Time to get painting!

Well most of us seem to have more hobby time on our hands at the moment so i thought i would  stick a post up about the things i plan to make some much needed progress on. Judging by the number of Paint racks we're selling, 7 today alone, everyone else seems to have the same idea.

This is some of the stuff i plan to make progress on over the coming weeks.

French Cavalry, Perry hussars and Warlord Lancers. I hate painting Hussars but I've had 3 2nd Hussars painted for years and it's about time i painted the other 9.

Vikings, we have quite a few already but there must be about 200 more to paint having recently been boosted by a donation of a large bag of Victrix. The metals are Foundry and they will get a paint job first.

French Foreign Legion and Arabs

A project started some time ago, Wellingtons 7th Division 1812 to join the 5th which i have already.

28mm Austrians, i have another box of plastics to finish putting together to join these. I have Russians to finish also but apart from a Grenadier Battalion i can't find them!

3 Tiger tanks to finish and 3 Shermans to undercoat.  King Tigers, I love that tank but have never actually made one. Nows the time. By the time the club starts up again i should have plenty of options for What a Tanker games. 

These WSS Warlord plastics will be painted as French as another club member is doing British.

Again unfinished units that have been lying around for ages, this time French Imperial Guard and Light Infantry. Th Guard just need the mounted commanders i like to use in my command stands. I was going to use a couple of skinny looking Hinchliffe ones i have but they would just look out of place. I had a sneaking feeling that Front Rank did them and sure enough they do. I'll order 3 and get these finished.

Space Marines, a project my son has started. He's on the second one now.

Plenty of other stuff i haven't  got round to photographing yet, particularly the 1813 Prussians and Russian Grenadiers-

These were finished over the weekend. A bit of  a mixed bag-

Russian Grenadiers, another 16 to do to complete the 2nd Battalion. I'll decide on shoulder strap colours once they are all finished.

Prussian Guard Uhlans. These will form part of the Guard Light cavalry regiment. Today i got a package from the Royal Mail from Peter at Calpe. Inside were 6 missing horses from a recent order, the horses for the Leib or 'Deaths Head' Hussars. I'll be doing those next! They will be followed by the Dragoon, and Cossack squadrons and mounted volunteer Jaegers who were also dressed as Cossacks. A unique unit indeed.

And now for something completely different, Zulus. These are BTD and we have Wargames Factory and a Warlord Starter Army so thousands of em!

Prussian Guard Horse artillery, 8 done, 8 to go. The are Calpe.

6Ibr and a howitzer for the above. Started but still need the black fittings.

Finally some 15mm Russian rural buildings down scaled from their larger 28mm Brethren. 2 more to do.

So plenty to do and thats without the WW2 15mm or the 10mm Zulu War stuff or the 10mm Spartacus or.............

In between this stuff i've just finished reading  Flashman and the Seawolf. It was a recommendation  from someone on TMP and only took me 4 days to read. This contrasts with my usual 4 months! Guess i quite enjoyed it. Anyway this is the memoirs of the less well known Uncle Flashy, Thomas Flashman. The first 'packet' of memoirs, a chance purchase by the editor on a well known auction platform, features Thomas getting in scrapes with a certain sailor by the name of Cochran. Now Uncle Flashy seems to have some very familiar character flaws as his more famous nephew. 

As it happens i have a Folio Society edition of Cochrans memoirs and plan to get started on that today. It will be interesting so see how theses tales of derring-do match up. 

Next up for Uncle Flashys memoirs is Flashman and the Cobra. I'm already intrigued to find out just how much a certain Arthur Wellesleys success in India was down to his own ability or the reluctant interference of one Thomas Flashman. I'll download the Kindle edition to find out.

Cheers

Mick

General d'Armee French v Prussians

Due to illness we had to organise a game at short notice for one of the club game slots last Saturday. Following a rallying cry from Dave i offered to bring up a bunch of Prussians and French to go with Daves contribution.

We are both fans of General d'Armee so we put together a simple table which alowed for a bit of space to manouvre and prepared to get stuck in.

Starting positions

Left flank

Right flank

French heavy brigade

Daves superb Napoleon command base.

and one of his Grenadier battalions.

French Dragoon brigade

Prussian cavalry supported by Russian hussars

Prussians advance

both centres advance towards the crossroads.

The cavalry combats on either flank flowed back and forth for most of the game.

Russian hussars battle with French Dragoons

Reserve infantry support the advance of the line regiment.

Fusiliers line the hedge.

Volunteer Jaeger screen Silesian Landwehr

Prussian Garde du Corps

This set to proved highly entertaining all game.

This one wasn't far behind and my newly painted Prussian Garde du Corps had a pretty decent first outing. They will soon be joined by the Guard Light cavalry regiment and 2 squadrons of Volunteer Jaeger dressed as Cossacks! Can't wait....

Prussian Jaeger harrass a 12lbr battery.

The clash at the crossroads.

A juicy target for a supporting battery of Prussian 6lbrs

I desperately wanted to win the initiative on this turn to avoid being ridden down by carabiniers.

Fortunately i did and charged in support of the line battalion.

The Fusiliers have been thrown back but the Prussian guns are about to deploy just in time.

The charge goes in.

French Cuirassiers are routed.

The battle continues on the left.

These lads didn't fancy taking on the 12lbrs until the Jaegers had worn them down a bit. Dave kept throwing low which helped things along a bit, i think his efforts alone added 3 casualties overthe following 4 moves!!!

Things look good for the Prussians here but can change rapidly in this fluid encounter.

A view from behind the 12lbrs

After defeating the French the Prussians were left unformed with enemies all around them

French Dragoons charge.

The guns deploy in time to destroy the French column with the help of the Landwehr

The battle for the crossroads  continues.

The Prussian Dragoons retreat off the table.

Having removed their assault order this brigade of Prussians prepares to attack the French centre.

Now in square the Landwehr slowly withdraw.

Oh the right a French column and artillery attack the prussian line just out of picture.

This left them routed leaving the Landwehr completely exposed.

The Russian lancers give the Gard du Corps a break and prepare to charge.

Both sides fail to gain the upper hand. The French could assalt the Prussian centre if only they could defeat their opponents.

The advance to the centre begins.

The Landwehr look doomed...

Finally the French Dragoons are thrown back to their own lines, securing the Prussian centre.

The Russians hit lucky here failing to charge home and withdrawing saving themselves from being charged in the rear by French Carabiniers next turn.

The French collumn having failed to charge the Landwehr are exposed to the Prussian guns.

We finished at this point. The game charecterised by some fortunate dice throws on both sides saving faltering brigades. Many units had high casualties and a French brigade had only one battalion left. Also i seemed to roll lots of 11 and 12s for artillery and musketry which i felt obliged to apologise for, it just seemed so unfair😏

With only 2 of us playing we were both involved from start to finish and this really added to the enjoyment factor which, at the end of the day is why we do this shit! Excellent days entertainment.

Mick