Napoleonic Perry Miniatures - British Infantry - 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot

 

Here we have a Battalion of the 29th Regiment of Foot who famously fought at the Battle of Albuera. This Battalion fought in Hoghton's Brigade, along with the 48th Foot who were featured in my last post.

This battalion took me 9 days of intense painting with the whole unit out on my painting desk and being painted in a production line.  I mentioned in my last post that traditionally I broke down units into several parts but this time I just went for it and did the whole lot in one go!

In many ways this was probably more economical in time, compared with my usual method, however I finished these over a week ago and I have not felt like painting since!   So, the risk of burn out for me is clearly high and probably doesn't work so well for me.  I just felt a real enthusiasm to get the troops done at the time and I am pleased that they now complete.

There is not too much that I can add from my last post.  Paints used were very similar if not the same, as both the 48th and 29th were buff faced regiments so had buff straps instead of the white used on non-buff faced troops.

The flags are from GMB.  One thing I did like is that the flag is a slightly different shade of buff compared to the 48th Foot.  This little difference does make them stand apart more on the battlefield.

I have no more commentary to add on these so I'll let you enjoy the last pics of the troops.

After painting such detailed figures, I have felt like a change and have dived back into the Wars of the Roses.  I'm currently replacing the 25 year old Freezywater Flags on my command stands (where I can) with ones made by the Perry's and included on their instruction sheets.   These are being supplemented by Pete's Flags and any other detailed flags that I can find to improve the appearance of the command stands.

I'm expecting a book in the post in the morning, one I have long desired. This is the book of the Wars of the Roses Medieval Art by Graham Turner, showcasing his wonderful artwork that have adorned many an Osprey Book.  I have admired Graham Turner's artwork for many years and have ordered the book from him so I can obtain a signed copy.

This book should provide plenty of inspiration for more painting and I have no doubt that there will be posts coming with medieval figures shortly!

28mm Napoleonic Perry Miniatures - British Infantry - 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot

After another long pause it's nice to get another Battalion painted up and ready for action.  This time its the 1st Battalion of the 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot.  This Regiment had two Battalions at the Battle of Albuera.

Having visited the battlefield of Albuera last year, I have focused on painting units which were there.  The battlefield is pretty well unspoiled and the visitor is left with no doubt as to what a terrible slogging match the battle was on those barren open slopes.  This does leave a great impression on one's mind and also captures the imagination in terms of painting inspiration.  I have no idea how those troops just stood there in an ever shrinking line while hell was unleashed upon them  I think the main reason that I want to represent them is that I was just left in awe of them.

Above and below - The Light Infantry Company at the far left of the line with their green plumes

The figures are from the marvelous Perry Miniatures British Infantry box.  This box gives options for the Peninsular or later 'Waterloo' uniform.  The poses are for a firing line with a number of positions for loading, reaching for ammunition, cocking and aiming.  Some might prefer a more uniform appearance, and I would have done once, but I have no doubt that with the full noise of battle, very few are going to hear shouted firing orders after that first volley in the midst of battle, and the men will keep loading and firing on their own until an NCO slaps a man on the shoulder to cease.

My intention is to use these troops with the General d'Armee 2 rules after having play-tested them recently. The rules are certainly detailed, though I am sure I will play faster with them once I get more used to them.  I did enjoy using the rules and it did 'feel' Napoleonic which very few other rules I have used ever have done.  The GDA2 Facebook group is also a valuable resource as I was really stuck with understanding the orders phase. Putting the question up on the group brought a very helpful answer and all became clear.

Above and below - The Grenadier Company with their white plumes from the extreme right of the line

I am pleased with my change to a 50mm x 50mm stand for the troops (from 60mm x 50mm).  I like the closer order appearance. It's funny how just a reduction of 10mm width can reduce the base size so that it changes the look so much for the better.

The exception to this is the command stand.  I tried to use the new size of base but with flags that glorious (made by GMB), there was no way that I would want to reduce them to make everything fit.  British command stands will be 60mm x 50mm for me and I am perfectly happy with that.

Above and below - the command stand. I paint the flags with PVA glue and let it fully dry, before bending the wavy folds carefully into them. This helps to prevent the print detaching from the paper at the folds. I then apply a matt varnish spray over the whole to protect them (prior to basing)

I found it less daunting to paint just 12 figures at a time and then finish by painting the 5 man command stand.  This was good as it made painting the lace and detail less painful.  I type up a painting procedure of steps and paints used for every soldier type that I paint, and keep it in a large lever arch file. This way I don't forget which paints I used, and also I keep keep notes of any other information that helps (i.e. reminders to use certain arms for certain figures etc).

Below - The magnetic sheet basing with printed label. The label gets a coat of PVA glue too to protect it

I have some extra painting time at the moment as I'm currently between jobs.  I completed these figures about 9 days ago. In the 9 days since, I have painted up another whole Battalion as a production line instead of in the usual batches of 12 figures. This was complete insanity and I am burned out!  I'll post photos of that Battalion in due course, in the meantime I feel like doing something completely different...and with no lace!

28mm Napoleonic Perry Miniatures - Royal Artillery Company

 

This has been an enjoyable little project.  These are the Perry's Peninsular War Royal Artillery guns.  There are two 6 Pounders and one 5.5inch howitzer to create this Company/Battery.

