsenstein, a stalwart ally of the Imperium.  Their uniform is patterned after the Saxon Bruhl Dragoon Regiment.

Their addition now gives me five squadrons of battlefield cavalry for the Reichsarmeeabteilung Obere-Sachsen.

Sachsen-Wachsenstein Horse Grenadiers

Well I got on a tear over last weekend and started on the Horse Grenadier squadron for the Sachsen-Wachsenstein cavalry regiment.  And they have now been completed!

The Horse Grenadier Squadron of the Sachsen-Wachsenstein Cavalry Regiment

These are Miniature Figurines "true" 25mm Seven Years War Austrian horse grenadier figures.  The squadron has twelve figures - two officers, two buglers, one ensign ("converted" from a regular horse grenadier), and seven horse grenadiers.

They will be deployed with the Heavy Horse squadron (most recent post before this one) and a to-be-painted dragoon squadron.

I've also started work today (a day off from my regular job) on the 1st Squadron, 1st King's Dragoon Guards of the Britannian army.  I must finish them by Thursday (tomorrow) evening so they can participate in this Saturday's SYW Imagi-Nation game between the Electorische Armee Thueringen and the Reichsarmeeabteilung Obere-Sachsen.

Sachsen-Wachsenstein Heavy Horse

The first squadron of the Sachsen-Wachsenstein Cavalry Regiment has been completed and has joined the ranks of the Reichsarmeeabteilung Obere-Sachsen.  Composed of a mix of Miniature Figurines Seven Years War French command figures and Austrian cuirassier troopers, the squadron is uniformed in golden yellow coats with medium blue cuffs, lapels, and turnbacks.  The buglers wear reversed colors.  The regimental commander is Colonel Hans von Schlichternburg.

Oberst Hans von Schlichternburg and his command bugler

The Heavy Horse Squadron in a two-rank line

The Heavy Horse Squadron in a three-deep attack column

Oberst von Schlichternburg leading the Heavy Horse Squadron

They will get their battle inauguration later this month in a fight between the Electorische Armee Thuringen and the Reichsarmeeabteilung Obere-Sachsen, where they will be brigaded with the Courland Dragoon Squadrons Constantine and Mavromichalis.

The Horse Grenadier Squadron is just starting to be equipped and will probably not be ready in time for the coming campaign.  There is also a Dragoon Squadron planned for the regiment.

Gunners and Some Comparisons

First I have some pictures of the newest additions to my imagi-nation armies, some guns and gunners.  Then some comparison pictures of the three manufacturers' gunners.  As usual, click or double click on the pictures for larger images.

I've just completed three gun crews and two guns (the third gun having been painted some time ago) for my Britannian, Gallian, and Kreis Obere-Sachsen forces.

First up is a Britannian 6-lbr and its 5 man crew.  The gun is a Miniature Figurines (if I remember correctly) model while the gunners are RSM-95 figures.  This is the second 6-lbr for my nascent Britannian forces.

Next up is a battalion gun for my Gallian forces.  The gun is a "Scruby" (now manufactured by Historifigs) small Napoleonic cannon which will be playing the role of a "Swedish" style 4-lbr.  The crewmen are RAFM French gunners painted as two artillerymen (in blue coats) and two artillery laborers (in grey coats).

Last is a battalion gun (another "Scruby") for my nascent Kreis Obere-Sachsen forces (one of the Reichsarmee circles).  The gunners are Miniature Figurines SYW French gunner figures.  The one of the right rear has been modified by cutting off the lintstock and gluing on a lever.  The color scheme comes from a Reichsarmee gunner's uniform posted some time ago by David Linienblatt of the Not by Appointment blog.

I also thought that I would include some side-by-side pictures of the RAFM, RSM, and MiniFig gunners so you could get an idea of their comparative sizes and hefts.

RAFM (left), RSM (center), MiniFig (right)

You can  see that while the RSM gunners are a little taller than the other two, they aren't completely out of scale.  I cheerfully use many different manufacturers on the battlefield and once the action starts, the differences tend to disappear.

Sailors and Marines

Last night I completed the sailors and Marines that I had on-hand for my upcoming Capitania General de Florida game which will involve some naval action as well as land action.  Some of the figures in the pictures below have been painted for a long number of years and some were just done this month.

As usual, please click on the pictures for a larger image.

These stalwart officers will command the row-galley and some of the gunboats.  All four were recently painted.  The front three are 25mm Miniature Figurines while the one in the back is a 25mm Abbott figure.  The officer in the center is from the old MiniFig Pirate line.  The one of the left is from their Napoleonic special wagon set.  The one of the right is labeled as an AWI figure but I couldn't find a correlation of his number to the current list.

These armed sailors are also 25mm MiniFigs.  The three firing figures are from the AWI line and the three in the rear are from the old Pirate line.  I have others of these that I use as New England Continental regimentsin my AWI American army.  Three are old figures that have been painted for years and three were just painted.

These 25mm MiniFig sailors are all from the old Pirate line and have been painted for years.

These are RAFM figures from their F&IW line.  They are supposed to be SYW era British Marines but the small mitres don't exactly match what was being worn at this time.  So I've painted them as grenadiers from the 24th Foot who just happen to have been seconded for naval duty.  They will appear again as part of the converged Britannian grenadier battalion in later battles.  They were just completed last night.

The galley and the gunboats require gunners to serve their artillery and these 25mm MiniFig Pirate line gunners will fill the bill.  One figure (second row, far left) is from the Napoleonic special wagon set.  Four of the figures have been modified to hold a lever used to train the guns.  All were recently painted.

