Friday 29 March 2013

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.
 
 
 
 
 











Saturday 23 March 2013

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 !.
 
 
 

Saturday 16 March 2013

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 !.
 
 
 
 

Sunday 10 March 2013

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.
 

Saturday 9 March 2013

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.
 

Saturday 2 March 2013

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 ?.