tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68149980696283816222024-03-16T15:53:17.441-03:00Mike's LeadpilePaint 'em if you've got 'emMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-54896728448725133982012-04-27T20:01:00.000-03:002012-04-27T20:01:43.756-03:00Just frigate about it.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
...In which our protagonist shows off the miniscule Dutch 30-gun ship.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4KvL8zu1gg1FkHSvAfmrkHDGQKTsPhaXSoqAkVWwe5-xcliO342vzzW89Gb5PAPi9Y1RxmQ0vekB3SfAdcWs2bZpFvD25jMUrAK7bYSsV8FsZtg08GyUwSIYFqHE7e5_Xzxkw5Y_o8w/s1600/Dutch+30-gun+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4KvL8zu1gg1FkHSvAfmrkHDGQKTsPhaXSoqAkVWwe5-xcliO342vzzW89Gb5PAPi9Y1RxmQ0vekB3SfAdcWs2bZpFvD25jMUrAK7bYSsV8FsZtg08GyUwSIYFqHE7e5_Xzxkw5Y_o8w/s320/Dutch+30-gun+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's small. Tiny, even. And... bright blue?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfuwXKdJwGVrjBT4V0Uz9LgoIJ8tZtkLecbiAyQZAi0V-SvtpNotEOUm4Fu8DvQqljzWqWMjq25izPLQw08TH-GD2t6z9ITWu3ZbZjKh8SRAbbvoDpFa958earMTokjKDUf1KHWmV0wA/s1600/Dutch+30-gun+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfuwXKdJwGVrjBT4V0Uz9LgoIJ8tZtkLecbiAyQZAi0V-SvtpNotEOUm4Fu8DvQqljzWqWMjq25izPLQw08TH-GD2t6z9ITWu3ZbZjKh8SRAbbvoDpFa958earMTokjKDUf1KHWmV0wA/s320/Dutch+30-gun+2.jpg" width="314" /></a></div>
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I'm not particularly thrilled with the way this one turned out, mainly because of the colour. True, in the baroque days of the 17th century gaudiness was cool, so it's perfectly plausible that a warship would've been decked out in bright blue and red (that, after all, was my rationale for painting this thing the way I did). On the other hand, it isn't as if there were drive-thru wash-and-wax stations to keep these things sparkling, and one would tend to think all the salt spray and sun would make expensive blue an unsuitable candidate for the broadside of a Dutch frigate. Not to mention the fact that every time I look at this thing I'm invariably reminded of <a href="http://www.thomasandfriends.com/ca/Thomas.mvc/Home">Thomas the Tank Engine</a>. It just needs a big smile on the front.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLbQZJusBLJGSOjX6CvwbQA1eEJ716qY7TRc6R88CU3E8KRhPjxzlB56HoGD5ElolCN4sdWYClUtu-_rl9yQplOopTYnVNBKIz2tn2khrkzGt4ias0oYnyw1dI6mP0ljLz4b6QKIwMIg/s1600/Dutch+30-gun+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLbQZJusBLJGSOjX6CvwbQA1eEJ716qY7TRc6R88CU3E8KRhPjxzlB56HoGD5ElolCN4sdWYClUtu-_rl9yQplOopTYnVNBKIz2tn2khrkzGt4ias0oYnyw1dI6mP0ljLz4b6QKIwMIg/s320/Dutch+30-gun+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Actually I based my paint scheme on <a href="http://www.sailingwarship.com/the-frigate-de-ploeg-on-the-ij-in-amsterdam.html">Ludolf Backhuysen's painting of the frigate De Ploeg</a>. No, the ship in the painting doesn't have a bright blue stripe-- in fact, it's probably just varnished wood and not paint at all on the side of that thing. It does have a faint blueish sheen to it, however, which got me thinking how a good dark blue upperworks would look... Needless to say, things didn't quite work out the way I expected! A dark blue wash did nothing to dim my bright blue undercoat, and attempts to use blue ink as a quick fix only threatened to ruin the rest of my paintwork. in the end, being too stubborn to simply start fresh, I just blundered through to the end, and now simply try to avoid showing this thing to people unless I have to (until now, that is).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RL-2G48hK6HC2LRVdsaYfJSyeMIEZ4t__A6PLdqaHSqYeN4lLjsqNj4x3jewylsP2rv2EQLRB-E9l0yWzwoljBsjjeVUH7wYO6nx5ar8bOQ1wJQbGoAKIFxaPIcRB-NmGTJx-cdToQg/s1600/Dutch+30-gun+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RL-2G48hK6HC2LRVdsaYfJSyeMIEZ4t__A6PLdqaHSqYeN4lLjsqNj4x3jewylsP2rv2EQLRB-E9l0yWzwoljBsjjeVUH7wYO6nx5ar8bOQ1wJQbGoAKIFxaPIcRB-NmGTJx-cdToQg/s320/Dutch+30-gun+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anyway, like it or not, this is <a href="http://www.rodlangton.com/">Langton Miniatures</a>' AD17: <i>Dutch 30 gun</i>. Despite possessing only 2/3 the armament of <a href="http://mikes-lead.blogspot.ca/2012/04/gouda-and-bad.html">the 46-gun <i>Stad Gouda</i></a>, the two models are virtually identical in size, and may well have been based off the same master. In my own defense, another reason for the jarring paint scheme was the need to be able to differentiate between ships at a glance (and admittedly, it is good for this). The small size means a) it's less impressive than the bigger models, and b) it's a real female dog to rig. And since it costs the same as all the bigger, more spectacular, and easier to work with ships, I can only recommend it to people who desperately want one for gaming purposes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPWpqujFYFxUb-M066SQJrkbsiAPHntjhoaTQGb6e9Ior-qVjp2Jqk2c-WIDVNO3EnhDEbUcyXiay44Zrh7fc9AiHfPoGi4D0WtYO6mUNzfA_oJ0WxlJ1-EjnSlHPiw_TdIn1MX1FhWaI/s1600/Dutch+30-gun+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPWpqujFYFxUb-M066SQJrkbsiAPHntjhoaTQGb6e9Ior-qVjp2Jqk2c-WIDVNO3EnhDEbUcyXiay44Zrh7fc9AiHfPoGi4D0WtYO6mUNzfA_oJ0WxlJ1-EjnSlHPiw_TdIn1MX1FhWaI/s320/Dutch+30-gun+7.jpg" width="274" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The beautiful stern art of a plowman on the frigate</i> Der Ploeg <i>is pretty much indistinguishable at 1:1200!</i></td></tr>
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So why would you want one, I hear you ask? The 30-gun ship does have its uses. In the First Anglo-Dutch War (1652-54), the Dutch had few purpose-built warships, so small frigates and converted merchantmen of this class would have been frequently pressed into the battleline. Even in the later wars, secondary theatres, particularly the Mediterranean, were often contested by squadrons made up of smaller war vessels. This 30-gun ship could also double as a small Indiaman, strong enough to go toe to toe with anything in Asian waters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGT8qb7ZMw3b74sataDLSTb4lSBR4cjrVxd0JA4KlE1PFZezURp9cmqubUv85DKojQTLgLcusbRZEz5bMXDDrM4938kbS4FNnTuUuOvLSivN-VrzXt_FoqM5_vZNlHjnOa-XaXZLa1cXc/s1600/Dutch+30-gun+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGT8qb7ZMw3b74sataDLSTb4lSBR4cjrVxd0JA4KlE1PFZezURp9cmqubUv85DKojQTLgLcusbRZEz5bMXDDrM4938kbS4FNnTuUuOvLSivN-VrzXt_FoqM5_vZNlHjnOa-XaXZLa1cXc/s320/Dutch+30-gun+1.jpg" width="289" /></a></div>
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Next time: a better looking ship. Or maybe something else; I'll have to sort through my pictures to see what I can do.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com235tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-35623181544055479642012-04-26T22:50:00.000-03:002012-04-27T20:02:14.321-03:00The Gouda and the Bad-a<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
...In which our protagonist finally gets off his lazy butt (or is that 'sits on his lazy butt'?) and writes another blog post. Yes, it's another 17th century ship from <a href="http://www.rodlangton.com/">Langton Miniatures</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAeUCK-whczc2njFLkT0y7-qz3sE9KHX3JNn7V8LsT_eh-9ghd8Y-LxZL5_npLKXTfcaX23olEX1sRr5jhBW1drm6NXEyr1HvVeB_arW9cwXdLds_1d503t29iDR6kJPi_U2CJmJx3Hc/s1600/Dutch+46-gun+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAeUCK-whczc2njFLkT0y7-qz3sE9KHX3JNn7V8LsT_eh-9ghd8Y-LxZL5_npLKXTfcaX23olEX1sRr5jhBW1drm6NXEyr1HvVeB_arW9cwXdLds_1d503t29iDR6kJPi_U2CJmJx3Hc/s320/Dutch+46-gun+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dare I mention that it's been a while since my last post? Yes, yes I dare. I have no real excuse for the long interim, other than my aforementioned laziness. I've had the time, but lacked the volition... and now I'm several months behind in my blogging. Such is the price of procrastination, I guess. <br />
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The good news is, I've got all sorts of stuff to show off-- yes, more ships, but also plenty of not-ship stuff. The bad news is that my computer is quite obviously nearing the end of its life, and I'm not real keen to replace it. I've got so many internet-capable phones and ipods and e-readers that I can no longer justify a computer as a necessity... so I figure one last farewell-to-the-old-laptop blitz in a futile effort to get back up to speed is warranted (smart money says it's not going to be much of a blitz, by the way). So here goes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcvTH0MQ9I7JVY1dd9QdgB6OgRNQFDqHHO-btKa6ti34qEfhakQmBrKZjuQSc9UIIqoEXykBPPI2QaBXg5jGUnztGBFLMqTS5SOEGVEOUEnv3BR-Ek3kXLiQZ60rmacf1z84iZh1fD8Y/s1600/Dutch+46-gun+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcvTH0MQ9I7JVY1dd9QdgB6OgRNQFDqHHO-btKa6ti34qEfhakQmBrKZjuQSc9UIIqoEXykBPPI2QaBXg5jGUnztGBFLMqTS5SOEGVEOUEnv3BR-Ek3kXLiQZ60rmacf1z84iZh1fD8Y/s320/Dutch+46-gun+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anyway, today we've got the <i>Stad Gouda</i>, a ship named after the fabled land of cheese wheels. Yes, those beautiful, mild, wonderful-melted-over-garlic-toast gouda cheese wheels... which is to say somewhere in southern Holland. You might reasonably expect a ship named after gouda to be somewhat rotund, perhaps covered with a protective waxy rind. Rather disappointingly, the vessel is, in fact, pretty representative of Dutch warship construction of the 1650s. Of course 'representative' is pretty useful if you're trying to build a fleet for wargaming.<br />
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There isn't much else to say about the historical ship, if only because I haven't been able to learn anything! The model is presumably based on <a href="http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/136136.html">one of the ubiquitous van de Velde drawings</a>, depicting a ship of 46 or 50 guns, built in 1656. 46-gunners only seem to have been built for the Amsterdam admiralty; 50 gun vessels, on the other hand, were found in all six Dutch Admiralties. Taken together, this class of warship would have been the most numerous in the United Provinces' battlefleet, although larger vessels seem to have borne the brunt of the fighting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS2Uu586Jy7rXZaHXLVA2AMQd9i27qBfMm2Bu5KlfSsevBRcdS_3BBaLYiot-qolwiUehONYThVYsckLmc3AKNZgh8ZtmAnY-QB6M9pNLVv9mmeSEwxEB3_9upH1y5jYO1tcYTTVXqp8w/s1600/Dutch+46-gun+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS2Uu586Jy7rXZaHXLVA2AMQd9i27qBfMm2Bu5KlfSsevBRcdS_3BBaLYiot-qolwiUehONYThVYsckLmc3AKNZgh8ZtmAnY-QB6M9pNLVv9mmeSEwxEB3_9upH1y5jYO1tcYTTVXqp8w/s320/Dutch+46-gun+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The model itself is generic, meaning that unlike the rest of the named ships in Langton's Anglo-Dutch range, <i>Stad Gouda</i> has a blank taffrail. This gives the modeler the option of greater variety, but at the cost of being somewhat more difficult to paint. Trying to duplicate the painting that graced the historical <i>Stad Gouda</i> actually proved impossible-- showing the Gouda skyline in an area about a quarter of the size of my pinky fingernail is beyond even my talents. Instead, I decided to stick a moon on the taffrail and turn this ship into <i>De Halve Maan</i>, or, in English, <i>The Half Moon</i>. This was a popular name for Dutch ships, and while the most famous of these is undoubtedly the fluyt that carried colonists to the Nieuw Amsterdam/New York settlement, the actual vessel I had in mind was a 40-gun warship that served as the flagship of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelis_Tromp">Cornelis Tromp</a> at the Battle of Leghorn in the First Anglo-Dutch War.<br />
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Also worth a mention is the size (or lack thereof) of this particular model. The masts are so close together that rigging it proved quite the pain in the behind. For those used to doing the ships of Nelson's day in 1/1200, <i>Stad Gouda</i> is about the size of a 24-gun frigate of the Napoleonic era-- small indeed! For those who have never tried anything in this scale... well, suffice to say you can't even imagine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAgp7qwZPSsUy6-ChQws113qHv2qf5JkE0Ums_WamF7xp6x9iefPaFREXlvCOn2BNeyLXVnoRXQT0dRBc7_6fh2pFVCdrLGZPZuaLIFjdkbmDFrHigBrZoGJO1NvjVFF10QgN2IO3sUQ/s1600/Dutch+46-gun+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAgp7qwZPSsUy6-ChQws113qHv2qf5JkE0Ums_WamF7xp6x9iefPaFREXlvCOn2BNeyLXVnoRXQT0dRBc7_6fh2pFVCdrLGZPZuaLIFjdkbmDFrHigBrZoGJO1NvjVFF10QgN2IO3sUQ/s320/Dutch+46-gun+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Look, ma! No captions! Except for this one...</i></td></tr>
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Next time: another ship. Gotta get through the backlog!</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-43079581382949381052012-03-03T00:40:00.000-04:002012-03-03T00:40:06.458-04:00Mary, Mary, quite contrary (a British 3rd rate in 1:1200 scale)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
...In which our protagonist rediscovers his sense of humour, and (incidentally) talks about an English 70-gun ship of the 1660s.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sleek and sexy HMS </i>Mary<i>, aka Langton Miniatures' AD9: British 3rd Rate.</i></td></tr>
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Back again, with yet another post! I meant to sneak one in before the end of February... But then I didn't.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwq09L7Lj_uqF6iRsWb8jcve_La2FU1p5qwLTEJfx0HisHm9TLFr7Q8LWgYG1iMf3JRc3xcWOHU0QlaIiLXrbhkOsipz04EDa7XlwsCh8Wu56k-kiEaYCl6sLcN7Aulrqp7PvsS4v5wn4/s1600/English+3rd+rate+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwq09L7Lj_uqF6iRsWb8jcve_La2FU1p5qwLTEJfx0HisHm9TLFr7Q8LWgYG1iMf3JRc3xcWOHU0QlaIiLXrbhkOsipz04EDa7XlwsCh8Wu56k-kiEaYCl6sLcN7Aulrqp7PvsS4v5wn4/s320/English+3rd+rate+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Not much booty on </i>Mary<i>... and I'm not talking about "pirate booty", either. Yes, I'm</i> <i>talking about her rear end, which, by 17th century standards, is fairly low and unimpressive. Admittedly, it </i>is <i>a definite step in the direction of improved seaworthiness. </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anyway, the topic of said post is my sense of humour, which, when last we checked, had been sewn into a bit of sailcloth with a couple of spare cannonballs for ballast and heaved overboard. However, it now appears to have resurfaced (perhaps because of the corrosive effects of immersion in saltwater). Consequently, my writings now threaten, as of old, to be swamped in irrelevant and irreverent sass, for which I profoundly and insincerely apologize. Sorry.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_7mfqkB0YE0QYFkP8rsdhtr2sZWS3g1hnXebDDGk7RRGdD5qVe4qg-WosFh6B0OSUZRLFERtsYV_X2HuSSU4JEUBN-lX-Tj_M49HPuuSym6o4VXvCAnNXJWeTu6Z5axm56Fp972tYsU/s1600/English+3rd+rate+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_7mfqkB0YE0QYFkP8rsdhtr2sZWS3g1hnXebDDGk7RRGdD5qVe4qg-WosFh6B0OSUZRLFERtsYV_X2HuSSU4JEUBN-lX-Tj_M49HPuuSym6o4VXvCAnNXJWeTu6Z5axm56Fp972tYsU/s320/English+3rd+rate+1.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Another view of the aforementioned booty, aka taffrail. From this angle it's more impressive, since you can see all the Stuart-era bling.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>Isn't there supposed to be something about Mary in all this?</b><br />
<br />
Oh yes, Mary. She's a pretty little thing, so I don't mind talking about her. In fact, bring on the pretty maids, I say! Woo!<br />
<br />
Ahem. Actually I'm talking about <a href="http://www.rodlangton.com/">Langton Miniatures</a>' AD9: <i>British 3rd rate (Mary, 70 guns) </i>in 1:1200 scale. Long and lean, this "great frigate" is representative of the new generation of heavy cruising ships built by the Royal Navy starting in the mid 17th century. Built for speed, maneuverability, and long endurance for overseas deployment, the type underwent some significant teething pains. For instance, the <i>Speaker</i> (<i>Mary</i>'s original name, during the Commonwealth) was originally without a forcastle, and consequently tended to ship white water all the way up to the base of the mainmast. Who needs freeboard, anyway? Certainly not the British! Indeed, it was customary on English ships to cram in as many and as heavy guns as possible, to the detriment of unimportant things like crew safety or seaworthiness. The <i>Speaker</i>, built to carry 50 guns, eventually found herself carrying the aforementioned 70. Unsurprisingly, the extra topweight did little for her vaunted speed or maneuverability, and in point of fact didn't do much to increase her firepower, either; being so low in the water, fair weather and a calm sea were prerequisites for her to open her lower tier of gunports! Very clever, those English...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqv__ew8eMwbs2vX3FxY0pNk0hR1X9aBa6FSXm5NBxYXoVDDALEKHunkaqPVS-B9rOevQygDpfeSvdVrxuHUqWmYDMNBi0UMjDbfs3ShYsbj_z1mPWM2lJ40a6Td5PvvBXWpWBsbnTjoU/s1600/English+3rd+rate+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqv__ew8eMwbs2vX3FxY0pNk0hR1X9aBa6FSXm5NBxYXoVDDALEKHunkaqPVS-B9rOevQygDpfeSvdVrxuHUqWmYDMNBi0UMjDbfs3ShYsbj_z1mPWM2lJ40a6Td5PvvBXWpWBsbnTjoU/s320/English+3rd+rate+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary <i>has got some pretty nice top-hamper, if you know what I mean.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying this was a poorly designed warship. Far from it. By combining (at least on paper) good sailing qualities, decent firepower, and a fair turn of speed all for a reasonable cost, the <i>Mary</i> and her sisters can be considered the ancestors of the great two-decker ships-of-the-line of the 18th century, the famous 74s. Heck, all it took was the French, who who made the astounding decision to build hulls large enough to actually keep all the guns they were planning to put in them above water (yes, I'm aware that all you Francophobic Brits are going to pretend you didn't read this. Whatever).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhHo0hn60HwqfsC2gVeMFfzFSPlY3rtBjm3jsXVsQc5bKdcdDQnl159vXewb3Od3fbCqYk6cVJ__LiDcxQZao8hfv0yztLRHz6-Oel-UWP9Pc3NvauBKrLYAatrquLEE2W7r0daISibY/s1600/English+3rd+rate+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhHo0hn60HwqfsC2gVeMFfzFSPlY3rtBjm3jsXVsQc5bKdcdDQnl159vXewb3Od3fbCqYk6cVJ__LiDcxQZao8hfv0yztLRHz6-Oel-UWP9Pc3NvauBKrLYAatrquLEE2W7r0daISibY/s320/English+3rd+rate+6.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A good view down </i>Mary<i>'s mizzen. She really knows how to run up that Red Ensign!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b></b><br />
<b>It isn't how big it is, it's what you do with it that counts.</b><br />
<br />
Of course if she tells you <i>that</i>, it means she thinks you have a small... cog? But of course size <i>is</i> the issue here, and it <i>is </i>the ship I'm talking about. The model <i>Mary</i>, a 3rd rate, is longer than the model English 1st rate, and considerably larger than the Dutch 70 gun ship. Yeah, British men-o'-war of the day tended to be larger than their Dutch equivalents, but <i>Mary </i>was, as previously mentioned, built for only 50 guns, while the Dutchman is a purpose-built 70. Sculpting error? Maybe. Langton does use builders' plans to make their models as accurate as possible... but there were no builders plans in the 17th century (as astounding as that is!). To me, <i>Mary</i> just seems too big. Part of it is that she's riding high-- as mentioned above, British ships in particular tended to sit very low in the water, yet model <i>Mary</i>'s lower guns are perhaps the highest-sited in the Anglo-Dutch range, English or Dutch.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzppRgGtAZomZbsebFhmKSAcRa6xRTeoBzoctWZFRj584Wv8gZLfyZ3DfkVF3H2ga_9oT5OfuCscb1nVmr_-k4H1sb2Wf_Guhc-lViEzGN39_oowLll9O39iibjqyjHPuSCtt8REeZqD0/s1600/English+3rd+rate+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzppRgGtAZomZbsebFhmKSAcRa6xRTeoBzoctWZFRj584Wv8gZLfyZ3DfkVF3H2ga_9oT5OfuCscb1nVmr_-k4H1sb2Wf_Guhc-lViEzGN39_oowLll9O39iibjqyjHPuSCtt8REeZqD0/s320/English+3rd+rate+3.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sometimes bigger IS better.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Perhaps another reason the ship looks so big is that she's got small gunports. How small? Too small. To paraphrase the blessedly long-retired <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY84MRnxVzo">Sir Mix-a-lot</a>, "I like big 'ports and I cannot lie." More pertinently, the only depiction I could find of the actual ship is <a href="http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/141671.html">one of the ubiquitous van de Velde drawings</a>; and to all appearances the port lids on the model <i>are</i> smaller than they ought to be. Shrinkage? Hey <i>Mary</i>: is the water too cold? Are those only 12-pounders on your lower deck, or aren't you happy to see me? (ha ha ha!) ...Anyway, maybe our protagonist should get his mind out of the proverbial lower deck, and back to griping nitpickishly about unimportant trivialities.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2b6gInJzQz_NPc6OvoQnQDvzj0QYObBZ6hBcL6ODlxURIVEPbhqXMK4r3gV9dYsv5JQwLvpkRlAY6DlTgam_KKRJe04e0g58vqbiL_xtTbRRa9AyD8IDNvBkdzW6ilWeIqhaEzzAx5Tk/s1600/English+3rd+rate+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2b6gInJzQz_NPc6OvoQnQDvzj0QYObBZ6hBcL6ODlxURIVEPbhqXMK4r3gV9dYsv5JQwLvpkRlAY6DlTgam_KKRJe04e0g58vqbiL_xtTbRRa9AyD8IDNvBkdzW6ilWeIqhaEzzAx5Tk/s320/English+3rd+rate+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Do you know why they call her "three-penny </i>Mary<i>"? Because she's three pennies long.</i> That's why.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But there are benefits to being big; don't let anyone tell you differently. For one thing, bigger means more intimidating, which can be very important on the gaming table. For instance, witness the following exchange during an Anglo-Dutch Wars battle:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Dutch player</i>: "Hey, how come yours is bigger than mine?"</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>English player</i>: "Heredity."</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Dutch player</i>: "What? Oh. ...Get your mind out of the</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
proverbial lower deck, you English sod!"</div>
<br />
As you can see, the player with the biggest ship possesses a clear moral advantage. Additionally, bigger models are also easier to rig, as well as easier to identify at a distance. There are probably even more advantages, but since good things come in threes (and because I'm lazy), I'll stop here.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8B65fM-ptbPVyp7RvTH-2a5omk1rOaJ_gR9DLhglUt2iZEcJhhNDxzcQ6PVmJ8P3RC_jYnfjhmKg7uX4Ctfp4yVtYE26d1tJQRNV_xDCY4NiqhkhuLKS_Qj1aAdkrapU9plROhBQ-qQ/s1600/English+3rd+rate+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8B65fM-ptbPVyp7RvTH-2a5omk1rOaJ_gR9DLhglUt2iZEcJhhNDxzcQ6PVmJ8P3RC_jYnfjhmKg7uX4Ctfp4yVtYE26d1tJQRNV_xDCY4NiqhkhuLKS_Qj1aAdkrapU9plROhBQ-qQ/s320/English+3rd+rate+8.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Next time: Something else. Then again, maybe not. We'll see.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-74828008143964265862012-02-07T14:45:00.001-04:002012-02-07T14:45:35.605-04:00Ye 1:1200 scale Anglo-Dutch Wars: British 5th rate<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
...Whereupon ye protagonist showeth ye man-o'-war of 36 gunnes.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoSjRyCslhx9btm8W88OEoclZntdQhOfy2WGup44Eg2voQVEdt1M_DXdSVit49yCCqdOOhNbPKdRX5cSjeY7PdBS3PiSpvtJVKkaZK9BENKA_ssLqrA3NFMMX27ZyCrq8uyaSPEwmxcE/s1600/English+5th+rate+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoSjRyCslhx9btm8W88OEoclZntdQhOfy2WGup44Eg2voQVEdt1M_DXdSVit49yCCqdOOhNbPKdRX5cSjeY7PdBS3PiSpvtJVKkaZK9BENKA_ssLqrA3NFMMX27ZyCrq8uyaSPEwmxcE/s320/English+5th+rate+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Langton Miniatures AD5</i>: British 4th rate, 36-40 guns.<i> As usual, the sails, shrouds and ratlines are photo-etched brass, and the base is resin. The flags and pennant are homemade.</i></td></tr>
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<br />
Yes, here I am only a week into February, and my 2012 post count has already matched the impressive 2011 total of three (impressive, but not in the good way, you understand). Even more surprisingly, I'm delivering on my promise; this post is about an English 5th rate of the XVII century.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl62ppoihHqRsgcFwRjEd-ImqdztcflmmvZcMW4TsnjO6XBI894K01EBz8duwjMbtNIlMfamFDlILusRc85i6o6FTPsNZHfrJKLGKTXYNL3T7_aSJf8wCxWkOl-llrOAc_qwhxsyg0Yf4/s1600/English+5th+rate+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl62ppoihHqRsgcFwRjEd-ImqdztcflmmvZcMW4TsnjO6XBI894K01EBz8duwjMbtNIlMfamFDlILusRc85i6o6FTPsNZHfrJKLGKTXYNL3T7_aSJf8wCxWkOl-llrOAc_qwhxsyg0Yf4/s320/English+5th+rate+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Side view. The upper gunports are mostly hidden by the shrouds. Much of the lower gundeck would have been buried in the waves in any kind of a sea.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The ship is another <a href="http://www.rodlangton.com/">Langton Miniatures</a> model, of course, in this case <i>AD5: British 5th rate 36-40 guns</i>. She's small. She's sexy. Okay, maybe that last is a bit of a stretch; in point of fact she's so small that her masts actually appear rather over-thick. But that's just niggling. On the plus side, with this code the Langtons seem to have gotten past their teething problems, and there is a noticeable improvement in sculpting and casting quality on product codes AD5 through AD21. Compare, for instance, the sharply defined ladders on this ship versus the ones on <a href="http://mikes-lead.blogspot.com/2012/01/ye-11200-scale-anglo-dutch-wars-de.html"><i>7 Provincien</i></a>. What's that, you say? <i>7 Provincien</i> doesn't have any ladders? Yes she does, actually; they just didn't cast or paint very well, and are consequently nearly invisible.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_IJUQpfPPHlGYy4etYHwLg736Bfhp0-eb0l3xfcor5ZwnkIvTTWjU98gwEaiW48Vdx4q8njJLcc0xarL3HXqtajjHBlWhu5ewu44L1LF9xkQ4ioD9B6BRnWfmBtQ-c_HBt_5o2mhNEQ/s1600/English+5th+rate+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_IJUQpfPPHlGYy4etYHwLg736Bfhp0-eb0l3xfcor5ZwnkIvTTWjU98gwEaiW48Vdx4q8njJLcc0xarL3HXqtajjHBlWhu5ewu44L1LF9xkQ4ioD9B6BRnWfmBtQ-c_HBt_5o2mhNEQ/s320/English+5th+rate+4.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The English royal arms on the stern. I'm not sure if I used to much primer, or if the lion and unicorn aren't quite as crisply rendered as on some of the larger ships. At least they're identifiable.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's a quintessentially British ship of the day-- low poop (for the time), sleek lines, and the old lion-and-unicorn supporting the Royal Arms on the taffrail, indicating a King's ship. If not for this last, the model would serve equally well as a merchantman, particularly as there are no guns visible on deck. The sharp sheer of the deck aft would've been increasingly rare later in the 17th century, but would only have looked seriously old fashioned after the Dutch Wars were over.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcH_tYQ4b8K3n40I8xrBidIIdsWKRnI263dMDTjmrAoBSRUJldoPoFJZxLqnLgacwAvycvFPQs2s84czNMCsNfDPR1NasMOvqi9NuTBBTaG91jurVAlOvFJ8JEweCVW9G73xCUvk4Yu-Q/s1600/English+5th+rate+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcH_tYQ4b8K3n40I8xrBidIIdsWKRnI263dMDTjmrAoBSRUJldoPoFJZxLqnLgacwAvycvFPQs2s84czNMCsNfDPR1NasMOvqi9NuTBBTaG91jurVAlOvFJ8JEweCVW9G73xCUvk4Yu-Q/s320/English+5th+rate+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The 5th rate men o' war were surprisingly uncommon during these wars, mainly because there were few jobs they could perform with any real success. These were not the speedy frigates of Nelson's day, purpose-built by the dozen for work as cruisers and scouts. Rather, they were miniature battleships, two-deckers with the same hull lines as their larger siblings, and with their gunports dangerously close to the waterline. Poor firepower kept them out of the battleline, but they also made poor cruisers; while they did tend to be more manueverable, their light weight and shorter masts actually made them <i>slower </i>than the big ships. With the added problem of low freeboard, their employment as cruisers was largely restricted to the North Sea and Mediterranean.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtHQr-zwQt0b0ZO01t11jUwy7ob24-GWX4YX2yOoXhbCELRMymnvUl3xja9Brx49QkQ-hX_MDuylCH5AOdMR-L9Q8o8bOwgoS1w1sprTfdwG37JdWxEfE3KaiUEyI9ex3VdMt83TjeIA/s1600/English+5th+rate+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtHQr-zwQt0b0ZO01t11jUwy7ob24-GWX4YX2yOoXhbCELRMymnvUl3xja9Brx49QkQ-hX_MDuylCH5AOdMR-L9Q8o8bOwgoS1w1sprTfdwG37JdWxEfE3KaiUEyI9ex3VdMt83TjeIA/s320/English+5th+rate+5.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>She's a little one: barely 4cm from the taffrail to the tip of the bowsprit.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One indispensible, specialized role was left entirely to the 5th rates, however: working alongside fireships. In the titanic sea battles of the 17th century, the fleets were divided into squadrons, each with its own small complement of fireships. These were small, lightly-crewed ships crammed with casks of oil, flammable pitch and resin, gunpowder and double-shotted cannon. The fireships' job was to sail up to an enemy ship, grapple it, and fire the cargo; under the best of circumstances, the enemy vessel would burn, while the fireship's crew escaped in a boat. The job of the accompanying 5th rates was to prevent enemy boats or frigates from towing the fireship off course, as well as the unenviable task of intercepting enemy fireships before they could be used against the English line of battle--a task which was pursued with understandably less enthusiasm.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZnheqPox0fuy8H1-qAFlpUB57IjJxi09SKD7q-vEGOE12YIfzMXpnXcKksXO4Y5nl57Cn4xYjbwI6xt_bswe2bTQgoSUxHr3yGdCPjBtEke8uppINcC1Z-NjieqsAosvM74DTzQvRVc/s1600/English+5th+rate+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZnheqPox0fuy8H1-qAFlpUB57IjJxi09SKD7q-vEGOE12YIfzMXpnXcKksXO4Y5nl57Cn4xYjbwI6xt_bswe2bTQgoSUxHr3yGdCPjBtEke8uppINcC1Z-NjieqsAosvM74DTzQvRVc/s320/English+5th+rate+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Copper Currency Comparison: a couple of pennies long.</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOubKf2Ou5-AmtLAPoHDkZ4ey5CDeiEqSH14M50IKG0zM9O-lbveS_2f9kd66x8ngkDLHMlaikTtGnEMQ-mfjas1oZ3DRQg6JakLrknM433EK9mWk1ukUvxvYoe0nhH8409Ql65OsJn4/s1600/English+5th+rate+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOubKf2Ou5-AmtLAPoHDkZ4ey5CDeiEqSH14M50IKG0zM9O-lbveS_2f9kd66x8ngkDLHMlaikTtGnEMQ-mfjas1oZ3DRQg6JakLrknM433EK9mWk1ukUvxvYoe0nhH8409Ql65OsJn4/s320/English+5th+rate+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next time: an English 3rd rate. </div>
<br /></div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-71981900680927932712012-01-28T14:41:00.000-04:002012-01-28T23:17:58.664-04:00Ye 1:1200 scale Anglo-Dutch Wars: British Armed Merchant<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
...Whereupon ye Protagonist showeth ye armed English shippe of 40 gunnes, and continueth ye naval project for ye XVII Century.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjNkuPL_DrDqXpbUSLqX-X4MvWNm0DFirWG6TzKZogL0vHahvdnf_7Rty2wn9DhfV_t-jtSlBBD4fV8ArZInPkyfn17_UL3YUciNJBz7sKz97t5d-zRDI8RgKviAZ17OEJgaXUC5SD7M/s1600/English+merchant+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjNkuPL_DrDqXpbUSLqX-X4MvWNm0DFirWG6TzKZogL0vHahvdnf_7Rty2wn9DhfV_t-jtSlBBD4fV8ArZInPkyfn17_UL3YUciNJBz7sKz97t5d-zRDI8RgKviAZ17OEJgaXUC5SD7M/s320/English+merchant+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Langton's AD4: British Armed Merchant, 40 guns.</i></td></tr>
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Yet another fine product from <a href="http://www.rodlangton.com/index.html">Langton Miniatures</a>, in this case AD4, the <i>British Armed Merchant, 40 guns</i>. As you might guess, this ship is meant to be generic. This is very much a good thing, since making a different model for each of the innumerable ships that took part in the mammoth Anglo-Dutch wars would be prohibitively expensive, for both sculptor and for anyone who would feel obligated to collect them all.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttZkOIgSOaa7CFO9XH9eahfATki5KZZdwvuh9DCUlVEgx9cbrdoEf1vJAG2gYW5s6_q3tuOAp0fH7K2yD6PN0gkYONLumEMnFynNVz8kcHfNajqwIlXNepaUMY7bFCgJDR7Z9dFIe3gI/s1600/English+merchant+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttZkOIgSOaa7CFO9XH9eahfATki5KZZdwvuh9DCUlVEgx9cbrdoEf1vJAG2gYW5s6_q3tuOAp0fH7K2yD6PN0gkYONLumEMnFynNVz8kcHfNajqwIlXNepaUMY7bFCgJDR7Z9dFIe3gI/s320/English+merchant+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Looking for trouble... or running from it? Hired merchant captains were not always renowned for conspicuous bravery.</i></td></tr>
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As to whether or not this particular model is typical of an English merchantman of the time is difficult to say (the term 'British' is anachronistic). Drawing up construction blueprints was all but unheard of at the time, and consequently even similar ships from the same yard could vary widely in detail. Compared to the other purpose-built warships in the Langton line, the armed merchant is decidedly long and sleek-- not necessarily what you would expect in a merchant vessel, but given the lack of hard data and Langton's reputation for meticulous accuracy, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXV8TWXAiVGxMlFrkihrWFgufSYQbS2wAtPqI8Eun427yOMl6w5HGCvYWft8Ydg2FsGe3OM0_k7awZz14rJfJrrO2a7KH0wSNHyU7UkrUWptLyP2I3h1luofs6HzDzDTJmNpAfIZLozo/s1600/English+merchant+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXV8TWXAiVGxMlFrkihrWFgufSYQbS2wAtPqI8Eun427yOMl6w5HGCvYWft8Ydg2FsGe3OM0_k7awZz14rJfJrrO2a7KH0wSNHyU7UkrUWptLyP2I3h1luofs6HzDzDTJmNpAfIZLozo/s320/English+merchant+3.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Stern view. Notice the narrow beam compared to the ship's length.</i></td></tr>
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Then again, the ship's design is in many ways ambiguous. The taffrail is relatively austere compared to the warships, lacking much of the heavy carving, not to mention the absence of the near-ubiquitous Stewart royal arms of the English men o' war. The design of the quarter galleries, the clinker-built upperworks, narrow poop and transom stern appear downright Dutch, while the comparatively low stern, high length-to-beam ratio, and the location of the catheads are more characteristically English. The aftmost gunports are also mounted lower than the rest of their respective tiers, indicating a "downhill" shear of the deck aft, which is--as far as I know--also characteristic of some English shipping.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPC_z2EA3NvLPZzb2N861XkIPbPljDDwUoNIl4jQLomzVq-DLRScz-QfQItRzPMi1305HYjURM-M_Tk0nFuqB1Xtx1lJEQ5vy6PeaRGxRsXSsjqYLSHprHgoDwr-Y-3vQpcq364QbJie0/s1600/English+merchant+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPC_z2EA3NvLPZzb2N861XkIPbPljDDwUoNIl4jQLomzVq-DLRScz-QfQItRzPMi1305HYjURM-M_Tk0nFuqB1Xtx1lJEQ5vy6PeaRGxRsXSsjqYLSHprHgoDwr-Y-3vQpcq364QbJie0/s320/English+merchant+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Profile view. The low stern and oddly-placed gunports aft are clearly evident.</i></td></tr>
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All in all, the ship is most useful as a merchantman hired or purchased by the navy; the full tier of guns visible on the upper deck wouldn't likely have graced the decks of an honest trader. A fair number of merchant vessels, mainly of the 4th rate (at the time, roughly 30 to 50 guns) were hired by the Royal Navy during the Dutch Wars to bolster the battlefleet, despite their decidedly chequered record. The merchantmen were frequently found to be slow, unhandy, lightly built, and, since they were often captained by their owners, rather shy of taking risks in battle. In hindsight, the hiring of merchant ships may seem odd, but at the time it was a common expedient; in fact until the crash warship-building programmes of 1665-66, the largest Dutch fighting ships were East Indiamen chartered from the VOC!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FYYzDyArmwlSQW6dgr2D1xvaUoKWEOxylip1KTSpzMYEGUH0T-jxoogikHo0soenFKtkFxH2YxRWI2WtbcqJqHFQQj3NBO1QSBpsrCOJSnWB1KPV0ZbwS5rq0LPctYHHbuEacKkQeGs/s1600/English+merchant+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FYYzDyArmwlSQW6dgr2D1xvaUoKWEOxylip1KTSpzMYEGUH0T-jxoogikHo0soenFKtkFxH2YxRWI2WtbcqJqHFQQj3NBO1QSBpsrCOJSnWB1KPV0ZbwS5rq0LPctYHHbuEacKkQeGs/s320/English+merchant+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Starboard quarter.</i></td></tr>
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The model itself is, like Langton's <a href="http://mikes-lead.blogspot.com/2012/01/ye-11200-scale-anglo-dutch-wars-de.html"><i>7 Provincien</i></a>, one of the earlier offerings in this range. The main drawbacks on this particular unit are clunky, difficult to install rudder, and the decidedly oversized guns on the deck. Not that these are major problems; at any kind of normal gaming distance they fade to insignificance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5HwdafAbplWRZuoujZJjppcGe6GxFAj6ZYmxhAmcgdxKzmEarG716d6GpJTcdMuSQPHj0tlW_LIE8Zt2sjbUWugmtlU3H2aSeKVIz9I7Mfh99XwGiaM0Vy45PImQX0_9n3nToj40MNs/s1600/English+merchant+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5HwdafAbplWRZuoujZJjppcGe6GxFAj6ZYmxhAmcgdxKzmEarG716d6GpJTcdMuSQPHj0tlW_LIE8Zt2sjbUWugmtlU3H2aSeKVIz9I7Mfh99XwGiaM0Vy45PImQX0_9n3nToj40MNs/s320/English+merchant+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The hull clocks in at just under 4 cm or 1.5 inches in length.</i></td></tr>
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Reflecting its origins as a privately-owned ship, I opted to forgo the usual gold/red/black/varnished wood colour scheme I've been giving to the King's ships. Instead, the upperworks have been painted a dark green, and I've made the insides of the rails a darker burgundy. I also used a much smaller red pennant; red flags and pennants were flown by the senior squadron of the Royal Navy, as well as by any warship not sailing with the main battlefleet. I'm not sure whether these flags and pennants were provided to each ship ready made, or whether they were produced aboard ship; certainly in the latter case any enterprising merchant captain might be sorely tempted to sew a smaller flag and sell off the excess scarlet cloth! I've also given the ship an English flag rather than a Union one; I guess the skipper of this particular ship just doesn't like Scotland.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWsHV5C91Wmxcc0k0ggV3Dr9tBVXzbvWWFO7ChV0UQDLX6YIu9zY_j_aBXJod4UKsaTkKUVV_BSYGrLcVzFWF8737loV91-egqtUnJdPB6VgPXxwKnYtbA4dQh1hFbu5L4_JOlRNj1tM/s1600/English+merchant+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWsHV5C91Wmxcc0k0ggV3Dr9tBVXzbvWWFO7ChV0UQDLX6YIu9zY_j_aBXJod4UKsaTkKUVV_BSYGrLcVzFWF8737loV91-egqtUnJdPB6VgPXxwKnYtbA4dQh1hFbu5L4_JOlRNj1tM/s320/English+merchant+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Copper Currency Comparison: she's only about two pennies long!</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4oa7U1iSfrOLm_KFtfcM8dMRGh0zyL54KRxUypKdEkrou3Jf9VHiv3yZ38tYYudI_yfLaR8w3IIiwbHd-RxrBbWGAG5MLcgY34o3AmTzlejHBWbqhCcVuNiHzmP7kU8MGDdqnysJh0E/s1600/English+merchant+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4oa7U1iSfrOLm_KFtfcM8dMRGh0zyL54KRxUypKdEkrou3Jf9VHiv3yZ38tYYudI_yfLaR8w3IIiwbHd-RxrBbWGAG5MLcgY34o3AmTzlejHBWbqhCcVuNiHzmP7kU8MGDdqnysJh0E/s320/English+merchant+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>One more for the road.</i></td></tr>
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Next time: an English 5th rate frigate.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-31740011815872636932012-01-26T20:03:00.000-04:002012-01-28T23:18:12.394-04:00Ye 1:1200 scale Anglo-Dutch Wars: De Zeven Provinciën<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUX40llZT96lAagouamSpdmDTipz42WIaGU4TxPtAt4THcALJFothyphenhyphenGPaEwrqnrYFtUaOjUOTZnKj0wTw5oALiJkE0cICRSHdKyR0sWWxk-HKmAZ31MCXh5fiJ5mfuNsxwOc20iuM5Gg/s1600/Zeven+Provincien+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
...Whereupon ye Protagonist continues with his project of ye XVII Century, conceiving to show ye Dutch Flagship <i>De Zeven Provinciën.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMDoofddc-rL-06JxFL5FzQpEp3Z4QHmSUe7MqmYT7YkESIduNThWaTI_U2-F3-fkzapfkHi26TNHpN5kVkxpLKweaAy_bFUrCiPTibEFLUlqC7QQkvBjSiAnbysx2JTsKgdL5KFkArQ/s1600/Zeven+Provincien+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMDoofddc-rL-06JxFL5FzQpEp3Z4QHmSUe7MqmYT7YkESIduNThWaTI_U2-F3-fkzapfkHi26TNHpN5kVkxpLKweaAy_bFUrCiPTibEFLUlqC7QQkvBjSiAnbysx2JTsKgdL5KFkArQ/s320/Zeven+Provincien+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Langton`s 1:1200 scale </i>De Zeven Provinciën<i> from the starboard quarter.</i></td></tr>
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So here I am, back again. To the surprise of no one, it's been more than two months since my last post, this despite my promising a "veritable flurry of posts" back in October. Clearly I'm not to be trusted.<br />
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Nevertheless, more time between posts means more time to work through the leadpile; much has been accomplished on the hobby front, and I'm eager to show it all off. What this means is that this time around I'm going to promise not merely this one pathetic post, but <i>at least</i> <i>seven more</i> posts in the near future! It's unprecedented, I know. but barring catastrophe (and the aforementioned caveat about my trustworthiness), it's going to happen. The Pictures are taken; all that's required is for me to sit my lazy butt in front of a keyboard.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUX40llZT96lAagouamSpdmDTipz42WIaGU4TxPtAt4THcALJFothyphenhyphenGPaEwrqnrYFtUaOjUOTZnKj0wTw5oALiJkE0cICRSHdKyR0sWWxk-HKmAZ31MCXh5fiJ5mfuNsxwOc20iuM5Gg/s1600/Zeven+Provincien+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUX40llZT96lAagouamSpdmDTipz42WIaGU4TxPtAt4THcALJFothyphenhyphenGPaEwrqnrYFtUaOjUOTZnKj0wTw5oALiJkE0cICRSHdKyR0sWWxk-HKmAZ31MCXh5fiJ5mfuNsxwOc20iuM5Gg/s320/Zeven+Provincien+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>View showing the tightly-packed gundecks. The largest Dutch warships were two-and-a-half-deckers carrying 80 guns, </i><i> like </i>De Zeven Provinciën<i>. By contrast, the English required more space for their heavier guns; their contemporary 80-gun ships were all three-deckers.</i></td></tr>
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<span id="goog_1995520128"></span><span id="goog_1995520129"></span>But I digress. We're here today to talk about the lovely ship in all the pretty pictures. This is <a href="http://www.rodlangton.com/index.html">Langton Miniatures</a>' AD1, 7 Provincien aka <i>De Zeven Provinciën</i>, or, in English, <i>The Seven Provinces</i>. The original ship was built in Rotterdam during 1665, at the beginning of the Second Anglo-Dutch War, as a special overall flagship for the United Provinces' combined fleet.<br />
