basing infantry (one step further)

Line infantry

Light infantry

For the sake of change, the uniforms of the first regiment on the left are all white

So all my infantry is done, however I figured out that 2 flags a base look better than only one flag, therefore I found myself in the need of twelve more command strips, 48 figures to paint. So for the moment, I can have only 6 complete bases, mostly light infantry as it seems.

Adler infantry is exquisite however it is a catastrophe to base soldier by soldier. All my guards are Adler, as well as all my infantry in greatcoat. It looks now quicker to re-paint these troops with Baccus figures and bases them rather than one after one 100+ figures.

I didn't like so much the thickness of the Baccus bases (still less thick than Adler's), therefore I carved in the plywood of the base some depression to insert the figures in. Cut my thumb twice (band aid) and my palm as well.

Oddly enough, I am really taking my time, step after step for these figures. The real second stage of the work will start with the scenery to be added to the bases.

Color plates for the Hellish Brigade

7th Hussars

5th Hussars

Eventually, I drew my inspiration in the colors above for the regiments, with a few alteration as different sources indicated slight variations in details colors.
Pictures from the excellent Napoleonic shared resources website www.napoleon-series.org

Crowding the bases

Alright, so now they are painted. Remains the decision on how to base the figures. Here are a few possibilities (all bases are 5x5 cm).

Space between ranks : 7 strips

Space between ranks : 6 strips

Compact 8 strips

Compact 8 strips : column

What is the overall effect that looks a bit better? What's your opinion?

Keeping steady!

It really takes longer towards the end. Been a bit busy this week but I should enjoy a nice day off painting and relaxing. Nevertheless, I am reviewing my painting time as basically, I will insist on highlighting (with extreme contrast) and cannot really make shortcuts.

• 15 Chasseurs a Cheval (100 minutes/Done!)
  
• 40 Grenadiers (100 minutes/Done!)
• 14 Hussards (180 minutes -> 4 days)
• 144 Line infantry ( 4 hours -> 4 days)
• 20 mounted officers, file and high command (3 hours -> 3 days)
• 9 guns + 45 artillery crew (140 minutes/Done!)

Well, it will still takes 6 weeks it seems... Anyway, the litko bases are on their way.

I am planning now to use 5x5 cm for infantry and cavalry, 3x3 cm for guns and lower commanders, and 4x4 cm for the army commander. I'm quite happy now with this choice.

Big tiredness...

Well, it's the last finish, the next few hundred yards to painting most of the figures, the last straw, the last drop, the last... well you get the picture.
So what is exactly left to paint?

• 15 Chasseurs a Cheval
• 14 Hussards
• 40 Grenadiers
• 144 Line infantry
• 20 mounted officers, file and high command
• 9 guns + 45 artillery crew

So I tried to ready everything to paint it in one go... and then, it took the best out of me. So I will take it easy and paint one type at a time. Assuming it takes 1 minutes per infantry, and 3 per cavalry, that yields:

• 15 Chasseurs a Cheval (45 minutes -> 2 days)
  
• 14 Hussards (45 minutes -> 2 days)
• 40 Grenadiers (45 minutes -> 2 days)
• 144 Line infantry ( 3 hours -> 4 days)
• 20 mounted officers, file and high command (1 hour -> 2 days)
• 9 guns + 45 artillery crew (1 hour -> 2 days)

So, doing some painter Mathematics and adding the real life time warp factor,
it will take around 2-3 weeks to paint all that I have left.

In all, I am planning now:

• 16 x infantry bases (32-36 figures)
• 6 x calvalry bases (14-15 figures)
• 6 x gun bases (1 gun 5 figs)
• 3 x horse gun bases (1 gun 5 figs)
• 5 x command bases (3 figures)
• 1 x High in command bases (3-4 figures)

144 more...

OK - done for this week 36 more strips or 144 infantry. I will need to retouch a bit some of the figures as I made a mistake for the facings.

All in all, that should make around 8 more infantry units. Still have the Hussards to do, the Chasseurs, command and guns.

Progress hasn't been too bad. I will do mainly the artillery to change and ease the workload. However no fast progress in perspective this week as work is going to take some free time off with the quarter closing.

moving on

Painting progress for this week has been substantial:

I have completed

• 2 x French Dragons units (15 cavalry in total)
• 1 x lancer of Berg (7 cavalry)
• 1 x lancer of the Vistula(?) - well they are blue with yellow facings and Chakzpa (8 cavalry)
• 1 x Middle guard unit (30 figures)

I am still thinking of basing roughly 16-20 infantry and 7 cavalry per base. I don't think I will have the strength to paint 24-30 infantrymen and 9-10 cavalrymen units, especially if some day I want to field the 52 units that should be on the French side for Waterloo (darned, I want to win this one!)


Still have to do

• 2 x French Hussards units (15 cavalry in total)
• 2 x French Chasseurs units (15 cavalry in total)
• 320 x Polish infantry
• maybe guns (16 ?), and most of the command

Still not sure I have found the most effective way to paint. I will describe it in another post.

Duchy of Varsaw

After reviewing some samples from Baccus, I hesitated quite a bit as to what army I wanted to build. Some of the possibilities were:

• Bavarians
• 1806 Prussians
• Polish troops

These figures are among the latest releases from Baccus miniatures and the sculpt has improved again over the already excellent samples that I had received in the past.

I liked all the samples, but since I wanted to make something a bit different and still "close enough" to the French, I thought that the Polish would make an acceptable proxy. I haven't checked whether it is fully historical but Robert and I agreed that we still can have fun, paint beautiful units in Grande Armee style even though we won't be accurate to the last button.

So here they are... I place the order on the 12th of February and they come all the way to Tokyo, arriving the 26th. Cost was 25 GBP including postage (4.5 GBP).

• 1 x booster pack of Polish infantry (288 figs)
  
• 1 x pack of Polish elite infantry (48 figs)
  
• 1 x pack of French commanders (quite nice but will probably use Adler figures instead as the horse are a tiny bit small)
• 1 x pack of Polish skirmishers (48 figs)
  

So all this should keep me busy while the Austrians are still making plans in their virtual world of a past century... :-)