By the mid-Peninsular War there would more usually be 6 guns in a Royal Artillery battery or to use the more contemporary term - 'a Company'.  The nomenclature of the British military has always been confusing (even to those who serve!) as words have different meanings depending on Regiment/Arm of Service etc.

When the guns were equipped with their drivers and horses they were called 'Brigaded'.

A pair of guns was called a 'Division'!

I recommend the excellent book "Wellington's Guns" by Colonel Nick Lipscombe for the definitive story of the Royal Artillery in the Napoleonic Wars.  This gives all the background information before diving much more deeply into the composition of each Company at each battle.  

The book also goes into some detail about Wellington's particular difficulties/feud with the Board of Ordnance who were responsible for the Royal Artillery.  This resulted in much petty bitterness between Wellington and his Artillery officers who were rarely given credit for their bravery and actions in Wellington's post battle reports.

The 6 pounders were able to fire ball, cannister and shrapnel shells.  They did not fire common shell and this was left for the 5.5 inch howitzers to fire.

I will be using these guns in battles using the General d'Armee rules. Hence I only have 3 guns in this Company/Battery rather than the full historic 6 guns.  I have play tested the rules once and it gave a superb game, certainly feeling very Napoleonic, though the detail will take me a number of play throughs before I feel I have got the mechanics fully understood.  That's standard though for me though.

The models were a joy to paint. I really like the artillerymen who do look like they are on campaign.  I have painted them up in my preferred style of keeping them soldier-like but with the inevitable dust/dirt of campaigning in such a harsh climate. 

The Royal Artillery uniform is very distinctive with the yellow braiding and lace. This of course makes it really challenging for the painter!  Though it does pay off the effort of putting the detail work in.  The guns needed a little cleaning up to remove some flash between the spokes, but it was not excessive. I am delighted to have finally got them done.  

These are the first Napoleonic British artillery figures and guns I have painted since the mid-1980's when I obsessively painted Airfix and Esci figures (they are all in my loft but I have no doubt that the paint will all have flaked off by now!).

I'm currently painting a few random things as a little break from Napoleonics, though there will be more to follow soon.

28mm - Napoleonic French 21e Legere Regiment - Perry Miniatures

This has been a serious venture! I think most of my free time of the last month has gone into painting this battalion of the 21e Legere.   I'm not complaining though - it is nice to have a project to look forward to coming home to each evening and these have been so interesting to research and paint.

The 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 21e Legere Regiment  were heavily engaged at several of the major battles of the Peninsular War.  Notably they were in the thick of it at Albuera in Gazan's Division in the main infantry attack on the British and Spanish centre. 

I decided to paint up 12 figures at a time to make this project manageable.  Doing all of them in a production line would have been intensely painful!  Progress could be measured and the 'win' of completing 12 figures was the spur to doing a further 12.  I started with the Carabiniers and Voltigeurs as they are so interesting.  

I chose to paint up the 21st Legere mainly because of the actions they were at.  On researching this regiment I discovered that they were an early recipient of bearskins for the Carabinier company.  In addition (and unexpectedly), source material showed that they wore the shako plate on the front of the bearskin.  This presented a potential issue in how best to represent this.  I decided to use my modelling blade to carve the plate into the fur and then paint it on. Much of the plate would be behind the bearskin cord anyway.

I saved the Command stand until last along with the final Chasseur stand.  I realised at this point that I had not checked to see if the correct flag was commercially available!  Thankfully it was - GMB Flags to the rescue.

My only regret with the command stand is that it looks so 'busy'  I should perhaps have reduced it by a figure, but then, which would I lose? I really liked all of the figures so did the best I could to get them all on and leave space for the flag.  I could have gone for a larger stand, but for gaming purposes I try to keep my troops in close order to give that 'look' and to maximise the use of space on the table.  In the end I stuck with 6 figures, but alas, some of the fine detail on the command set is slightly harder to see. A small sacrifice but there we are.

The voltigeurs with their tall plumes are absolutely spectacular. It was a joy to see these come into fruition.

I thought that the Chasseurs would be the least interesting being the bulk of the battalion and not being in the elite companies, but this was far from the case.  I really enjoyed seeing them develop as each colour was carefully applied and I think they have quite possibly my favourite French uniform.

I try to make the troops a little less 'parade-ground' and hint more towards campaign with showing the use of local brown cloth and different colour greatcoat/blanket rolls.

It is recorded in primary sources of the French putting on their best uniform items and plumes prior to battle, so I bear this in mind to avoid going totally ragged with uniforms and keep things looking plausible with a lean towards smartness.

It has been so interesting to read more into how the Legere were used on campaign.  It would seem that the Legere were known for their aggressive attitude.  This possibly comes from the way they were often used to spearhead assaults, rather than just skirmish, which is how they are often portrayed.

I must caveat this post on the 21st by saying that there were some things that I had to make best guesses at with uniform colours. So much seemed to be at the whim of Regimental colonels and not everything was recorded.  It is possible that towards the later campaigns, much more brown was used to create the uniforms. I have found one illustration showing them with a full brown uniform of Spanish cloth. I opted to go slightly earlier in the campaign to when the illustration was set, so hopefully having more of the blue uniform would be more accurate.  

I made a best guess with the red topping the plumes, which seemed common with many Chasseur companies of Legere, but not in all regiments.  I hope I got this one right but we might never know (I'm not changing it now!). 

More Napoleonics to follow...I'm on a roll and finally playing General d'Armee2...just solo so far but what a brilliant Napoleonic set of rules they are. Very inspiring!