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Some additional explanation is perhaps warranted here: unlike England, France, Spain, or any of the other better-known maritime states during the Age of Sail, the Netherlands had no navy-- instead, they had no fewer than <i>five</i> navies, each with their own ships, docks, shipyards, stores, admirals, and everything else. They had one Admiralty for the province of Zeeland, and another for Friesland; the other three represented different parts of Holland, the largest Dutch province. These were the Admiralty of the Maas/Maze/Maeze, representing Rotterdam, the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier, representing Westfriesland, and the Admiralty of Amsterdam. Each of these five navies was traditionally quite jealous of its prerogatives, and their flag officers were prone to bickering, even while they were ostensibly cooperating against the English. This organization (or lack thereof) had served them miserably in the first Anglo-Dutch war, contributing to a number of alarming defeats. Addressing the problem, the States General (i.e. the federal government of the Netherlands) opted to name a single commander-in-chief.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5wZXUi_Ehc0BznueeV5OQ9qdTOuCkeM_6ZQH44OHTAWptHCI-WXQZzUtYVIxfecg3ej70CnkAIEY3pahSP6F5JjRFL_JvMPljmxrOxy4r6Nsk3Mzuh-MSuCg-mO9fY3N07SaYiyvOps/s1600/Zeven+Provincien+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5wZXUi_Ehc0BznueeV5OQ9qdTOuCkeM_6ZQH44OHTAWptHCI-WXQZzUtYVIxfecg3ej70CnkAIEY3pahSP6F5JjRFL_JvMPljmxrOxy4r6Nsk3Mzuh-MSuCg-mO9fY3N07SaYiyvOps/s320/Zeven+Provincien+2.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I`ve been putting lots of flags on these models; it really seems to make them stand out. For me, this gaudiness was one of the main draws of this period over the more popular Napoleonic age.</i></td></tr>
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<br />
Another of the primary factors contributing to Dutch losses in the first war was the small size of their ships. Amsterdam especially suffered from shallow, silty harbours, and that city's economic and political predominance over the States General had allowed Amsterdam to impose severe size restrictions on the ships of all the Dutch admiralties. Only the disasterous test of war against the English--who possessed the largest and most heavily armed warships in the world--proved the folly of such limits. Consequently, between the wars all the Dutch admiralties embarked on flurried programs of construction, churning out a new generation of heavier warships, intended to wrest the control of the seas back from the English. There were still shortcomings in the new ships: the shallow Dutch harbours meant that there was still no chance of matching the largest English ships, either in size or in firepower; nevertheless, events proved that the new Dutch fleets were nothing to shrug off.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWXfxaJrmGffpDUrLhrOyMp7vEooeP0o0lsm8q57_-zKOmtY5bGrP0yA-egan7NHZIjRchy-IeAffhyphenhyphenCxFKg3VM_B7rKLdzVj1khkC9xwvmGwMIFlaL4zIKKRgpU0RS3Gd-Fx3Y6Sur0/s1600/Zeven+Provincien+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWXfxaJrmGffpDUrLhrOyMp7vEooeP0o0lsm8q57_-zKOmtY5bGrP0yA-egan7NHZIjRchy-IeAffhyphenhyphenCxFKg3VM_B7rKLdzVj1khkC9xwvmGwMIFlaL4zIKKRgpU0RS3Gd-Fx3Y6Sur0/s320/Zeven+Provincien+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>View from the waterline.</i></td></tr>
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<i>De Zeven Provinciën </i>was the pride of the new establishment, the largest and most heavily armed ship in the Dutch fleet. As built, she carried 80 guns: 12 36-pounders, 16 24-pounders, 14 18-pounders, 12 12-pounders, and 26 6-pounders. The mixture of different calibres was unavoidable; there were few large arms manufacturers in the Netherlands, leading to a chronic shortage of the largest guns. The ship was modified several times over her career, mostly in regards to armament, but was never seriously rebuilt; the light construction of Dutch ships (necessary because of the shallow harbours), and their employment in so many battles meant they never lasted quite as long as some of their foreign counterparts, and <i>De Zeven Provinciën </i>was finally broken up in 1694.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3EALj7fKVBvI3TCB_URz-iErgdLTrgY23cSZLRZ9Cy31BMJULV_S51OlRlnyA2vm9tTkJQprQCvEygIooImvRoeNMI704qV80xx19XKM1M8ymjQmqfBL3VZbtnPQME2k5PZoXP959Go/s1600/Zeven+Provincien+3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3EALj7fKVBvI3TCB_URz-iErgdLTrgY23cSZLRZ9Cy31BMJULV_S51OlRlnyA2vm9tTkJQprQCvEygIooImvRoeNMI704qV80xx19XKM1M8ymjQmqfBL3VZbtnPQME2k5PZoXP959Go/s320/Zeven+Provincien+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A portside view</i></td></tr>
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Of course I shouldn't understate the importance of this ship to the Dutch. Its tempting to make comparisons to HMS Victory, but even that could be seen as an understatement; whereas the British have a long history of naval dominance and can consequently look back on a number of greatly renowned ships, <i>De Zeven Provinciën </i>stands alone as the best-remembered symbol of the single short age of Dutch naval preeminence. In a lifetime of only thirty years, she fought in no less than seven major fleet battles: the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Days_Fight">Four Days' Battle</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._James%27s_Day_Battle">St. James Day Battle</a> in the Second Anglo-Dutch War; the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Solebay">Battle of Solebay</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Schooneveld">First and Second battles of Schooneveld</a>, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Texel">Battle of the Texel</a> in the Third Anglo-Dutch War, and finally the twin <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Barfleur_and_La_Hogue">battles of Barfleur and La Hougue</a> during the War of the Grand Alliance. As the flagship of the almost-legendary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michiel_de_Ruyter">Admiral Michiel Adrianszoon de Ruyter</a>, she frequently fought broadside to broadside against much more powerful opponents; during the St. James Day Battle, for instance, she defeated the massive English first-rate flagship <i>Royal Charles</i> in a duel lasting four hours, before being beaten in turn by another first-rate, the <i>Royal Sovereign</i> (ex-Sovereign of the Seas, ex-Sovereign, the most powerful ship in the fleet).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQdwlAzkhJ_B3CUrzT9UbjIulWY6PeQ71BDmslna4_maTaeHiKwktVmHPrWg8HXtHE1qT7LvgSnx_4gQIdZDCo4MaMgcNTEhxWGdtjgUkeocgzo9Z61b6tk7vt3gXKm4g8P4ac1tjHnM/s1600/Zeven+Provincien+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQdwlAzkhJ_B3CUrzT9UbjIulWY6PeQ71BDmslna4_maTaeHiKwktVmHPrWg8HXtHE1qT7LvgSnx_4gQIdZDCo4MaMgcNTEhxWGdtjgUkeocgzo9Z61b6tk7vt3gXKm4g8P4ac1tjHnM/s320/Zeven+Provincien+7.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Stern view. The red lions on the stern decoration are well cast, considering their size, although the seven coats of arms (representing the eponymous seven provinces of the Netherlands) have been reduced to a single shield.</i></td></tr>
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Like the rest of Langton's Anglo-Dutch line, the model is exceptionally detailed for 1:1200 scale. On the other hand, <i>7 Provincien </i>does suffer from being the first ship of this series to enter production; the detailing actually seems to have been <i>too</i> fine, particularly on the quarter-gallery trim, and thus isn't as crisply cast as some of the other vessels. The guns visible on the ship's deck are also comparatively larger and more crudely sculpted. None of this is particularly noticeable on the finished model however, and I hasten to add that this is still very much a top-rate offering.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEe5UqAZ7ik_qUef3lhLdBMS3ne8-n_whzEoPhkmFnMS8Hyj-NN2SRJk15MRvNYvqUGc-K9lWFxkpMF64ScSfBmCnKGH-Pvji8ZRzvd2GU44IIwqgnjHwIPUmSZy0cz2R-jNWT02sXlN8/s1600/Zeven+Provincien+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEe5UqAZ7ik_qUef3lhLdBMS3ne8-n_whzEoPhkmFnMS8Hyj-NN2SRJk15MRvNYvqUGc-K9lWFxkpMF64ScSfBmCnKGH-Pvji8ZRzvd2GU44IIwqgnjHwIPUmSZy0cz2R-jNWT02sXlN8/s320/Zeven+Provincien+5.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>From stem to stern, the ship clocks in at a little more than 5cm or 2 inches. Yeah, I paint these things with a magnifier.</i></td></tr>
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Choosing a colour scheme for <i>De Zeven Provinciën</i> was relatively easy; ships as famous as this one are always popular subjects for modelers, so pictoral examples abound. The only real decision was whether to paint the upperworks blue or green. I chose green, obviously.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7KZk6mzi_L8J9tlC0VTKWfMP07X79_2MZGwy8n4fnJjCj1z9bBWoTZJcHPTXG1dd_GoP76Ctxkin0uAhXN3GMv3N85Rp9Ie9YTKTj50IyTaA_ycliYG4oLAeWezFTp6hALXa3S2W28s/s1600/Zeven+Provincien+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7KZk6mzi_L8J9tlC0VTKWfMP07X79_2MZGwy8n4fnJjCj1z9bBWoTZJcHPTXG1dd_GoP76Ctxkin0uAhXN3GMv3N85Rp9Ie9YTKTj50IyTaA_ycliYG4oLAeWezFTp6hALXa3S2W28s/s320/Zeven+Provincien+6.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The key test: yes, you could fit it in your pocket. No, you wouldn`t want to. Not unless you wanted to buy me a new one (and pay for me for the time and effort it takes to build these things).</td></tr>
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Next time: more Langton Anglo-Dutch, specifically an English 4th rate.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-44126678733909382282011-11-12T18:40:00.001-04:002011-11-13T00:04:51.696-04:00Ye XVII Century Men-o'-War in 1:1200 scale<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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...In which ye protagonist doth wax eloquently about ye Langton Miniatures ships, and how they doth be both exquisite and expensive.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3bH4EbPM7nzn5YiJiAw_ez9mGA9C3VDtN-xLBheA6Q57bpdj58bS87pvGPtpqbkMKOtsqA067Al_wnc4KHMmEqyAKwsi7XKa3hPEmSb6_3V7OFUZCQ0zJ2qhb4XBGEC6y4dDGhT8qOM/s1600/Anglo-Dutch+ships+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3bH4EbPM7nzn5YiJiAw_ez9mGA9C3VDtN-xLBheA6Q57bpdj58bS87pvGPtpqbkMKOtsqA067Al_wnc4KHMmEqyAKwsi7XKa3hPEmSb6_3V7OFUZCQ0zJ2qhb4XBGEC6y4dDGhT8qOM/s320/Anglo-Dutch+ships+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A Dutch 60-gun ship</i></td></tr>
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Well, this was going to be a post about some Borodino-related material, but the pictures I took didn't turn out. Being too lazy to take new ones, I decided to blather about this instead.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61rEvI_iQijckBVyjuZXpxZHiF0Yxi28Lj9lLgkzcPNTwxZI7ZLUT4QhvJkbD5TO7IXC3iXD_qC1ib8DykcxNmDW8PAvuWcB8w9rkT8HfQzMfQpOoNhlB11Wu4Jq58fXTNKYbO5L0cE8/s1600/Anglo-Dutch+ships+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61rEvI_iQijckBVyjuZXpxZHiF0Yxi28Lj9lLgkzcPNTwxZI7ZLUT4QhvJkbD5TO7IXC3iXD_qC1ib8DykcxNmDW8PAvuWcB8w9rkT8HfQzMfQpOoNhlB11Wu4Jq58fXTNKYbO5L0cE8/s320/Anglo-Dutch+ships+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Stern quarter view, showing detail.</i></td></tr>
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Yes, it's yet another new project: this time the Ango-Dutch Wars of the XVII century (that's 17th, for the not-Roman-numerally-inclined). These were purely naval wars (from the English point of view, at least), and so this will be a purely naval project. That's good, since one of my main motivations for getting into it was for a change of pace from painting ranks of infantry and cavalry. Strangely, this is going to be my first-ever naval project-- and I say <i>strange</i>, because I'm a huge naval buff, with shelves full of books on ships in general and many a sea war in particular.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHm3P1-cLWD1pVO0u2slG9gcEUmOTtwhDBixKQVjVx5ywm3WOwydGkl6TtmoZTBjEdbJoR9qDcCooO2FXvmYT8dUVNHokZNZG8gAkGocedx7cXy1XrChiLzPIHJMZPM54hKYiR98F6wgI/s1600/Anglo-Dutch+ships+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHm3P1-cLWD1pVO0u2slG9gcEUmOTtwhDBixKQVjVx5ywm3WOwydGkl6TtmoZTBjEdbJoR9qDcCooO2FXvmYT8dUVNHokZNZG8gAkGocedx7cXy1XrChiLzPIHJMZPM54hKYiR98F6wgI/s320/Anglo-Dutch+ships+13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>English 2nd rate (82 guns) alongside Dutch 60-gun ship, with a pencil for scale.</i></td></tr>
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Anyway, I felt it was high time to do something naval. My main area of familiarity is actually the age of ironclads and pre-dreadnoughts, although I confess a healthy interest in the navies of the two World Wars and in the age of sail as well. Unfortunately, given my preferences, I couldn't find many ironclad miniatures that matched what I was looking for in terms of scale, price, and quality. However, broadening my search, I came across <a href="http://www.rodlangton.com/">Langton Miniatures</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3k-fbxsNUa7jbbIhSYiC7fb_g2JXSaeLvRcHssqOhLmeeQNGWE5pGQdkwvD802dABBhy057_fwtXspHWjORSB8v_osDDVUC7DqMy3L6gjyUEe_BBz5s-IQ_LZjdNUL90GPfh4RY_dEuU/s1600/Anglo-Dutch+ships+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3k-fbxsNUa7jbbIhSYiC7fb_g2JXSaeLvRcHssqOhLmeeQNGWE5pGQdkwvD802dABBhy057_fwtXspHWjORSB8v_osDDVUC7DqMy3L6gjyUEe_BBz5s-IQ_LZjdNUL90GPfh4RY_dEuU/s320/Anglo-Dutch+ships+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Langton Miniatures' AD6 - British 2nd rate (Royal Katherine, 76-86 guns). The description is something of a misnomer; since the Dutch wars were fought before the Acts of Union united England with Scotland (and later Northern Ireland), these were properly English ships.</i></td></tr>
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Langton is actually a company I'd been aware of for some time, mostly by reputation; they're held to be the manufacturers of the finest 1:1200 scale ships money can buy-- albeit the most expensive. Well, having now sampled their wares, I can confirm that theirs is a reputation well deserved: they look spectacular... and are spectacularly expensive.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-GXg5cJzqSUq0yrVkQBLftZH8r90STQxW7dUzzciuFtXNYJnIGQTJKCTKDHMGU6dokoIs-16snLClrXOXsHMB8XhjXURBIH4tZ0riEmxZylX4m_lerxVyIE-FtHndUNTS7RISOnl9C0/s1600/Anglo-Dutch+ships+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-GXg5cJzqSUq0yrVkQBLftZH8r90STQxW7dUzzciuFtXNYJnIGQTJKCTKDHMGU6dokoIs-16snLClrXOXsHMB8XhjXURBIH4tZ0riEmxZylX4m_lerxVyIE-FtHndUNTS7RISOnl9C0/s320/Anglo-Dutch+ships+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Broadside view of the Royal Katherine. This was the first of these ships I did; consequently there are a number of errors in the rigging, and it isn't painted quite as nicely as might have been. A good learning experience, however. My previous work with small-scale modeling certainly helped.</i></td></tr>
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The spectacular-looking part is what's really important though, and so I was pretty much doomed to make the attempt, regardless of cost, as soon as I got to looking through the Langton picture galleries, inadequate though they may be. And since spectacular-looking was now the goal, I quickly opted for one of the age of sail lines, since it seemed a bit extreme to spend <small>£</small>6 on some clunky-looking American Civil War ironclad, no matter how beautifully sculpted and cast. The Anglo-Dutch line finally got the nod because the ships' over-the-top baroque decor always seems to give them more personality than their better-known Napoleonic-era counterparts. A glance through <a href="http://www.sailingwarship.com/category/17th-century">the paintings of the Dutch Old Masters</a> will show what I mean.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnh6sEru4L9WXQJEJH1nqY-EkVe8clBDvQTQoyhsEQg3BDIK26tVV2iP_lQwGXpxvXi7UdyPO2AbVjXOomucsX4vfeN0_YCRkTG5bPA0YVVN0l_Jkfiluw5MUJjiX7Yy2Rz-1t1x0vAg/s1600/Anglo-Dutch+ships+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnh6sEru4L9WXQJEJH1nqY-EkVe8clBDvQTQoyhsEQg3BDIK26tVV2iP_lQwGXpxvXi7UdyPO2AbVjXOomucsX4vfeN0_YCRkTG5bPA0YVVN0l_Jkfiluw5MUJjiX7Yy2Rz-1t1x0vAg/s320/Anglo-Dutch+ships+12.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Langton Miniatures' AD15 - Dutch, 60 guns. The model is generic, not
having been sculpted to represent any particular vessel. My rigging
technique shows some improvement here, and tying the flags on rather
than wrapping them around the masts also looks better.</i></td></tr>
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Of course when it came time to get out the paintbrush, I quickly discovered that 'personality' can be a double-edged sword. Most Napoleonic-era warships were built in classes, and thus had one or more nearly identical sisters; paintwork too tended to follow broadly similar lines. Not so in the period of the Dutch wars, where ships tended to be one-of-a-kind, with very distinctive decoration.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNKQlbK6hsrY-igYbhCF2ZMrQq3SZ-yDxFvHCp_cGARMH7SUTkAcNoQElS8641tvxMwT3kd43GjYhhI9trKWURfHsZOvkCg2aaoZ72wKoyW8tZ0vN_3v6hE_VnxrNmq-oXgpFx71hvrs/s1600/Anglo-Dutch+ships+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNKQlbK6hsrY-igYbhCF2ZMrQq3SZ-yDxFvHCp_cGARMH7SUTkAcNoQElS8641tvxMwT3kd43GjYhhI9trKWURfHsZOvkCg2aaoZ72wKoyW8tZ0vN_3v6hE_VnxrNmq-oXgpFx71hvrs/s320/Anglo-Dutch+ships+5.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Royal Katherine. The sails and ratlines are brass photoetch; the rigging is acrylic thread. Flags are homemade paper.</i></td></tr>
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With this in mind, I decided to base my first pair of ships on specific historical examples-- insofar as any kind of examples could be found, of course! The 17th century was a long time ago, and record keeping back then wasn't quite up to modern standards. In fact, if it hadn't been for the improvement of painting techniques, and the increasing predilection of the aforementioned Dutch Old Masters for realistic nautical scenes, we wouldn't have much idea at all of what these vessels looked like.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMbh7gymFVEj0_FCVBdyYqNShVHDOMqSydkcYJaLcv2kmeE8TBtRBtplZL3VJbol-UXibrspLI0XNVoK9m36TYOH5ZtEGSU1V_MsyHK743K9ZSQQJWY4LuM1tBD6MX7KjYZOsekckk18/s1600/Anglo-Dutch+ships+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMbh7gymFVEj0_FCVBdyYqNShVHDOMqSydkcYJaLcv2kmeE8TBtRBtplZL3VJbol-UXibrspLI0XNVoK9m36TYOH5ZtEGSU1V_MsyHK743K9ZSQQJWY4LuM1tBD6MX7KjYZOsekckk18/s320/Anglo-Dutch+ships+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eendracht or Eendraght with rearing lion stern art.</i></td></tr>
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Since the English 2nd rate was sculpted as the <i>Royal Katherine</i>, the <i>Royal Katherine</i> she would be. Some Google-fu turned up pictures of <a href="http://www.schifferlbauer.at/seite28.html">a model of the ship</a>, whose accuracy I can't vouch for, but which at least gave me a colour scheme to work around. The heavy gilding on the stern facade was common to most English warships, and can clearly be seen as the ancestor of the more subdued decoration of Napoleonic-era ships. During the Dutch wars, English men-o'-war were rated by the number of crew they carried, rather than the number of guns; hence the <i>Royal Katherine</i> saw service with anywhere between 70 and 90 guns. She had a colourful history, fighting in all the major battles of the Second and Third Dutch Wars. Although never a flagship (there were always enough English 1st rates to serve those roles), she was still larger than any of the Dutch warships she opposed, and thus constantly in the thick of the fighting. During the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Solebay">Battle of Solebay</a> in 1672 she was captured by the Dutch, but recaptured later the same day; in De Ruyter's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_the_Medway">raid on the Medway</a> she was sunk to prevent her capture, but avoided being burnt by the Dutch. Refloated and repaired, she served in the wars against France, being renamed Ramillies after <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ramillies">the Duke of Marlborough's great victory</a> in the War of the Spanish Succession. Later, in the Seven Years' War, she served as the flagship of the unfortunate Admiral Byng during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Minorca">Battle of Minorca</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPRn1ENmZ4u36ITzcFDXGawJohccyfOhc92xQ78UXbOT1wAdnOBOsH8x_dE2mgY3tNNwQBwdhX9tBp19UxVRN4ObQrMBpyBKvO3ZhTtw7RMgrkLh_G2WM-vHAQzmflZNjQ4-gCfwR4dI/s1600/Anglo-Dutch+ships+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPRn1ENmZ4u36ITzcFDXGawJohccyfOhc92xQ78UXbOT1wAdnOBOsH8x_dE2mgY3tNNwQBwdhX9tBp19UxVRN4ObQrMBpyBKvO3ZhTtw7RMgrkLh_G2WM-vHAQzmflZNjQ4-gCfwR4dI/s320/Anglo-Dutch+ships+10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the extraordinary detail on these tiny models is visible here. Cannon and gratings are well defined and easily painted, as are the decorative quarter galleries and figurehead.</td></tr>
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<br />
Choosing a Dutch ship proved to be somewhat trickier, as each vessel had a unique design painted on its stern, often executed by one of the great painters of the Dutch school. Out of all the +/- 60-gun men-'o-war I could find a picture of, the one that most resembles the Langton model was a <a href="http://www.sailingwarship.com/the-eendracht-and-a-dutch-fleet-of-men-of-war-before-the-wind.html">painting of the Eendracht</a>, one time flagship of the United Provinces, by Ludolf Backhuysen. Ironically, the painting was made after the ship's destruction at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lowestoft">Battle of Lowestoft </a>in 1665, and many of the details are considered incorrect; unfortunately most other depictions of the ship tend to disagree with each other, so no one is really sure what the <i>Eendracht </i>looked like. In any event, I used the Backhuysen painting as a guide, and if the end product doesn't look like the <i>Eendracht</i>, she at least looks like a Dutch ship with her fine lines and painted stern. The Eendracht herself had the same sort of chequered career as most major warships of the day; she saw service carrying as few as 56 and as many as 73 guns, being victorious against the Swedes in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Sound">Battle of the Sound</a>, but later was blown up in the midst of a duel against the 80-gun HMS <i>Royal Charles</i> during the aforementioned clash off Lowestoft (The <i>Royal Charles</i> herself was towed away as a Dutch prize during the Medway raid).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4dnBm8hXvQwoo1MGFl1H5VV3ds0-sxNDCY4dxsbYSx4j3JorE6mqNbds_mfS-4qoVQ0264e-Eni_nhC3GvaDSEYUCa317pJgLzrduIljEePgEVLH-7T6rEjK9DYqjMy7BNka6zZVYbXs/s1600/Anglo-Dutch+ships+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4dnBm8hXvQwoo1MGFl1H5VV3ds0-sxNDCY4dxsbYSx4j3JorE6mqNbds_mfS-4qoVQ0264e-Eni_nhC3GvaDSEYUCa317pJgLzrduIljEePgEVLH-7T6rEjK9DYqjMy7BNka6zZVYbXs/s320/Anglo-Dutch+ships+11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Comparison between the Royal Katherine (left) and Eendracht (right). The brighter sails and higher contrast between hull, strakes and gunport lids on the latter really make it stand out. Sail placement, rigging, and flags are also much improved.</i></td></tr>
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<br />
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I've got a few more English and Dutch ships to assemble in due course, so you can expect to see those in the future, as I try to get a grasp on tiny model shipbuilding. Happily, this is very much a do-whatever-the-hell-I-feel-like project, since once again I have no particular ruleset in mind. Heck, this time I don't even have a particular order of battle to aim for; given the massive scale of the major battles (100+ ships per side), and the huge costs of the models (approaching $20 per ship, after postage and packaging), I haven't a hope of being able to assemble forces for anything big. I may just work my way through the range, and decide after the fact whether or not I even want to game with these expensive little gems.<br />
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Next time: something different again. Maybe.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-18522560192616511752011-11-02T22:51:00.000-03:002011-11-12T18:38:53.316-04:00A Little Prussian Sideshow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
...In which our protagonist starts takes another miniscule bite out of his pile of accumulating lead, and begins yet another project unlikely to go anywhere, this time with Prussians.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28glFcwZlFoThzhvhTaY1gJC1tuE569U_u0oCveZDLlfU6kmMyHx8pJ2wBtqlIqJWcZpW0SHQbfOcCgAB6tVOlgeQ9OEh1Rj4QM8FjuVc4UHde4IrfQFDIQhrKUY4ILWsLe5wByoggEo/s1600/Prussians+1806+front.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28glFcwZlFoThzhvhTaY1gJC1tuE569U_u0oCveZDLlfU6kmMyHx8pJ2wBtqlIqJWcZpW0SHQbfOcCgAB6tVOlgeQ9OEh1Rj4QM8FjuVc4UHde4IrfQFDIQhrKUY4ILWsLe5wByoggEo/s400/Prussians+1806+front.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Two battalions of the Prussian IR no. 49 Muffling. Colonel Muffling himself rides with the first battalion.</i></td></tr>
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Another quick post this week (shocking, I know!). This rather small and whimsically-embarked-on venture is not so much a project as an experiment. I like to call it:<br />
<br />
<b>You can't have enough Napoleonics</b><br />
<br />
Yes, those tumultuous decades bestriding the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries are the one period that I seemingly can't get enough of. To those in the know, it's pretty easy to see why: there were not one or two, but many competing powers of near-equal strength, all with expansionist foreign policies; the battles were big, the uniforms flashy, and all the shooting tended to take place at manageable distances. There were great personalities, epic battles, whirlwind campaigns and bitter slugging matches as well. In short, it's a great period for wargaming... except the only Napoleonic miniatures I've heretofore owned have been part of my <a href="http://mikes-lead.blogspot.com/search/label/Borodino">Borodino</a> project.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4495MjjyXCkug5mNTK1kXE0Pp8mNEnaotkhU8VHNqCu2AkCd4X8CKSZukgSivdZscJXGhCS3u_DFDx5S-gimPiBhFFWZ8kNZKcg7s3GvVI4aWfjiict7yUlsZuw7Bbd34sPuT0wIenn0/s1600/Adler-PA2C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4495MjjyXCkug5mNTK1kXE0Pp8mNEnaotkhU8VHNqCu2AkCd4X8CKSZukgSivdZscJXGhCS3u_DFDx5S-gimPiBhFFWZ8kNZKcg7s3GvVI4aWfjiict7yUlsZuw7Bbd34sPuT0wIenn0/s400/Adler-PA2C.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Adler PA 2C - Prussian Musketeer, bicorne, marching. Nice detail, as can be expected from Adler Miniatures. The hat lace is somewhat tricky to paint behind the musket stock, and the three multicoloured pompoms can be tedious, but hey-- you can't claim the detail isn't there.</i></td></tr>
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Not that there's anything wrong with what I've done for Borodino. It's all turned out quite lovely, and I look forward to doing more. Sadly, the issue is that I don't really see myself gaming with them. I've barely scratched the surface of the Borodino order of battle, and I've already got more troops than I can comfortably fit on my gaming table.<br />
<br />
<b>Why just learn from someone else's mistakes, when you can learn from your own as well?</b> <br />
<br />
Anyway, I wanted to do some period gaming, of necessity on bases smaller than the 60mm x 60mm I've been using for Borodino. The thought of doing 1812 again with different basing seemed redundant, so I looked at all the other Napoleonic campaigns I was interested in (which, admittedly, is most of them), subtracted the ones lacking complete 6mm figure ranges, and picked one. I blame Andy McMaster over at <a href="http://blog.belisarius.org.uk/">Another Slight Diversion</a> for the end choice, since he was working on an <a href="http://blog.belisarius.org.uk/search/label/french">1806 Prussians-versus-French</a> project during the time I was pondering all this over.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBa7a9sHDyumnTGpXlSA1TU3R13Gmn87CgMh4y9gP9HwiZvPeVKlSOukFLc3nsuTnkSeCM8DfMA_wNOXHzzFVvpFb69G9ATvcQ2jn01yVvZRwIPhKW_oKCw0QTN3J1vgdok6DsqIw18ok/s1600/Adler-PA8A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBa7a9sHDyumnTGpXlSA1TU3R13Gmn87CgMh4y9gP9HwiZvPeVKlSOukFLc3nsuTnkSeCM8DfMA_wNOXHzzFVvpFb69G9ATvcQ2jn01yVvZRwIPhKW_oKCw0QTN3J1vgdok6DsqIw18ok/s400/Adler-PA8A.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Adler PA 8A - Prussian Musketeer cmd (5). Again, very nice sculpting. Apparently the early Prussian range hasn't been that popular; on the plus side, this means that the molds are in good shape and the figures have relatively little flash. The officer's sword and the bottom of the colour guard's spontoon (or half pike, or whatever) are fairly flimsy.</i></td></tr>
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<br />
Settled on 1806, it was time to figure out how to do it. I'd agonized over basing size, unit scale and figure choice for Borodino, and I wasn't eager to repeat the process. Many a 6-mil gamer before me has confronted the basing issue; their reminiscences can be found all over the net. Long story short, I went for 60mm x 30mm, because: a) I already had some spare bases, b) I knew I could paint enough figures to cover one in two or three evenings, and c) they would work for a variety of rule sets. No, I didn't have any particular rules in mind when I made the decision, and I still don't.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_TkgmCYwaU2uFr6m1pVsrjX85aRgubW9LOmBvD3zWwPB10rgc0lx86pMYtdSd2txibd0zWxi22DN4JA1BPV0r5dfuLWBJy1I-yYzs4BJ87s0s2f8dj-dqh6-Zu_lKbxoNaB-aZhbLJE/s1600/Prussians+1806+rear.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_TkgmCYwaU2uFr6m1pVsrjX85aRgubW9LOmBvD3zWwPB10rgc0lx86pMYtdSd2txibd0zWxi22DN4JA1BPV0r5dfuLWBJy1I-yYzs4BJ87s0s2f8dj-dqh6-Zu_lKbxoNaB-aZhbLJE/s400/Prussians+1806+rear.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The arse end of the two battalions. By 1806, the Prussians had given up their powdered wigs, but evidently soldiers were still required to wear a pigtail. Also clearly visible is the straggling line on the 1st battalion; many gamers complain about Adler's singly-based figures, but I find the basing possibilities more than make up for the annoyance they cause.</i></td></tr>
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<br />
For unit scale, I went with one base = one battalion; again, a common choice, and visually appealing to boot. The figures I went with were largely determined by what I was already doing-- I'd already done lots of French, so I decided to start with the Prussians for a change. I was already planning another order from <a href="http://home.clara.net/adlermin/">Adler </a>for some Borodino odds and ends, so Adler it was going to be. And since their 'advancing' pose tends to significantly increase how long it takes to base them, I opted for the ol' march attack. Lessons had been learned.<br />
<br />
<b>One step forward, two steps back</b><br />
<br />
So am I going to plunge headfirst into the 1806 campaign on 60 x 30 bases? Well, no... Like I said, this is more of an experiment than an outright project. Also, I'm a dedicated fan of Richard Borg's <a href="http://www.gmtgames.com/c-6-commands-colors-ancients.aspx">Commands and Colors: Ancients </a>and <a href="http://www.daysofwonder.com/memoir44/en/">Memoir '44</a>; and since I bought these figures, GMT has since released the new Commands and Colors: Napoleonics. I'd love to do armies for C&C:N, but that would mean Peninsular War armies, and multiple bases per unit. In short, I'm still pondering the possibilities.<br />
<br />
Next time: something different. Hopefully with more and better pictures.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-21760486777607869042011-10-26T23:07:00.000-03:002012-02-07T23:10:14.497-04:00Some 6mm Huns<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
...In which our protagonist proves his continuing existence by taking his first tentative steps back into the blogosphere (and the hobby) in many long months, and decides to tackle a new project in the bargain.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GmehwEG8aTG1V8I4wcIMXZz6C_ALfH7lrwnbY2djduM04dr3kk_dbIhDdQsHWPz99iVWPWrsm3koKZyUze8zqDzm43cPcQKjhPpSNJaB9P7NWOGa0o-1Qo-_zaOIHzSCjZqg2wfbTNM/s1600/Huns1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GmehwEG8aTG1V8I4wcIMXZz6C_ALfH7lrwnbY2djduM04dr3kk_dbIhDdQsHWPz99iVWPWrsm3koKZyUze8zqDzm43cPcQKjhPpSNJaB9P7NWOGa0o-1Qo-_zaOIHzSCjZqg2wfbTNM/s400/Huns1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noble Huns... if that isn't an oxymoron.</td></tr>
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<br />
Yes, after many a moon, I'm finally back behind the brush and keyboard! The long hiatus is over; I've been painting again, and what's more, I've actually been <i>gaming</i>, much to my own surprise. While some of you may be dismayed, it should hardly be surprising to anyone that break of the better part of a year has caused my old projects to fall by the wayside. So make way for the new Mike's Leadpile-- same great taste, but all new recipe-- now with 25% more salt (yes, you heard me: 25% <i>more </i>salt. It's not like you're eating it, so even you health-nut types shouldn't complain)!<br />
<br />
<b>Tell us about this new project, you blathering nitwit</b><br />
<br />
Huns, I hear you ask? Seriously? Yes. And in 6mm, too. This despite the fact that I've already got <a href="http://mikes-lead.blogspot.com/2009/01/pendraken-10mm-late-roman-infantry.html">Late Imperial Romans in 10mm</a>. If experience has told me anything, it's that restarting a project in another scale is always a terrible idea... but here I go nonetheless. The thing is, 6mm is my favourite scale-- for me, the balance between physical size and amount of detail is perfect, and I'd much rather be doing something in microscale nowadays rather than anything larger. Also, Baccus has a more-or-less complete 6mm range for Late Rome and her enemies, while (sadly) Pendraken does not in 10mil, despite years of waiting for such a thing to be producted. Also a consideration is that Baccus has been so fan-friendly that I feel like they deserve another little burst of business from yours truly.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3fdJ2ZlpaxjFQ_8betorH9GEaOt7TVr4uuGg02idGSFuQrYbbwAONjvu0b_lKJr4X7jrxC8gembZFdLxrvSACMp8E9Rnlw4QYM6OH2xISqV_F6A8ZuR7_VHG9wVy_unez5m_TzesTtM/s1600/Huns3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3fdJ2ZlpaxjFQ_8betorH9GEaOt7TVr4uuGg02idGSFuQrYbbwAONjvu0b_lKJr4X7jrxC8gembZFdLxrvSACMp8E9Rnlw4QYM6OH2xISqV_F6A8ZuR7_VHG9wVy_unez5m_TzesTtM/s400/Huns3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ubiquitous Hunnic horse archers, in all their 6mm glory.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Anyway, my impetus for (re)starting with the Huns is that the range is really small-- only three figure codes, two of which are essentially the same. It pretty much comes down to "buy two units, and you've seen the entire Hun army range". Admittedly, this isn't a great justification for starting a project, but history gives us many examples of much more elaborate things being done for equally murky reasons-- and I've certainly done worse myself in the past. <br />
<br />
Speaking of Impetus, that's the plan. <a href="http://www.dadiepiombo.com/basic2.html">Basic Impetus</a>, actually, since my return to active gaming has seen the continuation of my previous shift towards the philosophy that Simpler is Better (within reason). Also, free is my favourite price, at least when I'm doing the shopping. Eventually, I hope to paint up a couple dozen miscellaneous bases from Baccus' <a href="https://www.baccus6mm.com/includes/products/ancient/lateroman_range.php">Late Imperial Roman</a>, <a href="https://www.baccus6mm.com/includes/products/ancient/hunnic_range.php">Hun</a>, <a href="https://www.baccus6mm.com/includes/products/ancient/gothic_range.php">Goth</a>, and <a href="https://www.baccus6mm.com/includes/products/ancient/sassanian_range.php">Sassanian Persian</a> lines, which should allow me to field opposing BI armies of various flavours. Most of the marauding/migrating barbarian types of the period ended up fighting either for, alongside, or against pretty much everyone else (and frequently all three), so for a minimum expenditure I should be able to have a go at all sorts of different figures, and be able to game with them too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejHPOBzhs9VJBAWSX19LMfMZF6U86PQYEh8fBDgIsqE8T1T4OaCvf0GUzADtAUKkRT7vOoNTzh27PvoZ9cNtMcQdZ4fqc1rkohBagyESNE37uuj9JCby8FYax0iyZUHOKyoAj1MmVDks/s1600/Huns2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejHPOBzhs9VJBAWSX19LMfMZF6U86PQYEh8fBDgIsqE8T1T4OaCvf0GUzADtAUKkRT7vOoNTzh27PvoZ9cNtMcQdZ4fqc1rkohBagyESNE37uuj9JCby8FYax0iyZUHOKyoAj1MmVDks/s400/Huns2.jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hunnic nobles, front and rear. The bright blue tunic on the one rider is rather jarring; I wouldn't paint it that way again.</td></tr>
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<br />
<b>So just how good are those 6mm Huns, anyway?</b><br />
<br />
They're not bad, I'll say that much. That may not sound like a sterling recommendation, but in actual fact it's nigh impossible to sculpt a really good Hun. The problem is, no one knows what they looked like. No dependable picture has come down to us. The written descriptions of the ancient writers tend to describe Huns as hideously scar-faced and filthy-- but modern scholars point out, rightly, that these tend to amount to little better than sensationalist and/or propaganda pieces, hardly to be trusted. We don't even know if the Huns had oriental features, like modern Mongols, or if they were caucasian, like modern Turks. Some fortuitous archaeology has given us some examples of broken Hun weapons, but that's about it. This all leaves the enterprising sculptor with... not much to go by, actually. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPjcN1XI947CISEdaQYQJOPVr1-91iC1uFXl6VfUQ0GwfFvUPZ5HL8EDAf17KSXE05YVhVKJrUy62fwoQ6MFRS19Yn8Nbkp6ocufi3r6XvJZz8SOzE6_sBFr054JqLwfIglsSb8vALso/s1600/Baccus-AHU1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPjcN1XI947CISEdaQYQJOPVr1-91iC1uFXl6VfUQ0GwfFvUPZ5HL8EDAf17KSXE05YVhVKJrUy62fwoQ6MFRS19Yn8Nbkp6ocufi3r6XvJZz8SOzE6_sBFr054JqLwfIglsSb8vALso/s400/Baccus-AHU1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baccus AHU1 - Hunnic Horse Archers - Galloping</td></tr>
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<br />
Consequently, the fine folks at Baccus have given us Hunnic horse archers wearing Mongol-esque clothing, right down to the fur-trimmed hats. Maybe this is anachronistic; maybe it isn't. As I said, no one knows. At the very least, these Huns carry bows with prominent 'horns' or 'ears', which is good; on the other hand the bows are sculpted with symmetrical upper and lower arms, which is bad (Hunnic bows were asymmetrical). The 'Galloping' horse archers come in three different poses, two with drawn bows and the other more relaxed. Notably missing are archers performing the "Parthian shot" and left-handed archers (the Huns were reputedly ambidextrous), which would have allowed for a little more variation in basing. Nevertheless, the quality of the sculpting is a definite step up from older Baccus work, and the casting is crisp; out of a dozen figures, the only defect I had was a single miscast bow, which was easily replaced by a bit of wire.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvMgLpQJEKOiPZKoFMZW97yBXnMtOE0fuvodd8ofxdWtcIZkS4H1qm9zIU7SFNW3TCrf1znWAzSZDKelOg96EtS_qEOCTErmb0hXK7-dHa7V0rpefI_Vgj019YNLa1qSrVwL_WwAY1uE/s1600/Baccus-AHU3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvMgLpQJEKOiPZKoFMZW97yBXnMtOE0fuvodd8ofxdWtcIZkS4H1qm9zIU7SFNW3TCrf1znWAzSZDKelOg96EtS_qEOCTErmb0hXK7-dHa7V0rpefI_Vgj019YNLa1qSrVwL_WwAY1uE/s400/Baccus-AHU3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baccus AHU3 - Hunnic Nobles</td></tr>
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The other code I put to the brush were the Hun nobles. Unless the sculptor knows something I don't (which, admittedly, is perhaps likely), these seem to belong to the realm of highly-speculative-for-aesthetic-reasons. I've never heard of lance-armed Huns, although there are certainly other examples of 'Sarmatized' steppe peoples, so these are at least within the realm of plausability. Giving these guys lances was likely just an easy way of giving the Huns something visually distinguishable from the run-of-the-mill horse archers. The helmets are also a nice touch, with a clear Gothic/Sarmatian flavour to them. One thing that would've been nice is if these figures were available with open hands-- I suspect those lances won't long retain their straightness on the gaming table.<br />
<br />
<b>So do you have anything else to say for yourself?</b><br />
<br />
Yes, actually. Keep an eye on the Leadpile, because-- I can't believe I'm saying this-- barring calamity, you can expect a veritable flurry of posts here in the near future! I'm hoping to show off some more new projects, revisit some ongoing ones (including the oft-promised Württemberg division for Borodino), and maybe even paint up some of the innumerable random figures that have been languishing in the pile.<br />
<br />
More soon!</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-13037346786114829292010-12-21T16:55:00.001-04:002011-11-02T16:19:36.345-03:00Russian VIII Corps in 6mm, Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">...In which our protagonist, conscious of his many shortcomings as a blogger, nonetheless begins what will doubtlessly be a brief and feeble comeback, and shows off his Russian 27th Division for Borodino.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9OXIiFNnmZYcCd-XgsWJfKLgELmIDgVz4xRG6Vr4k2gwnXJtX34fWJmti9Z4gUKNhdbK5YSzO3UFnPN2NjW0mvUx7g3XMjUFg0ZKqo7vnOYxCpvLtkb53d_zqlR8T7Fstqd5u6fKPUQ/s1600/Russian-27th_Infantry3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9OXIiFNnmZYcCd-XgsWJfKLgELmIDgVz4xRG6Vr4k2gwnXJtX34fWJmti9Z4gUKNhdbK5YSzO3UFnPN2NjW0mvUx7g3XMjUFg0ZKqo7vnOYxCpvLtkb53d_zqlR8T7Fstqd5u6fKPUQ/s320/Russian-27th_Infantry3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Odessa and Vilna infantry regiments. These regiments weren't actually brigaded together, but I mixed the pairings up somewhere along the way. Crap. Kind of shows how my hobby activities have been going, recently. </i></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;"></div>Yes, it's been a long time since I've last posted-- an observation which begins all too many of these blog posts, it seems. I sincerely regret that, and I apologize to anyone (if there is indeed anyone) who has ever hoped for more frequent updates from yours truly. I wish I could oblige you! The current dilatory schedule of posts is distressing to me as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH766X6JqIfELUHfS1AZgqFn6KGtMh4TT9DZ-3RtVVLdPjPPTt6Z6x1TwEfAcw_f5X6jRUH9-kSX_WHDCje5rYLP3Q6QIJSOOw5DldbLTcCssB1fdjYY0ZLFR-InSvh8TJOSFFvj0e8xM/s1600/Russian-27th_Infantry4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH766X6JqIfELUHfS1AZgqFn6KGtMh4TT9DZ-3RtVVLdPjPPTt6Z6x1TwEfAcw_f5X6jRUH9-kSX_WHDCje5rYLP3Q6QIJSOOw5DldbLTcCssB1fdjYY0ZLFR-InSvh8TJOSFFvj0e8xM/s320/Russian-27th_Infantry4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Another view of the Odessa and Vilna regiments. The Odessa reg't should properly be brigaded with the Tarnopol reg't, and Vilna with Simbirsk. In any case, the NCO brandishing his sword is a favourite sculpt of mine, from Adler's early Russian Napoleonic musketeer command (RA 10A).</i></div></td></tr>
