Like many wargamers, I invest a lot of time in painting up units for the table and take great satisfaction from ticking off another essential battalion as completed. These battalions do after all, take us another step closer to being able to play a game.
This does leave commanders as an after thought, or simply something that doesn't quite get done until you really have to do it. That's my experience anyway. Commanders also always need that little bit of extra work, big feathers and plenty of gold trim often ensures that, but there is also that need to add some character detail too.
So, after completing enough Allied units for a small game, I thought it was time I really got on with the commanders for both sides. I have done the French too, but as Blogger seems to be back to posting pictures in reverse order, something that it has never been able to sort out, I decided to make life easier for myself and split the posts up.
This is the British Divisional Commander and is built up from figures from three different sets from the Perry Miniatures range. The Major General is from the set for Pack, Kempt and Halkett. This set (BH-03) is probably meant for the Hundred Days campaign and is with the initial catalogue listings which appear to be for that campaign. The other two packs were BH106 - Colonels in Bicorne and BH151 - Mounted ADCs.
I decided not to use use the figures as named personalities as such, which eased trying to find portraits to get hair colour and detail correct (such as I did with Waller from my ECW post of some years back). I did encounter another issue though and that was the change in how General ranks were worn, with the change in regulations.
So, aiguillettes had to be carefully trimmed off and smoothed, new epaulettes had to be created from plastic putty and while I was at it, I decided to create riding boots and breeches to replace their overalls, just to give it that earlier Peninsular campaign look!
I liked the addition of the campaign coats but felt that I needed to adjust shades of colour when two personalities wore them. This seemed to work well, and I was pleased with the result.
I mixed and matched officers and ADCs to try to create a story with them, and to try to get them to interact with each other, whether to a greater or lesser degree. The ADC below is being given clear instructions by the brigade commander.
I decided to keep the cavalry overalls on this particular ADC as overalls were worn in theatre, but just not as the generic item seen in the hundred wars campaign. The general also has his overall trousers on too. It helps to make a difference between command stands.
I really enjoyed creating and painting these almost as command vignettes. Deciding on what seemed to work with composition and modifying figures to adjust uniforms for the Peninsular was the trickiest part. After that the painting was very enjoyable. French Commanders to follow.