These are the rest of the gunners who have been painted for several years (or longer in the case of four of them).  All but two (center rear) are 25mm MiniFig Pirate gunners.  The two that are different are from a manufacturer whose name I have forgotten.

I wish that I had more of the old MiniFig Pirate line figures.  They made excellent ship's crew and gunners.  But I'll just have to get by with what I have for my game in two weeks.  Between now and then I'll be laboring to paint the guns for the ships and get the ships ready, including equipping them with sails.

British Navy and Egyptian Infantry

The last of my Imperial "troops" have now been completed.  They were two Naval Brigade Gatling guns and crews, three Naval officers, six sailors, and a platoon of regular Egyptian infantry.

The two Gatling guns are each manned with a crew of four gunners (one petty officer and three ratings each) and have a senior petty officer as the "battery commander."  The guns, senior petty officer (blue coat), and two ratings (brown leggings) are Ral Partha figures; the two petty officers in charge of each gun are Miniature Figurines (in yellow straw hats); and the other four ratings were cast by The London Warroom.

 The naval officers and ratings are a mix of manufacturers.  The officer in the center is the Parroom Station "Captain Jack Cole" figure.  The smaller officer on the front right is a Miniature Figurines. I cannot recall the manufacturer of the officer of the front left (unfortunately as he is a nice figure).  All six ratings are old London Warroom castings.

 

The Parroom Station officer will be my senior Royal Navy commander along the Green Nile.  I've decided to name him Captain Daniel Harrington.  He will be a distant ancestor of Admiral of the Fleet Steadholder and Duchess Honor Harrington. He is a nice figure with a stern gaze and is holding a cigar.

Finally, the Egyptian ground forces received their last troop unit, a platoon of regular infantry in the "older" white uniform.

As usual, my can click on each picture to get a larger image.

With the Imperial forces completed, I can now begin on the native forces.  This will be a larger contingent, consisting of a mounted leader, two 20-figure infantry units, three 12-figure cavalry units, and one 12-figure camel unit.  It will probably take me two months to complete them.  I'll posting pictures as they are finished.

More Light Cavalry

I'm continuing to work on the minimum necessary force levels for my "Big Battalions" game next month. Joining the Electoral and Imperial armies are two small troops of light cavalry. These are actually American Revolution era cavalry and were acquired for my AMR forces but they are being pressed into service for my fictitious Seven Years War campaigning. All of these figures are "true" 25mm and will eventually revert to my AMR forces once I get more 28mm figures painted for my imagi-nation forces.


First up is a troop of six light dragoons for the Imperial Army. These Mini Figs light dragoons are painted in the uniforms of Colonel William Washington's Regiment of Dragoons of the Continental Army. But for my "Big Battalions" game, they will be part of a converged light dragoon squadron (along with eight other Mini Figs) from the Kreis Obere Sachsen and join the Armeeabteilung Obere Sachsen's advanced guard along with Courland's Tamnii Narod Pandours and Timofievich Cossacks.


Joining the Electoral Army is a small squadron of eight mounted jagers provided by contract to the Brittanian army. They will be traveling to Carpania along with the Brittanian contingent commanded by Colonel Ashley Hyde-Enseecker. These figures are old Custom Cast dragoons and are painted as the fictitious Loyalist York Dragoons for my AMR British forces. Two of the have been painted for several years and the other six have just joined them. Unlike the Mini Figs above, these are one-piece castings but were fairly easy to paint.


And finally here are two Scruby infantry officers who are being painted to replace two plastic officers in my British converged light infantry battalions. These are fairly generic tricorne wearing officers. They should be finished in another day or two.

Once they are completed then I only have twelve more light dragoons left to paint before my minimum force levels are reached. These last ones are also Scrubys and will represent the cavalry arm of the Queen's Rangers, joining the 20 infantry figures I already have painted. There will also be a mounted officer added to command this combined arms legion for the British (err, Brittanians).

"True" 25mm Figure Comparison

On Friday, poster "FirstBrigade" was asking about what metal figures would match with 1/72 scale plastic figures. He was primarily interested in Napoleonic figures. You can read the thread here:

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=148784

I've been wargaming long enough that I have a good selection of what is referred to as "true" 25mm figures - Ral Partha, RAFM, MiniFigs, Scruby, etc. This picture shows a small selection of those figures compared with Italeri and Revell/Accurate plastic figures.

From left to right: RAFM F&IW Highlander, Italeri Napoleonic Russian Pavlov grenadier, MiniFig Napoleonic Prussian fusilier, Scruby (now produced by Historifigs) Napoleonic Prussian musketeer, Revell/Accurate AWR British infantry, and Ral Partha Colonial British infantry.

The black line is 1" (25.4mm) from the base of the background, giving a rough comparison of figure height. As you can see, only the Scruby figure comes close to the height and heft of the two plastic figures. But all of them will match well in separate units on the gaming table. Our group here in Jackson, Miss. (USA) utilize these brands (and others, such as Hinton Hunt/Der Kriegspieler, Warrior, Custom Cast, and Hinchliffe) in our "25mm" medieval, horse and musket, Napoleonic, and colonial armies. You can see how they look on the gaming table by visiting our web site: www.angelfire.com/games3/jacksongamer , clicking on "Pictures of Games," and then scrolling down and looking at the various battle reports.

I hope that this has helped.