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</div><br />
In fact, I'm so distressed that I've decided to turn over a new leaf, starting with this post. Don't get too excited; I'm not going to promise that I'll post more often, or anything like that. Nor will I even promise to maintain the high standards of photography, reviewing, and helpful hobby-related articles that I (sometimes) feel like I've upheld thus far. That's right, fickle reader: for the immediate future I'm actually promising a <i>drop </i>in quality. Don't like it? Tough! It's the only way you're going to get any posts at all!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HMQKPF-STTI2icU2hvsCu0jbc03KlQDGp432V6xmsdH36WVU054bR4p1ZZjbCRm_jK0RYyjCK1tLNY1QBuxONvEwi9ThhdbOndqOf0AHABVuVATlzPKPYQniSkialsrDB5bo3KvI01s/s1600/Russian-27th_Infantry1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HMQKPF-STTI2icU2hvsCu0jbc03KlQDGp432V6xmsdH36WVU054bR4p1ZZjbCRm_jK0RYyjCK1tLNY1QBuxONvEwi9ThhdbOndqOf0AHABVuVATlzPKPYQniSkialsrDB5bo3KvI01s/s320/Russian-27th_Infantry1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The 3rd brigade of the division, consisting of the 49th and 50th </i>Jäger <i>regiments. For some reason that currently eludes me, this brigade was commanded during the battle by Colonel Voyeikov of the Life Guard Preobrazhenskii regiment. Apparently I've been off my Borodino kick for too long to remember these things.</i><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
<b>Wasn't this post supposed to be about Russians? </b><br />
<br />
Right, Russians. Today's subject is the Russian 27th Division, yet another element of the VIII Corps which has been in the works for far too long. Commanded by Major General Dmitri Neverovsky, the 27th had been heavily committed during the fighting around Smolensk and the subsequent retreat. Having sustained heavy losses, the division was appended to the VIII Infantry Corps for Borodino, which consequently became the only Russian corps at the battle to consist of three divisions.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBP7keXuA5_78OyuYFMb2C-0Krpp5apM0OKjf8HDQng_Qdt7BLjYvm6qm0IyCTRiV9Gyq6WXtSYAkDLNv10t754PeqC3v7iEswwkAqj_RZWke5nVv7yotUnoO-OQkmri7tsEMUk72HPlM/s1600/Adler-RN4B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBP7keXuA5_78OyuYFMb2C-0Krpp5apM0OKjf8HDQng_Qdt7BLjYvm6qm0IyCTRiV9Gyq6WXtSYAkDLNv10t754PeqC3v7iEswwkAqj_RZWke5nVv7yotUnoO-OQkmri7tsEMUk72HPlM/s320/Adler-RN4B.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Adler RN 4B - "Militia, musket, advancing". Fairly generic looking, wearing trousers, coat and some sort of fur cap. Only one pose means that </i>Opolchenye<i> units will look rather uniform unless painted differently.</i></div></td></tr>
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</div><br />
Since the 27th had suffered the heaviest casualties of any of the Russian divisions prior to Borodino, I wanted to do something special to show this. Reducing the number of figures in each of the component units would have saved me too much time, effort and money, so of course I didn't do that. Instead, I opted to fill out the second rank of each regiment with militia-- a practice that became common in Russian units later on in the war, as attrition thinned the ranks. For Borodino it's probably anachronistic, but that didn't stop me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1hXAEBE_xf0IfBpoQrh_rrB7J5fUcVLlOgtqaX9nz1xkmvaOT7sCsDzdptQRFA6nsV98_UTSEAr4H3k-r_jGkv16FD2frTg4A5RBN1QNkasRzZGkJSrmLZjK4d0buK6jI1hGbrECyxU/s1600/Russian-27th_Infantry2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1hXAEBE_xf0IfBpoQrh_rrB7J5fUcVLlOgtqaX9nz1xkmvaOT7sCsDzdptQRFA6nsV98_UTSEAr4H3k-r_jGkv16FD2frTg4A5RBN1QNkasRzZGkJSrmLZjK4d0buK6jI1hGbrECyxU/s320/Russian-27th_Infantry2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>3rd brigade again. I've whined before on how much space the 'advancing' posture takes, and how difficult that makes it to cram bunches of them onto bases. The lovely hay cart is produced by Irregular Miniatures, purveyors of all sorts of scenic goodies, any and all of which can be obtained through the ever-helpful <a href="http://angelbarracks.co.uk/">Angel Barracks</a>.</i></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
<b>Apparently, our Protagonist can't count. </b><br />
<br />
Yes, it's sad but true. Simple mathematical tasks like multiplication and division seem to cause especial problems. Take for instance my attempt to populate the second rank of each of these formations with militiamen: in order to make it look good, I figured at least half of each of the ranks in question should consist of militia. Easy, right? Nine men per rank means five militia per, times three bases equals... well, that equals fifteen, which, since they come in strips of four, is actually one less than I bought for the task.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5t33maxcZ5Ksi3rqQVJa-ENowyzHcksFyhZIpv_gvGvMj6UU7ollIdG0SrJxekKXyuLNEhDWydHt3QcgZolCIJtV8LiWNp06f-WyVkL5gfiTzF0bjmapw_-p42uruuIBJwcXogTMlaI/s1600/Russian-27th_Infantry7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5t33maxcZ5Ksi3rqQVJa-ENowyzHcksFyhZIpv_gvGvMj6UU7ollIdG0SrJxekKXyuLNEhDWydHt3QcgZolCIJtV8LiWNp06f-WyVkL5gfiTzF0bjmapw_-p42uruuIBJwcXogTMlaI/s320/Russian-27th_Infantry7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tarnopol and Simbirsk infantry regiments. The militia populating the second rank of each regiment can be seen clearly (well, aside from their rather nondescript paint jobs, that is!). </i></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
Of course the astute among you will have noticed before now that there are <i>two </i>regiments per base, and that means <i>two </i>second ranks for each one. The very astute among you will have realized that this in turn means <i>thirty </i>militia men would be required to meet my condition of "at least half" of each rear rank. Thirty, not fifteen (or sixteen, as explained above). Way to go, Mike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazC_E4tiT_ncDdEgZuhS-kYvcuey9BLu2whIILC9dKe2YCk-YCVEZEyHDoZGM7UwwDozxA__-rmKviOiFH_gpEgRcF_khi9LYLLo_T8qJ1QBjkiQAJHMjWfkJFtIXnRyA814Vb9LImUU/s1600/Russian-27th_Infantry6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazC_E4tiT_ncDdEgZuhS-kYvcuey9BLu2whIILC9dKe2YCk-YCVEZEyHDoZGM7UwwDozxA__-rmKviOiFH_gpEgRcF_khi9LYLLo_T8qJ1QBjkiQAJHMjWfkJFtIXnRyA814Vb9LImUU/s320/Russian-27th_Infantry6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tarnopol and Simbirsk regiments. Again, this isn't a proper brigade, since I misread which regiments were brigaded with which. Not only can I not count, but evidently my literacy skills are in question these days as well!</i></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
Anyway, that's the Russian 27th Division complete. It doesn't quite finish the VIII Corps, as there's still another grenadier division, artillery and command to do... which I'm not going to promise anytime soon. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxD90rGfbbEBBc0ktjRBaCIJCG1HsvlK8u2WXK89yovUPhStmX6zcC670jgmmsEnTX6hO-CpnhoEnZ4se2Fj_j7tJ06-wGZQkdZ89MyAwBFyHiYumPWdkghB6PfiYNsX2zXh_hFY0J2N8/s1600/Russian-27th_Infantry5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxD90rGfbbEBBc0ktjRBaCIJCG1HsvlK8u2WXK89yovUPhStmX6zcC670jgmmsEnTX6hO-CpnhoEnZ4se2Fj_j7tJ06-wGZQkdZ89MyAwBFyHiYumPWdkghB6PfiYNsX2zXh_hFY0J2N8/s320/Russian-27th_Infantry5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>More of an eye level view.</i></div></td></tr>
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</div><br />
Next time: part of the long-awaited Württemberg division (Württembourgoisie? Württembergers? Our protagonist doesn't know, but he likes them anyway).<br />
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Also, a special shout out to David F. I have no idea who you are, but apparently you became a follower of Mike's Leadpile while I was writing this! Man, it takes me a long time to write these things...</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-45137258708568703342010-04-17T22:42:00.000-03:002010-04-17T22:42:02.896-03:00The Art of Small Soldiery: Putting 6mm into Perspective...In which our protagonist attempts to show how little 6mm figures actually are.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqbWDAkIZbe3tOSIi5ZJ7H_q88XuoKE4LYSnGa7UEA6b_0pZUTjYHne1HDGcIEC0SdA1ne7aV1EPxG4E1Hg3g4kBljtG9Q63REallrfN5p3kUxXPdPAd4OHg03C_NSFey6CO9BFAB0tw/s1600/6mm_miniatures2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqbWDAkIZbe3tOSIi5ZJ7H_q88XuoKE4LYSnGa7UEA6b_0pZUTjYHne1HDGcIEC0SdA1ne7aV1EPxG4E1Hg3g4kBljtG9Q63REallrfN5p3kUxXPdPAd4OHg03C_NSFey6CO9BFAB0tw/s320/6mm_miniatures2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I can't claim any credit for the battery idea. If there's anything that's recognizable all over the world and always the same size, it's batteries-- and far wiser people than I realized this a long time ago.</i></div><br />
Admittedly, I've generally avoided dwelling on how big (or little) the figures I'm working with actually are. Instead of drawing attention to the toy soldiers themselves, my focus has gradually shifted towards what those toy soldiers are meant to represent, to make that mini look like the <i>real </i>soldier might have, and the miniature army look like a real one.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4NRCCaPKRx5dJAkzZRvj66qAe1t7Bwy6Emcdz5k3BGJzaxnrvrRoIRtCZ7r3Rm3ofLQtaK1jQOYqe5bhNCPg0-9RGYhYU-o0GkjoZ2XcX906u0DvMD0DmmKy33TzjGGId-Zkl-ODufTA/s1600/Adler-Chasseurs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4NRCCaPKRx5dJAkzZRvj66qAe1t7Bwy6Emcdz5k3BGJzaxnrvrRoIRtCZ7r3Rm3ofLQtaK1jQOYqe5bhNCPg0-9RGYhYU-o0GkjoZ2XcX906u0DvMD0DmmKy33TzjGGId-Zkl-ODufTA/s320/Adler-Chasseurs.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>For a while now I've been using the Canadian penny to show how big figures are. Of course, out of the six-and-some-odd billion people on the planet, only a miniscule fraction actually know how big these things are...</i></div><br />
In my current Borodino project, I've taken this philosophy even further, trying to take advantage of the excellent <a href="http://home.clara.net/adlermin/">Adler miniatures</a> to give the impression of movement and action. I've tried to make every base a vignette, and tried to highlight that dynamism in my photography. Heck, my most poplular posts recently have probably been the massed army shots, where I've employed every last bit of 6mm scenery in my feeble collection to try and bring the scene to life for the viewer.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhLJsIvrfOkT5n_V1PBGvBoGobOgvroUXomz7MnMbvfBN15iw-hhuK89gedrkUMEDeoROnhAwXp6ALdgpBKSPjMm-lOsP6GBtJSJk4Haz7MnybdJDNIxoKPeVOd9YXUT8impFh1e7Y-Q/s1600/6mm_miniatures5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhLJsIvrfOkT5n_V1PBGvBoGobOgvroUXomz7MnMbvfBN15iw-hhuK89gedrkUMEDeoROnhAwXp6ALdgpBKSPjMm-lOsP6GBtJSJk4Haz7MnybdJDNIxoKPeVOd9YXUT8impFh1e7Y-Q/s320/6mm_miniatures5.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Headphones make really big speakers for really little men. I mean really </i>big <i>speakers. It kind of reminds me of that scene from </i>Apocalypse Now<i>... except there are no helicopters, no napalm in the morning, and this is not Charlie's Point.</i></div><br />
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But what if I took a step back? What if, for just this one post, I really went and concentrated on the <i>toys</i>, rather than the <i>soldiers</i>? I mean, I can do my very best to make them look big and real, but the fact remains that they are <i>pretty damn small</i>. And really, that's the remarkable thing, isn't it?<br />
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So how do I go about showing the Liliputian marvellousness of what is perhaps my finest batch of toys? Attempting to accurately convey a sense of scale has been one of the eternal difficulties for figure painters. In this case, anyone who has painted 6mm figs will of course have a good idea of how big they are, but what about gamers and painters who deal exclusively with 15mm, or 20mm, or the gargantuan 28mm?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsnOFBYyWNmg8XjWP7rBNTEkE7Flsmm10qLDiIDOAStkKdzBXuRq6k2RvpYr35kDU5t12CImLatnHGgH2roqJgQuu3bVRcRxH_a3mzR-143p4yYmPD2NbSDN4aowUCtz7xlwb3oLTmeQ/s1600/6mm_miniatures7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsnOFBYyWNmg8XjWP7rBNTEkE7Flsmm10qLDiIDOAStkKdzBXuRq6k2RvpYr35kDU5t12CImLatnHGgH2roqJgQuu3bVRcRxH_a3mzR-143p4yYmPD2NbSDN4aowUCtz7xlwb3oLTmeQ/s320/6mm_miniatures7.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Bon Appetit! Plates, unfortunately, come in all sorts of sizes. This one happens to be quite small, which makes the little fellas look a great deal larger than they actually are.</i></div><br />
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And so I concocted this series of pictures: 6mm Napoleonics shown alongside everyday items. Neat, huh?<br />
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...Okay, so it's pretty lame. I'll concede that much. But you're not paying anything to see this, so don't complain.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha32RKKrX_GJonRlQnRxSpgoPNn5UY15zrCy5LWvRireynnUdC_VmuElDBhr3hWQc_iQuiFn58acLHqV48LHNS_RDPb_CqdApnYYq0086uh-yZ2eV38ekja3A8Qw2AY3ijPgPsw57x2_Q/s1600/6mm_miniatures8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha32RKKrX_GJonRlQnRxSpgoPNn5UY15zrCy5LWvRireynnUdC_VmuElDBhr3hWQc_iQuiFn58acLHqV48LHNS_RDPb_CqdApnYYq0086uh-yZ2eV38ekja3A8Qw2AY3ijPgPsw57x2_Q/s320/6mm_miniatures8.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Talk about a crappy site for a battery! Ha ha ha! ...Yeah, I guess I'm not quite ready to quit my day job to become a stand-up comedian. Also worth noting: I did not bring any miniatures into the bathroom for this. These are fresh, unsullied rolls that have never been within 10 metres of a toilet.</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhtsVeoW0TSecajNrY-KiZnvGRUy-9WFrAB9w7q1AM97sryrTOl-bX3UTDlDz8YRTmpwMiP5cWeLhSYB3RAX0zPkrQCYjMwYtB4D9Xq8N4qnSjce_uFORkf2PwN9X0aAEfqVSCCbZ4hc/s1600/6mm_miniatures3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhtsVeoW0TSecajNrY-KiZnvGRUy-9WFrAB9w7q1AM97sryrTOl-bX3UTDlDz8YRTmpwMiP5cWeLhSYB3RAX0zPkrQCYjMwYtB4D9Xq8N4qnSjce_uFORkf2PwN9X0aAEfqVSCCbZ4hc/s320/6mm_miniatures3.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This would've been a good shot if it was in focus. I suppose I could have taken another picture, but let's be serious here: in this day and age, you just take 10 shots all at the same time, and if none of them turn out, this is what you get. Deal with it.</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucdBhlM4WQxaxJrIbB7FDzrqqLp4Oqoz4tF_2GD8sDY7CowbCxufEK-CDqzki8frbf4ufmfUIYm6niPDG6cSrcY05YZSAgHoAmApzjm5oCYCisVyoiL4MankU0kohitlHx9hR0ehyg4o/s1600/6mm_miniatures4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucdBhlM4WQxaxJrIbB7FDzrqqLp4Oqoz4tF_2GD8sDY7CowbCxufEK-CDqzki8frbf4ufmfUIYm6niPDG6cSrcY05YZSAgHoAmApzjm5oCYCisVyoiL4MankU0kohitlHx9hR0ehyg4o/s320/6mm_miniatures4.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Funny story about this one. Well, actually it's no funnier than the rest of this post, but I'm still gonna tell it. Anyways, I've been renovating my basement recently. Eventually I hope to build a nice little hobby area down there (among other "more important" things, whatever those are), but in the meantime it's all just a lot of dust, swearing, and sharp and/or dirty stuff that generally succeeds in destroying clothing and not doing much else. I've got lots of tools and whatnot, including a greatly under-used carpenter's apron that generally seems to end up in the least accessible part of the room. Consequently, I keep stuffing my pockets full of nails and screws whenever I'm using them, and when I come up at the end of the day to change, I almost invariably discover myself trailing leftovers all over the bedroom. Nails and screws do, however, make good objects of comparison in this sort of situation.<br />
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Also, you could probably make some pretty nice 6mm poplar trees if you flocked some screws.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN13ovH_54HTx_rHvLWP_KU_wvJrOT1-teJsUj-oH8nmRiCi3eYT91c9vNEm4CSS96nSO9KvtcmtXcHT2JZ9gGzFLrPoDfhGZxFni-6RZQrjEtaPzib31ivqCDTO8Ew6yH9FY9C2Jtx5Y/s1600/6mm_miniatures6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN13ovH_54HTx_rHvLWP_KU_wvJrOT1-teJsUj-oH8nmRiCi3eYT91c9vNEm4CSS96nSO9KvtcmtXcHT2JZ9gGzFLrPoDfhGZxFni-6RZQrjEtaPzib31ivqCDTO8Ew6yH9FY9C2Jtx5Y/s320/6mm_miniatures6.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Not such a good picture here. From a technical standpoint, it's in poor focus. Aesthetically, the horsemen should be riding towards the centre of the picture to make a more satisfying image. And rhetorically, the unfortunate choice of background suggests that </i>A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars <i>is available on CD, which, to the best of my knowledge, it is not.</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk17udToZuH642uPGIIxXtc7dMLQYE5MtDc-HRB8hGNgMrUb2f-QW35EL_befMGKa9Ml93EPqu8eMGzH9iV3b_6eoiu0G0D4Qjf23SvQ83nMpPrZUNuwao8Z5RA54322wgPXmKa4AahvM/s1600/6mm_miniatures9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk17udToZuH642uPGIIxXtc7dMLQYE5MtDc-HRB8hGNgMrUb2f-QW35EL_befMGKa9Ml93EPqu8eMGzH9iV3b_6eoiu0G0D4Qjf23SvQ83nMpPrZUNuwao8Z5RA54322wgPXmKa4AahvM/s320/6mm_miniatures9.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Another good idea let down by faulty execution. With all the blurry pictures in this set, I must have drank too much coffee beforehand. Or more likely it was the hours of hammering studwalls together in the basement-- hard on the nerves. But hey: at least it's a good poker hand!</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgp_aIZUQhu-Kb6IoP0nk8_J993xYzvRDrNm-FX8xBT0xuXH487-as2ScknQV203r9aPxnRO-jXxu2-eiJYFBbdsIwmICm8GV2093TK1VuIDD77kRmxtl4u1kg2J-JGYKfhcmZ5GQeOY/s1600/6mm_miniatures1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgp_aIZUQhu-Kb6IoP0nk8_J993xYzvRDrNm-FX8xBT0xuXH487-as2ScknQV203r9aPxnRO-jXxu2-eiJYFBbdsIwmICm8GV2093TK1VuIDD77kRmxtl4u1kg2J-JGYKfhcmZ5GQeOY/s320/6mm_miniatures1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A portrait of the Artist as a Brobdinagian</i></div><br />
Next time: more Russians. And I really mean it this time.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-37127879027528675432010-04-12T23:23:00.000-03:002010-04-12T23:23:47.541-03:00Russian VIII Corps in 6mm, Part 1...In which our protagonist, for reasons of throroughness rather than necessity, shows off some more old stuff, in this case the Russian 2nd Grenadier Division.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRrRDgCSDRDq8YZ8QwBiSC3SidEMsw7WJ33f6L_ssQwjVMW2jP82wNN6EsuA5-ifIE1lfUz_GK2NAD0xXuPef7fr_0HW3SHdnW7zlIGstAW28RXaveb_Akk-Ychqc9vo-PJCccL-3chQ/s1600/Russian-2nd_Grenadiers6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRrRDgCSDRDq8YZ8QwBiSC3SidEMsw7WJ33f6L_ssQwjVMW2jP82wNN6EsuA5-ifIE1lfUz_GK2NAD0xXuPef7fr_0HW3SHdnW7zlIGstAW28RXaveb_Akk-Ychqc9vo-PJCccL-3chQ/s320/Russian-2nd_Grenadiers6.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Colonel Shatilov's 1st Brigade, comprising the Kiev Grenadiers to the fore, followed by the Moscow Grenadiers.</i></div><br />
Most of my Borodino-in-6mm efforts so far have centred around the French/Allied army. There are a couple of reasons for this; for one thing I've simply painted a lot more of the Allies, but for another, the Allies are simply so much more <i>photogenic</i>.<br />
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The problem is (and yes, once again I'm going to rant about the so-called problems I have with this project, despite the fact that I've done so many times already, and despite the fact that I have no one to blame for starting it but myself. But anyway), the Russians are saddled with the twin disadvantages of 1) having very dark uniforms, and 2) not having much by way of differences in uniforms.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf4kwRQm9-z9ltqK2dzrjDDrKOPW3PwW8sVJXA5VuiWQSkmX0slrlLJosQv-Rx7SAehizPyKVh2TszTMbJsA5VuOEOc43CRh90Kt3TJykpLj2rW0iifwMoGT2axYNKj6hsN52QZKmJQBc/s1600/Russian-2nd_Grenadiers5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf4kwRQm9-z9ltqK2dzrjDDrKOPW3PwW8sVJXA5VuiWQSkmX0slrlLJosQv-Rx7SAehizPyKVh2TszTMbJsA5VuOEOc43CRh90Kt3TJykpLj2rW0iifwMoGT2axYNKj6hsN52QZKmJQBc/s320/Russian-2nd_Grenadiers5.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A ground-level view of the 1st Brigade. I've compained before how the Russian NCOs that come with the infantry command strips are generally in pretty boring poses, but I should mention that the mounted officers, by contrast, allow for some interesting possibilities.</i></div><br />
I'll admit dark green isn't a terrible colour in of itself. Heck, it's probably my favourite colour, and maybe what drew me to the Russians in the first place. But paint the coat on a 6mm figure dark green, and hold it at arm's length, and you begin to see... well, not a lot, admittedly. Dark green makes for pretty good camouflage at life-sized, let alone in 6mm. I've even had people browsing through the uniform plates in my copy of F.G. Hourtoulle's <i>Borodino: The Moskova</i> (a book that's forever underfoot hereabouts) comment on how the Russian uniforms "make more sense". Now, I've tried explaining how this viewpoint is largely anachronistic; at a time when most soldiers were armed with smoothbore muskets and generally closed to 50m or so before shooting (when they even bothered to shoot, instead of going straight to the bayonet), the camouflage value of one's coat was not such an issue. Well it was, but looking good was <i>more </i>of an issue.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihocAq_7jAZiW6XKA0YdZ80tPMlMaQecUFUSE98KjpdeqrNoGI6R5t8EA7pUOChycxRAQVucdWfeGcct-4YkySQJylUJonWr6ZrXOX1NCg-zoueJeD_1l-cIvdeIKPZ4tTcUJgNwA1aCM/s1600/Russian-2nd_Grenadiers1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihocAq_7jAZiW6XKA0YdZ80tPMlMaQecUFUSE98KjpdeqrNoGI6R5t8EA7pUOChycxRAQVucdWfeGcct-4YkySQJylUJonWr6ZrXOX1NCg-zoueJeD_1l-cIvdeIKPZ4tTcUJgNwA1aCM/s320/Russian-2nd_Grenadiers1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Colonel Buxhöwden's 2nd Brigade. Alex Mikaberidze, in his </i>The Battle of Borodino: Napoleon Against Kutuzov<i>, spells Buxhöwden with an "ö"; consequently, I have no idea how to pronounce it. Pronunciation notwithstanding, the group with the orange flags is the Astrakhan Grenadier Regiment, followed by the Fanagoria Grenadiers with their pink-and-green.</i></div><br />
Anyways, there's not much you can do about dark green. If you try brightening it up, it looks "wrong" for Russians; if you leave it dark, the damn Russkies start to disappear.<br />
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As for the complementary problem, namely the Russians' identical uniforms, there are steps that can be taken. I mean, no one wants their grenadier regiments to be confused with mere line, after all. But what's that, you say? You can tell which are grenadiers because they have big tall plumes on their shakos? And those plumes are... oh, yes, that's right, they're <i>black</i>. Just the hue to stand out against a background of dark green coats.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRKm-_VfwvzNfDxrDnOwfjykEpbPXEZTDWu48u1WpbgAuEeuo6bzaoo58xp-ztf1BNuwikDlcghKwm-QW1Vu00BC0d3v8RxpKQ7eGWP0NyisZHGdDY6He6Eq09BLw6ofQqZt9Z343kHE/s1600/Russian-2nd_Grenadiers2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRKm-_VfwvzNfDxrDnOwfjykEpbPXEZTDWu48u1WpbgAuEeuo6bzaoo58xp-ztf1BNuwikDlcghKwm-QW1Vu00BC0d3v8RxpKQ7eGWP0NyisZHGdDY6He6Eq09BLw6ofQqZt9Z343kHE/s320/Russian-2nd_Grenadiers2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The 2nd Brigade, showing some experimentation with the rear formation. Mixing poses, I tried to make it look like the Fanagoria grenadiers are breaking from march-attack into a bayonet charge. I might try this again some time with the French, where the greater variety of poses would allow for more intermediate steps between muskets carried horizontally and vertically.</i></div><br />
I opted for a different approach. I've complained before (can you believe it?) about how Adler's Russian infantry command strips only come with one standard bearer, whereas they should have two. This oversight, combined with my general cheapness-and-laziness, led me to build all my line infantry regiments with only one flag apiece. This of course left me with a golden opportunity: <i>I could give my grenadier regiments two flags each!</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroDQ2ukqRmGPPvZ2SvvufQjb08shFWCETpFYDX0-MoRf0ZvvUIeZ6IqiYZI5rCERVq1NTyik4DRJTgksu8_bCR8FD9pJg2MUpItkQhjZ83wNWVifmo7g2eNpYqTPs6Qg7bxXlH1LeclQ/s1600/Russian-2nd_Grenadiers3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroDQ2ukqRmGPPvZ2SvvufQjb08shFWCETpFYDX0-MoRf0ZvvUIeZ6IqiYZI5rCERVq1NTyik4DRJTgksu8_bCR8FD9pJg2MUpItkQhjZ83wNWVifmo7g2eNpYqTPs6Qg7bxXlH1LeclQ/s320/Russian-2nd_Grenadiers3.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Colonel Levin's 3rd Brigade, with the Siberia and Malorossiiskii (or Little Russia) Grenadier Regiments.</i></div><br />
Doubling the flag count for the grenadiers meant making an exception to my usual cheapness-and-laziness, and furthermore led to an unfortunate surplus of already-underutilized drummers and NCOs. But who am I kidding? It was worth it-- after all, in a very drab-looking army, these brigades have twice as many colours as the rest! (Ba-dum ching: Napoleonic joke in poor taste.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjup1mSXbaKgtbmEpLCKMpn8xXa4t_elSST7ccdloSJySh2ANJqUSxmCEHo-L0TeTNDc8WpFmrfJNdjp61zxyqHXtFyVP9LxDmrCPDAjiWPwTCLZUd6s75bwh7i-TEnZepKDI1stxj8Xis/s1600/Russian-2nd_Grenadiers4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjup1mSXbaKgtbmEpLCKMpn8xXa4t_elSST7ccdloSJySh2ANJqUSxmCEHo-L0TeTNDc8WpFmrfJNdjp61zxyqHXtFyVP9LxDmrCPDAjiWPwTCLZUd6s75bwh7i-TEnZepKDI1stxj8Xis/s320/Russian-2nd_Grenadiers4.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The 3rd Brigade from the anterior side (honestly, who says 'anterior'?). Astute readers might recognize this base from my basing by numbers post from way back in November!</i></div><br />
So that's Major General Karl von Mecklenburg-Schwerin's 2nd Grenadier Division, as well as my quota of whining for... well, probably that's enough whining for this year. I'm still going to whine in my next post though. Also all the ones after that.<br />
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Next time: more Russians. Or not. We'll see.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-82634490893060262552010-04-05T15:55:00.000-03:002010-04-05T15:55:04.754-03:00French III Corps in 6mm, Part 2...In which our protagonist finally gets around to posting about things that he can't even really pretend are new, since he already showed them last month.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfEYO375EgRQppInSpTNzRD46Fi9dyYH3nU0y8qQSPJZcDY8wHLRA52wFVngUDFs-7VdlBAxJISz4pxVNy9C5gNNMcxz1ZpPWdPwMTiKx_aZAT78tF2GYlN5NPutGTDjhsyxxyVWjByU/s1600/IIIe-2-Beurmann1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfEYO375EgRQppInSpTNzRD46Fi9dyYH3nU0y8qQSPJZcDY8wHLRA52wFVngUDFs-7VdlBAxJISz4pxVNy9C5gNNMcxz1ZpPWdPwMTiKx_aZAT78tF2GYlN5NPutGTDjhsyxxyVWjByU/s320/IIIe-2-Beurmann1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Beurmann's Brigade, comprising the 4th and 28th </i>Chasseurs à Cheval<i>. I'm opening the post with this base not because it's the most interesting, but because it comes first alphabetically.</i></div><br />
Yes, once again I've fallen behind in blogging, so here I am finally showing the brigades for Ney's corps at the Battle of Borodino that were already finished almost a month ago. Actually, as I alluded to in the intro, these bases all appeared in last month's <a href="http://mikes-lead.blogspot.com/2010/03/6mm-french-napoleonics-eyecandy.html">6mm French Napoleonics Eyecandy Extravaganza</a>, so it's not even like I'm delving into never-before-seen content here, either. The fact is, that while I generally plan for great things here on Mike's Leadpile, I only have so much time to devote to this hobby, and when time is tight, I usually opt to paint the next batch of figures!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTqcZpgmRXCYOQKYNEFeLrehAn2R-4Kkv0smYiiBBZ0byuUT2i23_CIHI392PyvcC53xR4ZvbO4WYH-mGxtxYViJfnIoCEgzQwd8WDXmLpAp2QOo8bK4mHV2IOucLSaZ7qUj_S07uaP0/s1600/Adler-Chasseurs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTqcZpgmRXCYOQKYNEFeLrehAn2R-4Kkv0smYiiBBZ0byuUT2i23_CIHI392PyvcC53xR4ZvbO4WYH-mGxtxYViJfnIoCEgzQwd8WDXmLpAp2QOo8bK4mHV2IOucLSaZ7qUj_S07uaP0/s320/Adler-Chasseurs.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Chasseurs à Cheval<i>, by Adler Miniatures. There are a bunch of different codes covering these troops, and, as you might guess from the above picture, I painted a bunch of them together and lost track of which models belong to which product codes.</i></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The good side of my tendency to paint-first-and-blog-later is that I generally have a backlog of new stuff to blog about. The bad side is that no one gets to see any of it until long after the fact. Oh well; one of these days I'll try to catch up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0o1xmQG5Qso62d4-UjXNCY6R3BKYVLhAHart5a72vKRbE8lRKZCVhCu0k4WA5CsGRopx1mzQ4msTXqBsvrF7463Wbtbx0Xt-XVZbGu-VKZBZeJpgkl8hyphenhyphenhdLihev9UkCXDoandKgQe3s/s1600/Adler-FNC10C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0o1xmQG5Qso62d4-UjXNCY6R3BKYVLhAHart5a72vKRbE8lRKZCVhCu0k4WA5CsGRopx1mzQ4msTXqBsvrF7463Wbtbx0Xt-XVZbGu-VKZBZeJpgkl8hyphenhyphenhdLihev9UkCXDoandKgQe3s/s320/Adler-FNC10C.jpg" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Adler FNC 10C - "Chasseur Shako". This command group features corded shakos, which none of none of the troopers seem to have; but then, like most of Adler's cavalry, they are so well sculpted that I can forgive a lot. The trumpeter/colour bearer also works much well for the French, since all of their cavalry seems to have carried colours of some kind.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At any rate, this time I get to show off my newest batch of cavalry. The huge number of different uniforms Adler offers for each troop type, combined with their by-the-strip purchasing options can cause problems-- at least if you're like me, in that you make one huge order rather than a number of smaller ones, don't really make any notes as to which figures are intended to represent what, and then work on projects sporadically with months-long stops and starts. I'm still not certain as to whether I'd originally intended to mix headgear within each "regiment", as I did with Davout's cavalry, or go for uniform headgear, as I did this time around. </div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCRR7PpRKF4obF9DmqzaO8MYGz-ZgqBC4OrosAP1jHGU_7VtTvwCo4yc0K-XA75lmo-EsS2ApCCHiyf8NWgFKkhLGBgJogG2yA9N-TOkThzctz9Cam0TNgt7N9mTPU7_H2Kb82uBlTsc/s1600/Adler-FNC4A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCRR7PpRKF4obF9DmqzaO8MYGz-ZgqBC4OrosAP1jHGU_7VtTvwCo4yc0K-XA75lmo-EsS2ApCCHiyf8NWgFKkhLGBgJogG2yA9N-TOkThzctz9Cam0TNgt7N9mTPU7_H2Kb82uBlTsc/s320/Adler-FNC4A.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Adler FNC 3A - "Chasseur, habit, colpack" (I think). Lovely figures, useful for elite regiments or companies who retain this older-style headgear. The coloured "bag" provides great contrast and helps these figures to stand out at a distance.</i></div><br />
On the plus side, at least I'm not the only one who's confused; after nearly 200 years of research and argumentation, no one's really sure who was actually at the Battle of Borodino. For this first base I gave General Beurmann the 4th and 28th regiments of Chasseurs à Cheval; Beurmann's actual brigade probably comprised the 4th and one or more regiments from Württemberg. Where the 28th was, I'm not even sure-- although apparently several of its officers were killed at the battle, so one might infer that they were at least present.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNY1mjFQyOyuxIKj-eQ6eJzUyjQvobFLTMPTnbtj0xiS6U7TJhDlmqlGdPTrMKnasI9bsv6vz9KHvvluqCz0e9rNHJFzTXVHr-p3IXbU6hzHdycNKB5cVQugWFi3hdUTSosKG4hI7cLDY/s1600/IIIe-2-Beurmann2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNY1mjFQyOyuxIKj-eQ6eJzUyjQvobFLTMPTnbtj0xiS6U7TJhDlmqlGdPTrMKnasI9bsv6vz9KHvvluqCz0e9rNHJFzTXVHr-p3IXbU6hzHdycNKB5cVQugWFi3hdUTSosKG4hI7cLDY/s320/IIIe-2-Beurmann2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>One of the challenges of 6mm is trying to make the uniforms bright enough to attract notice without making them the wrong colour. For more somberly-clad troops like these, bright highlights like the yellow facings of the 4th regiment can help to create contrast and liven up a formation; even so, this bunch is on the verge of being too dark.</i></div><br />
Another ongoing problem has been the French army organization. For anyone not versed in this sort of thing, this warrants an explanation. More or less how it works is this:<br />
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<ul><li>several soldiers = a platoon</li>
<li>several platoons = a company</li>
<li>several companies = a battalion</li>
<li>several battalions = a regiment</li>
<li>several regiments = a brigade</li>
<li>several brigades = a division</li>
<li>several divisions = a corps</li>
<li>several corps = an army</li>
</ul>That's how it works in theory, anyways. This level of organization conferred logistical, strategic and tactical advantages over armies not so organized that contributed to French military ascendency in the early Napoleonic period. It worked so well for the French that everyone else copied it (well, except for maybe the British, who pretend they didn't). Some armies, namely the Russian, were even pretty consistent in applying this organization. The standard Russian division in 1812, for instance, always comprised six regiments of two battalions each.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ixaYmp-L5kfNeBjpPNnWZObBbD5TPPT53ZPWgub_nA-HNd-3a877lqtytzwlbRWaINHUnAMoOpnCklzn7BJWo7aqPNxbgGEHfx4kbnTyPbmckqzuI_r8qlo6K-uUF0HWbDWo0TXHV2U/s1600/IIIe-2-Gengoult1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ixaYmp-L5kfNeBjpPNnWZObBbD5TPPT53ZPWgub_nA-HNd-3a877lqtytzwlbRWaINHUnAMoOpnCklzn7BJWo7aqPNxbgGEHfx4kbnTyPbmckqzuI_r8qlo6K-uUF0HWbDWo0TXHV2U/s320/IIIe-2-Gengoult1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Gengoult's brigade, with the 24th light infantry regiment and the 1st Portuguese regiment.</i></div><br />
Not so the French. Napoleon was pretty notorious for rearranging his orders of battle, taking battalions, brigades, or even divisions from one commander and reassigning them to another. This allowed him to give more responsibility to his better commanders and less to his lesser, and also helped to confuse enemy espionage and reconnaissance-- but for the wargamer it can be pretty annoying!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvy7TIvo4ErL4H7HhETzuWKTvyzb80t3Z3lQ8sVpgwJprCzpCPQqzYjkKmessfIu5iYD71WRYSJ39wasL3N0XSzui-rvTFA_63mXD8-qiSBz0LarMl9nAGq5Qg3VxYuQQ-vcoCCV7n5JA/s1600/Adler-BN4B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvy7TIvo4ErL4H7HhETzuWKTvyzb80t3Z3lQ8sVpgwJprCzpCPQqzYjkKmessfIu5iYD71WRYSJ39wasL3N0XSzui-rvTFA_63mXD8-qiSBz0LarMl9nAGq5Qg3VxYuQQ-vcoCCV7n5JA/s320/Adler-BN4B.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Adler BN 4B - "Centre comp Belgic advancing". Again, I've used British troops in the "Belgic" shako to represent soldiers of the Portuguese legion wearing the barretina. The ankles on this particular code are quite fragile, and although my order arrived intact at my doorstep, I had several casualties while preparing them for painting.</i></div><br />
I've complained before about the inconsistent number of battalions in a regiment and regiments in a brigade in French armies. I've even tried to impose order on chaos by making each base a brigade of two regiments, irregardless of actual historical composition. It was a struggle I thought I was winning, fool that I was. Yet now, as I pass the halfway mark for finishing Ney's III corps, the weaknesses of my plans begin to show. You see, Marshal Ney had only half as many troops as Marshal Davout in reality-- but Ney is on course to end up with more bases!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XeU_tU0pc-2h8kqtnvBiq8Y1FnNyp6LKfS6mOWJz0qguVtgidgBdcWsR3RjpE1ikXF6D8pWwmrm51AdprZuNAlgTTBg32vqZTgq0dD4y5IUXMEuulSCqilVASXpch4G3MLftbGwlZGg/s1600/IIIe-2-Gengoult2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XeU_tU0pc-2h8kqtnvBiq8Y1FnNyp6LKfS6mOWJz0qguVtgidgBdcWsR3RjpE1ikXF6D8pWwmrm51AdprZuNAlgTTBg32vqZTgq0dD4y5IUXMEuulSCqilVASXpch4G3MLftbGwlZGg/s320/IIIe-2-Gengoult2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Gengoult's brigade from behind. Both the French and British/Portuguese on this base are in "advancing" pose, but the minute differences from one advancing pose to another can clearly be seen.</i></div><br />
So what to do? I guess one of the advantages of French infantry, at least in 6mm, is that it's pretty generic. I could go back and beef up Davout's I corps to the appropriate number of brigades, sacrificing the easily-organized "always-two-regiments-to-a-base" system for something more accurate, and no one would be the wiser (well, except for anyone who's bothered to read this far, since I've just told you). But that would involve more time, effort, and money...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdPXwejUNy3fuYnFk_1yKfMD2Y2UGb4Q20YxGFFE3_-sZpoW_SnnxyJrgdH2WINfmisTYdjQtSH0S3WOWdFtRPVpXYA5TUvh2rfunjMKTn98ut6Vq-CV_P3_vsRR5wfv0CdIZtBXu89E/s1600/Adler-FNC6A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdPXwejUNy3fuYnFk_1yKfMD2Y2UGb4Q20YxGFFE3_-sZpoW_SnnxyJrgdH2WINfmisTYdjQtSH0S3WOWdFtRPVpXYA5TUvh2rfunjMKTn98ut6Vq-CV_P3_vsRR5wfv0CdIZtBXu89E/s320/Adler-FNC6A.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Adler FNC 6A - "Lancer, helmet". The lance shafts on these models are pretty fragile, and a few of the ones in my collection have undergone amputation.</i></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've mentioned previously how I didn't really start this project with any particular rules in mind. In fact, gaming with this bunch at all is, for the moment, a distant consideration, as renovations-in-progress have taken up all my space. Completed units are left to reside ignominously in re-purposed Ferrero Rocher trays, or, at best, taken out for the occasional parade on a 2'x2' card table. So do I really <i>need</i> to go back and expand formations that I've already set aside as finished? Especially when I've already expressed doubt as to how far in this project I'm even going to get?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVD7eDyAJO6CJAzfMXGyzTxXWEOL52DTjKOSTveq2h6UPRQZehEz8RjF3G2oEuuYUAPVW8mwzNpJjww-_eURUchESxj9nHnKhCc9Aw5MH6HQItdGZlS96iXGBuHWhy059NDboCJutAM4/s1600/IIIe-2-Mourier1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVD7eDyAJO6CJAzfMXGyzTxXWEOL52DTjKOSTveq2h6UPRQZehEz8RjF3G2oEuuYUAPVW8mwzNpJjww-_eURUchESxj9nHnKhCc9Aw5MH6HQItdGZlS96iXGBuHWhy059NDboCJutAM4/s320/IIIe-2-Mourier1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Mourier's Brigade, with the 11th Hussars in the lead, followed by the 6th Chevau-légers. The lancers' shiny gold helmets really stand out nicely on the tabletop, while the </i>pelisse<i>, or decorative coat worn over one shoulder by the Hussars also makes a good accent. </i><br />
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Then again, what does <i>need </i>have to do with anything in this hobby?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QAUmrb7-LwbQ8DoaM969rgGlMXRj3EtIzLDQ6iezz2kR4hx1eXRyYvdVAqyO_QoqsvzIzVAWXj9UxRuMefpuu2BeUQrYor3f6LUytQvwmyaKhncRq1bDEYhXNLbaU5_ozwp0GUXIw0E/s1600/IIIe-2-Mourier2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QAUmrb7-LwbQ8DoaM969rgGlMXRj3EtIzLDQ6iezz2kR4hx1eXRyYvdVAqyO_QoqsvzIzVAWXj9UxRuMefpuu2BeUQrYor3f6LUytQvwmyaKhncRq1bDEYhXNLbaU5_ozwp0GUXIw0E/s320/IIIe-2-Mourier2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The Lancers' pennants also help create contrast.</i></div><br />
Next time: some Russians<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-52167004641187261152010-03-18T09:59:00.001-03:002010-03-18T10:01:38.106-03:006mm French Napoleonics Eyecandy Extravaganza!...In which our protagonist really just wants to show off his stuff.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBORMYj7qSqkuW2g4Uu7OplQZbIpNMOeWRQv-p1AOzKxpQh2MXX4W4yv6EOqWXKxsZ0lMg35IfTzutQWYOxf_iAM9uA7saIrCvgWyGTicEN6x2bvmn3iwYcSqTVhnrDiQoIK07DllIBUw/s1600-h/IIIcorps-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBORMYj7qSqkuW2g4Uu7OplQZbIpNMOeWRQv-p1AOzKxpQh2MXX4W4yv6EOqWXKxsZ0lMg35IfTzutQWYOxf_iAM9uA7saIrCvgWyGTicEN6x2bvmn3iwYcSqTVhnrDiQoIK07DllIBUw/s320/IIIcorps-9.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>By taking pictures like this, I can pretend I'm actually making good progress!</i></div><br />
Work continues slowly but steadily on Marshal Ney's III corps for the 1812 project. I finished a few more bases since my last post, but rather than taking pictures of them individually, I opted to dig out some scenery as well as Davout's I corps and take some pics showing the <i>Grande Armée</i> so far. If you've been paying close enough attention, you might be able to pick the new bases in the crowd.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThVMUvMemNNzg88lS38GqZMUeMttmAWrIKm5QBmvN0fXRhaq8oAK-r7IPzLTbiqps5MKGnS7bmYOyZCgTvhgH5f3APbV8wWng80AGD-EQ3B7qFYxc1V4emxv6e_1aqmKmZmnMTrLkJK8/s1600-h/IIIcorps-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThVMUvMemNNzg88lS38GqZMUeMttmAWrIKm5QBmvN0fXRhaq8oAK-r7IPzLTbiqps5MKGnS7bmYOyZCgTvhgH5f3APbV8wWng80AGD-EQ3B7qFYxc1V4emxv6e_1aqmKmZmnMTrLkJK8/s320/IIIcorps-4.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Why is it my troops always seem to have their backs to a forest? Are they attacking out of the woods like a pack of savage Ewoks? Could it be that I just don't have anything else suitable as a backdrop?</i></div><br />
The French side has three main advantages, as I see it:<br />
