Easter Doings .

 

As my wife is working this Easter I have been left to my own devices for the time being, so braving the cold weather I cast up some more cavalry figures - the command and second Squadron of the 'Blue' Horse.

 

 

I also set up a encounter battle to try out some of my new toys . The French are nearest the camera , the Allies in the distance.

 

 

The French deploy their Chasseurs and Hussars as the Swiss Regt. Castella move up the road.

 

 

The opposition the 20th Foote .

 

 

The newly painted Hessian Leibgarde zu Fuss Grenadier company (no drummer yet- have to cast him up next) their first battle - how will they perform ?

 

 

Voltaire and his manservant 'Wee' Jocky take up position in the church yard to get a good view of the action . I will be using 'Charge' for the rules and will hopefully post the results of the battle in the near future.

 

 

 

 

 

The French Regiment Castellas.

 

Sorry for the rather poor photos , I normally do my photography in the bathroom (an odd place to do a photo shoot I know, but the light is very good !) but as my wife was using the shower I had to take them on the stair landing (she told me to hoover the carpet first - Hmm didn't do to good a job of that !) .

 

 

I have got the final company done and this completes the Swiss Regt. Castellas. This means that I must do an Allied unit to help balance the forces .

 

 

I decided to repaint the figures I got of EBay as the grenadier companies of the Hesse-Kassel Regiment 'Leibgarde zu Fuss'.

 

 

Have got the first 3 figures done to see how they painted up , they are more 'toy soldier' in form in comparison to the Prince August figures and maybe slightly larger but as they are in a separate unit this won't matter - and after all they are Grenadiers !.

 

 

 

The Blue Horse.

 

After a 'paintfest' this week I have managed to get the rest of the 1st Regiment of Horse finished . To my annoyance their bases have turned out darker than I expected , not sure what went wrong there ! - obviously I have got my green paint mixed up !?.

 

 

They need another squadron and command casting up to finish them , but will have to wait their turn as I try to cast and paint to build up equal sized forces . So next is the final company of the French regiment of Foote .

 

 

Here the 'Blue Horse' take their place in the Allied ranks ready for their first action .Traditionally newly painted units perform badly in their first battle - we will have to see how they do !.

 

 

 

 

1st Regiment of Horse.

 

Awhile ago I had a massive casting session of cavalry figures and I finished off my French cavalry unit , I also cast up the first squadron of a Allied Regiment of Horse . Having debated long on the various units I could portrait with these figures I finally decided on the British 1st Regiment of Horse or the 'Blue Horse' . This regiment later became the 4th Dragoon Guards , it missed the SYW  being stationed in Ireland - but I see no reason that this historical fact should prevent it acquiring martial glory on my table top !. I also have a paint which is just right for their facing colour ! , so we have the first figures done as you see providing a mounted vedette.

 

EBay Finds.

 

A fellow blogger was kind enough to alert me to the sale of some 40mm SYW  figures on eBay , when I first started on my 40mm SYW  collection I had plans to cast every figure myself - but when I saw these I thought they looked so cute that I had to get them . There are 30 of them which will give me a couple of companies under my organisation. Although painted I think I will repaint them as Hessian Grenadiers - they look suitably Germanic , I will have to cast up Officers and Drummers for them .

 

 

The seller was also selling the above Hussars , working on the theory that you can never have enough Hussars I bought these as well (luckily these purchases coincided with some back-pay that was owed to me !) There are enough for a squadron and again I think I will be repainting them into some sort of Frei-Korp Hussars . I believe they are cast from molds sold by  http://www.zinnfigur.com/index.php?cPath=5_1256_1270&osCsid=upnkc9a0dpf5qq25cpbpklrts3&ID=1270 . A lucky find and based and repainted will be seeing action on the table soon.

 

Uncle Toby and Corporal Trim

 

Several blogs ago -(http://tinsoldieringon.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/an-aside-personality-figure.html) in fact, I mentioned modelling Tristram Shandy's Uncle Toby and since then I have been casting around for a suitable figure for his batman Corporal Trim . I finally decided on a old Holger Erikson mold I got off a car boot sale which seemed suitably 'old soldier' and so both characters appear above on my battered and still not read copy of 'Tristram Shandy' .

 

 

 

I have tryed to find a illustration of the gallant Corporal and the only ones I have come up with are by George Cruikshank .

 

 

I have also come to the conclusion that Corporal Trim was maybe the original military modeler ! - note the above 'Smoking Battery' and converting the antique jackboots into mortars ! - if only they had acess to 40mm figures ! what might have been acheieved ?.