Maybe I should try and focus on one project at a time but they are all linked in that they relate to Napoleonic 'Command and Colors' and my attempt to build a French Army and its allies for a number of battles and campaigns. The main projects at present are:
- Vimeiro 1808
- Utitza and the rest of Borodino 1812
- Mockern 1813
- Laon 1814
- And long term, Waterloo
A friend of mine (Don) is working steadily through the British for Vimiero and the Prussians for Laon, the latter obviously being ready for Waterloo as well. The Russians are already complete. The immediate project is Mockern (July) for which some Prussians need completing and I need to complete some Polish units. I am underway on these and have to say the Murawski Miniatures are superb figures. I will soon complete the 11th Uhlan and will post some pictures when varnished and flagged.
The Murawski figures are very good for detail, clean and require little preparation. I found the matching of men with horses a challenge. I usually paint the horses, cloths, saddles etc completely before mounting the trooper but a quick check with the Polish Uhlan suggested this would not work and would probably damage some of the painted area. Thus the two were brought together (with a little bit of bottom filing!) before painting. I will explain more when they are done.
Turning to the 1812 campaign, I picked up at Salute last year some Steve Barber Westphalian infantry in a mix of uniforms, mostly campaign. They will be quite good for the Peninsular, some in bare feet and with pots and pans - see below. I have painted them in the pre-1812 colours, much of which I suspect was kept into the 1812 campaign. Why chuck a way a good uniform? Pre-1812 they had various facings, switching to dark blue in 1812, officially. I have 3 more battalions and Junot (superb Gringo figure) as a command stand to go.
The flag is a cloth flag from Maverick Flags which I have to say was very easy to prepare and apply but do follow the instructions to avoid fraying. A personal preference of mine is to finish, including basing and varnishing the figures before I put the flag on. I use PVA (whether paper or cloth flag), slightly watered down to apply the flag and shape it. A little dab of super glue is sometimes required to keep the flag in place on the staff.
I leave to dry for a day. Then touch up the edges and anywhere that the flag does not align, as well as highlighting any folds. Once all done, leave to dry for another day. Finally, using watered down PVA (about 50:50) with a clean brush (only used for this purpose), I paint the glue generously over the flag, remove (with the brush) any excess and leave to dry. Once done, the flag is set hard, protected from clumsy hands and has a nice sheen to it. I initially did this on some older figures of mine which had been varnished with the flag attached and some yellow discolouration arose, which actually gives them a bit of an aged look! This was not planned or expected but did forewarn me to avoid with future productions.
The Westphalians are a bit chunkier than my usual figures (Perry/Foundry) but nice character, they are almost a cross between Elite and Foundry.
Lastly, an Old Guard 12 pound foot battery, one of the Emperor's Daughters. These are Perry figures and cannon with the addition of the Perry field foundry. The third base is a requirement of the game and gives me (as someone who enjoys painting) an opportunity to play around with some nice compositions. This battery will suffice for most campaigns but is primarily aimed at the Waterloo campaign. I have another one of these to do before moving onto the Guard Horse Artillery.
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| A top view shows the 3 bases of a battery for C&C purposes |
Like those Westphalians!
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