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1) A great variety of troops. Even having started with the most 'French' of corps, I've already done some Spanish, Portuguese and Polish troops, have the entire Württemberg division<b> </b>on deck, and there are zillions more units from all over Europe that will eventually join the ranks. Even without including allies, the French cavalry has more different types than anyone else!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWqeYPuxH0OLYq0sopfM1TXMIs2kx-bN3OPwlOEYAYNr6Uya_mR_VTfvFpT7T2qx2_ku7S-ft3LRTRxG81LLo18avP53d49eID8EXHyz6R1LXD5fRrdGfH3wZX_9UweYH7SVGzEwIGPs/s1600-h/IIIcorps-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWqeYPuxH0OLYq0sopfM1TXMIs2kx-bN3OPwlOEYAYNr6Uya_mR_VTfvFpT7T2qx2_ku7S-ft3LRTRxG81LLo18avP53d49eID8EXHyz6R1LXD5fRrdGfH3wZX_9UweYH7SVGzEwIGPs/s320/IIIcorps-5.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The III corps so far. The brigade at the top left is a 'loaner' from the I corps. Still to come are the corps artillery, command, and a rather large (and snazzy) division from Württemberg.</i></div><br />
2) Very colourful. While taking pictures of my Russians, I realized anew that brighter is better in 6mm. The Russians don't really stand out at a distance, whereas the French do. Yes, the French coats are supposed to be some kind of 'dark' blue, but most people will accept a brighter hue (such as I've been using) at this scale. Really, I should have gone for a battle with a brightly-coloured opponent, like the Austrians, the British, or the Spanish.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Guorl2YmxgSrnA4Cvrkkmdcp1FXKJAFK4uZEre010vdEUAyinvQfS-Qoleod28EhvYgen5dnPK3aJy6PEec6bdPlo1sWKtWQ1i7f1HLBgS3mRGm6Sq5rQvXjPo6LKbyQGgmWsvLUJuM/s1600-h/IIIcorps-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Guorl2YmxgSrnA4Cvrkkmdcp1FXKJAFK4uZEre010vdEUAyinvQfS-Qoleod28EhvYgen5dnPK3aJy6PEec6bdPlo1sWKtWQ1i7f1HLBgS3mRGm6Sq5rQvXjPo6LKbyQGgmWsvLUJuM/s320/IIIcorps-1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> A test base from the Cavalry Reserve managed to sneak into this picture. Can you spot it?</i></div><br />
3) Complete range. When you're trying to follow a specific order of battle, nothing's more frustrating than discovering that you can't find minis for all your troops. Luckily I can find pretty much everything I need for the Allied side at Borodino, including not only obscure troop types, but also a variety of different poses for the more common types to make things more interesting.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVdPCc6cXr4Q9sgOnHPheD32V0hkQVu7cEwM-8ikKMJXqFkeWZ5DTW7AGkZ28mgGpZEgIa5ZUPRgcm8h-XwCS2Pz0J8OyFqZrVuLIj1A8rePaJ4l0JPUuUiC3g0BtinMxn6ItYSk0Nj4/s1600-h/IIIcorps-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVdPCc6cXr4Q9sgOnHPheD32V0hkQVu7cEwM-8ikKMJXqFkeWZ5DTW7AGkZ28mgGpZEgIa5ZUPRgcm8h-XwCS2Pz0J8OyFqZrVuLIj1A8rePaJ4l0JPUuUiC3g0BtinMxn6ItYSk0Nj4/s320/IIIcorps-12.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Variety is the spice of life.</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgWmMmPz7pAZJODPVF3buhcfEYa-5zVPUdEUw23sZcvxI0Go1G1fFQ2iqP8Oq0ea2pEbjqzlEdYr0AOstY9nH-hbdmrWPlMUUzXGIp7retl43o7JNRmq7Y-XQ_U72ycBkida3qj_OFIA/s1600-h/IIIcorps-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgWmMmPz7pAZJODPVF3buhcfEYa-5zVPUdEUw23sZcvxI0Go1G1fFQ2iqP8Oq0ea2pEbjqzlEdYr0AOstY9nH-hbdmrWPlMUUzXGIp7retl43o7JNRmq7Y-XQ_U72ycBkida3qj_OFIA/s320/IIIcorps-11.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Why do French cavalrymen wear green? I've never figured that out.</i></div><br />
Of course the <i>Grande Armée </i>is frickin' <i>giant</i>. As is the Russian army of 1812. The more I paint and the longer it takes, the more I wonder whether I'll be able to see this project through. On the one hand, it would be so cool if I could; on the other, there are so many other great projects I'd love to do. It's a toss up.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kFSWEBhTP0vnQkh9n4REbX9gPqq3g-tHZroWqpo8iWlb_nFZJz0ljLF-HAMQp0sETHgiTiQkMheu5tWUaAyiXhrNULLZx6VrtNU74lMx3GCifrJciJeEn6XCaKvognaEH1iBBNRGXSY/s1600-h/IIIcorps-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kFSWEBhTP0vnQkh9n4REbX9gPqq3g-tHZroWqpo8iWlb_nFZJz0ljLF-HAMQp0sETHgiTiQkMheu5tWUaAyiXhrNULLZx6VrtNU74lMx3GCifrJciJeEn6XCaKvognaEH1iBBNRGXSY/s320/IIIcorps-6.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>My bases seem to have been getting distinctly grassier, which is both unnecessary and expensive. I should cut back.</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QPiwsSKuQ19q18vBjP5icRPOjCOApIC_FNxhYaWihYTjDfj0bjEmoHoksQT7Ln1X0IW5pNVf9urubBsTX52iePk46Y7XCmfEugGYxOIAVf9IwWNFSV2bcwDsXQ-IM2jF6gK0hheZ3TE/s1600-h/IIIcorps-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QPiwsSKuQ19q18vBjP5icRPOjCOApIC_FNxhYaWihYTjDfj0bjEmoHoksQT7Ln1X0IW5pNVf9urubBsTX52iePk46Y7XCmfEugGYxOIAVf9IwWNFSV2bcwDsXQ-IM2jF6gK0hheZ3TE/s320/IIIcorps-7.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Have I mentioned recently how awesome Adler's cavalry figures are?</i></div><br />
And, now that I've run out of content, I'll just let the rest of the pictures do the talking: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZoqEtVbDxUADJIG150iO9xg0TJl8Pzrb_7YMAMYspvbtYWi-eP9Y2Fr-fV1A25OHjqhMVoikECX_pHYSH0YCWbRj0rWpZZ_qnINDnOC19ucI_f9OBLXLAcwaOpFrvYBoUipvViuqGgTc/s1600-h/IIIcorps-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZoqEtVbDxUADJIG150iO9xg0TJl8Pzrb_7YMAMYspvbtYWi-eP9Y2Fr-fV1A25OHjqhMVoikECX_pHYSH0YCWbRj0rWpZZ_qnINDnOC19ucI_f9OBLXLAcwaOpFrvYBoUipvViuqGgTc/s320/IIIcorps-8.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnugm4k9jKKo4aVdOFTQbZa4vBfjPSKtUUz6l2YP8qhA6cNT5Jog26zZSlozHuaODcboOd5oJ8J5G3ntwjMfx3YfGgg7Mv2qVR9DIq0A-1B7-L9ZxIAiQ-u-MsUnHPHLeGZj-k4hAvn0/s1600-h/IIIcorps-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnugm4k9jKKo4aVdOFTQbZa4vBfjPSKtUUz6l2YP8qhA6cNT5Jog26zZSlozHuaODcboOd5oJ8J5G3ntwjMfx3YfGgg7Mv2qVR9DIq0A-1B7-L9ZxIAiQ-u-MsUnHPHLeGZj-k4hAvn0/s320/IIIcorps-3.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVdPCc6cXr4Q9sgOnHPheD32V0hkQVu7cEwM-8ikKMJXqFkeWZ5DTW7AGkZ28mgGpZEgIa5ZUPRgcm8h-XwCS2Pz0J8OyFqZrVuLIj1A8rePaJ4l0JPUuUiC3g0BtinMxn6ItYSk0Nj4/s1600-h/IIIcorps-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVdPCc6cXr4Q9sgOnHPheD32V0hkQVu7cEwM-8ikKMJXqFkeWZ5DTW7AGkZ28mgGpZEgIa5ZUPRgcm8h-XwCS2Pz0J8OyFqZrVuLIj1A8rePaJ4l0JPUuUiC3g0BtinMxn6ItYSk0Nj4/s320/IIIcorps-12.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF215trmDERn00mWmJ-ta5K7H_hVsF-mC0JhzsQ1DZCyWFkihpUQemYAtpMGzi5WphO7P9gU1-qQxihKb9hPJy3MFbKpLq4ktv4AICwsWetdJJCnNkybzG4RNx48EK9r7EU-k3u6UPfjk/s1600-h/IIIcorps-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF215trmDERn00mWmJ-ta5K7H_hVsF-mC0JhzsQ1DZCyWFkihpUQemYAtpMGzi5WphO7P9gU1-qQxihKb9hPJy3MFbKpLq4ktv4AICwsWetdJJCnNkybzG4RNx48EK9r7EU-k3u6UPfjk/s320/IIIcorps-2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
While I try to figure out how long I can stick to the plan for this project, I'll continue to paint the minis I already have for it. Heck, even if I don't buy any more, the stuff I already have should keep me busy for most of the year at the rate I'm currently getting through them!<br />
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Until next time, adios.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-39105333286590715612010-03-12T12:15:00.000-04:002010-03-12T12:15:42.975-04:00French III Corps in 6mm, Part 1...In which our protagonist, much to the surprise of everyone, proves not only that he isn't dead, but that he's been working on at least one of the projects he intended to work on this year. Furthermore, our protagonist at long last ceases trying to be clever in his post titles and simply tells it like it is.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPVlyTTKAYG5HnsPbeC4ZwWJLk88AXeWOZr5AkrKxBmqRrvswX_8hrpxiZ1wYDnqKKVZFW5yeD8CHMsg2QuTfQI6MNmdxc5vsnKk2vIlAcLBPxtrZNKtu8LhNHvjaF4Js7v6VvRGLbd4/s1600-h/IIIe-3b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPVlyTTKAYG5HnsPbeC4ZwWJLk88AXeWOZr5AkrKxBmqRrvswX_8hrpxiZ1wYDnqKKVZFW5yeD8CHMsg2QuTfQI6MNmdxc5vsnKk2vIlAcLBPxtrZNKtu8LhNHvjaF4Js7v6VvRGLbd4/s320/IIIe-3b.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>93rd French line infantry and 2nd Portuguese Legion. A pretty tame base layout on this one, but it's exciting because it's new!</i></div><br />
So it's been a while. I mean, I knew back in December that real life was going to start impinging on my hobby time, but I underestimated (or, to employ a George Dubyah-ism, misunderestimated) just how much it was going to impinge. Badly.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPsVO-x1d1_dfPmTSGNHw2U2lkF5F3NKCXG1ZLi64qyj9KWa40aRwwT8frV-snOp-2H_rhhk0elHJpnw1ljxhb-MQ66e2Kg4VG_M17J8arl4t-zpxbQ1SNpR8BE6tWMIAjxFcA1RzOJE/s1600-h/IIIe-3a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPsVO-x1d1_dfPmTSGNHw2U2lkF5F3NKCXG1ZLi64qyj9KWa40aRwwT8frV-snOp-2H_rhhk0elHJpnw1ljxhb-MQ66e2Kg4VG_M17J8arl4t-zpxbQ1SNpR8BE6tWMIAjxFcA1RzOJE/s320/IIIe-3a.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>View from the rear. Both of these regiments would actually have comprised their own respective 'brigade' at Borodino, but as usual I've ignored such details and simply lumped them together on one base.</i></div><br />
Nevertheless, perseverance has its rewards, and so with a daub of the paintbrush here and there I've managed to at least make a start of Marshal Ney's III Corps for the Borodino project. As I found with Davout's I Corps, even the best-available Orders of Battle can prove something of a mess. The problem is, making each base a brigade only sounds good until you do your research. Lo and behold, some brigades have two regiments and some only one; and since regiments can comprise anywhere from one to five battalions, a base could mean anywhere from one to <i>ten </i>battalions!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6Za-eDWA1XAkk3ahjpftuBwDzXzUkTaXeFxvKrHMhfF2psLjSPSwCdBvAbm7crkWGgqjObtSGwejwlSR4j-NGqwXUJxErmHrW0QAR9GOx49jK7noONfvNwziigtAGPCzylZqVDkIDuY/s1600-h/Adler-BN3B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6Za-eDWA1XAkk3ahjpftuBwDzXzUkTaXeFxvKrHMhfF2psLjSPSwCdBvAbm7crkWGgqjObtSGwejwlSR4j-NGqwXUJxErmHrW0QAR9GOx49jK7noONfvNwziigtAGPCzylZqVDkIDuY/s320/Adler-BN3B.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Adler BN 4B - "Centre comp Belgic advancing". These are British centre-company line infantry in the "Belgic" shako. Of course, the Belgic shako was copied from the Portuguese </i>berretina<i> shako, which saw service both with the Portuguese fighting alongside the Britsh in Spain, and with the Portuguese Legion in French service.</i></div><br />
Naturally, the best way to avoid such problems is to simply ignore them. In practice, this means that every base represents two regiments, and, in the finest traditions of abstraction, every regiment gets the same number of troops, give or take.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXg-xE7rEpXiDJ_o65U73iL00Y206DC287kb4ySgUvXNZLmHjLTv656jDMCX87fclsP4kpIPa7tXYIKgfRUX-NAqvfxN5HKhllm4tW8Ne-JQ-wAdvu8_CCpelwUhyphenhyphenjBANqB-9FeDyQSrw/s1600-h/Adler-BN20B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXg-xE7rEpXiDJ_o65U73iL00Y206DC287kb4ySgUvXNZLmHjLTv656jDMCX87fclsP4kpIPa7tXYIKgfRUX-NAqvfxN5HKhllm4tW8Ne-JQ-wAdvu8_CCpelwUhyphenhyphenjBANqB-9FeDyQSrw/s320/Adler-BN20B.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Adler BN 20B - "Command Belgic (5)". Each strip actually comes with two flag bearers, as British battalions carry two colours. </i></div><br />
Likewise, "good enough" tends to be the rule when it comes to figures. While Adler boasts a jaw-droppingly prolific range of French infantry, the same can't be said for their selection of Portuguese. These doughty troops, be they for Braganza or Bonaparte, are pretty much stuck with being paint-converted British figures. Now that's not necessarily a bad thing; it means even if you're doing the 1812 Russian campaign you get to try your paintbrush out on a few Brits (albeit not in their famous red coats).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlwBAZ6RlgJH-aDk6O6EJrwc7zAarnh7SbtZxRzi2qxHM-f3rJxi5bKvAa27NjWnjZuGyuIesDkSxPpzfHf9r6RaTUBXoBM8ncoz6bcBVdDpRWr7LXCp2X6Pl4r-SorymO9hi9w60PP0/s1600-h/IIIe-1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlwBAZ6RlgJH-aDk6O6EJrwc7zAarnh7SbtZxRzi2qxHM-f3rJxi5bKvAa27NjWnjZuGyuIesDkSxPpzfHf9r6RaTUBXoBM8ncoz6bcBVdDpRWr7LXCp2X6Pl4r-SorymO9hi9w60PP0/s320/IIIe-1a.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>72nd and 46th of the line. You can see the difference between this base, representing 8 battalions, and the one above, representing 5 battalions. Yep, the difference suuuuure is clear. </i></div><br />
Speaking of Adler's French range, it's sometimes bewildering to try to make heads or tails of all the different figures. For instance, the line infantry alone come with shako cords and bundled greatcoats on their packs, with no shako cords and rolled greatcoats worn over one shoulder, with bundled greatcoats, shako cords and epaulettes, with shako plumes, wearing greatcoats, at high porte, low porte, marching, firing, reloading-- and that's just for the 1812 warrant uniforms! For the sake of my bank account (not to mention my sanity), I find myself having to resist the temptation to do at least a unit of each.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiafYNNGwJ4Hyn3JfCVa1kxUW31UVxpEvw-vqK2Goo4-dOIbiEvMHUkYs0vASgPAq0stylGeIX5hO6na_Do1VlwDUXD3GH9MCfOPLBSeE2GPBNPu_bJVcj4a-MCiHJ2vxPySrRUM_WwlWQ/s1600-h/IIIe-1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiafYNNGwJ4Hyn3JfCVa1kxUW31UVxpEvw-vqK2Goo4-dOIbiEvMHUkYs0vASgPAq0stylGeIX5hO6na_Do1VlwDUXD3GH9MCfOPLBSeE2GPBNPu_bJVcj4a-MCiHJ2vxPySrRUM_WwlWQ/s320/IIIe-1b.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The view from behind. The rearmost line regiment shown here has actually been assembled from spare light infantrymen I had. Running out of figures has certainly never been a problem of mine!</i></div><br />
At the same time, even while I try vainly to paint my supply of French in "Bardin" uniform, I find myself wishing I'd gotten some troops in the earlier uniform. After all, experts will point out that most of the French army in 1812 would still be wearing the older style; and this would also be the uniform of the Wagram campaign, of the Peninsular War, maybe even of some units in the Polish campaign back in 1807-08.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRNEKdIinBD58B9bBgAGE1KQ76I8XmDto__njnRYsMHWw1MEIOuzprMl2CnL4NIt4vgItnfFas73FAPA_sC1cQLAm6C0qrKP6drFZv8ez8bvgGmAIQl2pYj_G4kZxk6t2M4PIMO7efFw/s1600-h/Adler-FN21B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRNEKdIinBD58B9bBgAGE1KQ76I8XmDto__njnRYsMHWw1MEIOuzprMl2CnL4NIt4vgItnfFas73FAPA_sC1cQLAm6C0qrKP6drFZv8ez8bvgGmAIQl2pYj_G4kZxk6t2M4PIMO7efFw/s320/Adler-FN21B.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Adler FN 21B - "Mounted Officers (1812)". These fellows can claim the colonelcy of many a regiment.</i></div><br />
Not that I'm planning to branch out into Wagram or Spain anytime soon. After all, I've barely scratched the surface of 1812. Besides, there are plenty of other campaigns for showcasing the late-uniform French: Napoleon's revenge on the Russians at Lützen, Bautzen, and Dresden; the granddaddy of all Napoleonic battles at Leipzig; the later Peninsular War; the brilliant defence of France in 1814; and, of course, the (in)famous Hundred Days ending at Waterloo. Sure, everyone else wears some kind of shako after 1812, which does take some of the variety out of Napoleonics. But that doesn't mean they can't still look great-- as I hope to someday have a chance to prove (ha ha ha. Keep dreaming, Mike).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1iiyiRlml76hvvZHRmRnrdX-bnh5EMuuKdRaCE0gISaCs_yPqIddUIIUz5Cx7t3Ry1QRBcKLvn0K4uYNb85eWX2fZAgRoO6BU9wwJKNE72i5Y7UIph1qP0JyFsiNUetgpe9O6sTgR_JI/s1600-h/IIIe-2b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1iiyiRlml76hvvZHRmRnrdX-bnh5EMuuKdRaCE0gISaCs_yPqIddUIIUz5Cx7t3Ry1QRBcKLvn0K4uYNb85eWX2fZAgRoO6BU9wwJKNE72i5Y7UIph1qP0JyFsiNUetgpe9O6sTgR_JI/s320/IIIe-2b.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>4th and 18th of the line. These two regiments were among the most decorated units in the French army, the 18th earning the nickname "the Brave". Along with the rest of Ney's corps, both were virtually destroyed during the 1812 campaign, the 18th losing its eagle to the Russian Lifeguard Uhlans during the running battle at Krasnoiye.</i></div><br />
Not content simply to make a muddle of brigades and regiments and battalions, I decided to go one step further along the road to confusion. Although I've started my III Corps wearing 1812 uniforms, I've given them the flags to go with the early uniform. New uniforms, old flags-- make sense? Well, probably not, but at least it gives me an easy way to visually differentiate between Ney's units (with the old flags) and Davout's (with the new).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7L-YvClyXZqEOZW9If41F3Zi5fyvVLlloG_BlxISUcQYlRjs_jXXroCDyh2GzugRCEIuBDuzYwAWpnC_HFxHyhqipS2C0uXrBWUrI8GtIsp3WylGeAMmmIiksv_Ogtcd2sw2G6ObraQ/s1600-h/IIIe-2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7L-YvClyXZqEOZW9If41F3Zi5fyvVLlloG_BlxISUcQYlRjs_jXXroCDyh2GzugRCEIuBDuzYwAWpnC_HFxHyhqipS2C0uXrBWUrI8GtIsp3WylGeAMmmIiksv_Ogtcd2sw2G6ObraQ/s320/IIIe-2a.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I showed this picture back in December, which I guess reveals that not all my 'new' content is, in fact, new. So sue me. Anyways, I was trying to depict a formation clambering over rocky ground, but it didn't turn out all that great. Perhaps I'll try again some time.</i></div><br />
Probably the best solution to my uniform woes would be for me to just start doing my French troops in greatcoats and shako covers. Of course I'd still be SOL for the Revolution and early Empire, when they wore bicornes, but at least I'd be covered for everything after that. More or less-- I guess I'd still have those blasted flags to worry about!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IYrszCLpyeGOhekqJrBHj6HjnHDlxU7dwEbaHb-aU8vZNEZD23aTuTQ7E1kPDAOy8JO_cfynkpBE3i2Xa8u8f9X8PS7zvldKwGERNVS43OeZm2kx66ZnsRUiIR4AuuBWDLe10opSMdQ/s1600-h/IIIe-4c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IYrszCLpyeGOhekqJrBHj6HjnHDlxU7dwEbaHb-aU8vZNEZD23aTuTQ7E1kPDAOy8JO_cfynkpBE3i2Xa8u8f9X8PS7zvldKwGERNVS43OeZm2kx66ZnsRUiIR4AuuBWDLe10opSMdQ/s320/IIIe-4c.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The 93rd of the line and... a mystery regiment! Ney had an odd number of regiments at Borodino, so I've filled in this base with an unspecified unit.</i></div><br />
Along with wishing you'd done something else, one of the dangers of going too long without working on a project is that you forget what you were doing. Which figures are intended for what, where are they, and what is it I'm supposed to do again? After my recent hiatus, I confess having had recourse to my <a href="http://mikes-lead.blogspot.com/2009/10/nothing-rhymes-with-davout.html">painting guide for French infantry</a>, <a href="http://mikes-lead.blogspot.com/2009/11/much-ado-about-horses.html">painting guide for horses</a>, and <a href="http://mikes-lead.blogspot.com/2009/11/basing-by-numbers.html">basing tutorial</a>. I suppose I should also confess to being a shameless self promoter, too.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaG5ENF-DziY2SW8USUM57ih1tyeaFbp0Xg7ZIFwyIQDy3SOtzNgS80QXXqPRb27iOpah1fVN-ubDJs83scf9NbTXTKiHJ_yuTXdztp2yfZiJpKmdK-JcWwJPQqAJF9H2uvIk_OFTBIw/s1600-h/IIIe-4b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaG5ENF-DziY2SW8USUM57ih1tyeaFbp0Xg7ZIFwyIQDy3SOtzNgS80QXXqPRb27iOpah1fVN-ubDJs83scf9NbTXTKiHJ_yuTXdztp2yfZiJpKmdK-JcWwJPQqAJF9H2uvIk_OFTBIw/s320/IIIe-4b.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Another view of the same, showing a few casualties in the line. What's got them? Cannister? Solid shot? Musket fire? Or are they just sleeping on the job like I keep telling people?</i></div><br />
So that's the start of Ney's III Corps. A pretty pathetic start I know, but more is on the way. I'm hoping for some better photography on the next round too, if I can find my other light.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-77573065894100218992009-12-28T10:23:00.000-04:002009-12-28T10:23:06.081-04:00The Year in Preview...In which our protagonist wastes his time and yours by sharing his hobby plans for next year, even though experience shows that only abject boredom creates any interest whatsoever in such things.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidui7qpxFbFITP1gbOU00Hh0RiCc9zOcgwd96QJ8UBFlTGfDhORvdrsPgmogIZx-qflWCGJ_5FOUj1cizZ-DHSID24JN-Bsokjhw9daI0cL-TEzPuJRXXeM6LwI80bUfmUk72Agi13EOg/s1600-h/Pre-French1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidui7qpxFbFITP1gbOU00Hh0RiCc9zOcgwd96QJ8UBFlTGfDhORvdrsPgmogIZx-qflWCGJ_5FOUj1cizZ-DHSID24JN-Bsokjhw9daI0cL-TEzPuJRXXeM6LwI80bUfmUk72Agi13EOg/s320/Pre-French1.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Yes, the 6mm Borodino project will continue in 2010. No, the 6mm Borodino project will</i> not<i> be finished in 2010.</i><br />
</div><br />
Alas, despite a strong push through the autumn months, it looks like 2009 is going to end with a whimper rather than a bang, at least as far as Mike's Leadpile is concerned. I came, I saw, I... had too much else to do, as it turns out. In fact, for the first time ever, I can actually report <i>no new progress whatsoever</i> since my last post. Well, nothing worth talking about, at least.<br />
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<b>Get on with the preview, you damn fool</b><br />
<br />
Anyway, despite the disappointing finish, I'm staying optimistic about 2010. There are lots of projects I want to do, and, what's more, some of those I even <i>expect </i>to do. In no particular order, here are a few that could or should happen:<br />
<br />
1. More 10mm Ancients for Basic Impetus. I kicked off the first of these "lazy side projects" with the Celtic hordes over the last few months. Since 10mm Ancients comprise a hefty chunk of the leadpile, I would expect to see at least a few other forces inch their way towards completion in 2010.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPeN8Hsnti2LhDMRkX2E628wm9wmJ1BBcnju0rNwXUTd4sDuLJOHEwDnFifuVlQ2uUgc_fPqmkx1BMvQLBlE0A7CwQOTqBn583Ej49qLoQk5ABbAibaDO6nTEOun3k-Viu7_HDJ8yi1s/s1600-h/Pre-Romans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPeN8Hsnti2LhDMRkX2E628wm9wmJ1BBcnju0rNwXUTd4sDuLJOHEwDnFifuVlQ2uUgc_fPqmkx1BMvQLBlE0A7CwQOTqBn583Ej49qLoQk5ABbAibaDO6nTEOun3k-Viu7_HDJ8yi1s/s320/Pre-Romans.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Everyone "knows" Romans wore red. <br />
</i><br />
</div><br />
2. The French and Indian War. Also known as the Seven Years' War in North America, or as the <i>Guerre de la Conquête. </i>It's the quintessential Canadian war-- although at the time, the <i>Canadiens </i>all spoke French. In any case, I won't feel like a proper Canuck until I've done something with this one.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5l_Nd4lUpHV23vSbOY-kphsgelS_cJOisUBaB26k536uFeDV56EwBAxgkNpRKwAuiBh-YkGrwqMUzmwhosAe44fxTXlSlnXbIafFW0KdK5UnyY09lQYrbcyAJ8eUr7dzYdUd5i-tQJbA/s1600-h/Pre-FIW.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5l_Nd4lUpHV23vSbOY-kphsgelS_cJOisUBaB26k536uFeDV56EwBAxgkNpRKwAuiBh-YkGrwqMUzmwhosAe44fxTXlSlnXbIafFW0KdK5UnyY09lQYrbcyAJ8eUr7dzYdUd5i-tQJbA/s320/Pre-FIW.gif" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Snow, trees and rocks. Yep, that's Canada.</i><br />
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3. Borodino! I'm hoping to finish this project for the bicentennary of the battle in 2012. It's going to be a long, hard slog to get there though, as I've raised the bar rather high on this one.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhbanZNx6ODcrpuQMMCFHct5HgGPRUhfHIjB40FhDDY7HvzjFtue33gFg1NJBKuwOiBu5r2KSOn_i-Y4EOmqk3q6qHa4EVv7-4aXuybcKjFHQAmTr6Rh8n1jKVfg9tKwzmFObDkKU3r8/s1600-h/Pre-French2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhbanZNx6ODcrpuQMMCFHct5HgGPRUhfHIjB40FhDDY7HvzjFtue33gFg1NJBKuwOiBu5r2KSOn_i-Y4EOmqk3q6qHa4EVv7-4aXuybcKjFHQAmTr6Rh8n1jKVfg9tKwzmFObDkKU3r8/s320/Pre-French2.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I haven't been shy about experimenting with my Napoleonics figures. Sometimes the results have been everything I could have hoped for. But only sometimes. </i><br />
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4. Wars of the Inca. This was a civilization that saw both sides of imperialism within a very short time. In the late 15th century, they were on the up-and-up, ruthlessly conquering the largest and most populous of the Mesoamerican empires; by the early 16th they were being devastated by smallpox and falling victim the predatory opportunism of the young Spanish empire.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5Ooy-cgu-Jgo18CnQaS0TT_A7Hh6-Hafi6e6OERB7TU8iXfYhL05RdLx7xUeuIg9d7An74X_TU8pVnS-hHLvPgi2xgO3u9N5xg35GCQLXelbh2STjauCE-hhiH5JR3kaOX0e6VeAspw/s1600-h/Pre-Inca.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5Ooy-cgu-Jgo18CnQaS0TT_A7Hh6-Hafi6e6OERB7TU8iXfYhL05RdLx7xUeuIg9d7An74X_TU8pVnS-hHLvPgi2xgO3u9N5xg35GCQLXelbh2STjauCE-hhiH5JR3kaOX0e6VeAspw/s320/Pre-Inca.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Fear and Loathing in 16th-century Peru. </i><br />
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5. Armies of the Dark Ages (or, as they've been re-branded, Late Antiquity). I kicked off Mike's Leadpile by showing some 10mm late Romans. While the 10mm project seems to have stalled along with the product line itself, the period continues to fascinate. Great empires, migratory kingdoms, multicultural barbarian hordes, marauding pirates, all against a background of ever-shifting alliances and intrigue... what's not to like?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUl1lGxs0BmXNBpoNwUJyaqzR-xY6W1CLaAjqCgPCA_bpuWyknODBgKpvmb5kAmY4kwhVt9QYxYnBtdM8_lOEhP0Q0S8OYjlYE6KEE-3xfRjI89btr4CGQvPscUk_i9VlFCr2klm0nwIo/s1600-h/Pannoniciani_and_Moesiaci.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUl1lGxs0BmXNBpoNwUJyaqzR-xY6W1CLaAjqCgPCA_bpuWyknODBgKpvmb5kAmY4kwhVt9QYxYnBtdM8_lOEhP0Q0S8OYjlYE6KEE-3xfRjI89btr4CGQvPscUk_i9VlFCr2klm0nwIo/s320/Pannoniciani_and_Moesiaci.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Late Romans in 10mm. Remember these guys? <br />
</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-21573275516726430952009-11-21T15:02:00.000-04:002009-11-21T17:58:11.662-04:00Basing by numbers...In which our protagonist gives a step-by-step look at his ridiculously-complicated basing method.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62j9iolXio999N36AFKsLq3jxHkhCPweuCKKOdz3CeRCnZdL0Y_rZw2afdo6HH16rIpfiXYdkSOYfXKmsFkFu6PgoNa6rEoMkIaT0F3oe1frzAwu4ekhHB_OMfDUM8VJRnUJe5wimc6s/s1600/Basing-example.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62j9iolXio999N36AFKsLq3jxHkhCPweuCKKOdz3CeRCnZdL0Y_rZw2afdo6HH16rIpfiXYdkSOYfXKmsFkFu6PgoNa6rEoMkIaT0F3oe1frzAwu4ekhHB_OMfDUM8VJRnUJe5wimc6s/s400/Basing-example.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636860609011170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I'm going to show how I make a simple vignette, in this case a base with some troops wading through a puddle, like the one shown above.</span><br /></div><br />Basing. It's another one of those aspects of a great looking army that wargamers either love or (more likely) hate. From the pioneering days of green paint to the the modern age of artificial foliage, it's been a long struggle to balance between the quick and easy, versus the great looking, and again versus the realistic.<br /><br />My own style has verged decidedly away from the quick and easy, at least for the current 6mm Borodino project-- so don't try it if you haven't got a lot of patience! And remember: I'm <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> plugging this as the best way to base your figures; it's simply <span style="font-style: italic;">a </span>way, and not even necessarily a good one.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBq55d8UslL-E7RIkazlSJvJISBkrFkRyG8ldQyc3x-FJ86FS1k6HwGuTO4j3QhZ3yzE3jWtQ8rcbYhfgYYkD4htyYOkpA7b70XFmKt4enoIYumsHUGAmm7S25cpnjvEo3pUbF47iqaCY/s1600/Basing-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBq55d8UslL-E7RIkazlSJvJISBkrFkRyG8ldQyc3x-FJ86FS1k6HwGuTO4j3QhZ3yzE3jWtQ8rcbYhfgYYkD4htyYOkpA7b70XFmKt4enoIYumsHUGAmm7S25cpnjvEo3pUbF47iqaCY/s400/Basing-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406635800743924690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step 1: </span>you need something to base your troops on.<br /></div><br />Well, actually step 1 would be <span style="font-style: italic;">getting</span> troops and painting them; in this case I've already got some painted ones standing by. Anyways, being too lazy (not to mention too inaccurate) to cut my own bases, I much prefer to buy mine. In this case I'm using an excellent pre-cut 60 x 60x 2.5mm MDF square from <a href="http://shop.eastridingminiatures.co.uk/">East Riding Miniatures</a>. Different media have their pros and cons; MDF bases are cheap, fairly durable, and thick enough that you can grab them directly, rather than using the figures for leverage and consequently ending up with an army full of spaghetti spears. On the other hand, MDF is not magnetic, and it swells and warps when wet-- so don't spill your beer.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2xw9VsLDFh-WTf989yYPvd5dr-TXunE0Y2elzw14WdfFKr8Jkdq71kfoMR51BKORA4WurEBxm57W3uKkcfOrdoFTl73nWJbbB3oWKKwNy-ixFPnj7bfUb5EsEkJjxI_HEvDgrfGuspM/s1600/Basing-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2xw9VsLDFh-WTf989yYPvd5dr-TXunE0Y2elzw14WdfFKr8Jkdq71kfoMR51BKORA4WurEBxm57W3uKkcfOrdoFTl73nWJbbB3oWKKwNy-ixFPnj7bfUb5EsEkJjxI_HEvDgrfGuspM/s400/Basing-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406635803137825010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step 2: </span>figure out where your troops are going to go.<br /></div><br />This means getting out your ruler and sketching some guidelines. Yes, a lot of wargamers are too impatient to bother with such things... and it tends to show. It's worth taking the extra couple of minutes to do this, even if you're using figures cast in strips (granted in that case you don't need to worry about spacing, only alignment).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRue4doFIhe2-FRM5hfYUvWQmEEApYf99LCTczmNasOGhXCRFU3KzaVBiz9SKqRu6cMNdUUeKrmfk3RagurhiPea64n-47GwLzQ9NvI1TQWsQoFGUcrzsItwgn36PIFxgglVVlj9zMbA8/s1600/Basing-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRue4doFIhe2-FRM5hfYUvWQmEEApYf99LCTczmNasOGhXCRFU3KzaVBiz9SKqRu6cMNdUUeKrmfk3RagurhiPea64n-47GwLzQ9NvI1TQWsQoFGUcrzsItwgn36PIFxgglVVlj9zMbA8/s400/Basing-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406635809066798690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step 3: </span>etch and sketch.<br /></div><br />The surface of most bases is going to be pretty smooth, which is not ideal for creating a strong bond. If you're planning to use sand, flock, or anything granular as texturing, you will definitely want to roughen the surface before getting out the glue. In this case I've scuffed it using a coarse sandpaper.<br /><br />Note, however, that I didn't scuff everywhere. Since this base is going to have a puddle on it (which I've sketched in), and since the puddle won't be taking any texturing, I've left it smooth. The two Xs you see in the grid mark where the standard bearers will go in that formation, which is important when it comes to identifying victims for the next step.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zwOzH7ZE63smLecCAqg0APKMw9IsCs3IsKrIeQJFjQi6ZGLI-XL9Mj_xX5v3jUGZJh18pRcumNlvAm4jhOQiuD7qghqPe42LOm1CSEbaKjtjFmc9N513K02xxT9pl_zk8kNaecAIJ40/s1600/Basing-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zwOzH7ZE63smLecCAqg0APKMw9IsCs3IsKrIeQJFjQi6ZGLI-XL9Mj_xX5v3jUGZJh18pRcumNlvAm4jhOQiuD7qghqPe42LOm1CSEbaKjtjFmc9N513K02xxT9pl_zk8kNaecAIJ40/s400/Basing-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406635808674721378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step 4:</span> down and dirty.<br /></div><br />Looking at the layout grid for the base, you can see that three soldiers are going to end up with their feet in the muck. Muck, of course, is not generally kind to white uniforms, so out comes the brown wash. Three unlucky Russian grenadiers get their gaiters spattered, and then go in for a bit of amputation!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6iHUo-MHF_V9p7WczxAFAKRH_ZFicIB09c-m04QpFSxRRY80hZVy3_mlg3c-OtvHcm8dU-PbneZglEMYTtNDey_mFFFo7v8lR0bCFDiIgwc7SMEpePkdwBpWsuZJ1y4FeOvn7j5yV8A0/s1600/Basing-5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6iHUo-MHF_V9p7WczxAFAKRH_ZFicIB09c-m04QpFSxRRY80hZVy3_mlg3c-OtvHcm8dU-PbneZglEMYTtNDey_mFFFo7v8lR0bCFDiIgwc7SMEpePkdwBpWsuZJ1y4FeOvn7j5yV8A0/s400/Basing-5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406635815694070290" border="0" /></a><br />Out come the side clippers to cut the base off each of the figures, and the needle file to flatten the botttom of the cuts. I've also decided to have a partially-submerged log floating in the puddle, so I've also done some surgery on a twig.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OOiP4yzcIMu9PcTpc1ab2y-8AisMAx8ymy5JG5kaxb0-nr_ARs5yAtD0j4vVTBjO9tFR8rCReEVM_AFYP7ApEpaOa2RehNXxdG1UBapxmJ5xzxlwP_xCmwVZ26djLSr8z8iVeQkjTr0/s1600/Basing-6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OOiP4yzcIMu9PcTpc1ab2y-8AisMAx8ymy5JG5kaxb0-nr_ARs5yAtD0j4vVTBjO9tFR8rCReEVM_AFYP7ApEpaOa2RehNXxdG1UBapxmJ5xzxlwP_xCmwVZ26djLSr8z8iVeQkjTr0/s400/Basing-6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636155160236146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step 5:</span> stuck in.<br /></div><br />At long last, I've finally gotten out the glue. I told you my way was long and absurdly complicated! Most wargamers would probably be done the entire base in less than five steps. In any case, I've used gel superglue to stick my three amputees in place, one at a time, along with the protruding bit of wood. As I glue each figure, I prop them in place while the glue dries. You don't want your grenadiers stuck on there leaning at 45 degrees! Once everything's in place, I brush on some PVA glue to strengthen the join.<br /><br />Now wait for the glue to dry.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNSxeMyIxYhAapcHvUXYo7Rp_jA7SfyE8XQlYv6BLk2m-m1m99BYgrG5hWbALdrRFIrcSu-CXPW0pfduo_tex7qtsR3OasQ2YH7V30aNHlMhoUmbybwr1WzuePTqymW6NSmneJlMizTw/s1600/Basing-7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNSxeMyIxYhAapcHvUXYo7Rp_jA7SfyE8XQlYv6BLk2m-m1m99BYgrG5hWbALdrRFIrcSu-CXPW0pfduo_tex7qtsR3OasQ2YH7V30aNHlMhoUmbybwr1WzuePTqymW6NSmneJlMizTw/s400/Basing-7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636158796170210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step 6:</span> work that murk!<br /></div><br />Because a single stage would be entirely too quick and easy, I do the water in several layers. First, I paint the puddle green. This represents... algae. Yeah, that's it. Hey, I never said any of this made sense: it just happens to be what I do.<br /><br />Now wait for the paint to dry.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1fLPsR1XYC_UN84IRtK4LHNw4MyxRpAN2i2qApfnNvbI-XKoh6b8BOnSaiBLgQ6kdYEu_crdwnojcQSDg2S4t6tTa040sz6QpFJ5Llp_sbsGhF4CSQXtdyXvS2joHc4VYL5j_GlqANg/s1600/Basing-8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1fLPsR1XYC_UN84IRtK4LHNw4MyxRpAN2i2qApfnNvbI-XKoh6b8BOnSaiBLgQ6kdYEu_crdwnojcQSDg2S4t6tTa040sz6QpFJ5Llp_sbsGhF4CSQXtdyXvS2joHc4VYL5j_GlqANg/s400/Basing-8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636159474698322" border="0" /></a>Over top of the green goes a coat of watered-down brown ink. Since the forward regiment on this base will have already marched through the puddle, I've drawn "ripples" in the brown ink with a wet paintbrush, letting part of the green undercoat show through. Finally, a thick layer of glossy varnish gives the water a distinct shine. Note that I've also glued on a scrap of bark, which will in due time become a boulder.<br /><br />Remember to wait for each layer to dry before brushing on the next one!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qhTLlZxgpS5vEwU2FENUbBsbibEFS9TDnvvoE2S_7dZoHTzkKijF41aNiDNEla9atali2w_6FnbtJ1INX0Qm-znjGjqlJFArTMEY3qIz-flEGQ4KyL7sA-33zt2NJ0EpI8XE2IjuIXo/s1600/Basing-9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qhTLlZxgpS5vEwU2FENUbBsbibEFS9TDnvvoE2S_7dZoHTzkKijF41aNiDNEla9atali2w_6FnbtJ1INX0Qm-znjGjqlJFArTMEY3qIz-flEGQ4KyL7sA-33zt2NJ0EpI8XE2IjuIXo/s400/Basing-9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636164488609506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step 7:</span> everything at once is too much.<br /></div><br />Have I mentioned how absurdly long my basing method takes? By this point you should be starting to see why. In this stage I've glued on the <span style="font-style: italic;">front </span>rank of each regiment. Why the front, and not the back, or both? Well, since the grenadiers I'm using are all in an "advancing" pose, the space between the ranks is pretty much inaccessible once all the troops are glued in place. By sticking only the front rank on first, I can deal with the "in between" space without having to worry about anyone's bayonette being in the way. If I were using minis in standing/marching poses, I would <span style="font-style: italic;">definitely </span>glue everything on at once.<br /><br />...And wait for the glue to dry.<br /><br />You can also see that I've started to apply my texturing medium, in this case good ol' terrarium sand, stuck on there with undiluted PVA. A lot of people dilute their PVA with water-- a waste of time, in my opinion. The stuff is dirt cheap, spreads nicely enough without being watered down, and dries twice as quickly to boot. And believe me, when you're doing as many steps as I am, drying twice as quickly saves a <span style="font-style: italic;">lot </span>of waiting! Notice, though, that I've been careful not to apply any sand where the other ranks are going to be.<br /><br />Now wait--again--for the glue to dry.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnorLor_dLlV_gd9gP5YzPVXwWHYp2xpc1uBPG3iKMBWSq9Bta9jN-BTuf79YNtIxvmtJHMNwoaYom5Op0GtxBiiCAkRJj-OW-NAGeMm3dkZfdc3-oBrRVzZMkK4v4UUiWPKEOjs9QWsI/s1600/Basing-10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnorLor_dLlV_gd9gP5YzPVXwWHYp2xpc1uBPG3iKMBWSq9Bta9jN-BTuf79YNtIxvmtJHMNwoaYom5Op0GtxBiiCAkRJj-OW-NAGeMm3dkZfdc3-oBrRVzZMkK4v4UUiWPKEOjs9QWsI/s400/Basing-10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636170077098738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step 8:</span> you put <span style="font-style: italic;">three</span> layers of sand?<br /><br />Yes. Three. Again, this is something a lot of people are going to say is pointless: a bit of static grass will easily cover up the "step" between a single layer of sand and the thick figure bases. Even those who like a flush base will frequently go with some sort of pumice. In my defense, I have only couple of points: firstly, that a single layer of sand will tend to deteriorate from day-to-day handling, whereas the three-layer method simply wears down to the next layer of sand (and for that matter it has so much hardened glue in it that it's much less likely to wear away). Secondly, pumice is comparatively expensive, and a careless brush coated with the stuff will leave white smears all over the place. Sand and PVA, by contrast, cost next to nothing, and the glue dries clear if you get any where it shouldn't be.<br /><br />Of course, you do have to wait <span style="font-style: italic;">three times</span> for the glue to dry.<br /><br />Also note that I've capped off the three layers of sand with a dark brown wash. Again, for anyone who cares and who didn't already know, I'm using the <a href="https://www.baccus6mm.com/index.php?content=products/scenics&detail=scenics">Baccus Basing System </a>(with a few minor tweaks of my own).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qb8wKIacngdfXDAFUFwOsA0Y2foE96z4oLGtbKacCP2eoPc846Mm2HriG0jZWsKp1F89upkfJt0H3u29RAH4VW9GXCq87hBDZpJvCXk5HYA6a7rEkUywKGVXldwSYB5F6q_zv0CYTKI/s1600/Basing-11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qb8wKIacngdfXDAFUFwOsA0Y2foE96z4oLGtbKacCP2eoPc846Mm2HriG0jZWsKp1F89upkfJt0H3u29RAH4VW9GXCq87hBDZpJvCXk5HYA6a7rEkUywKGVXldwSYB5F6q_zv0CYTKI/s400/Basing-11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636412063245666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step 9:</span> the middle ground.<br /></div><br />This is an easy one-- just drybrush the ground between the ranks to suit your usual "ground" look.<br /><br />(And wait for the paint to dry!)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrp9rwxMTs5j6pDF3VOH2UWKhhMrN2cHx9cPVYcb3w7mJA6PN5j5wWizW9SCnwskdjgtdDKT_WvbkvPSsYoLkAcwgGOZTfbaMZZciAPF1MD3GgSHPoxBOimybygPcP1dgTiwj7MuRwog/s1600/Basing-12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrp9rwxMTs5j6pDF3VOH2UWKhhMrN2cHx9cPVYcb3w7mJA6PN5j5wWizW9SCnwskdjgtdDKT_WvbkvPSsYoLkAcwgGOZTfbaMZZciAPF1MD3GgSHPoxBOimybygPcP1dgTiwj7MuRwog/s400/Basing-12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636415679255778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step 10:</span> double the fun!<br /></div><br />Now, at long last, I glue on the second rank of figures. And wait for the glue to dry. For the sake of interest I like to my my ranks a bit of variation, so here the line is straggling a little bit where it's gone through the puddle.<br /><br />It might seem like a preposterous amount of waiting to get to this point-- but notice that each of the steps to get here takes only a couple of minutes (well, aside from painting the figures). The trick is to plan around the waiting. For instance, I'll generally do two or three bases at once, working on them for twenty minutes or so in the morning, and again in the evening. Depending on your schedule, you might even be able to do three coats of PVA in a day. Painting is similarly handled-- because I know I'm only going to base one rank at a time, I don't even paint the second rank until I've already started glueing on the sand.<br /><br />And waiting for that glue to dry.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_O0kiStglFNqjDdwNyXzdv_8q0AyWgWSyCJDsXtKqfIkvQUoNSfIqsICfbyS4OB0ncBR8eAMDJp2rrX-Svqa5QMyQ8g9BlEUyn8WEjZalJFhTgS9c_UYaUkXeE4FEUow-VFGT3BEXEE/s1600/Basing-13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_O0kiStglFNqjDdwNyXzdv_8q0AyWgWSyCJDsXtKqfIkvQUoNSfIqsICfbyS4OB0ncBR8eAMDJp2rrX-Svqa5QMyQ8g9BlEUyn8WEjZalJFhTgS9c_UYaUkXeE4FEUow-VFGT3BEXEE/s400/Basing-13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636420722981506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step 11:</span> touches and textures.<br /></div><br />At long last the base is starting to look good. Here, after the long wait for the glue holding on three more coats of sand to dry and make everything flush, I've drybrushed the ground to bring out the texture. For the sake of a better photo I've drybrushed everything; realistically, this is when I'd decide (more or less) where the static grass is going to go. Obviously, any ground that will be covered with ground doesn't need to be drybrushed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaT5zGRoPcDTNpwYp3zfTWORCs-9ifu7GMOgZzXqtlgmNEEmwa1B-yOn_TrfaNp-g7R6LsFDRHcavBPuQVbL3Vh1FLw5ekDKOHYTPqaO_lPh1o-ThWQEjJMPhm-1ZAKRM6JZmHFC5lodQ/s1600/Basing-14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaT5zGRoPcDTNpwYp3zfTWORCs-9ifu7GMOgZzXqtlgmNEEmwa1B-yOn_TrfaNp-g7R6LsFDRHcavBPuQVbL3Vh1FLw5ekDKOHYTPqaO_lPh1o-ThWQEjJMPhm-1ZAKRM6JZmHFC5lodQ/s400/Basing-14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636422623271714" border="0" /></a>That scrap of bark I stuck on there also gets its own drybrushing, in this case a medium grey followed by a light grey. When that's dry, a inking with watered-down black brings out the surface details, and you've got yourself a boulder. Finally, I paint the base edges to cover up any messiness from the previous stages.