28mm Napoleonic Spanish Guerrillas

The title of this post may be considered misleading. The figures pictured are in fact from three of the French Foreign Regiments; Isenburg, Neuchatel, and Preuss. Many men from these regiments went over to the Spanish during the Peninsula war. The Guerrilla leader Mina, in particular, received drafts of recruits from these regiments.

I am putting together three of Mina's regiments and one other Guerrilla regiment. I'm using mainly Front Rank figures (these are also Front Rank's figures) but also some figures from the Perry's Carlist range. Front Rank have excellent Guerillas.

Spanish regiments, even Guerrilla regiments, were very keen on uniforms and maintained them when they could. Most recruits would have been in Mina's brown uniforms when a new draft of uniforms arrived. But Guerrillas also used captured clothing, even from Spanish deserters when they caught them, for a bounty. So a mix of clothing would have obtained in regiments, in between new issue of clothing at least.

Anyway, these are my excuses for uniform selection and I'm sticking to them.

Ottoman infantry archers and Spahi 15th century cavalry

Here are some Old Glory Ottoman archers and Spahi which I just finished. I have another unit of archers almost done, but they differ in only minor changes to the uniform. I bought these figures to see how Old Glory's Ottoman range is. The figures look pretty good. They were all well cast with minimal flash. I know that we used to moan about Old Glory in days or yore, but they seem to have their act together now, making many of their lines viable. They also have a wealth of new figures coming online all the time. For my next trick, I'll be buying some Old Glory Ancients. I had some badly painted Cartheginians before I left the UK, and sold them off. This will be only my second foray into ancient.

28mm Napoleonic Austrian, British and French infantry

Here are some pictures of my Austrian, British 71st Highlander, French line, light and Guard infantry. The Austrians are painted a greyish off white, which I must have done years ago. For the past few years, five years or so, I've painted them cream colour, and then used sepia ink to stain them, before highlighting. I seem to remember these Austrians had to be repainted a few times to get the result white enough.

I'm looking at hand woven patterns for blankets and other cloth at the moment, with a view to painting them on my Napoleonic Spanish Guerillas. I think I must be going strange. This hobby has taken an odd tangent.

15mm German Panther tank breakthrough

I've been fooling around painting these tanks for about a year now. I keep bringing them back out to touch up, or to start again. I'm finally finished (I think!) My technique is to black undercoat the model, then air brush on a mid tone for the base colour (desert yellow in this case), but leaving some areas black on the tank. Then I air brush over the two other colours for the camouflage. At this state I dry brush the tank with a mix of pale sand (mostly) and stone grey. This is essential to bring out detail on the tank. It is nerve wracking to have done so much work and then to take the chance of spoiling it, but you may as well not bother if you aren't going to dry brush at this stage. The results were still not satisfactory, and I tried various washes, which were a waste of time, both before and after dry brushing (and repainting..). I was after more contrast on the model, so what I eventually did was to airbrush black onto the model as a last step, around the turret, and then in a few other spots. Voila! I was at last satisfied.

For my next trick I have some 28mm Bolt Action and Berlin or Bust vehicles I'm working on. It was seeing Troop of Shewe's excellent work on 28mm tanks that got me interested in airbrushing.

I'll be selling ready painted 15mm vehicles. Now I have the hang of things hopefully it won't take a year for each batch of 20 vehicles..

Here are all of the vehicles I've just finished brought to you in marvelous repeatovision.

15mm Command Decision Panther tanks air brushed

15mm Command Decision Panther tanks air brushed

15mm Command Decision Panther tanks air brushed

15mm Command Decision Panther tanks air brushed

15mm Command Decision Panther tanks air brushed

15mm Command Decision Panther tanks air brushed

15mm Command Decision Panther tanks air brushed

15mm Command Decision Panther tanks air brushed

15mm Command Decision Panther tanks air brushed

15mm Command Decision Panther tanks air brushed

15mm Command Decision Panther tanks air brushed

15mm Command Decision Panther tanks air brushed

10mm Napoleonic Bavarians, French (Dutch) and Russians

Here are some Bavarians, French (Dutch) and Russians which I've based for Le Feu Sacre (apart from the Pavlov Grenadiers who don't lend themselves to this sort of basing).

I am thinking of offering ready painted Napoleonic armies in 10mm. I have fallen in love with the Le Feu Sacre rules, which I find better than others I've tried for a club game, where you may only have a few hours.

This is my effort to check out Magister Militum (Bavarians and Dutch Lancers), who I might buy the figures from, as well as to try out LFS basings for 10mm - or at least my rendition of it.

Someone donated the other figures which I've painted when they were left over from their project. These figures are from Old Glory's "Magnificent Little Toy Soldier Company" range. They are very cheap when you buy them with an Old Glory army card (40% off). The infantry are fantastic, if you change your basing system to suit their strip size. That is what I've done with my War of the Spanish Succession armies. But they won't work for Le Feu Sacre, where there are some significant points to relative base sizes.

Dutch "Red" lancers of the Imperial Guard

Napoleonic Bavarian infantry

Pavlov Grenadiers

Russian artillery

Russian Cuirassier

Russian Hussars

Russian Uhlans

Russian Uhlans of the Polish Regiment

War of the Spanish Succession Irish Brigade in 10mm

I had my painters paint up the Irish Brigade for me for a Christmas present to myself. I am slowly building up forces for a Blenheim game. Not all of these regiments fought at Blenheim, but I decided to get the lot done at once anyway. I have one girl who can hand paint these flags very accurately. She has a very good eye.

War of the Spanish Succession Clare Irish Regiment in French Service

War of the Spanish Succession Dillon Irish Regiment in French Service

War of the Spanish Succession Dorrington Irish Regiment in French Service

War of the Spanish Succession Fitzgerald Irish Regiment in French Service

War of the Spanish Succession Galmoy Irish Regiment in French Service

War of the Spanish Succession Lee Irish Regiment in French Service

40mm Sash and Sabre Napoleonics

 A potential customer just asked me if I have any photos of my painted Sash and Sabre figures. I have these Napoleonics, which I've painted for some friends, but haven't posted yet because I'm hoping to buy some silfor tufts to put on these bases.

I leave the bayonets as they are so that customers can bend them straight. You want to leave them alone, as far as possible, to keep them strong.

Napoleonic British 79th Highlanders (figures from Sash and Sabre) painted by Reinforcements by Post in Bangladesh

Napoleonic British 42nd Highlanders (figures from Sash and Sabre) painted by Reinforcements by Post in Bangladesh

Napoleonic French Dutch Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard  (figures from Sash and Sabre) painted by RBP

Napoleonic French 4th Swiss Regiment  (figures from Sash and Sabre) painted by Reinforcements by Post