<br /><br />...And wait for everything to dry.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilN3xjFOcztMeJmH_-0v9V0LWsikNdrpAAHib6K3wH8bKv4mi47tdrNPWe1WGlEUTLqnejGyLU0ascAvUQJZYz4m7UeujZTs4o1NhR4Sw4SrzFrQ92VZeHzDAy_GwWY5yvkBMKHBj-LHU/s1600/Basing-15.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilN3xjFOcztMeJmH_-0v9V0LWsikNdrpAAHib6K3wH8bKv4mi47tdrNPWe1WGlEUTLqnejGyLU0ascAvUQJZYz4m7UeujZTs4o1NhR4Sw4SrzFrQ92VZeHzDAy_GwWY5yvkBMKHBj-LHU/s400/Basing-15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636637245895474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step 12: </span>it's alive!<br /></div><br />At long last we come to the fake foliage stage. I outlined <a href="http://mikes-lead.blogspot.com/2009/10/nothing-rhymes-with-davout.html">in a previous post</a> the materials and methodology I use for this. One thing worth repeating is that bases seem to look better when they have a "dominant" type of foliage. In the picture above you can see the bright yellow-greenish mix I've been using in this role; the pic below shows the final result, with other grass mixes and some flocking added. Of course, every different type of foliage you add means having to wait for the glue to dry!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQWsbTSgqkcFd8SFEa4vGTGZECu0-U6BYsjC949wfTKW87_DKVulxpLXh0LekWa2SCj3pyiP4bczfbRQGXlaMi1BVAEoYU95j4CoiYKHChG6NbHhgjYAjvYlSlqegKdB3nkNenWzWteE/s1600/Basing-16.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQWsbTSgqkcFd8SFEa4vGTGZECu0-U6BYsjC949wfTKW87_DKVulxpLXh0LekWa2SCj3pyiP4bczfbRQGXlaMi1BVAEoYU95j4CoiYKHChG6NbHhgjYAjvYlSlqegKdB3nkNenWzWteE/s400/Basing-16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636642347969714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">So, after all that it's finally time to give the base a last once-over to make sure everything's the way it should be, followed by a helpful squirt of varnish to keep it that way.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWeuoiffDXONNt79VawjNbFyxTwz7ubhayKoHJGgt1SLzsK6U-e0uUAtqUpKl3gM2Ywk70i4l4NxmD8gK8dlfjutAHGGCXKAGRzm2dx0Hcov36qGi2eslT6Grx56hduo98NP_2_xH9CI/s1600/Basing-candy2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWeuoiffDXONNt79VawjNbFyxTwz7ubhayKoHJGgt1SLzsK6U-e0uUAtqUpKl3gM2Ywk70i4l4NxmD8gK8dlfjutAHGGCXKAGRzm2dx0Hcov36qGi2eslT6Grx56hduo98NP_2_xH9CI/s400/Basing-candy2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636852444611906" border="0" /></a>I pronounce this base ready for the gaming table!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCh9RgBb8HNapQwk5w0Yrv5avoY14w72-lF4TAQSXuOnBxEAw6gDfOzi-lCJVCsYU8kwj1sNrLgWgAIjaTEcrxVOhGMixcWDAkfpyYhIRvxv_8w68zP5PW0O8XIJcgjla-ywk6HNRtEQE/s1600/Basing-candy1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCh9RgBb8HNapQwk5w0Yrv5avoY14w72-lF4TAQSXuOnBxEAw6gDfOzi-lCJVCsYU8kwj1sNrLgWgAIjaTEcrxVOhGMixcWDAkfpyYhIRvxv_8w68zP5PW0O8XIJcgjla-ywk6HNRtEQE/s400/Basing-candy1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636644523541890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">...and it's off to join its grenadier division.</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4d6K_HV3Zh6kLgsceVwiNq8Wp0p0Ea5nGuRqhTjjIaU42AOAL16qk5SSpOgcQGO_RGqpyjdFj6bKmveiNunhRcTCa7_vkL9B88B0I4Ocl4FnAUCCQoQiQvnBSm9qwuLZgYo0KsRcEGpE/s1600/Basing-candy3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4d6K_HV3Zh6kLgsceVwiNq8Wp0p0Ea5nGuRqhTjjIaU42AOAL16qk5SSpOgcQGO_RGqpyjdFj6bKmveiNunhRcTCa7_vkL9B88B0I4Ocl4FnAUCCQoQiQvnBSm9qwuLZgYo0KsRcEGpE/s400/Basing-candy3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636853642947106" border="0" /></a><br />For anyone who lost count, I waited five times for superglue to dry, <span style="font-style: italic;">seven </span>times for PVA, a good six or seven times for paint and/or ink, and twice for varnish! I'm surprised the grass didn't end up longer...<br /></div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-81222887591245178602009-11-14T13:16:00.000-04:002009-11-14T19:44:21.978-04:00Bare flesh and hot rides... Yowzah!...In which our protagonist writes about the other half of his Celtic "army" for Basic Impetus, while simultaneously indulging in a bit of historical revisionism. It's not nearly as sexy as the title makes it out to be.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0SDeJV3ZnKD7AB0RD-PB_vTKDyl_CTP9WWpwssSQnLA_T-1TSVHaqfsGKLetipiP3IkUvDQyW57LJpbugSBFaoTM31MXRXUQbvEOlR8aluYpQyUKeUCi2-S70dAHCBHqedjnzAGm3Pw/s1600-h/BI-Brits-army1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0SDeJV3ZnKD7AB0RD-PB_vTKDyl_CTP9WWpwssSQnLA_T-1TSVHaqfsGKLetipiP3IkUvDQyW57LJpbugSBFaoTM31MXRXUQbvEOlR8aluYpQyUKeUCi2-S70dAHCBHqedjnzAGm3Pw/s400/BI-Brits-army1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404011331170010882" border="0" /></a>The Ancient British force, with options, deployed in the famous "pose for the camera" formation.<br /></div><br />For something that was supposed to be a lazy side project, this one turned out to be something of a chore to finish. My dislike for painting large models was the reason I moved to small figures in the first place, so when something as "large" as a 10mm chariot comes up I tend to look for ways to procrastinate.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIdtC-fngxRSMFBOhOE2NjdpiVjf9eeOcRZBFlcdkKRbRUIQsu-dG0LVbQLe1LXIufYHj4qjTX1b8dPL7R-Gj73xCFuiFLarsconoo4qQ0Y2aiCyp6Gi3uhK5kqqXlYe9VJImTBkz8F8/s1600-h/BI-Brits-cavalry2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIdtC-fngxRSMFBOhOE2NjdpiVjf9eeOcRZBFlcdkKRbRUIQsu-dG0LVbQLe1LXIufYHj4qjTX1b8dPL7R-Gj73xCFuiFLarsconoo4qQ0Y2aiCyp6Gi3uhK5kqqXlYe9VJImTBkz8F8/s400/BI-Brits-cavalry2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404011344502261842" border="0" /></a>British light cavalry. Like my Gallic horse, the figures are a mixture of AIM and OG riders on AIM's WWII horses.<br /></div><br />Nevertheless, the Ancient British are done. Sort of. At the moment they're stuck using the same warband infantry as the Gauls, so while I can say I've got two armies finished for Basic Impetus, I can't actually have them fight each other.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pimp my rides</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXr7C4ULKXbzCdaW3orEzzmOwz6m5T-oOjb1ZjnXt9RDohGhuRz2oLtQtIFnymtBCWJg66Mm1f8IrLBlBM_CCSCdlVdlCwFk0y4DaatPiNb6Hl-4U0veHByVGwJyYDlr9CZoyEtrkjwDc/s1600-h/BI-Brits-chariots1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 184px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXr7C4ULKXbzCdaW3orEzzmOwz6m5T-oOjb1ZjnXt9RDohGhuRz2oLtQtIFnymtBCWJg66Mm1f8IrLBlBM_CCSCdlVdlCwFk0y4DaatPiNb6Hl-4U0veHByVGwJyYDlr9CZoyEtrkjwDc/s400/BI-Brits-chariots1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404011723648629714" border="0" /></a>Chariots. Transportation, fashion statement, and getaway vehicle, all in one.<br /></div><br />Adding to my general reluctance to finally deal with them, the chariots I had were... shall we say <span style="font-style: italic;">unimpressive</span>. Each model came in 6 pieces: two horses, two wheels, the chassis, and a single figure for the two crewmen. Several specimens of both crew and horses showed defects in casting. The wheels were even worse, many of them coming with spokes broken or cast together; even the best castings weren't even round! Only the chassis seemed to lack casting flaws... with the caveat that there was no way to attach it to either wheels or horses.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSBLfohJzrQF9hjdARc_md6LIH9t5K7eHmkk3XnC9rFx8t6WWuBCTDhyphenhyphenfYUG7dDD93XVPwU7q1Wgzql4J_TOByu_lqD4e65tFNs3jxjgapcd6xtoGzqEuSgJALuhpwO8ElteJgbd4yZ8/s1600-h/BI-Pendraken-AG7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSBLfohJzrQF9hjdARc_md6LIH9t5K7eHmkk3XnC9rFx8t6WWuBCTDhyphenhyphenfYUG7dDD93XVPwU7q1Wgzql4J_TOByu_lqD4e65tFNs3jxjgapcd6xtoGzqEuSgJALuhpwO8ElteJgbd4yZ8/s400/BI-Pendraken-AG7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404010887875946914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Pendraken AG7 - "Chariot, 2 Men & 2 Horses (3)". Not one of Pendraken's finest offerings. You can see how I jury-rigged axles out of scrap balsa; an inelegant solution to an inelegant problem.</span><br /></div><br />The wheels had clearly been designed with holes in the back of their hubs for wire axles; in practice, probably half the wheels were cast with their holes filled in (sounds kind of raunchy, doesn't it?), and even when they didn't, glueing the wheels on properly perpendicular proved something of a nightmare. Anyway, the drillbits I broke trying to drill out the remaining hubs were worth more than the figures themselves, so ultimately I gave up on the wire axle idea. Substituting a bit of scap balsa still resulted in a few fingers being superglued together and/or to various chariot components, but the end result probably wasn't any worse than it would have been with wire.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTUtx-nRQAOZ8o2i1KArSSsqHkKPFVqC1VUDNZoAyphNJM_R7MH0s4HemvchfhqPu2yxqBOB96vhKtUcJP8dOBdIY17P-0lgjpUGR2wxBSNfzWUOCJDceQSwsaZQCm6J9h0OvvC024Vs/s1600-h/BI-Brits-chariots2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTUtx-nRQAOZ8o2i1KArSSsqHkKPFVqC1VUDNZoAyphNJM_R7MH0s4HemvchfhqPu2yxqBOB96vhKtUcJP8dOBdIY17P-0lgjpUGR2wxBSNfzWUOCJDceQSwsaZQCm6J9h0OvvC024Vs/s400/BI-Brits-chariots2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404011725361129554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Once painted, the models do look fairly nice, though. And yes, this time the shield designs are</span> mine.<br /></div><br />The horses were another issue. Coming in two different poses, with no real indication of whether they are supposed to be used as left/right in a pair, or matched (as I have depicted them), these simply add even more frustration to an already frustrating project. To their credic, at least these horses are depicted wearing horse collars. Now, I don't know if any archaeological or pictoral evidence actually exists for the yoke system used on Ancient British chariots, but at least the collars are a reasonable guess-- certainly they make far more sense than the fantastical oxbow-style chariot yokes depicted on many a wargames miniature that, in reality, would likely asphyxiate the horses.<br /><br />On the other hand, the rest of the harness on the Pendraken figures is ambiguous at best. Just what are those straps leading wrapping around the horses' hindquarters supposed to do, anyway? And how are you supposed to attach them to the pole of the chariots' chassis? Long story short: more scrap balsa. Oh yeah, and hope that Pendraken re-sculpts their Celtic range some day.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beware! Male Nekkidness!</span><br /><br /><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5u9ZRA06TinyURe8FwiDpqVlznlbLeafUmFXKYgWx1i6NbPISOcnhSk7CnkgBLrmsaQqyR7nAPKlGlDIP9usOqMjxKjR4iXSi-eKiMI3-e0w1jr2aoyXYmnLLUdhKktDj0TY1HBKAogU/s1600-h/BI-AIM-10020410.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 72px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5u9ZRA06TinyURe8FwiDpqVlznlbLeafUmFXKYgWx1i6NbPISOcnhSk7CnkgBLrmsaQqyR7nAPKlGlDIP9usOqMjxKjR4iXSi-eKiMI3-e0w1jr2aoyXYmnLLUdhKktDj0TY1HBKAogU/s400/BI-AIM-10020410.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404010872719169330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">AIM 10020410 - "10mm Barbarian Warriors". I used these for naked fanatics and javelin-armed skirmishers, but the 10mm Celtic Warriors pack from the AIM Punic Wars range makes for a better warband. I'm not sure whether the "naked" figures are even meant to be naked, but inflatable G-strings were the only other explanation I could give for their accoutrement!</span><br /><br />Were there ever actually naked fanatics? The jury's still out on that one. Certainly in greco-roman sculpture there's a discernable towards nude Celts-- but in greco-roman sculpture there was a general tendency towards nude everything. Yep, no hiding the Family Jewels from the Greeks. There are also a few ambiguous statements by Greek and Roman writers that have been interpreted (or not) as meaning some Celts fought in the buff. Mind you, factual accuracy in writing ethnography and history was not really a priority back in the day; it was considered perfectly alright for a writer to spice up the facts to make a more exciting read.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitI7_EqbcOh1spqnMf_LENnblGnk5V1rwfXB43z8PPcGbK7jXknOrkLODXnVJhkvE0Z-fnROo5zPLl368PExnzF7V3EkbGOqB19AQprg1g9nqn3ZM3S2Ori6o4eEv5s2XyrqZIwkS9Tiw/s1600-h/BI-Brits-nekkid.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitI7_EqbcOh1spqnMf_LENnblGnk5V1rwfXB43z8PPcGbK7jXknOrkLODXnVJhkvE0Z-fnROo5zPLl368PExnzF7V3EkbGOqB19AQprg1g9nqn3ZM3S2Ori6o4eEv5s2XyrqZIwkS9Tiw/s400/BI-Brits-nekkid.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404011732268656098" border="0" /></a>Man, these fanatics have babymakers as big around as their biceps! Oh, and tatoos that I drew on with a blue Sharpie pen. They didn't turn out all that well.<br /></div><br />Of course naked fanatics are a staple of wargaming Ancients. Heck, even the standard Gallic warband charges bare-chested across the wargames table, even though current archaeology tells us that it was the Celts who invented chainmail. In fact, the Romans copied the famous "Gallic" helmets used by imperial legionaries, and there's good evidence that the oval "spindle boss" shield of Republican times was a Celtic invention as well. The Roman legionary would have been something of an imitation Celtic warrior in his equipment! Celtic torcs became prized Roman military decorations; some of the best imperial weapons and armour were manufactured in Gaul after the Roman conquest.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">All roads lead to Rome</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkP_i9_canH6ky01lVhzWtv5X_cafqmyiZXbxry7ga1X6Nr3XytnspzOHmRC4R7dMKiRJQN7ZpEsM8l1-g-rjK_pezaJQIl0K6sDqezoHxae7JubCiCIJoDKOpua_YjcYO2DEMBXjelM/s1600-h/BI-OG-ANT-107.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkP_i9_canH6ky01lVhzWtv5X_cafqmyiZXbxry7ga1X6Nr3XytnspzOHmRC4R7dMKiRJQN7ZpEsM8l1-g-rjK_pezaJQIl0K6sDqezoHxae7JubCiCIJoDKOpua_YjcYO2DEMBXjelM/s400/BI-OG-ANT-107.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404010880503794914" border="0" /></a>Old Glory ANT-107 - "Gallic Slingers". These are surprisingly nice figures; in fact OG's Gallic range is among the very best of their grand scale offerings. It's a pity their warband figures are cast in strips.<br /></div><br />In fact there seems little evidence of Roman superiority over the Celts. The Romans built roads and lived in walled towns; so did the Celts-- and these were not barbarian copies, but home-grown technology that were just as sophisticated. Roman-centric historians over the ages have denigrated the Celts as living in primitive tribes; modern research indicates that many Celtic groups were governed as Republics, with elected annual magistracies not so different from Rome herself. The similarities go even further: linguistic research shows that the Celtic languages of Gaul were perhaps Latin's nearest relatives in the ancient world. Given how little change there would have been for many, perhaps it's not so surprising that the Gallic provinces were so receptive to Romanization!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oX4R8eI24iSf36sm0gv3ayZdAnyFs47kVseJ5UpB8x8Bv7RKGqi8sP4rQ3P4oR7BRryoRSz6PqE11N36H1AM_f3SdhLIPr0CpIWlOJp6bxBumLttdvJ0yXYFiSwJeoXUn-gIlNToKdw/s1600-h/BI-Brits-slingers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oX4R8eI24iSf36sm0gv3ayZdAnyFs47kVseJ5UpB8x8Bv7RKGqi8sP4rQ3P4oR7BRryoRSz6PqE11N36H1AM_f3SdhLIPr0CpIWlOJp6bxBumLttdvJ0yXYFiSwJeoXUn-gIlNToKdw/s400/BI-Brits-slingers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404011729492199762" border="0" /></a>British slingers. Why do the Brits get slingers but not the Gauls? I dunno. It doesn't really match what Caesar told us.<br /></div><br />Of course the Romans had a better army. Wargamers know at least this much: how the badly-outnumbered but disciplined legions of Rome squared off against the innumerable but poorly armed barbarian rabble and beat the stuffing out of them time and time again. Or did they? I sometimes wonder. After all, it's the winner who write the histories-- and in this case the losers weren't even literate. Indeed, the lack of a writing system was the one outstanding technological deficiency of Celtic culture.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A horse is a horse, of course (of course)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0eUiAkW0dyJuJEDGpVBt_TuOQhPHPsnF3UEAGXL19d5Rb5nIYCCf8D6M3VjSZ0xs2wrEb2mkZ1tJdA8U9GzKf1oZh1OgsPB4bHkEdCM1oWGALQygoyknTe-R5YhQy1OaqK1BwCjVzeQ/s1600-h/BI-AIM-10020411.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0eUiAkW0dyJuJEDGpVBt_TuOQhPHPsnF3UEAGXL19d5Rb5nIYCCf8D6M3VjSZ0xs2wrEb2mkZ1tJdA8U9GzKf1oZh1OgsPB4bHkEdCM1oWGALQygoyknTe-R5YhQy1OaqK1BwCjVzeQ/s400/BI-AIM-10020411.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404010875311868578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">AIM 10020411 - "Barbarian Cavalry". Reasonably nice figures, but, like all of the old AIM lines, lacking in the over-emphasized details that make painting easier at this scale. All of the musculature on both horses and riders has been faked with paint.</span><br /></div><br />Anyways, getting back on topic here, the final component of the Ancient British force for Basic Impetus is a couple of stands of light cavalry. Now, one thing about horses is that manufacturers tend to use the same sculpts for all their ranges-- so a 19th century cuirassier is going to ride a horse no bigger than that of a 17th century dragoon, and indeed, no bigger than that of an ancient Celt, even though the latter would likely have had a pony for a mount. I say <span style="font-style: italic;">most </span>manufacturers, because there are an enlightened few; in 10mm the winner is Pendraken, who mount their ancients on nice little pony-sized horses. Strangely, I've actually heard a number of people complain about this! I mean, you're counting the bloody buttons on your Peninsular War redcoats, but you whine when somebody sculpts Ancients on appropriately-sized horses!!????<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolM1B76JkKoikHxtZJpc0KYwTfIJit8OZcCj7KPe3ZIQofXEZXHnFCmDobbgLXfuG0fqu8esVU9ODDDHNH8k5BUzvuR2GbbUBX1xaRgBGQawjX5IfZ-YkyQfQnhiKgRtuK2smIv7yuzI/s1600-h/BI-Brits-cavalry1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolM1B76JkKoikHxtZJpc0KYwTfIJit8OZcCj7KPe3ZIQofXEZXHnFCmDobbgLXfuG0fqu8esVU9ODDDHNH8k5BUzvuR2GbbUBX1xaRgBGQawjX5IfZ-YkyQfQnhiKgRtuK2smIv7yuzI/s400/BI-Brits-cavalry1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404011338343441986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">This picture is fairly similar to one of the ones at the top of the post. I'm not really sure why I'm including it.</span><br /></div><br />Okay, I'll admit that it could well be different people who are complaining about the one thing versus the other. In fact it probably is. To each his own, right? I, for instance, don't care how many buttons there are on my toy soldier's jacket, but I prefer to be able to mock anyone who's anal-retentive enough to count.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">And now that we're off topic again...</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ir3ym4SL5YYQRA1JOwpbH87gf4-6kIoH8KVq0W9KvhfNOm0fh0SsRPSUOBlKaNNqgp9URsVT-SjNgsqz6I-pw9I9qnSmtzYt2xNFYm3LqstBzrrvseWb-s-n2fORt7P40ewIdCA-Jzo/s1600-h/BI-Brits-army2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ir3ym4SL5YYQRA1JOwpbH87gf4-6kIoH8KVq0W9KvhfNOm0fh0SsRPSUOBlKaNNqgp9URsVT-SjNgsqz6I-pw9I9qnSmtzYt2xNFYm3LqstBzrrvseWb-s-n2fORt7P40ewIdCA-Jzo/s400/BI-Brits-army2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404011337176594610" border="0" /></a>Another picture similar to one already posted.<br /></div><br />What was I saying? Horses. Right. So Pendraken makes cavalry that would have been perfect for these ancient Brits... but I didn't have any. And since the whole point of this project was to use the figs I already owned, you won't see any here. Disappointing, eh?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSA5kOh-xdh4yUfOIJuVDbIeznvswjGI9FS9MZ3KzlyCAzrP8rDMeFF0fOrYcFyoW0w5Nfx-o__u5zvvgpFL9SLs42Hji-F-9Trtx37YRFK0sWUs8IpwRGH2EyOSSayjE9CEakECMEooI/s1600-h/BI-Brits-army3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 129px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSA5kOh-xdh4yUfOIJuVDbIeznvswjGI9FS9MZ3KzlyCAzrP8rDMeFF0fOrYcFyoW0w5Nfx-o__u5zvvgpFL9SLs42Hji-F-9Trtx37YRFK0sWUs8IpwRGH2EyOSSayjE9CEakECMEooI/s400/BI-Brits-army3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404011339095986050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">All the Celts, all lined up.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A final note on things Celtic</span><br /><br />'Celt' is a rather slippery term. Usually it's held to have come from the Greek word <span style="font-style: italic;">Keltoi</span>. We don't actually know what the people in ancient Gaul and Britain called themselves. Even the concept of 'Celt' as a single homogenous, identifiable ethnicity is problematic. To my knowledge (and feel free to correct me here if you know better), aside from a few groups who straddled the Channel, the people of ancient Britain were not even identified with the Gauls-- the latter were supposedly tall and fair-haired, the former small and dark. Linguistically they must have been close; but as we've already seen, the same was true of Gauls and Romans. The speech, customs and culture from one end of Celtic Europe to the other may well have been just as varied as it has ever been.<br /><br />So who were the Celts? In a way 'Celtic' is as much a product of Sir Walter Scott, Queen Victoria and their contemporaries in 19th century Europe as it is a meaningful distinction. Wargamers like me, who so blithely use Gallic and British figures as interchangeable, are only fuelling the melting pot.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-42847735603700640822009-11-08T13:03:00.001-04:002009-11-08T14:55:36.861-04:00Much Ado About Horses...In which our protagonist obscures the fact that his output is currently rather unimpressive by producing this instructive article.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_V1n0TpxtyB-EgRpbdsFxb99SI25WHDD8SpyDPsfh_DOpNEA1_s520D2bGMMIESMnJ8w58JWtj7GUAD733hXiyhsWzLbWR4s5q_OtlX7fiBHJNYFFhN9qsQLIEUkG7D2OJ4Js3TMX0A/s1600-h/Horses-intro.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_V1n0TpxtyB-EgRpbdsFxb99SI25WHDD8SpyDPsfh_DOpNEA1_s520D2bGMMIESMnJ8w58JWtj7GUAD733hXiyhsWzLbWR4s5q_OtlX7fiBHJNYFFhN9qsQLIEUkG7D2OJ4Js3TMX0A/s400/Horses-intro.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401784291776297666" border="0" /></a>Cavalry. Love 'em or hate 'em, they are impressive. Or at least they should be.<br /></div><br />A lot of people are intimidated by cavalry-- and I don't just mean on the battlefield. One of the comments I see again and again is how much wargamers hate painting horses. They're big, obvious, take forever, and never quite seem to look right. Believe me, I know the feeling, 'cause I'm a onetime horse-hater myself.<br /><br />But painting horses doesn't have to be an awful chore, best avoided; the truth is, in smaller scales horses can be painted quickly, easily, and can still look good.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuZM6MAA-Lcte375XTZkhP3wn1oOyRP5sCCpMwjhSHHJ5wZIyQNYpe9Du3LPU1BDPk6e20TZNUhJ4q2GrDpRjqI2qKsCiyecANh8lfGrt0P8uD9xTja7VMcaRdTXK6hFgyAFiwTGSQeU/s1600-h/Horses-real.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuZM6MAA-Lcte375XTZkhP3wn1oOyRP5sCCpMwjhSHHJ5wZIyQNYpe9Du3LPU1BDPk6e20TZNUhJ4q2GrDpRjqI2qKsCiyecANh8lfGrt0P8uD9xTja7VMcaRdTXK6hFgyAFiwTGSQeU/s400/Horses-real.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401784300095944946" border="0" /></a>Equus ferus caballus<span style="font-style: italic;">, of the "brown" variety. Now why is it so hard to get a mini to look like this?</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tickle me brown</span><br /><br />Before getting down to business here, let me ask a hypothetical question. If you were going to paint an infantry unit-- let's say the 1st Battalion of the 3rd British Foot Guards in 1909 --how would you go about it? I'll give you a hint: they wore red. Now get painting.<br /><br />I'm guessing that at this point no one is ready to paint the 1/3rd Foot Guards 1909, despite my useful hint (well, aside from a tiny minority of sad, anal-retentive buttoncounters). Anyone actually intending to do such a unit would be well advised to seek out uniform references and plates as a painting guide. And yet most people will take their miniature horses, say "oh, they're (mostly) brown, right?" and blithely start painting.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqfNqY9fhaIJb-Hy1NGmlHieeAoZDO3-edv-T_Xl9ZfwlGUdQBPdL0I1mmXehV-xfkQKKulbaVpDEnWH6Dxz4lmA_lkfKUQNbUuC5iFhf7UQpa03Pj21F2sQoDZKRguf4PJkz8FZhrkI/s1600-h/Horses.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 316px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqfNqY9fhaIJb-Hy1NGmlHieeAoZDO3-edv-T_Xl9ZfwlGUdQBPdL0I1mmXehV-xfkQKKulbaVpDEnWH6Dxz4lmA_lkfKUQNbUuC5iFhf7UQpa03Pj21F2sQoDZKRguf4PJkz8FZhrkI/s400/Horses.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401783392708560338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Horse colour chart, blatantly lifted from <a href="http://www.juniorgeneral.org/">Junior General</a>. Hey, if everyone else is doing it, why not me?</span><br /></div><br />And so I present to you the horse colour chart. Even a quick look at this would probably solve much of the usual brown-o-philia and horse-o-phobia. You can clearly see that not all horses are brown; furthermore, even the brown ones tend not to be completely monotonous.<br /><br />But let's take our education a bit further, shall we?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLbfydyeFP7Zwy1OVikFd4udyaJBtc71nCs_XRX8hTtm2Yg3mdWK4pdOVnhwPytzYOEOunslO1WRr_uJdzGLMHVg1ZQQuQHYMHeVr-hmhdwg70mhXu-DQakdDpOLd_Rn2qiwdHyWctKj8/s1600-h/Horses-labels.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLbfydyeFP7Zwy1OVikFd4udyaJBtc71nCs_XRX8hTtm2Yg3mdWK4pdOVnhwPytzYOEOunslO1WRr_uJdzGLMHVg1ZQQuQHYMHeVr-hmhdwg70mhXu-DQakdDpOLd_Rn2qiwdHyWctKj8/s400/Horses-labels.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401791373348175122" border="0" /></a>That dratted real horse again, showing areas of contrasting colour.<br /></div><br />Take a look at the above picture, and compare it to the colour chart. I think we're all intelligent enough to see the patterns here, so let's get painting.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Witty subtitle about painting 6mm horses</span><br /><br />As always, I like to start with black. For the purposes of this demonstration, I'm also painting the horses in their entirety before painting their riders; in actual practice, this isn't necessarily the case. I'm going to do "brown" horses which tend to be the most common in my armies (a circumstance driven by the limitations of my paint collection, I should point out). Slight modifications to the shade of brown will give you bays and chestnuts.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFMyDfjwO-ivO99Q0u-N1X8969Qs6Kvxet7VT_F2G_3smuEANfZUj7NgKnwF-OdlE3EdGm6F3mB0z5vwtqKnnfGItUNh-FcaaTj0vFXue9jXb_JrK7hm6OVshEQ6KXWW4ya_XJzoxfjc/s1600-h/Horses-6mm-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFMyDfjwO-ivO99Q0u-N1X8969Qs6Kvxet7VT_F2G_3smuEANfZUj7NgKnwF-OdlE3EdGm6F3mB0z5vwtqKnnfGItUNh-FcaaTj0vFXue9jXb_JrK7hm6OVshEQ6KXWW4ya_XJzoxfjc/s400/Horses-6mm-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401783645168960482" border="0" /></a>Step 1: black undercoat.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOc1yeeyjBBNKL8U2fjje_nbTiAYECKZCtdKPX104M9iDkox474epHDF64Z9fPn9lXCW8URl0CdWoS1kNcNGT0G-SAL4MgyNSiB96sRJrd1DxKXFdqMjUOXmG0QU33sCw2Ng7yQ3X4Xc/s1600-h/Horses-6mm-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 389px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOc1yeeyjBBNKL8U2fjje_nbTiAYECKZCtdKPX104M9iDkox474epHDF64Z9fPn9lXCW8URl0CdWoS1kNcNGT0G-SAL4MgyNSiB96sRJrd1DxKXFdqMjUOXmG0QU33sCw2Ng7yQ3X4Xc/s400/Horses-6mm-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401783647729338466" border="0" /></a>Step 2: coat<br /></div><br />In painting the brown coat, you'll notice that I've left the nose and socks black, and, because these are large-ish Adler horses, I've also taken some pains to avoid painting the eyes, nostrils and tack. More importantly, select a slightly lighter shade than you want your end result to be.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33KET3LvAG2ZYzePxb4rZG650ErmHeVZtiP-43m5UXd3xtv1O6xz8tA89D9yyur9rX1K20Q8n7Lz6jkORvkXMUMYCljQ8nc_RfrjyI3BafbegPwKOcTyx57ZQgVcQKLvmAr0hh7tVb6k/s1600-h/Horses-6mm-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 392px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33KET3LvAG2ZYzePxb4rZG650ErmHeVZtiP-43m5UXd3xtv1O6xz8tA89D9yyur9rX1K20Q8n7Lz6jkORvkXMUMYCljQ8nc_RfrjyI3BafbegPwKOcTyx57ZQgVcQKLvmAr0hh7tVb6k/s400/Horses-6mm-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401783649316326434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Step 3: hair</span><br /></div><br />Pretty much as you'd expect: hit the tail, mane and forelock. I've used a dark brown for this, which I've also used on the base. Note that I also snuck in a gold edging on the shabraque and pistol cases in this step.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzzl2AJYa0h0cNyDD0gINzYsxPC60-xuuYmX8aV7jc3q_T3uwEFbqBQZu19Z4g-dt52h1XFr7ZMVVx4kunirBuAmsgC2N-NN3G9JZJ8i5TAXGx46FYQ8FrOmN1G8z1yWJAwNRvqe8i5I/s1600-h/Horses-6mm-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 393px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzzl2AJYa0h0cNyDD0gINzYsxPC60-xuuYmX8aV7jc3q_T3uwEFbqBQZu19Z4g-dt52h1XFr7ZMVVx4kunirBuAmsgC2N-NN3G9JZJ8i5TAXGx46FYQ8FrOmN1G8z1yWJAwNRvqe8i5I/s400/Horses-6mm-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401783652513982066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Step 4: ink</span><br /></div><br />I probably should have mentioned this at the top, but in any case at this scale I like to use inks for shading. Here, I've used a dark brown ink on the coat, and a black ink in the hair. Note that these are <span style="font-style: italic;">inks</span>, not <span style="font-style: italic;">washes</span>; there's a difference. Inks tend to be more opaque, and are also quite glossy-- a definite advantage in this instance, as real horses tend to have quite a glossy coat.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7F_XR1soKwu4nd_7cfCiLg5JOF96dCri73t9FogfInCTX0DmG2t1VBP7dAeCOqvTKkJExALur3_YXaR1bNq8FLlRz5PVdZtHcnP99UOlBE7EVMD_jXKJRv8lU1iAc8sA1V8-08Syq6Q/s1600-h/Horses-6mm-5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 379px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7F_XR1soKwu4nd_7cfCiLg5JOF96dCri73t9FogfInCTX0DmG2t1VBP7dAeCOqvTKkJExALur3_YXaR1bNq8FLlRz5PVdZtHcnP99UOlBE7EVMD_jXKJRv8lU1iAc8sA1V8-08Syq6Q/s400/Horses-6mm-5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401783649637870258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Step 5: markings</span><br /></div><br />Paint the nose, forehead blaze and socks as desired. Avoid painting the mouth and nostrils if possible. On brown horses I like to use white for the markings, as the contrast looks really spiffy. Dark brown or black are also realistic choices, but tend not to stand out so nicely. Another note: real horses may sport coloured socks on anywhere from zero to all four of their legs. For the sake of quickness and contrast, I almost always do all four.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Step 6: tack<br /></div><br />Hit the bridle, reins, etc. in the appropriate colour. Most Napoleonic tack seems to have been black, so in this case I've simply touched up any overpainting from the previous colours.<br /><br />...And that's it. You're done.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Shezoziqo3G-Q1OCib4BLS6YY-2_3YtmeBpXH8QUNV9UGfntSajXOb_N32Ybc2_XFtMbRRvBSqXnaFUEC4aCtlx776_9MueyOvVOnjz_TwqEGyl112siV5Al8Jsz3Cp2zhlXBF4MgZM/s1600-h/Horses-6mm-6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 393px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Shezoziqo3G-Q1OCib4BLS6YY-2_3YtmeBpXH8QUNV9UGfntSajXOb_N32Ybc2_XFtMbRRvBSqXnaFUEC4aCtlx776_9MueyOvVOnjz_TwqEGyl112siV5Al8Jsz3Cp2zhlXBF4MgZM/s400/Horses-6mm-6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401783928046503522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Done.</span><br /></div><br />Just paint the riders, and you've got yourself some decent looking horsemen!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grand Scale greys</span><br /><br />As a special feature here, I'm also going to show how I paint my 10mm horses. This is a more complex, time-consuming technique, but it does look better. I've never bothered to try it at 6mil, but the Adlers, at least, are large and detailed enough that it could be done.<br /><br />Ideally, I would have demonstrated brown horses once again, to better illustrate the differences between the two techniques. Unfortunately I wanted a grey team for my last Celtic chariot, so that's what you're getting instead. Note that in horse-speak the term "grey" actually refers to <span style="font-style: italic;">white </span>horses (I don't get it either). What you're seeing me paint here are actually "black roans" or "blue roans" (yeah, I really don't get it).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcb7cT-xkgWvo1_zOlsf_mdOluIK1maZ0DV69TlPkK8DuyOn_ZzgrH8CxkQo4yzeKVr4cqPrkNpZPfBJpskd5fqLGDJMAucM2pJ5T3cEU_bX5B1VwRA9ezDN9935slfnH8IUWbLFVPF0/s1600-h/Horses-10mm-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcb7cT-xkgWvo1_zOlsf_mdOluIK1maZ0DV69TlPkK8DuyOn_ZzgrH8CxkQo4yzeKVr4cqPrkNpZPfBJpskd5fqLGDJMAucM2pJ5T3cEU_bX5B1VwRA9ezDN9935slfnH8IUWbLFVPF0/s400/Horses-10mm-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401783925244293858" border="0" /></a>Step 1: black undercoat. As per the usual.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpZA4_17Pz2JFMqvBatIs5GrkmR33wSJ6HviPq8wXd7gySw262NxG2gzzuj0E9xKNxQymL2WhLJP_gM_NRWAU-hx-5VCTJxYeDCs6TKmW4MCDitpe-lNuaUCEoB_Bf5Ihznek4RYGJ1Q/s1600-h/Horses-10mm-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 187px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpZA4_17Pz2JFMqvBatIs5GrkmR33wSJ6HviPq8wXd7gySw262NxG2gzzuj0E9xKNxQymL2WhLJP_gM_NRWAU-hx-5VCTJxYeDCs6TKmW4MCDitpe-lNuaUCEoB_Bf5Ihznek4RYGJ1Q/s400/Horses-10mm-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401783932654642754" border="0" /></a>Step 2: coat, and Step 3: hair<br /></div><br />Anyway, you should already see the difference here: rather than applying a uniform slathering of colour, I've taken some pains to detail the musculature of the horses' legs and haunches. If your models actually depict this level of detail, all to the better; if not, it isn't that difficult to fake. Also worth noting is that on these grey horses I've painted the hair in the same colour as the coat. Finally, I've used a <span style="font-style: italic;">darker </span>shade for the coat than I want the end result to be.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wjxIcE4hv9OgPiZOdIE8od_zj9YFGSl3QEA1deM07v6NBrMtxO9V34KgJ8v4Uq3wSD2Y1s4oSSvCq2ivrkdCb76Tybjf4lA01G7NkBJfNiBFXc2gPobaaa6EbhANXpOxKQIG0vlJWv8/s1600-h/Horses-10mm-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wjxIcE4hv9OgPiZOdIE8od_zj9YFGSl3QEA1deM07v6NBrMtxO9V34KgJ8v4Uq3wSD2Y1s4oSSvCq2ivrkdCb76Tybjf4lA01G7NkBJfNiBFXc2gPobaaa6EbhANXpOxKQIG0vlJWv8/s400/Horses-10mm-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401783933919254754" border="0" /></a>Step 4: ink<br /></div><br />Here I've used black ink on the hair, socks and nose to give them some contrast.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9txiPJzrYNnNWumIeoZw0Vavi8dNXf7o9VSmuCvyP4DDyHlZ6mCI5jKwjexuCEAT1jqyREoOuOVUyP960osTJOYZrJy6GuTBzlgLvZ8lUOSITfhr6dKXi1Cmn7eN0s0oMy2_axGGc5c/s1600-h/Horses-10mm-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9txiPJzrYNnNWumIeoZw0Vavi8dNXf7o9VSmuCvyP4DDyHlZ6mCI5jKwjexuCEAT1jqyREoOuOVUyP960osTJOYZrJy6GuTBzlgLvZ8lUOSITfhr6dKXi1Cmn7eN0s0oMy2_axGGc5c/s400/Horses-10mm-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401783937002883506" border="0" /></a>Step 5: highlight<br /></div><br />Here I've gone over the coat with a lighter shade of grey, keeping a border of the original shade. The result: instant highlights!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMf0x48uyHDjg9lIWlE5hhVfT8ur3zNC50m9ERLQHr7RU5jAVhzP80bffGv13DTHpzINpTQdVJQf_ojmWnP4MwnxpY4qF90zi2iAv4m-9qsSSbaRiRZL_9hinM7uUS6OP5vfk9_9O7fQc/s1600-h/Horses-10mm-5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMf0x48uyHDjg9lIWlE5hhVfT8ur3zNC50m9ERLQHr7RU5jAVhzP80bffGv13DTHpzINpTQdVJQf_ojmWnP4MwnxpY4qF90zi2iAv4m-9qsSSbaRiRZL_9hinM7uUS6OP5vfk9_9O7fQc/s400/Horses-10mm-5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401784286252903842" border="0" /></a>Step 6: tack<br /></div><br />Paint the tack in your preferred colour, and you're done! This technique takes longer and a little more finesse with a brush. In ultra-close-up macro photographs it also tends to look worse than the simpler technique I outlined first; but at any realistic viewing distance, this is the better-looking way of doing it.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZP9K3TmqJAr1mEHovvZv9lXlal49emVf9V6fNLtHC8mQW9GxoJe01cUcCezyK4VP1XiglVY53eo1Wa_aStKIYh1bCMCiDGari7vQ9gd_G0d3Cg3R8wqqdlTaGc-redMOiyU_vYuhQxFc/s1600-h/Horses-outro.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZP9K3TmqJAr1mEHovvZv9lXlal49emVf9V6fNLtHC8mQW9GxoJe01cUcCezyK4VP1XiglVY53eo1Wa_aStKIYh1bCMCiDGari7vQ9gd_G0d3Cg3R8wqqdlTaGc-redMOiyU_vYuhQxFc/s400/Horses-outro.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401784297057420658" border="0" /></a>Examples of this 10mm horse-painting technique.<br /><br /></div>So that's my take on small-scale horses. In other news, I've got more of these smaller, friendlier posts in the pipeline. Heck, why not? It keeps me from wasting an entire weekend each time I want to make a blog post, and it also keeps me from going weeks and weeks without having anything to show. Is that progress? I like to think so.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-70942627533904924202009-10-30T20:21:00.000-03:002009-10-31T00:11:23.381-03:00A Gaul-ling embarrassment...In which our protagonist rather sheepishly unveils the 10mm Gallic "army" that he's been "working" on for the last three years.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifq0wHpWz9WimnQ7oZ5xvMrcOnwNV7dyXoi3JfTJc1XRpyX50LnNNERAQrQZE2g-muKJuaOfFRIlX5Pm_UW3FbQ_k3d6ZJFxQP6brAC1fdhJJYG_Y9TjbFbHrFgyXSyY_YWmbUfcnYSEE/s1600-h/BI-Gauls-army1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifq0wHpWz9WimnQ7oZ5xvMrcOnwNV7dyXoi3JfTJc1XRpyX50LnNNERAQrQZE2g-muKJuaOfFRIlX5Pm_UW3FbQ_k3d6ZJFxQP6brAC1fdhJJYG_Y9TjbFbHrFgyXSyY_YWmbUfcnYSEE/s400/BI-Gauls-army1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398538842289684914" border="0" /></a>By putting this picture at the top of my post, I can almost pretend this army looks good!<br /></div><br />First off, I'd like to thank everyone who gave such positive comments about my 1812 <a href="http://mikes-lead.blogspot.com/search/label/French"></a><a href="http://mikes-lead.blogspot.com/search/label/Napoleonic">Napoleonic </a>French. I think they certainly raised the bar for this blog... so now, just to show that we have absolutely no commitment to quality here at Mike's Leadpile, I present something much worse.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSA86hQ9NDhK_XpaqW4MGAsFQdYa1T6d6YTXO5tLCU2RqhkcVElEUl7r5X_HBjRziP-I2gmMgf_n8u9CawiyW62AC8oHt6nJ2RZlt49AZZKs3q690buKnCErteNsi90H6xMN5X2V8nkg/s1600-h/BI-Gauls-cavalry1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSA86hQ9NDhK_XpaqW4MGAsFQdYa1T6d6YTXO5tLCU2RqhkcVElEUl7r5X_HBjRziP-I2gmMgf_n8u9CawiyW62AC8oHt6nJ2RZlt49AZZKs3q690buKnCErteNsi90H6xMN5X2V8nkg/s400/BI-Gauls-cavalry1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398539107702841762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Why does this pic look so much yellower than all the others? Why didn't I take the time to fix it? We may never know...</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Basic Skimpetus</span><br /><br />I'm somewhat embarrassed about this Gallic warband, for a variety of reasons. I almost didn't blog about it; but, as you might've guessed from reading this, I ultimately decided to go ahead with it. Why? I figured it was time to make a return to 10mm. And I wanted to get a second blog post in this month. Petty? You better believe it.<br /><br />This also happens to be my first force for <a href="http://www.dadiepiombo.com/basic2.html">Basic Impetus</a> (BI). I was inspired by JET aka Jason over at <a href="http://geektactica.blogspot.com/search/label/Impetus%20Armies%20and%20Battles">Geektactica</a>, who manages to churn out a great-looking Impetus army with seemingly no effort every couple of weeks. By comparison, it's taken me the aforementioned <span style="font-style: italic;">three years</span> to come up with something much worse.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHMIun_pmAi_MOy4G82riCq-up1nb1oGmf8rIGUQy8i73YGaqFJbCTE7fj0rsy0fU8bS6YmECLzOAGkMfwhExZLaAzuUSN9-vkyJ5xEJtJ_hEhuuMKLv877dS-x9EpKOeCYKLm9Qz6zA/s1600-h/BI-Gauls-wtf.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHMIun_pmAi_MOy4G82riCq-up1nb1oGmf8rIGUQy8i73YGaqFJbCTE7fj0rsy0fU8bS6YmECLzOAGkMfwhExZLaAzuUSN9-vkyJ5xEJtJ_hEhuuMKLv877dS-x9EpKOeCYKLm9Qz6zA/s400/BI-Gauls-wtf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398539587857563410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">WTF is going on in this picture? Sadly, your guess is as good as mine.</span> </div><br />The sad truth is that these Gauls weren't even intended for BI. With my tastes leaning towards huge armies in small scales, I was seduced years back by the endless hordes in serried ranks promised by <a href="http://www.warhammer-historical.com/acatalog/Warmaster_Ancients.html">Warmaster Ancients</a> (WMA). As it turns out, WMA never quite made it past the 'impulsive purchase' stage for me, and the multiple 2,000-point armies I bought for it proved vastly beyond my attention span. I had painted up a few units from each army to begin with, and had even completed a few more on occasion, whenever the bug bit. Even so, I never got even <span style="font-style: italic;">one </span>army close to the playable stage.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-H8ySiVGEdgoGvNhyphenhyphen8wqROLttSgorLKNIMOOZr0OjRT8rI4ZATDp9S_p6y5SvruPhoK_E_XDe2D51c6G85uvDI9BoG81ZJWZ4Ob6mPk7rTE0DC-ZODnslXeaBj3Ne7usqapdvFVvb3oM/s1600-h/BI-Gauls-javelins2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-H8ySiVGEdgoGvNhyphenhyphen8wqROLttSgorLKNIMOOZr0OjRT8rI4ZATDp9S_p6y5SvruPhoK_E_XDe2D51c6G85uvDI9BoG81ZJWZ4Ob6mPk7rTE0DC-ZODnslXeaBj3Ne7usqapdvFVvb3oM/s400/BI-Gauls-javelins2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398539297171363266" border="0" /></a>Five figures on a 60 x 20mm base! Back when I was trying to paint armies for WMA, I'd stick a dozen on 40 x 20mm. Which explains, I think, why that project flopped.<br /></div><br />Luckily for me, making a "force" (I'm not going to glorify a few dozen badly-painted Gauls with the name "army") for BI doesn't require a lot of figures-- which, under the right circumstances, also means not a lot of effort. A quick glance through the wobbly pile of storage boxes in the corner showed me that I had enough minis to make about 20 or 30 different forces, and indeed, had enough painted figs to make a good start on several. Since this was meant as a lazy side project, I opted to start with the Gauls, as a fortuitous lack of 40x20mm bases when painting up my <a href="http://mikes-lead.blogspot.com/search/label/Hellenistic">6mm Successors</a> meant that this bunch was already rattling around loose. Ready to go!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvlsdQExOw4PfEcMjvS0oHZ1qjndX1uH7gyfjyWVRrWl0arQhlo-Dj9PCZZcepbqnQC151B9ewas5gF6xnHDjbO4fmZkztQgazRkcW3w2-F6zNunVxoO44QfJ6q4xaf3yN1fV1aCAEkfM/s1600-h/BI-AIM-10020207.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 60px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvlsdQExOw4PfEcMjvS0oHZ1qjndX1uH7gyfjyWVRrWl0arQhlo-Dj9PCZZcepbqnQC151B9ewas5gF6xnHDjbO4fmZkztQgazRkcW3w2-F6zNunVxoO44QfJ6q4xaf3yN1fV1aCAEkfM/s400/BI-AIM-10020207.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398538537243750610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">AIM 10020207 - "10mm Celtic Warriors", from AIM's Carthaginian collection. This is quite an old range, lacking the sharp, painter-friendly details of many modern 10mm figures. Nevertheless, their proportions are fairly good, and there are many decent poses, even if some of them are quite susceptible to breaking.</span> </div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Recycle, Reduce, Rebase</span><br /><br />A closer look at my chosen band revealed many of them to be in sorry shape. My painting standards had swung from one end of the spectrum to the other over the years that I'd been "working" on them, ranging from best-efforts, to products-of-impatience, to guinea pigs for new techniques. Many of them had scratches from the indifferent handling they'd received when I needed their original bases, despite the thick coat of too-shiny varnish that most of them were burdened with. An intensive touch-up effort was needed to bring them up to my current standards.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapPGCteMI0pys5nwJ5tTNF8knM8B9Rddf3UavdvbUaNe2imQtnlU2tkqhHA5lEAxRrC8HA_rW8l555DqmfwDw5fG6qQGEzB-idtoFvYfpMRFKUM5c8itvhpdH4cjKHObGZ820yiRjlu8/s1600-h/BI-Pendraken-AG1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapPGCteMI0pys5nwJ5tTNF8knM8B9Rddf3UavdvbUaNe2imQtnlU2tkqhHA5lEAxRrC8HA_rW8l555DqmfwDw5fG6qQGEzB-idtoFvYfpMRFKUM5c8itvhpdH4cjKHObGZ820yiRjlu8/s400/BI-Pendraken-AG1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398560109832719346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Pendraken AG1 - "Warband". A lot of Pendraken's older figures come in weird poses; at least with this bunch you get </span>three <span style="font-style: italic;">weird poses.</span><br /></div><br />The good thing about standards, of course, is that they can go down as well as up. And when you're trying to keep a lazy side project on the lazy side, this is exactly what needs to happen. Instead of touching up the minis, I simply looked the other way and based them as-is. (note: I mean "looked the other way" in the figurative sense; the author in no way condones the use or attempted use of superglue while <span style="font-style: italic;">actually </span>looking the other way).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJjhP3nI_IxlMPrrP8hj8XyvO4bFEQi7Tlub3VuKIvwcLM4K1tA4Uig6lXzM4BtX_l15nQHYduyRmIKqMPT8Uu65SK65VND3c1p77aT6J6o-BxERIg-7xIOxqFIJQOC1EmZEKFl31Po8/s1600-h/BI-Gauls-warband3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJjhP3nI_IxlMPrrP8hj8XyvO4bFEQi7Tlub3VuKIvwcLM4K1tA4Uig6lXzM4BtX_l15nQHYduyRmIKqMPT8Uu65SK65VND3c1p77aT6J6o-BxERIg-7xIOxqFIJQOC1EmZEKFl31Po8/s400/BI-Gauls-warband3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398539584715210370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">With paintjobs like these, I should have turned off the "macro" setting on my camera.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Spoils of War</span><br /><br />Celtic warriors were renowned raiders back in the day, always on the lookout for good plunder. In war, they even stripped the armour from their dead opponents. Actually, as anyone who bothers to do their research should know, pretty much <span style="font-style: italic;">everyone </span>in the ancient world stripped the armour off their dead opponents, and used it too. The notion that each culture had its own unique military equipment is, generally speaking, a fallacy perpetuated by devious manufacturers of wargames miniatures, in order to get us gullible saps to buy more figures.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITXKVo9jYYFztFydRZTXaQMG2i4a9MUh-OSXPryGyrXN0678OPtkOUYO8i_oATPxJaLYa-cQuQ3jZxG2vpvdb-O7RRUd3T14ioWWpX8zwhgjtyNUpd2BifeNQCXAQeAiyiQGjgoYxBSk/s1600-h/BI-Pendraken-AG3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITXKVo9jYYFztFydRZTXaQMG2i4a9MUh-OSXPryGyrXN0678OPtkOUYO8i_oATPxJaLYa-cQuQ3jZxG2vpvdb-O7RRUd3T14ioWWpX8zwhgjtyNUpd2BifeNQCXAQeAiyiQGjgoYxBSk/s400/BI-Pendraken-AG3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398539905820187218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Pendraken AG3 - "Command". Can you believe they actually sell a pack of 30 figs containing 15 each of these two poses? Can you believe I actually</span> bought <span style="font-style: italic;">one? Bah!</span><br /></div><br />But I digress. As I was trying to say, much as the ancient Gauls proudly plundered shields off the battlefield, I have shamefully plundered shield designs off the internet for my miniatures. Okay, so it's a poor analogy and no justification for a morally reprehensible act on my part; but here I am, freely owning up to it and promising never to do it again.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapu8VMG1Q44M4jkn7FXk_g5QnUXbJgM3LgIkeJN3AxIO3uRGuvGDX1s4iCGutPESo5hkl345f3ExY9dLPD1itM090zfMBMTd3IdeVsaN5ughWXAtro33bi9z6A5JRXRxPzhfMz0pUACs/s1600-h/BI-Gauls-comparison1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapu8VMG1Q44M4jkn7FXk_g5QnUXbJgM3LgIkeJN3AxIO3uRGuvGDX1s4iCGutPESo5hkl345f3ExY9dLPD1itM090zfMBMTd3IdeVsaN5ughWXAtro33bi9z6A5JRXRxPzhfMz0pUACs/s400/BI-Gauls-comparison1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398539286371534354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A comparison, showing Celtic infantry from (L to R) Old Glory, AIM, and Pendraken. Also shown is my disgusting shield-design piracy.</span><br /></div><br />The shield designs in question are from <a href="http://www.littlebigmenstudios.co.uk/catalog/">Little Big Men Studios</a> (LBMS), a great company that produces rub-on shield transfers for an immense selection of miniatures, including a few in 10mm. Alas, Celtic designs are not numbered among these (or else I would have bought some. Honest).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQc5n-VVGKrhagEPO3QpLn4A-nmC5lu-g9858HrjGp_TffTyhHVeWlhpOAhYUdS_jR5GWITjDI9bdW-CbiC5G2uWsGLj7z_r5rBzNwuhtWTaUuJEPKtaDejRICCTz1rhv2_xHZNXVRjNY/s1600-h/BI-Gauls-warband2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQc5n-VVGKrhagEPO3QpLn4A-nmC5lu-g9858HrjGp_TffTyhHVeWlhpOAhYUdS_jR5GWITjDI9bdW-CbiC5G2uWsGLj7z_r5rBzNwuhtWTaUuJEPKtaDejRICCTz1rhv2_xHZNXVRjNY/s400/BI-Gauls-warband2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398539579208290050" border="0" /></a>Gallic warband, showing AIM, Pendraken and Old Glory figures mixed on the same base. I used to tell people they wouldn't mix; I guess I was wrong.<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Horse Whispers</span><br /><br />My attempt at maximum laziness failed when it came to the cavalry contingent of the Gallic force. Any horse larger than 6mm is a horse I don't want to paint. On the other hand, if I <span style="font-style: italic;">am </span>going to paint it, nowadays I want something worth painting well.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEnf43L6P6a0p2iVwq5MCFkbzPVYwDATJR9DJGUKt8p_yoK8zfrKOXW_lsiN3srrLduaILMGbpNe-lflFWIrDK6yssVRNA1Adb95w7tZhS1a-ORhmHNTSYvKZaa-tr1ZFEJlKCoPgjUq0/s1600-h/BI-AIM-10020213.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEnf43L6P6a0p2iVwq5MCFkbzPVYwDATJR9DJGUKt8p_yoK8zfrKOXW_lsiN3srrLduaILMGbpNe-lflFWIrDK6yssVRNA1Adb95w7tZhS1a-ORhmHNTSYvKZaa-tr1ZFEJlKCoPgjUq0/s400/BI-AIM-10020213.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398538540023383602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">AIM 10020213 - "Celtic Cavalry". I found the spears on these figures quite fragile; the top section in these examples has been replaced with wire. Unfortunately, this is not an easy solution, as the white metal used by GFI (the current producers of AIM figures) is very hard and resists drilling. These horses are also quite low on detail; eyes, nostrils, and even musculature have been faked with paint.</span><br /></div><br />Once again I had a couple of choices, having a fair collection of both AIM and <a href="http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/categories.asp?cat=10">Old Glory</a> (OG) cavalry. Neither of them, unfortunately, proved ideal: it was those dratted horses making things difficult, as ever. The AIM horses were nicely proportioned, but lacked detail; they didn't even have eyes or nostrils sculpted on them, which would make painting a pain. The OG horses, by comparison, had better detail, but were crudely cast, and -- putting an end to any thought of using them as is -- were hugely out of scale. Emphasis on HUGE.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhog32IqhLTNK-hKIMSVoukD0JvX_5gE8OPi7PSCVCW-mWNecbM9FXIycq5-e0VH8BNiiRdW_z6O3Ob5b2QuzM8obq87H-wohKEZu3mKzl9qM9g4UHRUlmyBh3lMVc5jc1Q1dNpxvXvqro/s1600-h/BI-OG-ANT-105.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 67px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhog32IqhLTNK-hKIMSVoukD0JvX_5gE8OPi7PSCVCW-mWNecbM9FXIycq5-e0VH8BNiiRdW_z6O3Ob5b2QuzM8obq87H-wohKEZu3mKzl9qM9g4UHRUlmyBh3lMVc5jc1Q1dNpxvXvqro/s400/BI-OG-ANT-105.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398539752460971250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Old Glory ANT-105 - "Gallic Cavalry". The three riders differ greatly in equipment, ranging from a bare-chested, to helm and tunic, to chain cuirass, crested helm and cape -- light, medium, and heavy. Shown here are the brutal OG horses, many of them suffering from rear "mono-leg" syndrome.</span><br /></div><br />Luckily this was a problem I'd attempted to address years ago. Since the OG riders are cast separately from their horses, I'd also accumulated a large herd of riderless AIM horses to replace the unsuitable originals. Not the cheapest solution, as the horses on their own cost as much as cavalry with riders. I suspect I wasn't thinking things through when I bought them!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsoWFX7KHgIYqFAT-74CGRwHfk7P1rtRLMHGUn2bhEerUfvRBvQE_yoF8AepEnAQfPopSmzDZfVzw3O-h8ZohJRnRaTCo3lGoDpfRYS4W1Qi3zr9ahoxUBGZBGPNF5D8rSF_Vzx9X7xQ/s1600-h/BI-AIM-12029906.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 50px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsoWFX7KHgIYqFAT-74CGRwHfk7P1rtRLMHGUn2bhEerUfvRBvQE_yoF8AepEnAQfPopSmzDZfVzw3O-h8ZohJRnRaTCo3lGoDpfRYS4W1Qi3zr9ahoxUBGZBGPNF5D8rSF_Vzx9X7xQ/s400/BI-AIM-12029906.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398538556787958514" border="0" /></a>AIM (or GFI?) 12029906 - "N Scale Horses, Bare", from the WWII range. These are slightly larger than the 10mm AIM horses, but also have more detail. The standing horse at right is also part of the pack, but as they wouldn't have mixed in, I didn't paint any.<br /></div><br />Ultimately I ended up doing a mix of 10mm AIM cavalry and 10mm OG riders on GFI's N-scale horses. I should mention that OG's "Grand Scale" cavalry, while ostensibly 10mm, ranges from large to very, very large. Think Goliath riding a Clydesdale. The Gallic cavalry is actually less grossly out-of-scale than most, which is why I decided they'd be okay to use.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpEGyjzp87vuyPFm1IOvrseIToQxZNwAfxmvEkXIRqUW5dhkvEnmnGUnWY5eddXLxLldKqk4VHPJhK0vLes4PufcmmYOw65wGhCOI7BGZ8bJYw7KqIpIvu2DdjC1QA2J9G-nX-4-9IgI/s1600-h/BI-Gauls-cavalry2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpEGyjzp87vuyPFm1IOvrseIToQxZNwAfxmvEkXIRqUW5dhkvEnmnGUnWY5eddXLxLldKqk4VHPJhK0vLes4PufcmmYOw65wGhCOI7BGZ8bJYw7KqIpIvu2DdjC1QA2J9G-nX-4-9IgI/s400/BI-Gauls-cavalry2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398539113883377026" border="0" /></a>A medium cavalry element, mixing AIM single-piece figures (with the larger shields) and OG riders on AIM horses.<br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Mix Master Mike</span><br /><br />Surprisingly, differences in poses and size didn't really make anything stick out too sorely, in either the infantry or the cavalry. Then again, maybe it isn't really surprising. People and animals come in all sorts of different sizes, and Celtic forces weren't exactly know for their uniformity or discipline. What <span style="font-style: italic;">did </span>come as a surprise was the different ways the minis took paint. The Pendraken and OG figures, with stronger detailing and deeper recesses, took a heavier coat of ink when I shaded them. In practice, this means that their details, particularly fingers and face, are visible from a longer distance; it also means that they <span style="font-style: italic;">appear </span>darker, even when painted using identical methods to the AIM figs.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmdCND_SuAZ7SVyG77hRh827ORyvsx2_-UhpzB6CdNj5JqhytSErOHvv8OrdhRjeb21iGivbnQlfiJQj4-rz329Tkt_Z_4kmlo6Z9vAz9io0dsAPYoqvZBL37x8mssFHIr7Q1XVg-Qc8/s1600-h/BI-Gauls-cavalry3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmdCND_SuAZ7SVyG77hRh827ORyvsx2_-UhpzB6CdNj5JqhytSErOHvv8OrdhRjeb21iGivbnQlfiJQj4-rz329Tkt_Z_4kmlo6Z9vAz9io0dsAPYoqvZBL37x8mssFHIr7Q1XVg-Qc8/s400/BI-Gauls-cavalry3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398539113589340930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The general's cavalry element.</span><br /></div><br />Once upon a time I also had some <a href="http://www.navigatorminiatures.com/">Magister Militum</a> (MM) Gauls for comparison purposes. But you won't see any here, as I've long since sold them off. Suffice to say that MM infantry mixes very well with Pendraken, but MM cavalry doesn't mix with anything. Their horses are similar in size to AIM's, but much with a much chunkier (read: ugly as sin) style of sculpting.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsV_wlEXUOSxU-uUM3rzwd_cMCEqlDlMzUVixmjuIDKahqFCOgajqZqb46SyBqV5G9eBc7ghvCfMFhXt6ZEEQ6SQJZqVhk1p4vF8aYOxdXwHZRUbtYoatYNEnl4oobxQrIJ0lvmFh21Hc/s1600-h/BI-OG-ANT-104.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsV_wlEXUOSxU-uUM3rzwd_cMCEqlDlMzUVixmjuIDKahqFCOgajqZqb46SyBqV5G9eBc7ghvCfMFhXt6ZEEQ6SQJZqVhk1p4vF8aYOxdXwHZRUbtYoatYNEnl4oobxQrIJ0lvmFh21Hc/s400/BI-OG-ANT-104.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398539747281744994" border="0" /></a>Old Glory ANT-104 - "Gallic Cavalry Command." The carnyx horn carried by the fellow in the middle is quite large, but otherwise the riders are nice. OG horses remain as atrocious as ever, unfortunately.<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">May the Force be with You</span><br /><br />So that's my Gallic "force" after three years of work. (Well, five weeks of work spread over three years). But it's still not done. While I've finished all the elements for the 1st century BC/AD Gallic list for Basic Impetus, I've got so many Celts in the leadpile that I've decided to expand. I'm already well on my way to morphing the Gallic force into an Ancient British force (with options).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNW6Ca6sCa4z4zbhTUOHBrYUKz683nSwhoEXhH6HibNWsQfaEH5Qrfr3tPA4DCx0gXnpK_UyRODwLZkEYGKGPC5wBNz-oX9Ci9wnlzIIEQXpKtfpaW8JjcmYv913Tpva2JqoZX4-kcgxE/s1600-h/BI-Gauls-army3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNW6Ca6sCa4z4zbhTUOHBrYUKz683nSwhoEXhH6HibNWsQfaEH5Qrfr3tPA4DCx0gXnpK_UyRODwLZkEYGKGPC5wBNz-oX9Ci9wnlzIIEQXpKtfpaW8JjcmYv913Tpva2JqoZX4-kcgxE/s400/BI-Gauls-army3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398538850675860754" border="0" /></a>Go Go Gallic Force!<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3TIhi4FB8K9BMyAZLCwP183hesHLs1I_BcKF7n6si8ICmVcb0pdZL3KnZ3WZuYl5Px5mmDPVjvWdrVyekNOBHnC6cKbMpgBRLgTM-nZDkO9fSGXdPFtdIWmF4zXhxQ25G0wXRdl3Mmc/s1600-h/BI-Gauls-warband1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3TIhi4FB8K9BMyAZLCwP183hesHLs1I_BcKF7n6si8ICmVcb0pdZL3KnZ3WZuYl5Px5mmDPVjvWdrVyekNOBHnC6cKbMpgBRLgTM-nZDkO9fSGXdPFtdIWmF4zXhxQ25G0wXRdl3Mmc/s400/BI-Gauls-warband1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398539575940423938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn99MgXjw_ug2tim4zQ7C4WCBONxIjI6Pq5__1ZtfsWmrXAFp9lxeAEzcUVFOXrg37Hf1-Ax5j5LsvKFndzB2nUxuFIw41dHHxTxEn5BYEmmWcQPjS8DwoPk3tl-37JNPCYGwkx3lUKaI/s1600-h/BI-Gauls-javelins1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn99MgXjw_ug2tim4zQ7C4WCBONxIjI6Pq5__1ZtfsWmrXAFp9lxeAEzcUVFOXrg37Hf1-Ax5j5LsvKFndzB2nUxuFIw41dHHxTxEn5BYEmmWcQPjS8DwoPk3tl-37JNPCYGwkx3lUKaI/s400/BI-Gauls-javelins1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398539293510348034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOa_CvhPCfFLm8U3xAWijssUFN9ZrmP4AlrkSzIOS6wqL-tpN4kkXSVzDHlXfR5RopShM_BMohLlIwSZeD2M-edruZhrFte_wBj1tj9aMy2wVfQx-77kVwoxQdXS1wzSLdCWwFSlkfz7Q/s1600-h/BI-Gauls-army2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOa_CvhPCfFLm8U3xAWijssUFN9ZrmP4AlrkSzIOS6wqL-tpN4kkXSVzDHlXfR5RopShM_BMohLlIwSZeD2M-edruZhrFte_wBj1tj9aMy2wVfQx-77kVwoxQdXS1wzSLdCWwFSlkfz7Q/s400/BI-Gauls-army2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398538845570568754" border="0" /></a><br />...And that's my embarrassing little side project. For those who'd rather hear about the Borodino project (which is probably most of you, as I can't imagine people come here to read this other crap), fear not: the next bunch of Russians is already in progress. I'll have it painted and ready to show within... ohhhh, let's say three years or less.<br /><br />-MikeMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-81734743648686350192009-10-12T19:22:00.000-03:002009-10-13T01:11:05.832-03:00Nothing rhymes with 'Davout'...In which our protagonist, having completed Davout's 1st Corps for Borodino, tries to think of some clever title for the associated post, but instead merely reaches the lame conclusion given above.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNl5q9-liTumthZDdDSeUhP8I7DxCH09mAK87B86eDiYCxT4OV_DO0dmRDbXulwhZiDqyHsBFx-LNTh8PBJjANhKffp0aJ3Kx6C22E8G31cqMerV7nTfhjA-Y6l5gfLjbbyo3JHwkj3bY/s1600-h/French_1st_corps6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 137px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNl5q9-liTumthZDdDSeUhP8I7DxCH09mAK87B86eDiYCxT4OV_DO0dmRDbXulwhZiDqyHsBFx-LNTh8PBJjANhKffp0aJ3Kx6C22E8G31cqMerV7nTfhjA-Y6l5gfLjbbyo3JHwkj3bY/s400/French_1st_corps6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391480460941547234" border="0" /></a>Charge of the light cavalry: Chasseurs à Cheval and uhlans of the Vistula Legion. Davout is not in this picture.<br /></div><br />So I've finished my 1st French Corps, and without it taking another whole month. Mind you, painting a bunch of little toy soldiers before an arbitrary deadline probably isn't what most people would consider a worthy ambition, but not all of us are Barack Obama, for crissakes. Or, for that matter, Louis-Nicolas Davout.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBVD8GLaLjwbcrVpO0THAUHVSuLZWprZ6PRD6QUAxpxn9qdnzRcMdxwkob_puTW2gS4FiPmsfsaC6CwnOXtk2x6vypBVC8Dpn9_3V2HGk9OdHvPJBy_myJcR7z6_DNeqZqewbnDqH6p4/s1600-h/French_1st_corps_general.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBVD8GLaLjwbcrVpO0THAUHVSuLZWprZ6PRD6QUAxpxn9qdnzRcMdxwkob_puTW2gS4FiPmsfsaC6CwnOXtk2x6vypBVC8Dpn9_3V2HGk9OdHvPJBy_myJcR7z6_DNeqZqewbnDqH6p4/s400/French_1st_corps_general.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391485443472407954" border="0" /></a>A French general. But not Davout.<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who in the world is Louis-Nicolas Davout?</span><br /><br />Wargamers know him as the Iron Marshal, as the Prince of Eckmühl, as the sometime Imperial Minister of War, as the victor of one of the most astounding battles in military history, made the Duke D'Auerstadt in the giddy aftermath. He was one of Napoleon's finest soldiers, a man whose command fought on, undefeated, even as his humbled Emperor abdicated in 1814. His desk job during the Hundred Days and his consequent absence from the battlefields at Quatre-Bras, Ligny and Waterloo offer one of the great 'what ifs' of Napoleonic history.<br /><br />More importantly, he was bald.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeZa-zUgYekbIKx2cAAJNEvlMGCWcBS2O-uZEyA6G-6hiLErmm0rHcUyOvtPuCF74aAeHVqygyERcVyJNuUbax6T81vVP1UhIzdokHLrr9xBYasNyIhi7vTs_p7nSMGw7XgpOySxyz2A/s1600-h/davout.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeZa-zUgYekbIKx2cAAJNEvlMGCWcBS2O-uZEyA6G-6hiLErmm0rHcUyOvtPuCF74aAeHVqygyERcVyJNuUbax6T81vVP1UhIzdokHLrr9xBYasNyIhi7vTs_p7nSMGw7XgpOySxyz2A/s400/davout.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391738540367798610" border="0" /></a>Davout. Or, as I like to think of him, the 'Baldest of the Brave'. How could you not love a pate like that?<br /></div><br />As I mentioned in <a href="http://mikes-lead.blogspot.com/2009/09/from-russia-with-love.html">my last post</a>, Adler makes special figures for famous generals. With the French, this is taken to the extreme: there's a pack consisting entirely of Napoleon and his Marshals, and another for their virtual army-within-army of aides-de-camp. Of course, as I also mentioned in <a href="http://mikes-lead.blogspot.com/2009/09/from-russia-with-love.html">my last post</a>, I'm too impoverished and/or cheap to buy said packs of specific characters.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1IC130bRGN97gw-GBZk_AR1Z0jTEXqQ2XYiYKW9vf0fdlDYP7LTH9IJKHfsMP9Ifarb_nc6Pnvs6drCjygyD1AjLt761oR_DGDMgsFxCYsJZUgSz_PQmmwkGxuvzjTNpZGGMAcLCv8Y/s1600-h/Adler_FN21C.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1IC130bRGN97gw-GBZk_AR1Z0jTEXqQ2XYiYKW9vf0fdlDYP7LTH9IJKHfsMP9Ifarb_nc6Pnvs6drCjygyD1AjLt761oR_DGDMgsFxCYsJZUgSz_PQmmwkGxuvzjTNpZGGMAcLCv8Y/s400/Adler_FN21C.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391477210716924130" border="0" /></a>Adler FN 21C - "Mounted General and ADC". They look good, despite my paint job.<br /></div><br />Although I considered chopping the bicorne off one of my generals and sculpting the great man's Shining Dome out of green stuff, ultimately I decided to grit my teeth and make do with a proxy figure for the time being. Very likely the Adler's special Davout figure is wearing a hat anyways... which sort of defeats the purpose of having a special figure in the first place, in my opinon. I mean, how else are you supposed to recognize the guy, in 6mm, from across the table?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzliIj8cso59EP-L31RNu-EUk8Ob9r0ALmdiWqd5ZFiozNe8bu-TsFkUD3gOGJTvvqAhPxr4OsLth8xJk4WzhvTQ3HTjO6BPMdn0Id1RMibj16fN8fBuwg78s7IRafOqcRzwYwFwkh5ic/s1600-h/French_1st_corps9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzliIj8cso59EP-L31RNu-EUk8Ob9r0ALmdiWqd5ZFiozNe8bu-TsFkUD3gOGJTvvqAhPxr4OsLth8xJk4WzhvTQ3HTjO6BPMdn0Id1RMibj16fN8fBuwg78s7IRafOqcRzwYwFwkh5ic/s400/French_1st_corps9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391481074390493442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">French proxy general investigates the disposition of the infantry. I call him, uhhhh... </span>Pr<span style="font-style: italic;">avout. Yeah, that's it.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">When I'm Feeling Blue</span><br /><br />While Russians may or may not have worn green, there's a general consensus that French infantry wore blue. No problem, right? I've got heaps of blue paint. I have so many different shades that most of them got tossed into storage to free up space. Of course that was when I was doing <span style="font-style: italic;">Ancients</span>. The thing with Napoleonics is that all of a sudden you can't just slap on some Imperial Blue here and Prussian Blue there. It's wrong. You need a uniform guide accredited by the Imperial Ministry of Napoleonic Uniformological Studies, as well as all 168,152 officially-recognized colours of paint.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GK6zEa-u-LZXk-tedfx4CiYgn2NEiMweE2_Acbq5xtWBjOt6JfqFN6r7NGKU-h_KB6srKelg5OVQHVZ79tnv_O8tLrLGpvuZ7U4JypaTDBNrOjjRC9RpseaFVrsVQMODCiiOK1C_aCM/s1600-h/French_7th_legere_108th_ligne.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GK6zEa-u-LZXk-tedfx4CiYgn2NEiMweE2_Acbq5xtWBjOt6JfqFN6r7NGKU-h_KB6srKelg5OVQHVZ79tnv_O8tLrLGpvuZ7U4JypaTDBNrOjjRC9RpseaFVrsVQMODCiiOK1C_aCM/s400/French_7th_legere_108th_ligne.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391479112596422242" border="0" /></a>In front, the 7th light infantry regiment, with the 108th line regiment following. The line infantry wear blue coats and white trousers and gaiters, while the light troops are all in blue. Shockingly, I used the same blue for both types. Suck it up, buttoncounters!<br /></div><br />I'll admit it. I didn't even try to find a good colour match for the hues shown in my reference material. And I'm quite happy that way. Being indifferent to strict historical accuracy is one of my guilty pleasures, along with a fondness for peanut butter and listening to Madonna.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2q3q2KfsWhneAJkA5BYBxOqA4pCMrwrbUVGfPqMB3_WUYAcGEqlTBY8PE-46jUx3S1EZ_l4F97Xcfl_cGoj5KjAqrK_fvvYPE8MY_tNTTqgZrn3JZFZquv6P8TDCbxLmT93hWAFsOUcI/s1600-h/French_1st_corps_battery.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2q3q2KfsWhneAJkA5BYBxOqA4pCMrwrbUVGfPqMB3_WUYAcGEqlTBY8PE-46jUx3S1EZ_l4F97Xcfl_cGoj5KjAqrK_fvvYPE8MY_tNTTqgZrn3JZFZquv6P8TDCbxLmT93hWAFsOUcI/s400/French_1st_corps_battery.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391485442175653442" border="0" /></a>My French gun crews also wear the same shade of blue. It doesn't matter if they serve 12-pounders, 8-pounders, or howitzers.<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tell us, O Prophet, how such miracles are achieved</span><br /><br />Now that I've confessed to making little-to-no effort towards attaining historical accuracy, this seems as poor a place as any to endorse My Fool-Proof Method For Painting Adler French (MFPMFPAF, or 'mif-pim-fip-aff' for the phonetically inclined). I mean, it's got to be foolproof if I can do it, right? Anyway, if you're NOT planning to paint Adler French in the near future, you can probably skip this next bit and head down to the eyecandy at the end.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezF-q8m9Ln9lvO3gbZQX3JRXg3kxw5gpyKUcL2SpDBOLSeimGfuiOu4O4oLbQRvhzl1C46VIj0hTkc25DZDXyOTGaKPFm513l4iK09Q500TxBMHIyTRv8liAjZXwIhB2ojjDf1hyphenhyphenxpG4/s1600-h/Adler-FNG5B.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezF-q8m9Ln9lvO3gbZQX3JRXg3kxw5gpyKUcL2SpDBOLSeimGfuiOu4O4oLbQRvhzl1C46VIj0hTkc25DZDXyOTGaKPFm513l4iK09Q500TxBMHIyTRv8liAjZXwIhB2ojjDf1hyphenhyphenxpG4/s400/Adler-FNG5B.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391478271783361218" border="0" /></a>Adler FNG 5B - "Guard shako advancing (1812)". These guys make great demonstration pieces because their uniforms have the full gamut of Napoleonic frou-frou, although the same basic technique works for any troop type.<br /></div><br />To begin with, you need minis and paints. Also paintbrushes. Probably you already knew that; but if not, you can't say I wasn't looking out for ya.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwolnhsA1NUdWQDKOBxbe-SQ0LZBgOKTpKByMVZVHzD9NkqI8K9mb-h9Qqn4h9Ol35-KoI4j4Uuy0pO9rtXCpDkytwPskNhILz8tC-HJ3VWGf_dMlCjK7pJ6ZcOQpIgVFu315px8WS-dA/s1600-h/French_paint0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 392px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwolnhsA1NUdWQDKOBxbe-SQ0LZBgOKTpKByMVZVHzD9NkqI8K9mb-h9Qqn4h9Ol35-KoI4j4Uuy0pO9rtXCpDkytwPskNhILz8tC-HJ3VWGf_dMlCjK7pJ6ZcOQpIgVFu315px8WS-dA/s400/French_paint0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391852157166519074" border="0" /></a>The 14 paints I'm using are:<br />1. BLACK matte spray paint, as a primer/basecoat.<br />2. GREY, for shako highlights, greatcoat, canteens, etc.<br />3. WHITE, for crossbelts, pants, etc.<br />4. DARK BLUE, for coats.<br />5. RED, for epaulettes, collars, cuffs and turnbacks.<br />6. FLESH, for... flesh.<br />7. TAN, for backpacks<br />8. BROWN, for musket stocks and hair.<br />9. BROWN ink, for shading. Ideally this should be a darker hue than 7 and 8, above.<br />10. BRONZE, for shako plates.<br />11. SILVER, for musket barrels, bayonettes, and canteens.<br />12. BLUE, for coats.<br />13. LIGHT GREY, for greatcoats.<br />14. GROUND COLOUR, for the bases.<br /><br />I'm not going to tell you what brand of paint to buy, or what particular shade of blue you need; that would defeat the purpose of MFPMFPAF. Rather, pay attention to what each colour is used for, and find a paint appropriate to that usage. If you're painting <span style="font-style: italic;">voltigeurs </span>or <span style="font-style: italic;">tirailleurs</span>, you will also need YELLOW and GREEN for their collars, epaulettes, pompoms and plumes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9lVneQ6qqAR0g2OKETQIgcDV6fX-vjYVdQkgqhxgD6Xo_4TVDBXAkwKSsp-J4Zl3k2MgBg3rDYkeXWPCyooorP-GYkvTSrFuAzr23dzvxOlX-Gs32v3PjhmDN_1fZuzUArG7RVWl1lM/s1600-h/French_paint1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 116px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9lVneQ6qqAR0g2OKETQIgcDV6fX-vjYVdQkgqhxgD6Xo_4TVDBXAkwKSsp-J4Zl3k2MgBg3rDYkeXWPCyooorP-GYkvTSrFuAzr23dzvxOlX-Gs32v3PjhmDN_1fZuzUArG7RVWl1lM/s400/French_paint1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391852162460330530" border="0" /></a>Step 1: prep the minis for painting. This means cleaning away flash, straightening bayonettes, separating the figures, and basecoating BLACK. Some people choose not to do all of this at this stage. That's fine; but before you procrastinate, you have to ask yourself: do you really want knives and/or side cutters and/or black spray paint near your <span style="font-style: italic;">painted </span>minis? Anyway, as you can see in the pic, I've used carpet tape to temporarily adhere the minis to a bit of scrap MDF for painting. I like this solution better than glue, but to each his own.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5317lp943bNXSdkV70L_NRcPCPbvY6berd1Mb6oP9br1zLlunjRUPm5zdzVOTNoUXKkn73AmGKKsWRt4FqvagEJN1F4OHkAjqcC777o67ehqy9EcyBxyjIsAWOw42GMPJRYX3Aq1RXPo/s1600-h/French_paint2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 99px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5317lp943bNXSdkV70L_NRcPCPbvY6berd1Mb6oP9br1zLlunjRUPm5zdzVOTNoUXKkn73AmGKKsWRt4FqvagEJN1F4OHkAjqcC777o67ehqy9EcyBxyjIsAWOw42GMPJRYX3Aq1RXPo/s400/French_paint2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391852172214764962" border="0" /></a>Step 2: GREY. Paint the rolled greatcoat and canteen where applicable, and drybrush the top edge and visor of the shako. I usually paint a narrow stripe up each side of the shako as well for a highlight, although the discerning viewer will notice that I've forgotten in this instance.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwb-mHWW6ton5C-3scSWBl0KiUtheDh_mMYI3kVKhCw4Xp5DZQwvQqCNOT15OP-fkM8YLUiwJE-8g4nI3ObXBiNaaN_tfoZsokqtUrWNPg2enJ9FOiy_oeFbdeaX0T1j9TZtDHeRAXwqw/s1600-h/French_paint3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 104px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwb-mHWW6ton5C-3scSWBl0KiUtheDh_mMYI3kVKhCw4Xp5DZQwvQqCNOT15OP-fkM8YLUiwJE-8g4nI3ObXBiNaaN_tfoZsokqtUrWNPg2enJ9FOiy_oeFbdeaX0T1j9TZtDHeRAXwqw/s400/French_paint3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391852181136977954" border="0" /></a>Step 3: WHITE. Paint the crossbelts, trousers, gaiters, and shako cords where applicable. Drybrushing the shako plume is also useful, as it will brighten any colour painted over it. Likewise, if painting <span style="font-style: italic;">voltigeurs </span>or <span style="font-style: italic;">tirailleurs</span>, paint the collar WHITE and then YELLOW. Go ahead and be messy painting the crossbelts; the whole point of getting them so early on is that it doesn't matter.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_BMw190JvGcGXJhpMVLEzgMlAf_EM_PK7nzUZuaN_KMwwdhmHlQwXboNhpJKIm82RxtsJLRr6pke4GHWcx1BFpe1MiRXw5vjI9LU1dotHNqNfSSfgG8rk2BiDoPwgRysajvsfwz0vrU/s1600-h/French_paint5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 104px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_BMw190JvGcGXJhpMVLEzgMlAf_EM_PK7nzUZuaN_KMwwdhmHlQwXboNhpJKIm82RxtsJLRr6pke4GHWcx1BFpe1MiRXw5vjI9LU1dotHNqNfSSfgG8rk2BiDoPwgRysajvsfwz0vrU/s400/French_paint5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391863902170768786" border="0" /></a>Step 4: DARK BLUE. Paint the coat, and, if applicable, the trousers and gaiters. To be quite honest, you could just as easily skip this step, although it's a good opportunity to straighten out those messy crossbelts.<br /><br />Step 5: RED. Get the collar, cuffs, epaulettes, turnbacks, cockade, shako cords, pompoms and/or plumes, again, as applicable. I've yet to attempt a cockade on a 6mm fig, but <a href="http://miniatureofmind.blogspot.com/search/label/adler">those with more skill than I</a> are known to do such things.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwAAEKMNF3_zuQQxWlm2PAVm70RjPtAy2kEJLB0Ju6Rqk2IVFgfCyX4z1cMm3Dk9p5Qr8shpBP65xHePC8kkrBDYqWM1MRZj6k7AYLillMeietrsskE_tY4Ter9hjjHgdx3bQo_B-PKU/s1600-h/French_paint7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 107px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwAAEKMNF3_zuQQxWlm2PAVm70RjPtAy2kEJLB0Ju6Rqk2IVFgfCyX4z1cMm3Dk9p5Qr8shpBP65xHePC8kkrBDYqWM1MRZj6k7AYLillMeietrsskE_tY4Ter9hjjHgdx3bQo_B-PKU/s400/French_paint7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391863907182852898" border="0" /></a>Step 6: FLESH. Hands and face. Need I say more?<br /><br />Step 7: Paint the backpack TAN.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEw1fTYwtVw4_TnU3rIXzdbYk28uY3kFiydeLhJ6HqaBF_9ijGrp-7O2yJN7PiecPCMIO_BoS74jWdWc1davjDOLtiFTA0WvLesTv2ZLzTm1Vdc5IRQ6rcH6w0JQ_VMZwnv5LKfqIbWAo/s1600-h/French_paint9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEw1fTYwtVw4_TnU3rIXzdbYk28uY3kFiydeLhJ6HqaBF_9ijGrp-7O2yJN7PiecPCMIO_BoS74jWdWc1davjDOLtiFTA0WvLesTv2ZLzTm1Vdc5IRQ6rcH6w0JQ_VMZwnv5LKfqIbWAo/s400/French_paint9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391863916810265442" border="0" /></a>Step 8: Use BROWN for the hair and musket stock.<br /><br />Step 9: Shade the face and backpack with BROWN ink.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLXlodGLSgPc2wnhD_0GyVoprmjnlWscCtOeFHNiDNGJUNCCeyxrb_Ik1fbBxj0Xansnae44CXtYCmbofF3i9krpfBLwYYftxzt8h4140CP7JrCgR-VOGy_CQI9ESwHCliEya2pTUb2A/s1600-h/French_paint11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLXlodGLSgPc2wnhD_0GyVoprmjnlWscCtOeFHNiDNGJUNCCeyxrb_Ik1fbBxj0Xansnae44CXtYCmbofF3i9krpfBLwYYftxzt8h4140CP7JrCgR-VOGy_CQI9ESwHCliEya2pTUb2A/s400/French_paint11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391867983279765330" border="0" /></a>Step 10: Paint the shako plate BRONZE. For the button counters, some shako plates may be SILVER or GOLD.<br /><br />Step 11: BLUE. Highlight the areas painted DARK BLUE. If you skipped step 4, this is where you cover up the ragged edges on your crossbelts. Paint the pompoms if you want blue ones.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2k3ECfATMeUBBHR6bmPAdVSBHVWd0WAYQHtKWeQLsXiC_J2XZ-xRTot7UaSD150tPxydlHiiZ1GSrhCAZpm8g3edydaPjZHO_d0bPSO2eAtgR5SRkFgTnkCcoPwJhnCg7WaBtWR9HxnY/s1600-h/French_paint13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 107px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2k3ECfATMeUBBHR6bmPAdVSBHVWd0WAYQHtKWeQLsXiC_J2XZ-xRTot7UaSD150tPxydlHiiZ1GSrhCAZpm8g3edydaPjZHO_d0bPSO2eAtgR5SRkFgTnkCcoPwJhnCg7WaBtWR9HxnY/s400/French_paint13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391867989513784050" border="0" /></a>Step 12: Use SILVER on the musket barrels and bayonettes. If the figures have canteens, highlight them.<br /><br />Step 13: Pull out your FLESH again (and stop thinking dirty thoughts!). Use the 'four dot' method for highlighting the face: a dot of paint on nose, chin, and each cheek.<br /><br />Step 14: This is another optional step. Get out your WHITE again. Paint the musket strap as required. highlight the turnbacks, without completely covering the RED. Touch up any other WHITE areas as required.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqsp_AY_J5nPGbz6pzK5j6Jlw_f3G-O_HW-ITYYBh64OzEoYy64grpiwKzYVtuHbKRiVCfTOnzgMaYJ-Ko7s8SGNThm-t5-pw1U0Vb71Uv27yL-BCin2F6jVzMGAoKrppSB0rDCyAruo/s1600-h/French_paint14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 105px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqsp_AY_J5nPGbz6pzK5j6Jlw_f3G-O_HW-ITYYBh64OzEoYy64grpiwKzYVtuHbKRiVCfTOnzgMaYJ-Ko7s8SGNThm-t5-pw1U0Vb71Uv27yL-BCin2F6jVzMGAoKrppSB0rDCyAruo/s400/French_paint14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391867994272176338" border="0" /></a>Step 15: Paint the ground using your GROUND COLOUR. Probably this is some sort of green or brown, but I guess it could be anything.<br /><br />And you're done! Simple, right?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIB3vhfygkaWfm5b66lgZ_NTR32UbKYXmQ3Y9SeUwga5sx0KmA2LbATJ0EAJbcKUM_jzGCJKflfNHNJOT99FeMiLEla8l4sQ8tudqglxB-QId3koITVDZQcHcaS8yUabS7bN_4lzbWuk/s1600-h/Adler-FN18A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIB3vhfygkaWfm5b66lgZ_NTR32UbKYXmQ3Y9SeUwga5sx0KmA2LbATJ0EAJbcKUM_jzGCJKflfNHNJOT99FeMiLEla8l4sQ8tudqglxB-QId3koITVDZQcHcaS8yUabS7bN_4lzbWuk/s400/Adler-FN18A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391477224981689410" border="0" /></a>Adler FN 18A - "Artillery crew (1812)". These were painted using the MFPMFPAF method, with only a differences from the example pieces: blue trousers, no crossbelts, pure red turnbacks.<br /></div><br />Now you have to glue those minis to their bases, add a bit of sand and static grass, and in no time you've got units looking like these:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1nJpjCII_VObiLtjrUBx4oqo7nC0HdCyqWLe2mBaOE1xyQzLjxnBOVwL2kX13VhTUuSyy8-ukyKsp37McDu55Xu4wnQdVUTQEayHmex9PJgT1awWDo8KMXraphBrBnC3Uzot8TF-2js/s1600-h/French_1st_corps8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1nJpjCII_VObiLtjrUBx4oqo7nC0HdCyqWLe2mBaOE1xyQzLjxnBOVwL2kX13VhTUuSyy8-ukyKsp37McDu55Xu4wnQdVUTQEayHmex9PJgT1awWDo8KMXraphBrBnC3Uzot8TF-2js/s400/French_1st_corps8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391480473001323922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">French line infantry. The pompoms on 'centre' companies can be green, orange, purple or blue; light companies can have green and/or yellow pompoms or plumes, while the grenadier companies are supposed to sport red plumes.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GN3LJay2Nfmh9F6uyMkttoy1ffH8Uss5mdZXvat2snP4-maFA5hTPMJxaT2vCDMcU7eOCi8hyphenhyphenJzag4n-GHGA9sGmn2qLIilsGOmxJoaVEC52JbF28aw_3eily6yssYSBTcUf2IWO28w/s1600-h/French_1st_corps14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 94px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GN3LJay2Nfmh9F6uyMkttoy1ffH8Uss5mdZXvat2snP4-maFA5hTPMJxaT2vCDMcU7eOCi8hyphenhyphenJzag4n-GHGA9sGmn2qLIilsGOmxJoaVEC52JbF28aw_3eily6yssYSBTcUf2IWO28w/s400/French_1st_corps14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391485204077253682" border="0" /></a>French infantry, showing a few of the many available variations in pose and equipment. Adler actually produces 19,629,486 different product codes for the French infantry alone, accounting for most of the major troop types in some of the more common wargames poses. I have it on good authority that Oompa Loompas are working feverishly to fill in the gaps.<br /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Spanish Fly</span><br /><br />There is one unit in Davout's corps that I couldn't paint using MFPMFPAF. This was the Joseph Napoleon Regiment.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGscY-vvdfQIUJkDjiP_FhF2HiVsruVByx24dhNzhA54Nn8OhxgrPsdfNhDKpmuYzxdaamt260IkPGKE0_PhEElkCAzlNuE1qIXlwwy3qbm151OnBA5r8LkuIRGOiXci71maItAlDMtn0/s1600-h/French_1st_corps11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGscY-vvdfQIUJkDjiP_FhF2HiVsruVByx24dhNzhA54Nn8OhxgrPsdfNhDKpmuYzxdaamt260IkPGKE0_PhEElkCAzlNuE1qIXlwwy3qbm151OnBA5r8LkuIRGOiXci71maItAlDMtn0/s400/French_1st_corps11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391481084165959794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Joseph Napoleon Regiment, shown in their white and green unifoms. </span><br /></div><br />One of Napoleon's brothers, Joseph Bonaparte was ostensibly the King of Spain; the entire Spanish army was up in arms against the Bonapartes, however. Much of that Spanish army had actually been 'serving' with French forces in Germany, and while most of these troops escaped aboard British ships and were repatriated to Spain, a few thousand were captured by their erstwhile allies. These Spanish POWs were pressed back into service as the Joseph Napoleon Regiment, intended to form the core of King Joseph's new army. In the event, the Regiment never saw service in Spain, or under Spanish colours; as a unit of the French army it marched into Russia in 1812, only to be bled white by that campaign.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJtnbEkDL2rBT0s8r_wkkJSczG_AdaKe9e8m1BBNAEgdXbCy_EJrsIYX4ppQYtMzR5avTmmRCy3I3p2ueAIfxx-D2nbPSu2vVt5SkjVo6qONlNFlyoZ1uxF7Nsx45k4DQLth88mEuqlg/s1600-h/French_1st_corps3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 81px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJtnbEkDL2rBT0s8r_wkkJSczG_AdaKe9e8m1BBNAEgdXbCy_EJrsIYX4ppQYtMzR5avTmmRCy3I3p2ueAIfxx-D2nbPSu2vVt5SkjVo6qONlNFlyoZ1uxF7Nsx45k4DQLth88mEuqlg/s400/French_1st_corps3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391480095229907522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mike and the Amazing Technicolour Grasslands</span><br /><br />Readers of previous posts here at the Leadpile may have noticed a gradual evolution in my basing techniques. One of my inspirations has been <a href="http://6milphil.wordpress.com/2009/09/07/flocking-bases/">6milphil's excellent basing style</a>, which combines layers of flock with layers of static grass. Of course, being in mid-project meant that I could hardly abandon my own previous method, but I've been doing a bit of tweaking, and have been pleased with the results so far.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNErHyXeAV0IooDwNoCYg2vZIqUANItrFrb0mK7I90iDwaLG8t8X3J9CLb-TYRQyb7c-zvdtgiKwp4da2LX5jKl6NN7kMwguV_ZWjFU6uar-LyfTa5VdOstEhBj0BtjqRljw99apZs2MQ/s1600-h/French_brigade_Bourdessoulle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNErHyXeAV0IooDwNoCYg2vZIqUANItrFrb0mK7I90iDwaLG8t8X3J9CLb-TYRQyb7c-zvdtgiKwp4da2LX5jKl6NN7kMwguV_ZWjFU6uar-LyfTa5VdOstEhBj0BtjqRljw99apZs2MQ/s400/French_brigade_Bourdessoulle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391479616848225650" border="0" /></a>Bourdessoulle's brigade tramples some different grasses.<br /></div><br />I've been using the excellent <a href="https://www.baccus6mm.com/includes/howto/base6mm.php">Baccus Basing System</a> pretty much universally since I picked it up, and this latest batch is no different. Since my first lukewarm review, the BBS has definitely grown on me. It uses sand as a base medium, drybrushed consecutively with several colours of paint to bring out the texture. While both quicker and more realistic results can be attained by other techniques, the BBS is a consistent, elegant, and versatile method, well-suited to customization.<br /><br />So what have I done with it, you ask?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9yGjQg9WFIDIa3PDjeTXAyVQgtU5THnQj9-PECuyjs-cyaAhlZJCcsmzwKeKngRAQgLX90CiQBSD6P6D-DxoF9XGXvpEwVEgQIXFjX1A6zUE8nggV7dTztBE3egV5mvdc2ywkMKtP3w/s1600-h/French_basing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9yGjQg9WFIDIa3PDjeTXAyVQgtU5THnQj9-PECuyjs-cyaAhlZJCcsmzwKeKngRAQgLX90CiQBSD6P6D-DxoF9XGXvpEwVEgQIXFjX1A6zUE8nggV7dTztBE3egV5mvdc2ywkMKtP3w/s400/French_basing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391495364721248882" border="0" /></a>The above example illustrates some of my current basing fetishes:<br />1. I've gone with a coarser grade of sand than that provided by Baccus, which makes drybrushing easier. As a personal preference, I also like to use several layers of sand, building up the 'ground' until it's flush with the metal base of the figures themselves.<br /><br />2. This is the static grass that came with the BBS - I believe it's actually KJ0850 "Light Green Mix" from Realistic Modelling; maybe someone can confirm or deny this. At any rate, it's a pretty standard mix of yellow, light green and red strands. It contrasts well with the BBS drybrushing, and in 6mm contrast is everything. While I feel that a few different 'flavours' of grass or flock will improve the realism of a base, I've found that making one 'flavour' dominant (i.e. 50% or more of the foliage on the base) improves the overall look. To match my older stuff, based in vanilla BBS style, I've made this grass dominate.<br /><br />3. This green-brown mix makes good dying grass. I've used it around the edges of the greener stuff, as well as around rocks and logs -- delineating dry or rocky areas where plants might have trouble growing. This particular mix is miniNatur 002-29 "Short hay, 2mm", from <a href="http://angelbarracks.co.uk/html/angel_barracks_-_sundries.html#StaticGrass">Angel Barracks</a>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdFmke2gKNxsl3Cb2BgQThYpiohApuZKOgu9E0tjdMfw5xO1eBjgVnf_zC998B3exNJ87TjdPFJ3oaci6xAUDUWQhh9J7c0s8Wh-1Y05bbH6tafekkWW8cPQAfjFBIdW8wZPtWaO1zq0/s1600-h/French_brigade_Girardin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdFmke2gKNxsl3Cb2BgQThYpiohApuZKOgu9E0tjdMfw5xO1eBjgVnf_zC998B3exNJ87TjdPFJ3oaci6xAUDUWQhh9J7c0s8Wh-1Y05bbH6tafekkWW8cPQAfjFBIdW8wZPtWaO1zq0/s400/French_brigade_Girardin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391485454337336418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Girardin's cavalry brigade, on a base showing different grasses to good effect.</span><br /></div><br />4. I've used a few patches of more intense green as well. This could represent a different species of plant, or wetter and more nutrient-rich lowlying areas. The mix is a combination of the monochrome miniNatur 002-22 "Grass flocking 2mms. Summer", also from <a href="http://angelbarracks.co.uk/html/angel_barracks_-_sundries.html#StaticGrass">Angel Barracks</a>, with a sprinkling of the venerable 99229999055 "Static Grass" from <a href="http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat1290202&prodId=prod1095396">Games Workshop</a> for variation. Most of us probably realize that static grass is made from nylon, but it's supposed to <span style="font-style: italic;">look </span>like real grass. Blending colours helps promote the illusion; a monochrome swathe just looks like astroturf.<br /><br />5. While it's tough to make out in the picture, I've also added a few 6milphil-inspired patches of oldschool foam flocking. This represents moss or weeds, again furthering the impression that your armies are marching across a living, breathing ecosystem. This is a mixture of Woodland Scenics T41 "Fine Turf - Soil", T42 "Fine Turf - Earth", and some long out-of-production green and yellow stuff.<br /><br />6. I'm also trying to put a point of interest on each base. This isn't necessarily something to draw attention; a log, a puddle, drummers, or in this case a boulder can serve. These are just little things your brain can pick up on unconsciously to differentiate each base from the next.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWXXJDDjdYNQaT2TTRqTzJXavDUu18ah6Esi3XcyDIkIB8LUMrwn_mQXtwjn-JBsal4Obu2adp6YYkjPKk4YtjoV6Oy-tXw24Mn8B1s6PbzYyJk2av0XXmxszxhQu1mps91h9xO2tvIQ/s1600-h/French_1st_corps10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWXXJDDjdYNQaT2TTRqTzJXavDUu18ah6Esi3XcyDIkIB8LUMrwn_mQXtwjn-JBsal4Obu2adp6YYkjPKk4YtjoV6Oy-tXw24Mn8B1s6PbzYyJk2av0XXmxszxhQu1mps91h9xO2tvIQ/s400/French_1st_corps10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391481076863672706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">On this base a puddle and a log serve as objects of interest. Note the greener grass around the wet area.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20EzCIiUjMYzPT70EHAS2BMV3pMa8qNvXVMr3L371FuJLqTi_3ZhsfNNUXbBXqj1nHG_o-UdmgIcVnP37-m4CU7Ckda4UVvFp-lBQtzhFQKC15CkeuVr-jp8gLtI-zCOxutAlqkiJujw/s1600-h/French_12th_21st_ligne.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20EzCIiUjMYzPT70EHAS2BMV3pMa8qNvXVMr3L371FuJLqTi_3ZhsfNNUXbBXqj1nHG_o-UdmgIcVnP37-m4CU7Ckda4UVvFp-lBQtzhFQKC15CkeuVr-jp8gLtI-zCOxutAlqkiJujw/s400/French_12th_21st_ligne.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391479120227748994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">It's tough to see in the picture, but this base features a couple of soldiers struggling to move a stubborn pack mule from their unit's path.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0UCt0-MKLsEtleD8x_KIXokHs3jy_NmvjKWzXG1qda4u6NFUXzVHNRC9MPnkrJMWkd9LoK0CkIvsgrItGtPcaVlOSFexYy1V3FcyWu_L-fXqaG9FH5BqcAxEe44LT7_vg6YFhTqn-R4/s1600-h/French_1st_corps7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0UCt0-MKLsEtleD8x_KIXokHs3jy_NmvjKWzXG1qda4u6NFUXzVHNRC9MPnkrJMWkd9LoK0CkIvsgrItGtPcaVlOSFexYy1V3FcyWu_L-fXqaG9FH5BqcAxEe44LT7_vg6YFhTqn-R4/s400/French_1st_corps7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391480465999806178" border="0" /></a>There's the mule again, in the background on the left. I stuck a broken 4-pounder on the base to the right, giving cover to some skirmishers.<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I'll shut up now</span><br /><br />Enjoy the pictures. Why not leave a comment?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnzXXsTAw7fGO2O6usMQ45aPMzIgwgUw8x8ulHPi8AHgrlERwSFfyX34skMmGMFFjQNmPqHeNOIDrNAWwCVpOouzeKVDojjRBr7Trp8K80mj6ViLY5RX8O3Nnq6WnabKaLka8UyQBJMk/s1600-h/French_1st_corps13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnzXXsTAw7fGO2O6usMQ45aPMzIgwgUw8x8ulHPi8AHgrlERwSFfyX34skMmGMFFjQNmPqHeNOIDrNAWwCVpOouzeKVDojjRBr7Trp8K80mj6ViLY5RX8O3Nnq6WnabKaLka8UyQBJMk/s400/French_1st_corps13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391485195710907154" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBLJ51j7fa9rjc52K2quUIe0HnxV2kem2SVmz_AdQBPBWdHCCbFEgdoutqcHwlh0nDgaWkZfsyRLunBmaVci86hs9meNhqO5bh5MTX8n7Y34hl5sbfm0A-DPxoepjxw0ns2HisXDAYHY/s1600-h/French_1st_corps12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 65px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBLJ51j7fa9rjc52K2quUIe0HnxV2kem2SVmz_AdQBPBWdHCCbFEgdoutqcHwlh0nDgaWkZfsyRLunBmaVci86hs9meNhqO5bh5MTX8n7Y34hl5sbfm0A-DPxoepjxw0ns2HisXDAYHY/s400/French_1st_corps12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391485190356443362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxIRxUt_L7HisI94xn8vQQcpvMY_tYH8aXM_9JwWHgVemr-X-apS0Tb61eem0oISE02CqhO8nuvge8vwz1h3a88mk3UDcC7qBFIe52cswUD2LdunZqbHmSWK9uLOq27Tqdw9lfv2QMAU/s1600-h/French_1st_corps5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxIRxUt_L7HisI94xn8vQQcpvMY_tYH8aXM_9JwWHgVemr-X-apS0Tb61eem0oISE02CqhO8nuvge8vwz1h3a88mk3UDcC7qBFIe52cswUD2LdunZqbHmSWK9uLOq27Tqdw9lfv2QMAU/s400/French_1st_corps5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391480107931918354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqeXEP9HxkJhhTFC_V666GQf_MvMe6KcxVK4_1aJaQG177c4TbcoPRGAcSy9eB4hlsMYJcnrTrzh2Wv7Du3asvELsWHCC_6T0EmtxT56TEVltaXXE9znwJ4yIMNRTXgbMc2IOKi37syY/s1600-h/French_1st_corps4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqeXEP9HxkJhhTFC_V666GQf_MvMe6KcxVK4_1aJaQG177c4TbcoPRGAcSy9eB4hlsMYJcnrTrzh2Wv7Du3asvELsWHCC_6T0EmtxT56TEVltaXXE9znwJ4yIMNRTXgbMc2IOKi37syY/s400/French_1st_corps4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391480099349856402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiT_5bceqD_HD3PnfgWiZttAhSu8VPVRUJuiP0-xDNCzxMFrFYomxlyaQYi5E1YhrEtH75nBbQ8x0mtcrGBv1P11_oTPRh-D0lD0vas60DPWdKsgt1geQA0WBt6D06pvHhaJxCal5TzE/s1600-h/French_1st_corps2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiT_5bceqD_HD3PnfgWiZttAhSu8VPVRUJuiP0-xDNCzxMFrFYomxlyaQYi5E1YhrEtH75nBbQ8x0mtcrGBv1P11_oTPRh-D0lD0vas60DPWdKsgt1geQA0WBt6D06pvHhaJxCal5TzE/s400/French_1st_corps2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391479631064778850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9V9DnyMAQPhHZqAkqhEbyWeQQbQKw-m4a5ItZM_jAn6nfsXKS775PMPJO8lt4W5KvNzdc2zaRTemLpoxzocieZ0DulU8X-AOOGwQF2qobnCPRywT-FcxWNMqTgepCBcmdSa1Yf6pbou8/s1600-h/French_1st_corps1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 379px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9V9DnyMAQPhHZqAkqhEbyWeQQbQKw-m4a5ItZM_jAn6nfsXKS775PMPJO8lt4W5KvNzdc2zaRTemLpoxzocieZ0DulU8X-AOOGwQF2qobnCPRywT-FcxWNMqTgepCBcmdSa1Yf6pbou8/s400/French_1st_corps1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391479620195819762" border="0" /></a><br />Finally, I'd like to wish a happy Thanksgiving to any fellow Canadians out there. Also a happy Columbus Day (whatever that is) to the Yanks, and just happy... day... to everyone else.<br /><br />Next time: something different.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-60240590625127298602009-09-22T18:53:00.000-03:002009-09-22T23:12:00.929-03:00From Russia With Love...Or, how our protagonist finally manages to complete a major Russian formation for Borodino (and muses on why it took so ridiculously long).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Hg6QhPmbdk4tlBcBC963TC9SQdwE-5gcc3yX1tFQCIFpkDNI7y4-1t5z953cGNWq0xLqDbQ7CGBQjof2Qq7QHHrTk-cyGaJn5Kpk5R_YTzwFJ19RA3fpwCp_BobZCBdXX53F27yuZks/s1600-h/Russian_7th_Corps6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Hg6QhPmbdk4tlBcBC963TC9SQdwE-5gcc3yX1tFQCIFpkDNI7y4-1t5z953cGNWq0xLqDbQ7CGBQjof2Qq7QHHrTk-cyGaJn5Kpk5R_YTzwFJ19RA3fpwCp_BobZCBdXX53F27yuZks/s400/Russian_7th_Corps6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384437123682666450" border="0" /></a>Raievski's 7th Corps advances... cue the 1812 Overture.<br /></div><br />Once again it's been nearly a month since I've posted, and once again it seems as if I've accomplished all too little over those weeks. True, I've now finished the Russian 7th Corps... but it's a small corps and a month ago I was a good two thirds of the way there already. If the Russian command had been this slow in 1812, Napoleon might have had an easier time of it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Divide and Conquer</span><br /><br />Having already flaunted the 12th Division in my last post, I've only got a single new one to show off now. This is the 26th Division, and like its counterpart, it comprises four regiments of line, and two of <i>Jägers</i>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoyVSjjURxCfcqZ1CL7Fu7YFktWvS6-91C9J5fDVYXUf60c7ymvb4j0hHsE4_VR97knmDQoCqLb434jmW0qcw7UBLR6QtAoujkBpJGTLmE9Xn6oMXPcBJejrK5FiSPlgabpdlwIWLyCCM/s1600-h/Russian_Ladoga_Nigegorod_regts.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoyVSjjURxCfcqZ1CL7Fu7YFktWvS6-91C9J5fDVYXUf60c7ymvb4j0hHsE4_VR97knmDQoCqLb434jmW0qcw7UBLR6QtAoujkBpJGTLmE9Xn6oMXPcBJejrK5FiSPlgabpdlwIWLyCCM/s400/Russian_Ladoga_Nigegorod_regts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384417852633188082" border="0" /></a>The Ladoga and Novgorod regiments. Again, the scenic possibilities of individually-based Adler miniatures is, I think, obvious.<br /></div><br />My previous basing experiment with the French troops wading through a puddle turned out so nicely that I decided to repeat it with some Russians. Now, the bases I've been using are higher-quality MDF, with has a comparatively slick surface. Anyone who's used this stuff probably knows that glue doesn't adhere very well unless the base is scuffed a little, and indeed, I keep a bit of coarse sandpaper with my basing supples for that purpose. Naturally, being the careless fool that I am, I roughed up the area I'd set aside for the 'puddle', and as a result didn't quite end up with the same smoothe glossy surface I'd achieved with the French. Another lesson learned the hard way, I suppose.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaDtFl0AYMdCjI6V1pc5Iy-4pp00ZG2U3q3f027juRTJQF15LFia56gmy1TGyNBkGATlNyIAlhrKni-D4Tuew8x1U3lQGM4M_pOWAVmnZnCYzPs6vYAhOtnRgHNdYUBy_-9__4ubRq0w/s1600-h/Adler-RN20A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 139px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaDtFl0AYMdCjI6V1pc5Iy-4pp00ZG2U3q3f027juRTJQF15LFia56gmy1TGyNBkGATlNyIAlhrKni-D4Tuew8x1U3lQGM4M_pOWAVmnZnCYzPs6vYAhOtnRgHNdYUBy_-9__4ubRq0w/s400/Adler-RN20A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384422109247456898" border="0" /></a>Adler RN 20A - "Comd group, kiwer (3)". I've complained previously about how this code comes with only one standard bearer when it should have two. I'd also like to complain about the sedate pose of the officer-- sometimes you really just want one pointing with his sword.<br /></div><br />One of the reasons I've made such slow progress with this project has been my tendency to paint more minis than I have room for on each base. The command figures are a case in point: in the entire Corps I only used five drummers, when I'd planned to use a dozen. Granted, this means that I've accumulated a fair stockpile of painted bits and bobs for the future, but I certainly intend to be more economical with my painting time as well.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxR79CKm_hEFFjtBUZ_aKBUJVTBUFOIbPlazruTe3dB7usnSM7T9WZ24ZIy-WjeAy9SNgZXpnWrU2mW6JxyRQR1udMZdMZa_owNZEqiamxA-0vi49-PBzmp8mQWM9bytdONALQfCkBy80/s1600-h/Russian_5th_42nd_Jagers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxR79CKm_hEFFjtBUZ_aKBUJVTBUFOIbPlazruTe3dB7usnSM7T9WZ24ZIy-WjeAy9SNgZXpnWrU2mW6JxyRQR1udMZdMZa_owNZEqiamxA-0vi49-PBzmp8mQWM9bytdONALQfCkBy80/s400/Russian_5th_42nd_Jagers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384417850312176002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The 5th and 42nd </span>Jäger <span style="font-style: italic;">regiments. The lack of colours makes these guys much easier to distinguish at a distance than their French counterparts, although I may add more scenic elements to future </span>Jäger <span style="font-style: italic;">bases to make them a bit more visually interesting.</span><br /></div><br />One of the problems I've had with the Russian light infantry regiments especially is a lack of space. While the French lights come in a 'high porte' pose that frees up some real estate ahead of each formation, the Russians have no such luck. As a result, some of the skirmishers up front look like they're about a step away from getting bayonetted in the back. One solution, I suppose, would be to replace one (or both) of the <i>Jäger</i> regiments with figures in 'march attack' pose, i.e. with musket shouldered. The main problem with this is that I've already got far more minis than I need in the advancing pose! Some of them, I suspect, may find themselves painted as grenadiers one of these days...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Odtp_KXkI7MczeeL17ytZNVtmjGuk7h0C-dQJdQiJ5NOIZJKE6f1bKb9hxUe5gGUPLYuYAE_2zDURoU69w763yuk8exPPPI0MjH3fXKGRP9y4B70tw9dxa_hyi6D2wwsHCbpLGtYMQY/s1600-h/Russian_26th_Division.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 104px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Odtp_KXkI7MczeeL17ytZNVtmjGuk7h0C-dQJdQiJ5NOIZJKE6f1bKb9hxUe5gGUPLYuYAE_2zDURoU69w763yuk8exPPPI0MjH3fXKGRP9y4B70tw9dxa_hyi6D2wwsHCbpLGtYMQY/s400/Russian_26th_Division.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384419739811223474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The 26th Division in all its 6mm glory!</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It doesn't matter if you're black or... green?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Russian uniform colours continue to remain something of a mystery to me. Most people seem to agree that their coats were green, but just <span style="font-style: italic;">how </span>green is a matter of contention. Even in period paintings the coats can sometimes appear so dark as to be almost black, while at other times looking considerably lighter. Probably the best explanation I've heard argued is that green dyes were more prone than most to bleaching, and so a coat that began quite dark would gradually become more and more green.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeX9-vkXTBQgKRbuRYynkkh41LwvNc9xmKrGrB0q5Ix4rc3sLUWDFP_Bj-KIDVUfWvAAgZxu-rjKcFzkk4D68zeU-wjWekaqNEw6ZXmt9LKTIZAlnRt0b8LMHRW48K_gWz0HZSQd3m4Y/s1600-h/Russian_Orel_Poltava_regts.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeX9-vkXTBQgKRbuRYynkkh41LwvNc9xmKrGrB0q5Ix4rc3sLUWDFP_Bj-KIDVUfWvAAgZxu-rjKcFzkk4D68zeU-wjWekaqNEw6ZXmt9LKTIZAlnRt0b8LMHRW48K_gWz0HZSQd3m4Y/s400/Russian_Orel_Poltava_regts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384417839548322114" border="0" /></a>The regiments from Poltava and Orel.<br /></div><br />Then there's the pompoms. There is, apparently, some system for explaining their colour... but I have no idea what it is. In a couple of spots I've found what I think is a complete explanation, only to find illustrations depicting pompoms whose colour is explained nowhere. Happily, I'm quite willing to plough on in ignorance, painting pompoms whatever colour I damned well please.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii89hqqpdBPqJhQohLzZra0LrRipaFMoCQnEyvT4i6eMTWohH32M5KySNL0IkPmxmYgYA1jMy7KkFzU7bQVH-W-oKkrcZnzDj3CXBim3YNQOYfHwGDIGqRXHglYzf2mjtwbWKIy58Mnhk/s1600-h/Russian_7th_Corps3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii89hqqpdBPqJhQohLzZra0LrRipaFMoCQnEyvT4i6eMTWohH32M5KySNL0IkPmxmYgYA1jMy7KkFzU7bQVH-W-oKkrcZnzDj3CXBim3YNQOYfHwGDIGqRXHglYzf2mjtwbWKIy58Mnhk/s400/Russian_7th_Corps3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384436792506498450" border="0" /></a>A better view of the base, showing the standard bearer of the Orel regiment standing on a boulder, and having a chat with the mounted officer.<br /></div><br />Finally there's the flags. Here, at least, there seems to be a coherent (if complicated) system. Only the four line regiments in each infantry division carry flags, and each of them gets different coloured flagstaves: white, yellow, brown or black, depending on their position in the formation. Each battalion of each regiment carries two flags: either one 'coloured' flag and one 'white' (or 'colonel's') for the first battalion, or two identical 'coloured' flags for the rest. A new flag design seems to have been created every few years, but whether or not any given formation carried the flag for any given year seems to have depended on any number of factors-- the unit's seniority, its battle honours, the Tsar's whim, etc.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Take me to your leader</span><br /><br />An army corps needs a corps commander, naturally enough. The Russian 7th Corps was commanded by one Nikolai Nicolaievitch Raievski, dubbed by his countrymen the "Hero of Borodino". It was Raievski's corps who held the Great Redoubt, and who, for most of the battle, held it against several times their number of enemy troops (incidentally, two whole regiments were reputedly slaughtered to a man when the redoubt was taken).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nr0Q378FG1Q0wXNmrChgec9JF5KMCRc57tKAe_HnfdBROUruSDElpnYoEuljWHmxP4enhsCOL-e2iE02puJupAfCHQ9XsvvKZWVm_OD_LDvtxBc3OHTL9oVmtJ7c9FoU4W5-uCN3tz0/s1600-h/Russian_26th_generals.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nr0Q378FG1Q0wXNmrChgec9JF5KMCRc57tKAe_HnfdBROUruSDElpnYoEuljWHmxP4enhsCOL-e2iE02puJupAfCHQ9XsvvKZWVm_OD_LDvtxBc3OHTL9oVmtJ7c9FoU4W5-uCN3tz0/s400/Russian_26th_generals.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384422118543650082" border="0" /></a>A general of infantry. As usual, I had a hard time fitting everything I wanted to on the base.<br /></div><br />With a general as renowned as Raievski to depict, I wish I could say I used a special figure. Alas, I did not. Adler offers a Russian generals pack with specific figures for a number of historical commanders, but it's quite the expensive collection of metal, as these things go. Someday, I'll get myself one... but not this day. Anyway, not only did I not use a specific Raievski figure, but I actually used an Austrian general. The Russian command strips I had contained a general in bicorne and an ADC in a kiwer; since I wanted a couple of bicorne-wearing generals, I snuck in the foreigner. In my defence, the Russian army of the day <span style="font-style: italic;">did</span> employ quite a lot of mercenary officers.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgfRd0aWowrh3ovHRACDmv-P9sA1a-zDZl-zJnWlN27qd6OsJovpmkNlrYcqL6u4Rl0P7_qtbu5q43e8-NqEunjIOJmQuqbK10YUpaAb1nCeZLzzNmqYfnkqdbCy0zJILvytNU_mI4Lw/s1600-h/Adler-RN2C.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 337px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgfRd0aWowrh3ovHRACDmv-P9sA1a-zDZl-zJnWlN27qd6OsJovpmkNlrYcqL6u4Rl0P7_qtbu5q43e8-NqEunjIOJmQuqbK10YUpaAb1nCeZLzzNmqYfnkqdbCy0zJILvytNU_mI4Lw/s400/Adler-RN2C.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384422104084354242" border="0" /></a>Adler RN 2C - "Musketeer, kiwer, marching". The shako cords (kiwer cords?) on this code were not very pronounced. Whether this was because of unusually-poor sculpting or worn out molds, I don't know. In any case, all my attempts to paint the cords ended disastrously.<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Of horse I love you</span><br /><br />At long last, I also had a chance to check out some of the legendary Adler cavalry. Yes, they're considerably larger than any other 6mm horse-- and in point of fact the riders themselves scale poorly even compared to Adler's own infantry! However, despite many claims to the contrary, they are considerably smaller than even the smallest of 10mm cavalry.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxpnmgdl2YZa1C69zcpQrvr1ig_5wjdszH4Tl1-Q-hmuKQnLqNuQMdQ-Xqt8unCeGHxPJuB4sbi-X2FScam6CNLJS2zPsqKDDz7KfwEnpG0FAyt93TYmzLWdrhR4HhEx9WabBRxxjmJw/s1600-h/Adler-RNC1B.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 106px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxpnmgdl2YZa1C69zcpQrvr1ig_5wjdszH4Tl1-Q-hmuKQnLqNuQMdQ-Xqt8unCeGHxPJuB4sbi-X2FScam6CNLJS2zPsqKDDz7KfwEnpG0FAyt93TYmzLWdrhR4HhEx9WabBRxxjmJw/s400/Adler-RNC1B.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384416492152921586" border="0" /></a>Adler RNC 1B - "Hussar,slung Pelisse, kiwer". Amazing sculpting, although casting is hit and miss. I had one rider come with a broken sword.<br /></div><br />As always, the added size of the Adler figs is used to good effect. The level of detail and dynamism shown in these models is exquisite-- when allowing for their scale, the hussars I painted have to be the best sculpts I have ever seen. Bar none. I only wish my painting was up to the same standards!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguN9IY4JeRafGYYNLIUtoTa9Xp8mQH2Nwf-IqIxSuV0FQY3DMEGHL7v1te3taE3kgK_gGQs2iVv58eT1zaR7AuOcJv6t5twK1y6ouX514DLpxx94HpkzdbDU52eTaxUOAqLgE5mraDm3o/s1600-h/Adler-RNC2A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguN9IY4JeRafGYYNLIUtoTa9Xp8mQH2Nwf-IqIxSuV0FQY3DMEGHL7v1te3taE3kgK_gGQs2iVv58eT1zaR7AuOcJv6t5twK1y6ouX514DLpxx94HpkzdbDU52eTaxUOAqLgE5mraDm3o/s400/Adler-RNC2A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384416497446568722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Adler RNC 2A - "Hussar, wearing Pelisse,kiwer". A little harder to identify as hussars from a distance, but easily mixed with their "slung Pelisse" counterparts for variety.</span><br /></div><br />The added size of the cavalry also poses issues for basing. The Baccus standard is nine horsemen abreast for 60mm frontage; you'd have a difficult time matching this with Adlers. In my experience eight abreast would fit comfortably (7.5mm frontage per figure), while I opted for seven across, in keeping with my philosophy for this project of not sticking figures too close to the base edges.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxVM7NerUu-kIOBdfROAuK5YXVsNJtfPlTYOqIqhzHYxnEjLRdb6sZRiT8WAavq2-3fExlZVXwLTQeXFhhMXU7bOExmBgT4W-5Kl8p3sc_kKAKV1k_BHwW9xUpg3P9xab0AH3gX1PHNk/s1600-h/Russian_Achtirka_Hussars.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxVM7NerUu-kIOBdfROAuK5YXVsNJtfPlTYOqIqhzHYxnEjLRdb6sZRiT8WAavq2-3fExlZVXwLTQeXFhhMXU7bOExmBgT4W-5Kl8p3sc_kKAKV1k_BHwW9xUpg3P9xab0AH3gX1PHNk/s400/Russian_Achtirka_Hussars.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384419725414202978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Achtirka Hussars. Their yellow-on-brown uniform is possibly the ugliest of all the Russian cavalry.</span><br /></div><br />Other differences between manufacturers are also worth noting: while Baccus cavalry tend to be weak at the horses' ankles, the Adlers have no such weakness. On the other hand, the uplifted sabres of so many Adler codes are a definite weak spot. A few bent blades should be expected from careless handling, while I shudder at the thought of what a dropped base might do.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBN8j3cbcx5vhSMVAY0OPrRYtS33ImqMVk9dt42ZQi551NxUVF2YgYnBANVAHiAVYoGMBOkTgmqYO4QZLkrkppN3XBWwohFuLClwOXwjMebx5p21y6OFwQD6JjT0QT0x6sHi9aHoDAVs/s1600-h/Adler-RNC10A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBN8j3cbcx5vhSMVAY0OPrRYtS33ImqMVk9dt42ZQi551NxUVF2YgYnBANVAHiAVYoGMBOkTgmqYO4QZLkrkppN3XBWwohFuLClwOXwjMebx5p21y6OFwQD6JjT0QT0x6sHi9aHoDAVs/s400/Adler-RNC10A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384416501954622338" border="0" /></a>Adler RNC 10A - "Hussar, kiwer cmd". The cornet is nice, but the Russian hussars carried no flag as far as I've been able to determine. Oh well.<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Grand Battery</span><br /><br />I also took a first crack at some artillery. The guns themselves were, if anything, the best of the lot. Not only is the sculpting up to the usual high standard, but I found the castings very crisp, lacking the excessive flash that made cleaning everything else such a chore.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicl_houl440BlwyRnG16DhM7y3nYReh5hTFCAX1itIn5u62MBYi6KF8utyrdyg511jHpnkY97M_NDeDTjRYEPXm7aDQXxS_3sGzLyomkZtus-ITl3R6Anovs2kk3pACqSBmFP-w7S9oUo/s1600-h/Adler-RNE2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicl_houl440BlwyRnG16DhM7y3nYReh5hTFCAX1itIn5u62MBYi6KF8utyrdyg511jHpnkY97M_NDeDTjRYEPXm7aDQXxS_3sGzLyomkZtus-ITl3R6Anovs2kk3pACqSBmFP-w7S9oUo/s400/Adler-RNE2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384414996252231810" border="0" /></a>Adler RNE 2 - "6 pdr". You can cue the 1812 Overture again.<br /></div><br />The wheels are separate castings, and the same wheels are used for all the artillery I've seen, both French and Russian alike. The wheels are also very nicely cast, far better than many I've seen in larger scales. Although I've had a few come with flash clogging the spokes, Adler usually sends a few extra wheels along to ensure sufficient good ones-- a practice I wish other miniature manufacturers would emulate!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocoAo03Sj5LvP-Yeh27Z5_jG5GQTeWSMn1_hlUHxsT4bOMkmNictx4cKlRz6-BXdSn5nwBZ4hh6juizOFIaK3V4y8gKGC97kehxLMu9wMEwEbf9P01ZzAeUk1MAKXqY0rPYehmCPmTDU/s1600-h/Russian_6_pdrs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocoAo03Sj5LvP-Yeh27Z5_jG5GQTeWSMn1_hlUHxsT4bOMkmNictx4cKlRz6-BXdSn5nwBZ4hh6juizOFIaK3V4y8gKGC97kehxLMu9wMEwEbf9P01ZzAeUk1MAKXqY0rPYehmCPmTDU/s400/Russian_6_pdrs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384419731043382322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A battery of 6-pounders. Since one of the artillery crew is hefting a cannonball, I made the mistake of sticking him directly in front of the barrel on one of these bases. It looks pretty silly, and I shan't do it again.</span><br /></div><br />The Russian artillery arm was in some ways the pride of their army. Throughout the period, Russian armies showed a marked tendency to dig in before a fight, shielding their batteries behind earthwork fortifications. Borodino was no exception to this, with Russian cannons occupying not only Raievski's Great Redoubt, but the three "Bagration flèches" as well. Since I figure I'll build myself some scenery for this project at some point, I refrained from depicting any kind of earthworks on the artillery bases themselves.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLuS7zOYQvWb-4SIpm96CIfg7vdUCJQxYMR6Wbj_0XNspeqFlx3X0qdP54GydPu2x0Oi0oEQG0_eBuRiqh2zTDOc0gVAzJL_W5O1sGrU1oBpD0FoVJpqDG1ByTPZzmfa_U9czlhZ4GGY/s1600-h/Adler-RN19A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 118px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLuS7zOYQvWb-4SIpm96CIfg7vdUCJQxYMR6Wbj_0XNspeqFlx3X0qdP54GydPu2x0Oi0oEQG0_eBuRiqh2zTDOc0gVAzJL_W5O1sGrU1oBpD0FoVJpqDG1ByTPZzmfa_U9czlhZ4GGY/s400/Adler-RN19A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384415468163273842" border="0" /></a>Adler RN 19A - "Artillery line crew". I'm not sure what the fellow on the left is supposed to be doing, but once again I found myself wishing for somebody pointing a sword.<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Several thousand words worth of pictures</span><br /><br />We now come to the part of the post where I shut up and let my camera do the talking ;)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozHKA8uy1Go3wp07_dEheEgLnFBK1wVBNmjfSCKteuU-4Mpxr0hO75uDWmDd1mqsAO9Kda4vE9xKD1BpaxDmVuhsY7HW5xTcAnlUHBHyXKFdUWKeFt2gt25OguYTtn8WGRVpg-eKMHIU/s1600-h/Russian_7th_Corps7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 69px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozHKA8uy1Go3wp07_dEheEgLnFBK1wVBNmjfSCKteuU-4Mpxr0hO75uDWmDd1mqsAO9Kda4vE9xKD1BpaxDmVuhsY7HW5xTcAnlUHBHyXKFdUWKeFt2gt25OguYTtn8WGRVpg-eKMHIU/s400/Russian_7th_Corps7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384437263761423938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEpsGKgnjnsUbHePJ8cZc1ZIKidqyTeokcmYEk2eWbqlrbqE3iIji8wCwAwzBEeBwAUxqrNE4kqRJP9he_bqvyG7KsApRZKJKzNUQqgiL64Hh4roLm2uujjKS4im3-XY1U7pnCwSvpSE/s1600-h/Russian_7th_Corps5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEpsGKgnjnsUbHePJ8cZc1ZIKidqyTeokcmYEk2eWbqlrbqE3iIji8wCwAwzBEeBwAUxqrNE4kqRJP9he_bqvyG7KsApRZKJKzNUQqgiL64Hh4roLm2uujjKS4im3-XY1U7pnCwSvpSE/s400/Russian_7th_Corps5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384437120676585250" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxrO8U8kw6QuKgVyEXhuPwceAm2Xs2MZXwf36cKD0ynZcJq3G0I3uRc2XEzy4t9f_BCaf4GI-tubZjmU3MoqlRKN10ARoT3x5c1cNSDmFIksqTgqSBBMLB_aeQPS0Y-icJE25oGVIlBA/s1600-h/Russian_7th_Corps4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 393px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxrO8U8kw6QuKgVyEXhuPwceAm2Xs2MZXwf36cKD0ynZcJq3G0I3uRc2XEzy4t9f_BCaf4GI-tubZjmU3MoqlRKN10ARoT3x5c1cNSDmFIksqTgqSBBMLB_aeQPS0Y-icJE25oGVIlBA/s400/Russian_7th_Corps4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384437107668551538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKzaKNJrX6DxRNOS0QaSyg-jFGJ6RTDC4yxptLCVVV85LulNLkZP09j8B65iKxX1MYNNNx3tDLDdSvIfuC6f180dw-_tu1iLBwcwBLDJaifh05JAZVmHVpX6pJ2NN_475MMRwY5KmhfY/s1600-h/Russian_7th_Corps2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 141px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKzaKNJrX6DxRNOS0QaSyg-jFGJ6RTDC4yxptLCVVV85LulNLkZP09j8B65iKxX1MYNNNx3tDLDdSvIfuC6f180dw-_tu1iLBwcwBLDJaifh05JAZVmHVpX6pJ2NN_475MMRwY5KmhfY/s400/Russian_7th_Corps2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384436792021052594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLsufQ-HEFCiDGeNFh6d2lWZXukhyYVxQuO6XVSAYngWZivPWt9m0Kz36vJMIawlXGraUx_uuCD_7oBiB__gTW-4ncVPb-KQ9oc_J1j5L81Oz2Xke4dUnRkxhGJUg0wpMPkHyKIN3Tid8/s1600-h/Russian_7th_Corps1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 121px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLsufQ-HEFCiDGeNFh6d2lWZXukhyYVxQuO6XVSAYngWZivPWt9m0Kz36vJMIawlXGraUx_uuCD_7oBiB__gTW-4ncVPb-KQ9oc_J1j5L81Oz2Xke4dUnRkxhGJUg0wpMPkHyKIN3Tid8/s400/Russian_7th_Corps1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384436779860494210" border="0" /></a><br />So that's the Russian 7th Corps. It's not very big-- and I don't just say that because it's in 6mm. This would have been a formation of around 14,000 men, which, as I'm sure you'll agree, is not much more than scratching the surface of the 250,000-ish at Borodino. I've got a long way to go!<br /><br />Next up, the French 1st Corps. Hopefully it won't take another month this time.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-4297588816923740142009-08-25T19:53:00.000-03:002009-08-25T20:47:21.577-03:00More-adino for Borodino...In which our protagonist has, for once, not a lot to say.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z0WjewLTtqdg34p2i9HT0b8hyphenhyphenJIODmCPbR1rxws6duMHfk2ZNm60fs1hU7c0nNBzjzzkXEpd6GriE18Q9ymHEJOzm7NEdhBUGamYO1wfHVpPxBicvP59WT2ibUKayH8w9LSSmpJApoM/s1600-h/Russian_12th_Division2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z0WjewLTtqdg34p2i9HT0b8hyphenhyphenJIODmCPbR1rxws6duMHfk2ZNm60fs1hU7c0nNBzjzzkXEpd6GriE18Q9ymHEJOzm7NEdhBUGamYO1wfHVpPxBicvP59WT2ibUKayH8w9LSSmpJApoM/s400/Russian_12th_Division2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374039330429380114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The complete Russian 12th Line Infantry Division. The divisional artillery was (conveniently) assigned to the 2nd Army's artillery reserve for the battle.</span><br /></div><br />It's come to my attention that this Borodino project is going to be quite a major undertaking. Even representing each entire regiment with a measly eighteen or twenty men, I'm still looking at... well, I haven't even tried to work it out, admittedly. Suffice to say, I should have a lot of toy soldiers by the time I'm through!<br /><br />Anyways, a couple of new stands for this short update. These have actually been done for a week or so, but that dratted Real Life has kept me too busy to take pictures. I kind of feel like Napoleon himself sometimes, stumbling from one crisis to the next (and generally coming off worse for it, in the end).<br /><br />First up is a Russian light infantry brigade, made up of the 6th and 41st regiments. I've seen the Russian light infantry named repeatedly in both Prussian style (<i>Jägers) </i>and French style (<span style="font-style: italic;">Chasseurs</span>); I'm not expert enough to know (or care) which is correct. In any event, these guys wear the same general uniform as the line troops, but with green facings rather than red. The overall effect is pretty drab -- which is likely the point, but doesn't make them look any more interesting! At least they're quick to paint.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvq2qQmJE2v14wQvO9xMnXSXWp5AVU-CeDovyRm8ZVpxh-k4fw0Qp_TxiqDGJg3mLhrV0tqAdcEHyF0j9pmvj9Vawdy5VgBiVTSNCREAPxteBOT5DVfZSefYcoy10iL6omi_HFX4dO8Vk/s1600-h/Russian_6th_41st_Jagers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvq2qQmJE2v14wQvO9xMnXSXWp5AVU-CeDovyRm8ZVpxh-k4fw0Qp_TxiqDGJg3mLhrV0tqAdcEHyF0j9pmvj9Vawdy5VgBiVTSNCREAPxteBOT5DVfZSefYcoy10iL6omi_HFX4dO8Vk/s400/Russian_6th_41st_Jagers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374039313592766434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Russian </span>Jägers<i style="font-style: italic;">. </i><span style="font-style: italic;">I managed to squeeze more skirmishers onto the base by reducing the size of the forward regiment. The "log" is an actual twig.</span><br /></div><br />Next up is another historically inaccurate French brigade, this time made up of the 33e and 85e regiments of <span style="font-style: italic;">infanterie de la ligne</span>. Again, each of these regiments would have comprised its own "brigade" at Borodino, but I've grouped them to streamline things.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTV4nwmFE35XS9xz_rE64czqsyQ8X2uqX1FbBc3y9oZJ3DUhbH99nHW6CDR19ExGDA_xnz9plzdlZa930z40ZhAKwovsFXkbv1WfLYCgSdB7-fyrvEOt2u30oJBnZe9lk2_qNClGzWWlU/s1600-h/French_33rd_48th_line1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTV4nwmFE35XS9xz_rE64czqsyQ8X2uqX1FbBc3y9oZJ3DUhbH99nHW6CDR19ExGDA_xnz9plzdlZa930z40ZhAKwovsFXkbv1WfLYCgSdB7-fyrvEOt2u30oJBnZe9lk2_qNClGzWWlU/s400/French_33rd_48th_line1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374047434957725890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">French line infantry. French regiments were larger than their Russian counterparts, and so I've given them 10 soldiers per rank rather than 9. What more could you want?</span><br /></div><br />This French base was the guinea pig for an effect I'd been thinking of. Paint on a flat surface with a glossy varnish gives a nice water surface effect, so I made a puddle with one of the troop formations wading through it. This worked out well enough that I'm already doing another base in the same fashion.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7DMcEyBz4ANTugrJS_wkyuf7V0P59HhmbbUn8HVuwKr0lOKW0KP_04frJ2guVUpHD2LboTKQxZ2UQQ1frj5q29pP7SLdgto0aqmX-oUC9OiaTVgcpYixfyUd7_4b0_-hk8lK_Ng15RRQ/s1600-h/French_33rd_48th_line2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7DMcEyBz4ANTugrJS_wkyuf7V0P59HhmbbUn8HVuwKr0lOKW0KP_04frJ2guVUpHD2LboTKQxZ2UQQ1frj5q29pP7SLdgto0aqmX-oUC9OiaTVgcpYixfyUd7_4b0_-hk8lK_Ng15RRQ/s400/French_33rd_48th_line2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374047443548785570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Rear view, showing the leading regiment straggling through the water. That's quite a deep little puddle!</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharrWTr030PimJipl7KdL_2zsBgM1lL80qR5CKp7fN-Z070O_cW2Jx5KSbbbILkxykbnSm3-wr4TiVRlHtq8cmQYvPV7azcWcSEFiblAA4kYqAEj7LKZJdd8QK6jIEFHhR45M88bwI6Kk/s1600-h/Russian_12th_Division1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 95px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharrWTr030PimJipl7KdL_2zsBgM1lL80qR5CKp7fN-Z070O_cW2Jx5KSbbbILkxykbnSm3-wr4TiVRlHtq8cmQYvPV7azcWcSEFiblAA4kYqAEj7LKZJdd8QK6jIEFHhR45M88bwI6Kk/s400/Russian_12th_Division1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374039320972538578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Another eye-candy shot of the 12th Division to round things off.</span><br /></div><br />At the moment I'm working on basing the Russian 27th division; updates when they're done and I've got time to blog.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-38977591240749986022009-08-15T13:12:00.001-03:002009-08-16T01:51:19.989-03:00Borodino or Bust!...In which our protagonist is fairly enthusiastic about doing the Battle of Borodino in 6mm, but beyond that remains pretty much clueless.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rQ_9HDShQW2RNSejLLIFmXW9Tdypv-BVj7VJdnHQgIc_7rPjSx4apiELutDCoQohoYsueZHrV_tFWcLEI-bNw8brXTS1S7CoQZgufPXqt1tJmsT2ndmQomkA_qzf3SxuKSrbR7T2M2Q/s1600-h/first_French_bases3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rQ_9HDShQW2RNSejLLIFmXW9Tdypv-BVj7VJdnHQgIc_7rPjSx4apiELutDCoQohoYsueZHrV_tFWcLEI-bNw8brXTS1S7CoQZgufPXqt1tJmsT2ndmQomkA_qzf3SxuKSrbR7T2M2Q/s400/first_French_bases3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370229500086559394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The French are coming!</span><br /></div><br />It's been over a month since my last post, so I figure it's a good time for an update. The larger part of my lead pile currently consists of 10mm Ancients, but the appeal that led me to accumulate so many of them in the first place has since deserted me. What this means, of course, is it's time for a new project!<br /><br />As might be inferred from the intro, the subject of said new project is the Battle of Borodino. Fought on the 7th of September 1812, near Moscow in Russia, Borodino was one of the bloodiest clashes of the Napoleonic wars, despite being one of the least decisive. For almost two hundred years historians have struggled to make sense of the battle, to explain why Napoleon's genius seemed suddenly to desert him and why the French battle plan called for nothing more sophisticated than a head-on collision with a Russian army near enough its own strength. Even at the time, it seemed like a foolish idea-- much like my own plan for this project!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Beginning Stages</span><br /><br />This Borodino idea has been in the back of my mind for a long while now, although my commitment to working my way through at least some of the lead pile kept it from ever manifesting. Much like Napoleon, however, I have no real compunctions about ditching an army that isn't getting me anywhere, and so I managed to sell enough unpainted metal to meet my previously-established quota. Then, with the proceeds-of-sale in hand, I went out to purchase some little men in shakos.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMyqq8YN49uzqRXI8yrx1zIpEy2sDtXBERyU44zVtO5FAFzcbj91-AfsfAkosWmoliz2-cLsNuJ0CcrTH2gimNcdOaOqgNnh5A0Wxh2iiHuARZSOiXGel7qKtzHMdy895BFGL6RWTD58/s1600-h/Adler-example.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 155px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMyqq8YN49uzqRXI8yrx1zIpEy2sDtXBERyU44zVtO5FAFzcbj91-AfsfAkosWmoliz2-cLsNuJ0CcrTH2gimNcdOaOqgNnh5A0Wxh2iiHuARZSOiXGel7qKtzHMdy895BFGL6RWTD58/s400/Adler-example.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370229898792906882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Adler Napoleonics, as supplied. From the looks of them, you might expect that they'd require a lot of prep-work to get them ready for painting. And you'd be right.</span><br /></div><br />There are currently only three companies who produce 6mm Napoleonics: Irregular, Baccus, and Adler. As you can see from the pictures, I decided to go with Adler, despite being a committed Baccus fan by this point; I've got my eye on enough other Baccus ranges to know they'll be taking more of my money in the future, so I hardly feel like a turncoat!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKaz7BBFQEzqiR1hopwIuqki-fzwWIKwkqfQG-iD35NO24BO5MeX42FauciMpTx27wpOVdIHm09G8KymwfROovzKY-kGpPihF3Okk4aQs81iFr1Ah-5LabB6vMdVN6syupBKBgv2YTL0/s1600-h/Leadpile.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKaz7BBFQEzqiR1hopwIuqki-fzwWIKwkqfQG-iD35NO24BO5MeX42FauciMpTx27wpOVdIHm09G8KymwfROovzKY-kGpPihF3Okk4aQs81iFr1Ah-5LabB6vMdVN6syupBKBgv2YTL0/s400/Leadpile.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370229905072644130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Debris from cleaning 500-odd Russians; that's a 60x60 mm base for comparison. I figure there's enough metal here to cast a couple hundred more figures! Maybe Adler should start some sort of recycling program...</span><br /></div><br />The advantages that attracted me to Adler were a) the ability to purchase figures by the strip, and b) the availability of poses other than marching with muskets shouldered. I thought the 'advancing' poses would look great <span style="font-style: italic;">en masse</span>, being a good deal more dynamic.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Grande Armee</span><br /><br />The Army that Napoleon took into Russia was very much a multinational force. All of the French Emperor's allies and satellites (which at the time consisted of most of the European states) were convinced, cajoled or coerced into fielding troops to join in the expedition. The varied, colourful force that resulted from this is one of the reasons I chose 1812.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gWnO8JqMWqA3jRF4JeXrSig8P8J5Oi3R9hvSJRh-rMH1Ut5NVwdYn-OgLjwxCxynAAmSJZv3fl3kXzklBsLc8k4ciz1HfN5IzIch_lWBGVdoPAb5C5N1CG4B5Bza24uNJToRJUY1VBk/s1600-h/Adler-FN32B.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gWnO8JqMWqA3jRF4JeXrSig8P8J5Oi3R9hvSJRh-rMH1Ut5NVwdYn-OgLjwxCxynAAmSJZv3fl3kXzklBsLc8k4ciz1HfN5IzIch_lWBGVdoPAb5C5N1CG4B5Bza24uNJToRJUY1VBk/s400/Adler-FN32B.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370229921389753122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Adler FN 32B - "Fusilier, shako, BR adv (1812)". Adler product codes can be pretty crypic sometimes; the "BR" for instance denotes Blanket Roll, but as far as I can tell what it means in practice is that French "BR" figures are sculpted without their rolled-up greatcoat tied atop their backpacks.</span><br /></div><br />...Of course all that variety can be pretty overwhelming as an intro to Napoleonics. For simplicity's sake, I opted to ignore the French allies for the moment, and start with some basic French and Russians.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsS-jhZOXis_ryxUZIZi1gz_nyFgQIEYTzcLr3YE_qeDftEBRB5XgHuNkrCRlXh6Jdwcsg6I9W1pjk9TmvnOTTb_M-W3wKVVXVkyhmXcPCnCH-NgNQucFljmVDO-0Pua9cFnjGvB4kW8/s1600-h/Adler-FN29-or-31B.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsS-jhZOXis_ryxUZIZi1gz_nyFgQIEYTzcLr3YE_qeDftEBRB5XgHuNkrCRlXh6Jdwcsg6I9W1pjk9TmvnOTTb_M-W3wKVVXVkyhmXcPCnCH-NgNQucFljmVDO-0Pua9cFnjGvB4kW8/s400/Adler-FN29-or-31B.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370229931449830146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Adler FN 29B - "Elite inf, shako, adv (1812)". This code is very, very similar to FN 31B - "Light inf, shako, adv (1812)". So similar, in fact, that I have a hard time distinguishing between the two, and can see absolutely no reason why they couldn't be used interchangeably.</span><br /></div><br />Another issue with all the choices Adler offers is that it's difficult to plan exactly what you'll need. Baccus Nappies, by contrast, are tailored for their own Polemos ruleset, and are generally sold in the appropriate unit sizes. Since Napoleonic armies tend to feature a somewhat bewildering array of elite troops, there's something to be said for being able to buy pre-packed units!<br /><br />Luckily Adler has its own selection of pre-packs. These are designed to represent (I believe) paper-strength formations at a ratio of 1:20. Now, I like pre-packed units for the above reasons, but I have no intention of modelling Borodino at 1:20 (that would amount to something like 13,000 figures!). Nevertheless, my impatience to get started overrode all legitimate concerns, so I ordered a couple of division packs and a bunch of extra command stands and skirmishers, figuring I'd sort the mess out as I painted.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ765OnvhG0GHrPtCItLQCR6pC9DWzduyBnU0ObtWgF9YXgH-Zxx771LfAU8kicJZCsB38oc1PiBkNdZhuhM6gvFWVFiBmGnyMBBh6L1rex1BMq2IrBgq4Yqpnm1Uj4eF8_xl9Ny44bgc/s1600-h/Adler-misc.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 121px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ765OnvhG0GHrPtCItLQCR6pC9DWzduyBnU0ObtWgF9YXgH-Zxx771LfAU8kicJZCsB38oc1PiBkNdZhuhM6gvFWVFiBmGnyMBBh6L1rex1BMq2IrBgq4Yqpnm1Uj4eF8_xl9Ny44bgc/s400/Adler-misc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370229913323920866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A random selection of command figures. From left to right, a French NCO, a French mounted officer, a Russian drummer, a French standard bearer. Have I mentioned yet how great these figures are?</span><br /></div><br />Long story short, dealing with Adler was painless despite their archaic and user-unfriendly webpage. My emails were all returned promptly, and if the speed-of-delivery wasn't quite up to Baccus standards, my shipment still arrived within two weeks of order. Not bad for a country on the other side of the Pond.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Russians</span><br /><br />Speaking of simplicity, the Russian army seems downright bland when compared to the French. <span style="font-style: italic;">All </span>of the Russian infantry wear pretty much the same uniform; sure, the light infantry has different coloured turnbacks, and the grenadiers have shako plumes -- but for the painter (and, for that matter, the sculptor), the differences are trivial.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfp2HxwuOSxG15UjfqZzZIahTB7t9TBuHO0r0z_0_upTc1wfXh4x2wWH0Su7wcTQvo5sqkRIs3IIL8DQJrzWM6zCPgBqQt0xz6bhYzM5Gsll1UAR-Ukw7ZheHt1CNZvTwznjTpbId2_4/s1600-h/Adler-RN2B.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 154px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfp2HxwuOSxG15UjfqZzZIahTB7t9TBuHO0r0z_0_upTc1wfXh4x2wWH0Su7wcTQvo5sqkRIs3IIL8DQJrzWM6zCPgBqQt0xz6bhYzM5Gsll1UAR-Ukw7ZheHt1CNZvTwznjTpbId2_4/s400/Adler-RN2B.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370230700961308834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Adler RN 2B - "Musketeer, kiwer, advancing". This is the basic Russian infantryman in the 1811 uniform, and in fact the code RN 1B - "Grenadier, Kiwer, advancing" is the exact same figure but with a plume stuck above the pompom.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Despite the slow preparation/cleaning process, I found the Adler figures to be everything I hoped for. Detail is excellent, and the largely complete range negates the need for paint conversions or other frustrations of the sort. The good detail also makes painting a breeze. Admittedly, my first few test pieces took an agonizingly long time to complete, but most of this can be put down to figuring out which colour to paint what pieces of Napoleonic frou-frou, as well as some unnecessary work on my part. What I mean is that all that frou-frou actually breaks up most of the smooth, flat areas on the figure, making shading and highlighting largely unneeded.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Uq7zWV7Ij0rnj51tU9q8eTA5tWNaxuVYfYtibY37WpoQRi2hOGsnemgdqbPKwmXJmw3AvNir5rm4Iai-BuZktivW0WDQdG-2TwX0nMV_Ly9QP7lZpTyTqQk_y4zHqTm8Tl0HGh5D79Q/s1600-h/Adler-RN3B.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Uq7zWV7Ij0rnj51tU9q8eTA5tWNaxuVYfYtibY37WpoQRi2hOGsnemgdqbPKwmXJmw3AvNir5rm4Iai-BuZktivW0WDQdG-2TwX0nMV_Ly9QP7lZpTyTqQk_y4zHqTm8Tl0HGh5D79Q/s400/Adler-RN3B.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370230704118560578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Adler RN 3B - "Jaeger, advancing". Aside from the strap on the musket, this figure's uniform and kit are essentially identical to that of the grenadiers (with a different paint job, of course).</span><br /></div><br />Adler figures are cast in strips, but designed to be clipped apart for basing. I know many people are turned off by this, but I actually like it better; getting my paintbrush between the tightly-packed figures on Baccus strips is always an annoyance for me, and more than once I've actually contemplated cutting them apart for easier painting!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tuRB4b2ryDgF-3bi-Xw_c2EaATlJPh7NGti6dj1QeeLjldIag4LzrsInWCC8FQAUQDcnTwOwgC19GObudmDGiYYyI3VA6r5ZwvZ64AwJNWs4icyfgVve3VEiZwKOUdM6-W3DsJ_AwUY/s1600-h/Adler-RN21A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 102px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tuRB4b2ryDgF-3bi-Xw_c2EaATlJPh7NGti6dj1QeeLjldIag4LzrsInWCC8FQAUQDcnTwOwgC19GObudmDGiYYyI3VA6r5ZwvZ64AwJNWs4icyfgVve3VEiZwKOUdM6-W3DsJ_AwUY/s400/Adler-RN21A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370230713601898306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Adler RN 21A - "Mounted officers, kiwer". Mounted figures come only two to a strip, but the horses are beautifully sculpted. This code had some miscastings, however; the figure second from the left is missing his sword and part of the horse's tail.</span><br /></div><br />Another predominant criticism of Adler figures are their disproportionately large heads. Yes, their heads are large, there's no denying it. I guess it's one of those things that either bothers you or it doesn't; as for me, I'm not bothered.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCAHcUlITao5Vhyphenhyphen7YKCXSO4YsJV112Bagu4ZEdsCmIyii43LDXRGkRyip9ebq_gNGklKlk8RhBQSn4sSSFTVXuDW8bM9-8D3LPQuYyED1UGdIgeJG7Ck7YBQ6EhA9gs2OZNPeEi0ehlk/s1600-h/Adler-XRN1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 82px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCAHcUlITao5Vhyphenhyphen7YKCXSO4YsJV112Bagu4ZEdsCmIyii43LDXRGkRyip9ebq_gNGklKlk8RhBQSn4sSSFTVXuDW8bM9-8D3LPQuYyED1UGdIgeJG7Ck7YBQ6EhA9gs2OZNPeEi0ehlk/s400/Adler-XRN1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370230719294643394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Adler XRN 1 - "Russian inf loading, standing & kneeling firing (3)". Codes containing "X" are considered "collector's series" figures. These include skirmishers, casualties, additional officers, etc. depending on the nation. The Russians, unfortunately, are limited to skirmishers for the moment.</span><br /></div><br />So all the main criticisms of Adler don't bother me. On the other hand, I do have one big problem, specifically with the Russian figures. I've gotta say it. Each Russian line infantry or grenadier battalion is supposed to carry two flags -- but the Adler command strip only comes with one standard bearer. I've only got half the flagpoles I need!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Great Dilemma</span><br /><br />So within a few weeks I had my figures and I knew how to paint them (well, more or less; French uniforms in particular seem to consist mostly of exceptions). The question now was what to do with them?<br /><br />To cover both armies for Borodino without going insane and/or broke, I had to think big. Or small, depending on your perspective. What I mean is that my units would necessarily have to be abstracted, using a very few models to represent very large bodies of men. My painting kept getting faster with practice, but even so I only had so much free time. There were far too many battalions and squadrons present at the battle for me to cover all of them; I would have to even more abstract than that, sticking a regiment (or more) on each base!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdTp2IMjkUaZcjBpiRIMzfjS5Fl79-pmJyg5jnzLtgNvzXSJZHF9AvTUHSZnVw-iv4Llhkcg7xGpBews6OkNlb9i229riMn8SW2WoUQR1KkaMsN_LlR9rIRTkVnj6SHv2X6u9-wAJpnY/s1600-h/first_Russian_base1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdTp2IMjkUaZcjBpiRIMzfjS5Fl79-pmJyg5jnzLtgNvzXSJZHF9AvTUHSZnVw-iv4Llhkcg7xGpBews6OkNlb9i229riMn8SW2WoUQR1KkaMsN_LlR9rIRTkVnj6SHv2X6u9-wAJpnY/s400/first_Russian_base1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370231365339369218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">My first base: the Smolensk and Narva line infantry regiments from the Russian 12th Division, 7th Army Corps in Bagration's 2nd Army. I made a few newbie mistakes with this one -- technically only grenadier drummers had red plumes. More embarrassingly, I accidentally switched the flags so that the two regiments are carrying each other's colours. Oops.</span><br /></div><br />What basing format I would use was another question. I gave myself two main requirements: firstly, that each base would be a unit unto itself -- I'd grown disillusioned with the multi-base units I'd used for my ancients. Secondly, I wanted empty space around the edges of my formations. Aside from looking more attractive (in my opinion), this "buffer zone" also helps to protect the figures from clumsy fingers. Going with the advancing poses actually conveyed the unexpected benefit of putting fragile bayonets in the best-possible spot for avoiding wargamers' from-above-and-behind grip; but it was also immediately obvious that bayonets overhanging the base edge would be in dire danger from box walls during storage.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbI3dpZFq1XgbTWoQA_BxN7OHGMw5RC5Yx6Zb9ZKj2w1IekadTdbRmkCjmEXGljm1oLj5DheE7S-w3_lUm0zxBcJrBxz7lcKzQ7bVW0kZhPlXiSEGP-HafFknV3jEHKH8lezTY7jCKsg/s1600-h/first_French_base1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbI3dpZFq1XgbTWoQA_BxN7OHGMw5RC5Yx6Zb9ZKj2w1IekadTdbRmkCjmEXGljm1oLj5DheE7S-w3_lUm0zxBcJrBxz7lcKzQ7bVW0kZhPlXiSEGP-HafFknV3jEHKH8lezTY7jCKsg/s400/first_French_base1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370231344616218562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">My second base: the 30th and 17th regiments of French line infantry, from Morand's division of the 1st Army Corps. As a test piece, I kept this deliberately conservative, but aside from glueing the tricolors on backwards, I was generally satisfied with the result.</span><br /></div><br />To meet my two criteria, I needed big bases. The bigger the better. I considered going with 60x30mm (the Polemos standard for battalions, except I would use them for regiments). The huge 75x75mm bases used over at <a href="http://paintingshed.blogspot.com/">The Painting Shed</a> were even more tempting, opening up all sorts of possibilities for diorama-esque formations. Of course bigger bases eventually lead to storage problems, as well as cost problems -- the more space you've got, the more temptation there is to fill it with figures!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDd3LBLVmS8JpNEeG3b3xRl6NpZR0NRe-xqmKAPEL7t3Xd5xZKbIKbcVsaVSZHcid4_Y-GdZt-dYWtmH7Wdf0xhUBHdGDn1KK4VShm5Ta8ljXKQydTpgLOWrx0QNjL5OVUcGyLO9rK-s/s1600-h/first_Russian_base2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDd3LBLVmS8JpNEeG3b3xRl6NpZR0NRe-xqmKAPEL7t3Xd5xZKbIKbcVsaVSZHcid4_Y-GdZt-dYWtmH7Wdf0xhUBHdGDn1KK4VShm5Ta8ljXKQydTpgLOWrx0QNjL5OVUcGyLO9rK-s/s400/first_Russian_base2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370231382325835826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Base #3: the Alexopol and New Ingermanland line infantry regiments. In the straggling line you can start to see the benefits of having individual figures instead of strips. Lines can be made fluid rather than rigidly straight, while slight changes in figure spacing can produce different effects.</span><br /></div><br />Ultimately I decided to compromise by using 60x60mm squares. The clincher was that I had a few of these lying around (can't remember what for, but you don't look a gift horse in the mouth!), and so I duly set about basing the figures I'd painted up.<br /><br />Typically, I ran into problems immediately. Based on my experience with figures 10mm and larger in scale, I'd counted on "advancing" figures to take about twice as much space as their "marching" or "standing" equivalent. In the event, the advancing Adlers take up a good deal more than that, owing to long bayonets and forward-leaning posture. All of a sudden I had a lot less space than I expected; the leading figures on the base had to be a good 10mm back to avoid a dangerous overhanging of bayonets. I'd planned a skirmish screen of three or four figures on each base, but there wasn't room for them, and so they had to go. Of course less figures per base means lower cost, so I wasn't too disappointed; but some of my more elaborate ideas for diorama bases certainly weren't going to happen.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWhPeObnwCIHnaeMK-nkKC54qr-N6QCSQk4AHRTKKUdsgimv9yUju04Vdx6zxANXDd4Pqe3S1Nm7WrZu4yak-VTOeVo9gbhNd8zVicxqb_Ux0cUkkh_lObwE8R1kghSbr41sga4KwFXw/s1600-h/first_French_base2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWhPeObnwCIHnaeMK-nkKC54qr-N6QCSQk4AHRTKKUdsgimv9yUju04Vdx6zxANXDd4Pqe3S1Nm7WrZu4yak-VTOeVo9gbhNd8zVicxqb_Ux0cUkkh_lObwE8R1kghSbr41sga4KwFXw/s400/first_French_base2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370231352340591538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Base #4: the French 13th light infantry and 85th line infantry regiments, again from the 1st Army Corps. In 1812, the regiments in the 1st Corps were actually beefed up to 5 battalions each (166% of normal size), and generally operated individually rather than in the usual two-regiment brigades... but I conveniently ignored this fact to make things easier for myself in the long run.</span><br /></div><br />The other big problem I ran into was with the different poses. The Russians were fine in this regard, but the figures supplied for the French elites (grenadiers, voltigeurs, and carabiniers) came in different poses than the standard fusilier/chasseur troops. Since by this point I was intending to represent each entire regiment using only 18-20 men, including command, the consequent mixing of different sculpts didn't quite fit my vision of the lethally-efficient French war machine. It wouldn't do. Scrapping the idea of proper proportions of elites for the time being, I opted to use a single basic pose for each French regiment, while for the Russians I continued to mix musketeers and grenadiers. My plans were really taking a beating!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfjo4cEqr5bRFLMPAR5XpG8rqs_njNf4ompxzFmNwWcGZs7_j899Ijo7xYA4cSrjmQs9p4cTDM8sFJZE-eQ8kRRA-LDP_oDfHBsig5Rg9R1NudAXqJw3UrsCFYbCWJQ8UtLPPU6m43XGI/s1600-h/first_Russian_bases1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfjo4cEqr5bRFLMPAR5XpG8rqs_njNf4ompxzFmNwWcGZs7_j899Ijo7xYA4cSrjmQs9p4cTDM8sFJZE-eQ8kRRA-LDP_oDfHBsig5Rg9R1NudAXqJw3UrsCFYbCWJQ8UtLPPU6m43XGI/s400/first_Russian_bases1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370231876008602482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The two Russian bases together. Despite being rather stingy on the figure count, I think I still managed a decent mass effect with these.</span><br /></div><br />And that brings me to the current state of affairs. I know how to make bases that I like the look of. But... I'm still not happy.<br /><br />What's really bothering me about these is how <span style="font-style: italic;">long </span>this basing process takes. While the individual Adler figs have all the advantages I've outlined above, every gap between them needs glue and sand, and more glue and more sand, and several layers of paint, then possibly more glue and static grass. Getting a paintbrush in there without making a mess is tediously slow business, not helped by the mutually-interfering presence of two big clusters of troops per base. I keep brainstorming ideas on how to make this whole process easier. There are ways, certainly. But I don't want to detract from the overall appearance, either.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUiCJRcO3aK0CEsUbEScad-1ZVoVltS9r-F-IJvdMaMmQKRlUkhzY5ANscacZLcjaPfv8dPFigQbzS8YEvZBO9zPTvRJgrZlL_yH7GM_1zrz1IXPjWAfzyZjIG26LPbyYKOe74yRX6Hg/s1600-h/first_French_bases1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUiCJRcO3aK0CEsUbEScad-1ZVoVltS9r-F-IJvdMaMmQKRlUkhzY5ANscacZLcjaPfv8dPFigQbzS8YEvZBO9zPTvRJgrZlL_yH7GM_1zrz1IXPjWAfzyZjIG26LPbyYKOe74yRX6Hg/s400/first_French_bases1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370231869488340546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The two French bases. For the base with the light regiment I couldn't resist sticking in a few skirmishers. Even with the leading regiment pushed back to make room, the skirmishers' bayonets still ended up protruding past the base edge-- with predictable results already.</span><br /></div><br />So I still don't know what to do. The 60x30mm bases I'd rejected initially are looking more appealing again. I can see them eliminating a <span style="font-style: italic;">lot </span>of my basing difficulties, and of course there would be the added advantage of being able to produce a finished product twice as often.<br /><br />On the other hand, halving the base size would eliminate most of the "diorama" potential in this project. Looking at the four 60x60mm bases I've already finished, all of them would have figures in the crack (so to speak) if they were divided into two 60x30mm. And I had so many ideas for using that space on other bases...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_NoxLP7cPtBS0XGVuDrozvxVovBv-FDb-rXuc7b7gq_hE6zPfMiqhib1UHQLJ6YDQ5AM26yBvXRfrnL-TI3fxIPBGDcoWLmESloLJp1uVS7S648tKbMBS6XMBCRVGRyNTEz-P4qHfIM/s1600-h/first_Russian_bases2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 84px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_NoxLP7cPtBS0XGVuDrozvxVovBv-FDb-rXuc7b7gq_hE6zPfMiqhib1UHQLJ6YDQ5AM26yBvXRfrnL-TI3fxIPBGDcoWLmESloLJp1uVS7S648tKbMBS6XMBCRVGRyNTEz-P4qHfIM/s400/first_Russian_bases2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370231880345767730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The quartet of Russian line regiments. Add a third brigade of two Jaeger regiments, and you've got a division. Of course I don't want to base any of my Jaegers until I've settled on basing.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhfiuFQ5TDhl1Mg91Mmu0ZRvZyiFhRwFYIzwmIEEJ32sJOWc_OF2RZkbTCQhyphenhyphenp0Q-U5u_zvSWuY7lVyUYuWQzNp1Qp-skQknBzmxQdp9nzs8B8tRqnX6y1s0OFrNWpin8DtHHvcNWvlw/s1600-h/first_French_bases2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 88px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhfiuFQ5TDhl1Mg91Mmu0ZRvZyiFhRwFYIzwmIEEJ32sJOWc_OF2RZkbTCQhyphenhyphenp0Q-U5u_zvSWuY7lVyUYuWQzNp1Qp-skQknBzmxQdp9nzs8B8tRqnX6y1s0OFrNWpin8DtHHvcNWvlw/s400/first_French_bases2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370231874397037074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The quartet of French regiments, three line and one light. This was a standard French infantry division, although of course the 1812 army consisted almost entirely of exceptions ;)</span><br /></div><br />I can't make up my mind.<br /><br />Thoughts, anyone?Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814998069628381622.post-53965057645532120482009-07-14T16:54:00.000-03:002009-07-14T20:06:03.738-03:00Back in Baccus...In which our protagonist successfully puts an army of Successors to the brush (but otherwise succeeds only at making puns you wish you could brush off so successfully).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0bH1rbyyeaQkPAUSSqeK56IDMw6ir6n8GjA6igWJun6cDEpDn6aFMZhfkbGpeu_EQYTCUme5RjyislTyiLYNewynyFzk77CZV7QxtgcAf-hqnJqUJg7vOVobS0ETI4ynou2NunE8gfQ/s1600-h/Hellenistic_Army2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0bH1rbyyeaQkPAUSSqeK56IDMw6ir6n8GjA6igWJun6cDEpDn6aFMZhfkbGpeu_EQYTCUme5RjyislTyiLYNewynyFzk77CZV7QxtgcAf-hqnJqUJg7vOVobS0ETI4ynou2NunE8gfQ/s400/Hellenistic_Army2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358408531599356210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The whole army, photographed in adequate lighting thanks to some timely sunlight!</span><br /></div><br />Hot on the heels of my previous adventures in 6mm comes yet another force in this scale of scales. This time it's a Successor army which came to me by way of accident.<br /><br />Now, some of you are probably wondering: how do you get an army by <span style="font-style: italic;">accident</span>? Where can <span style="font-style: italic;">I </span>get one? To answer that, I refer once again to the First Lesson given in my previous post:<br /><br />Lesson #1: Don't make one giant order.<br /><br />You see, this story starts back when Olde Rivertowne was the Baccus supplier for North America. At the time, they were the ones charged with filling my bloated order for Commands and Colors: Ancients armies. They also happened to stock all sorts of paints and related hobby materials in addition to the miniatures, which I duly requested simply in order to further complicate matters. Long story short, while Olde Rivertowne did an admirable job in getting me the dozens of mis-matched packs that I'd listed, I did end up with a Successor army rather than the Carthaginian pack I'd ordered (the giant order was <span style="font-style: italic;">unsuccessful</span>, you might say). Poor relations between the U.S. Postal Service and Canada Post only exacerbated the problem: shipments between the U.S. and Canada are for some reason far slower and more expensive than from the UK.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhAAn7EZeTeN7Dy3qcZHt3RRrsHtPljcYpW9KbIFhde0yg62wXeXvIh0fehQHmgSS499cKPKnLZZdk935oP4xa0-QhVbAGjCYy3Gj3b3TEUwYHYxauQp6Cm98MqS41gpiAJal2V51QZs/s1600-h/Hellenistic_missile_troops.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 95px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhAAn7EZeTeN7Dy3qcZHt3RRrsHtPljcYpW9KbIFhde0yg62wXeXvIh0fehQHmgSS499cKPKnLZZdk935oP4xa0-QhVbAGjCYy3Gj3b3TEUwYHYxauQp6Cm98MqS41gpiAJal2V51QZs/s400/Hellenistic_missile_troops.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358409225707718866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Greek archers and slingers. For some reason my army pack had a unit of archers instead of one unit of scythed chariots. The others are leftovers from the leadpile.</span><br /><br /></div>Not wanting to undertake a laborious, expensive and agonizingly-slow exchange to get my Carthaginians, I simply tossed the Successors in the leadpile and ordered some new reinforcements -- an option Hannibal might have envied! (I should note that Baccus and the Royal Mail both give sterling service; despite crossing the Atlantic, I've had packages from Baccus in my mailbox within four days of placing the order).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">New feature!</span><br /><br />Yes, I'm pleased to announce a new feature beginning with this site. I call it "the coin." Many of you probably know what a coin is. The luckier among you may even possess coins of your own. In any case, I've included "the coin" as a scale reference in some of my pictures (those being the pictures where I've remembered to include it). The actual coin in question is a 1998 Canadian one cent piece, for the practical reason that said coin has faceted edges and is therefore less likely to roll away in the middle of a photograph. See below for how this coin compares in size with more valuable currency pieces.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVi7dUzw-s3iIDy-dEV6AQveQHHxL9-JgblMkeN4bS27GQYDjgjUycEuvlHUaKgr6MKmswkWQ-6feacEJiTuAOJNVwYtJBZZMzoC6h8rFw3FRSlt5x00_78KyH1z9duVPFVNCcvHaWH8/s1600-h/Coin-comparison.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 115px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVi7dUzw-s3iIDy-dEV6AQveQHHxL9-JgblMkeN4bS27GQYDjgjUycEuvlHUaKgr6MKmswkWQ-6feacEJiTuAOJNVwYtJBZZMzoC6h8rFw3FRSlt5x00_78KyH1z9duVPFVNCcvHaWH8/s400/Coin-comparison.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358434243549139906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">From left to right: Canadian one cent, American one cent, Euro two cent, UK one penny. The first three are all the same diameter, while the UK penny is slightly larger.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If it ain't broke, don't fix it</span><br /><br />Alexander the Great was nothing if not successful, at least militarily -- but his succession was famously problematic. The problem was that Alexander had never officially named an heir. It was claimed that he'd willed his conquests "to the strongest", which in practice meant those of his relatives and generals who could back their claim with enough force to win.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipprXnBwNY-4S4EIX3GSfz90fRmUp0K2RzNwUIm_0onr-jNdhuq1LZBOwAWEZy67L0xllSv93jzc857Uke8uCHiHhNEd5HZZqp7aUrD4R9ZEG_svXI4na_s_WEV85DobtT6N2EhhtTQzI/s1600-h/Baccus-AMA3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipprXnBwNY-4S4EIX3GSfz90fRmUp0K2RzNwUIm_0onr-jNdhuq1LZBOwAWEZy67L0xllSv93jzc857Uke8uCHiHhNEd5HZZqp7aUrD4R9ZEG_svXI4na_s_WEV85DobtT6N2EhhtTQzI/s400/Baccus-AMA3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358407661734279602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Baccus AMA3 - "Phalangites, open handed, stood". The pike phalanx was the backbone of any Hellenistic army. The pikes here are made from pins with their heads clipped off. Shields are quite large, but this seems to be the case with all Baccus' Classical range.</span><br /></div><br />It was these contenders - particularly the generals - who are most appropriately called Successors, or <span style="font-style: italic;">Diadochi </span>in Greek. It was the strongest among them who succeeded in partitioning Alexander's empire, producing the three great dynasties in Macedonia (the Antigonids), Syria (the Seleucids) and Egypt (the Ptolemies).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFKIf_dlfxXJT2IXMIKM92itAQfonRUoA-EfLoxncYRj_hySLcVDVaLeWIjGdttlY_fgm71oZ7jmNgG_uxT4gzC_xjTD_gvDb94xAXQMsvaM99ii7-tJz7Q-oKlVvQGijHfZm_L6IJMc/s1600-h/Hellenistic_Bronze_Shields.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFKIf_dlfxXJT2IXMIKM92itAQfonRUoA-EfLoxncYRj_hySLcVDVaLeWIjGdttlY_fgm71oZ7jmNgG_uxT4gzC_xjTD_gvDb94xAXQMsvaM99ii7-tJz7Q-oKlVvQGijHfZm_L6IJMc/s400/Hellenistic_Bronze_Shields.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358408632115185586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A unit of Bronze Shields. The red stars are waterslide transfers from Baccus. The red-on-bronze look was not very successful; too little colour contrast, and they tend to blur at anything further than point-blank range.</span><br /></div><br />For centuries afterwards, a Greek-speaking or <span style="font-style: italic;">Hellenistic</span> elite controlled much of the known world, ruling states both large and small. Their armies were modelled after those of Alexander, built around a Macedonian-style phalanx. Over time these forces changed weapons and composition, as new technology and tactics evolved. It is one of these Hellenistic-period armies that the Baccus Successor army pack represents, containing a mixture of both classically Alexandrian units and newer innovations to the Macedonian arsenal.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hN5XL14NkJcwuZTBSYr3n6jIZPaDfhMGBMh8qVoVJbiiVhJY_eNPUuVN4nGbQYnpRvtSqLqc3tGcR4RYKkrvkGS1KNRCCVo5b7-hHWzp6VJp8SCI-mjRdQfS0Kk4RLeXSx7JtaKfzCg/s1600-h/Hellenistic_White_Shields.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hN5XL14NkJcwuZTBSYr3n6jIZPaDfhMGBMh8qVoVJbiiVhJY_eNPUuVN4nGbQYnpRvtSqLqc3tGcR4RYKkrvkGS1KNRCCVo5b7-hHWzp6VJp8SCI-mjRdQfS0Kk4RLeXSx7JtaKfzCg/s400/Hellenistic_White_Shields.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358426636272593506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">White Shields, showing better contrast with blue-on-white. Incidentally, the blue stars come in sheets of 80, while the red come in sheets of 64... for the same price. I think you can see which is the better deal!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hjMFiJxo4NbUwfYrX92YeSucvVlHAVkzk-9af1lqsbg9GVaqt_CHJvlNYCw8R8kJu1hBoVjzsY-pq8w9e0WdY2pRHIcCCj40q07JP9I0uVDhfdq8zFr-OBFcNMEjr0BLvlvbSFTbAPg/s1600-h/Baccus-AIR6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 87px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hjMFiJxo4NbUwfYrX92YeSucvVlHAVkzk-9af1lqsbg9GVaqt_CHJvlNYCw8R8kJu1hBoVjzsY-pq8w9e0WdY2pRHIcCCj40q07JP9I0uVDhfdq8zFr-OBFcNMEjr0BLvlvbSFTbAPg/s400/Baccus-AIR6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358407588224701490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Baccus AIR6 - "Roman generals". Six poses, attired in classical style.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY33T7vDdccqs_C62qoiduU09ZF-2-iqNHEx9Q-TJDR74txrAp2BYYMAx4c1v2tEwRuaSVliO9MT7YkBhgyCC_oVCGWRLGeLqEGLzJLBLa6R-yimwrgDSeVTVF_qnU6hFjVBhi02TO4Rg/s1600-h/Hellenistic_generals.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY33T7vDdccqs_C62qoiduU09ZF-2-iqNHEx9Q-TJDR74txrAp2BYYMAx4c1v2tEwRuaSVliO9MT7YkBhgyCC_oVCGWRLGeLqEGLzJLBLa6R-yimwrgDSeVTVF_qnU6hFjVBhi02TO4Rg/s400/Hellenistic_generals.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358408907119260514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's those Roman generals, posing as Greeks. They show off their fine Hellenistic fashion sense with fuschia-and-yellow cloaks.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The times they are a-changin'</span><br /><br />The cavalry arm saw some of the greatest change during the Hellenistic era. At some point the two-handed lances of Alexander's day seem to have been largely replaced by spear-and-shield wielding riders. The longer lance remained in service with the cataphracts, fully-armoured cavalry copied from the Persians and steppe tribes of the east, which began to see service in Hellenistic armies.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwo57ZUL8V62pwmMYJq2UsTbvcpoDWcEx5zPdwAoV5F66mRbVDX66Llo5VvpkpkSFgc3RhDE_R6GhgcA0qIC5DlC5a9oVXih2VS1V_41Ap2IMEeOVDpGsBKQZa7rtnhRfaUMknF2Rueo/s1600-h/Baccus-AMA14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 92px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwo57ZUL8V62pwmMYJq2UsTbvcpoDWcEx5zPdwAoV5F66mRbVDX66Llo5VvpkpkSFgc3RhDE_R6GhgcA0qIC5DlC5a9oVXih2VS1V_41Ap2IMEeOVDpGsBKQZa7rtnhRfaUMknF2Rueo/s400/Baccus-AMA14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358407854926978290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Baccus AMA14 - "Cataphract cavalry". Great sculpting. Some of the reins/forward horse bardings were miscast, but the detail was still there to accept a drybrushing on both the rider and horse armour.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DkHKx1UB67-5Fc55xViSCae5YkftJkOjSQpDOiSeS8rE5lGna01U2GzP7bBpOt6eD8S2f_1GjLu_PwCaONpbxMg8ox-GLsZYTE1aPU9Kdk3a7_pZ7iFsAKShR9z7XEfUaNgJwINOo9M/s1600-h/Hellenistic_cataphracts.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DkHKx1UB67-5Fc55xViSCae5YkftJkOjSQpDOiSeS8rE5lGna01U2GzP7bBpOt6eD8S2f_1GjLu_PwCaONpbxMg8ox-GLsZYTE1aPU9Kdk3a7_pZ7iFsAKShR9z7XEfUaNgJwINOo9M/s400/Hellenistic_cataphracts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358408731230284210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cataphracts in line. I like how Baccus heavy cavalry often comes in a standing pose; it gives them that nonchalant 'cavalry reserve' look.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJlBr9aGSL11J-leb1DrXbWIv2uIgoKlwy8MauVWGBh0eoyKW3QCoB5eHQlBT4gBcdzmUGZ_-mnpNgHdkdiLRCjtTKwlQYJ6b4lnOzxThlutAm3JfaU8ORJkh7uKiILBe5dw-7r3HuicI/s1600-h/Baccus-AMA12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJlBr9aGSL11J-leb1DrXbWIv2uIgoKlwy8MauVWGBh0eoyKW3QCoB5eHQlBT4gBcdzmUGZ_-mnpNgHdkdiLRCjtTKwlQYJ6b4lnOzxThlutAm3JfaU8ORJkh7uKiILBe5dw-7r3HuicI/s400/Baccus-AMA12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358407781341922706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Baccus AMA12 - "Hellenistic/Greek cavalry". Beautiful sculpting on these figures. The shield has a vertical spindle boss, doubtlessly attested to by some sort of archaeological or artistic evidence, but which precludes the use of waterslide tranfers. The figure on the right is actually the standard bearer -- from which I clumsily broke the standard!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ea895hoKksmKSpKWY53Ke06UHfpXT9U3h3mJZMJJiZjVKcLorkp_e7jUZ4gXg_BqcNn8tii-JnM3zvMoYyCTcmRp2kmKfHaVCEi68s1vdZm6AYR7Opaz_TkkeGxg4X-QxPjYe0zwi20/s1600-h/Hellenistic_heavy_cavalry.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ea895hoKksmKSpKWY53Ke06UHfpXT9U3h3mJZMJJiZjVKcLorkp_e7jUZ4gXg_BqcNn8tii-JnM3zvMoYyCTcmRp2kmKfHaVCEi68s1vdZm6AYR7Opaz_TkkeGxg4X-QxPjYe0zwi20/s400/Hellenistic_heavy_cavalry.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358409029917223714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Charge!</span><br /></div><br />Javelin-armed skirmishing cavalry also adopted shields, perfected initially by the city of Tarentum. Eventually all cavalry who fought in this fashion were called Tarentine horsemen, irrespective of their actual origin.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-9nnKTid7OIiwPvny2Sku5j6mGF0FmxSBveh0QPGjquAgqlKbxpLHc5lFCgT1uXfwSl9W1kDtvtQt7qetennz8HrvnTLaI-9BuaxAG7ora5nr4E4yszyWEtoR6MBjlNElOundASe_yI/s1600-h/Baccus-AMA15.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 89px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-9nnKTid7OIiwPvny2Sku5j6mGF0FmxSBveh0QPGjquAgqlKbxpLHc5lFCgT1uXfwSl9W1kDtvtQt7qetennz8HrvnTLaI-9BuaxAG7ora5nr4E4yszyWEtoR6MBjlNElOundASe_yI/s400/Baccus-AMA15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358407916775705858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Baccus AMA15 - "Tarentine light cavalry". Nice sculpting, but I had a few miscasts in my bunch, generally shields, spear butts, and helmet crests. The red stars are waterslide transfers.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsLG8ZMuuvTyuWZUG_rv2kl-0us8IC17Mbz3f3TX5cJOa6W9mMYwP4qOWN6x6uMKe1xaHqZV7fVvL9oY6LK8T5lP6-1cAODY1q18-lYEp7wFYSAFgrhJG5fESWug0e50lu34FLFKEmF0/s1600-h/Hellenistic_light_cavalry.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsLG8ZMuuvTyuWZUG_rv2kl-0us8IC17Mbz3f3TX5cJOa6W9mMYwP4qOWN6x6uMKe1xaHqZV7fVvL9oY6LK8T5lP6-1cAODY1q18-lYEp7wFYSAFgrhJG5fESWug0e50lu34FLFKEmF0/s400/Hellenistic_light_cavalry.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358409133378615490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tarentine horse. These could easily be mixed in with AMA12 and/or ARR5 for more variation.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Scythed chariots were another innovation adopted into some Hellenistic armies. Darius' Persians had attempted to use scythed chariots against Alexander, with little success; the Greeks themselves tended to do no better.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkb3Ps-xrBRws-Q4VpedInhSC6DBAZjbGKa9Gs09zBULuw1r1KFowGUkd4rcHcl3jStRXO53ap72XaqNdxHr9zFsJphMKQvxwnV93OeGXQRExvCjChLry4PJwlDlR8TBDvpHSIOFUoak/s1600-h/Baccus-APE24.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 94px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkb3Ps-xrBRws-Q4VpedInhSC6DBAZjbGKa9Gs09zBULuw1r1KFowGUkd4rcHcl3jStRXO53ap72XaqNdxHr9zFsJphMKQvxwnV93OeGXQRExvCjChLry4PJwlDlR8TBDvpHSIOFUoak/s400/Baccus-APE24.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358408179443388818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Baccus APE24 - "Scythed chariots". Each chariot comes with four identical horses. The chariot side panels (with attached wheels) are separate pieces.</span><br /></div><br />Baccus' scythed chariots also seem to be suffering some teething problems. The two side-panels-with-wheels are asymmetrical, making it look like the chariot has a crooked axle; and neither of them fit properly. The very delicate yoke poles also need to be bent into position to sit across the horses' backs; I had one pole arrive broken (you can see it in the pic above), and consequently resolved to leave the whole rickety rig alone, forgoing the 'proper' yoking of the horses.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzehdD9fBWZBCISMFKcMK4_FlOD7cewlcJ3ZoxMygzQDveXHSLnQ0TSoUCqUYizXYZs80AzFfxYjBc0ory_gKnMatN98IuoOSzuODTLuCjx2EAWAgMemwNJVSOlpdD_IcxMk4HJN2z4QY/s1600-h/Hellenistic_scythed_chariots.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzehdD9fBWZBCISMFKcMK4_FlOD7cewlcJ3ZoxMygzQDveXHSLnQ0TSoUCqUYizXYZs80AzFfxYjBc0ory_gKnMatN98IuoOSzuODTLuCjx2EAWAgMemwNJVSOlpdD_IcxMk4HJN2z4QY/s400/Hellenistic_scythed_chariots.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358409340947946994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Scythed chariots... poor casting, poor painting, poor assembly, poor weapons. By the time I finished this unit, I was glad my army pack had a unit of archers instead of more chariots.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If you aren't broke yet, buy more</span><br /><br />As I explained in my previous post, I've switched over to the Baccus Basing System (BBS). I'm starting to like the look it gives my units more and more; the multi-layer texturing really does stand out, even if it takes a painfully long time to produce.<br /><br />Of course switching to the BBS meant <span style="font-style: italic;">buying </span>the BBS. At the same time I bought the waterslide transfers for my phalangites. Still, it <span style="font-style: italic;">felt </span>wrong, making an order from a miniature producer without getting any minis. And so, for purely aesthetic reasons, I bought some elephants.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFw8o4cKM1pZn-9ql33QwsD6HueBBrYQ_IThl08zx9gQoJ2MwOGfW3jEZ_WxNxQ1yPdRHO3W_a0PlODMh2Lpq1dTiN6eEOAZDn7MZJP-6QQhsuLux3t2ExgdIH2FN_QLnNmp41H3UUco/s1600-h/Baccus-AMA16.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFw8o4cKM1pZn-9ql33QwsD6HueBBrYQ_IThl08zx9gQoJ2MwOGfW3jEZ_WxNxQ1yPdRHO3W_a0PlODMh2Lpq1dTiN6eEOAZDn7MZJP-6QQhsuLux3t2ExgdIH2FN_QLnNmp41H3UUco/s400/Baccus-AMA16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358408009151092338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Baccus AMA16 - "Successor elephants". One of the crewmen carries a bow, one a javelin, and the third has arms raised to support a pike (not included).</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Being used to the single-piece Carthaginian elephants, I was surprised to find their Successor equivalents come in several pieces. The two sides of the howdah are cast separately, each with an attached crewmember. Furthermore, you have the option of giving a weapon to the third crewman. Luckily the fit was a lot cleaner on these models than on the chariots, and everything went together easily.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1mAsm_R5dhzTLYhnrLwDJNNk_2YgAwR289YGVQ4Ufj-v2kc_Gl47y51xyFeXK1jlI5OvnZLmU68FEHkLv0uivJTdjbcwntmVt3phT-f8rkA4A7NA0H5gt5nOSGxWehRqhks2sGBPTkE/s1600-h/Hellenistic_elephants.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1mAsm_R5dhzTLYhnrLwDJNNk_2YgAwR289YGVQ4Ufj-v2kc_Gl47y51xyFeXK1jlI5OvnZLmU68FEHkLv0uivJTdjbcwntmVt3phT-f8rkA4A7NA0H5gt5nOSGxWehRqhks2sGBPTkE/s400/Hellenistic_elephants.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358408819320869762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cataphract elephants! I'm told the pikes were used as lances for jousting with other elephant-riders, much like European knights of the middle ages. Really. And holding up a 5kg pike from one end was not a problem for these guys, that's how hardcore they were.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwm2_gEmVVxxQTDi8bd2Qh-EJpFQkcDvvnwtwI06ylZxI7gS86PNlIhqKKt6la1OaZiiByBBOn4Mync-54QUyadOX7CypbWXdoKLVMe5NrE-4L7hefIfD1sYw3qDmrOYGaQLw1ckXaW-0/s1600-h/Hellenistic_Army1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 97px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwm2_gEmVVxxQTDi8bd2Qh-EJpFQkcDvvnwtwI06ylZxI7gS86PNlIhqKKt6la1OaZiiByBBOn4Mync-54QUyadOX7CypbWXdoKLVMe5NrE-4L7hefIfD1sYw3qDmrOYGaQLw1ckXaW-0/s400/Hellenistic_Army1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358408299188979170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">One more of the whole army.</span><br /></div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11700154915716765394noreply@blogger.com4