From the 1970’s era I have had three cavalry types – Cuirassiers, Hussars and Lancers in my collection.
They are all minifig.
The Lancers and Hussars have done sterling service especially in more recent times appearing as mid 19th century units for my Italian Wars of Independence forces and their Fauxterre equivalents.
These French lancers have served many a country both real and imaginary across the nineteenth century These French hussars have also become generic as well – often appearing as AustriansThese minifigs cuirassiers don’t get out much as the battles in the mid nineteenth century were the twilight era for cavalry
In addition I have some Warrior Miniatures French dragoons. The first batch were in green and were sold years ago. Then I got inspired by a funcken image of French napoleonic dragoons in red……
These warrior metal french dragoons have been a more recent addition long after they were bought!
Intermissions have been thin on the ground this year. Perversely the awful weather has meant more time indoors – war gaming.
But there have been some interesting sights all the same.
The clouds and sky remain a fascination for colours and shapes Yorkshire playing fields – cricket might be a case of no pitch rather just rain stopping play Moonlight has been ok Plenty of dark brooding skies even during the day!There have also been very bright days – the Roman multi angular walls of York stand proudly Cinema top view in 2024 was Oppenheimer – but what’s on the wall? A commemorative plaque to this free French hero of WW2 York – P/O Yves Mahe – 82 years on.The odd Sahara warm front plume has given its signature vibrant sunsets The demise of GCN plus pro cycling app means it’s Eurosport on discovery complete with amazing editing that chops the last 200m of the race (you could not make it up). Still you get the castle pictures during boring mid race bits Very moody castle at Sandal near Wakefield.Sky colour – blue pink contrasts are always impressive I always like these skies when there is some fiery yellow gold of the sun still in play I think Tony Blair was in power last time I stepped inside the walls of the national railway museum. Still it is a fantastic visitI think I was last here when England won the World Cup (only joking). It was quite a while ago and now it’s got a roof of sorts. I seem to remember a lot of complaints about the proposal although that was probably the visitor centre that has not appeared. Clifford’s tower in York is erroneously called a castle (of which it was only part). It is vastly improved by the protection and access works that have been done. The 17th century garrison destruction of the tower interior turned the walls red. Last of a sunset and the inspiring colour gradations of almost black through dark blues to a washed out grey then tepid orange. the black outlines of trees and buildings are important to provide contrast to the orange while without the orange the colour range of blues would be the poorer
Ancients were my primary interest at the time I encountered blogging and began to follow various sites.
So a couple more blogs that caught my eye and propelled my interests in 20-25mm or 1/72.
First up is Philotep whose 1/72 minis kingdom showed what potential there was in these minis when well painted. Very inspiring.
Second is Parade Ground Again 1/72 going on 20mm this blog also introduced me to Newline figures which I had seen at a few shows in bare metal but never registered until I saw the painted product online.
Ironically blog interest itself resulted in my interests in wargaming changing. My Ancient armies remain largely a work in progress.
April is the time of year I get out and about to see what creatives and artists in York have been up to. 100 odd sites across the city allow you to see what other people do in terms of painting, sculpting, ceramics, printing and generally craft work of some sort.
This venue showed the artists books of ideas, thoughts etc.
It is also possible to see the places where these works of art are created and chat with the artists themselves about their thinking and ideas.
They often show their methods, tools and also records.
As it happened we had an old guide book so the tour was a bit of a voyage of discovery- yet it meant we saw people and art we had not planned to. Some of it was not only a surprise but very enjoyable to discover. And as usual we got lost in the backstreets of York.
All in all it usually results in me feeling a bit expansive, what could I do in the way of arts and craft?
At least it was dry the day we took in the open studios and our route took us through the recently reopened Rowntree park – now the river Ouse has dropped its levels a bit!
At least it’s a cheering and pleasurable event in what is proving to be a fairly miserable Spring.
At Battleground – the wargames show at Stockton on Tees I was lucky enough to see Dave Pengilley and his fantastic 28mm collection of Danes and Prussians for the First Schleswig Holstein War which started in March 1848 and finally ended in 1851 with the Treaty of London.
Danish line infantry in shako, kepi and flat cap!
Dave encountered the main problem with anyone interested in these wars – no figures or rather no complete ranges of figures.
Bearskinned guards soon to lose them
The best comparison I can think of is how much easier the Perrys have made the Portuguese Brothers War circa 1830 for wargamers.
Rocket unit in Danish forces with new blue uniforms on the line infantry
Anyway Dave has done a splendid job showing what an overlooked period this is.
I suspect many people will be drawn to the second war not least because of the TV series and some attempts at a range in 28mm. Also Prussians are beginning to look distinctly 1870 era by 1864 when the second war occurs.
Austrian rocket troops were lent to Prussia Prussian regular field artillery
Back in 1848 the war happens on the cusp of giant wardrobe changes. Indeed the Danes do a uniform change as they go to war. This means if you apply shaky compliance and dodgey quartermasters to new order plus supply chain vagaries – then quite a variety of uniforms can be featured alongside each other.
Just field caps and shakos on this danish line unit
And for the Germans – the confederacy means you can draw on 23 member states, many who were so conservative they were also embroiled in their own home country insurrections and still dressed in a napoleonic style.
The bell top shakos have all gone on this Danish line infantry unit Bell shako line infantry grab a lift to the front
Add to that tailcoats, tunics, frockcoats, kepis, shakoes, pickelhaubes and greatcoats means you have much choice if only the figures were for sale.
Danish light infantry were green uniformed
In a way that variety means for 28mm if you are happy to kit bash then raiding Napoleonic, Franco Prussian, ACW, Crimean and other wars up to WW1 gives you vast choice.
The technology adds in smoothbore muskets, rifled muskets, early breechloaders as well as rockets, machine guns and of course telegraph communications, steam ships, proto-submarines and railways.
Danish dragoons
Here are some more pictures of Daves excellent “home cast” range – which would meet most peoples requirements if they were on the market commercially. The problem of course is the period is not popular and even then it is dominated by those adjacent Crimea, ACW and Franco Prussian Wars.
David’s table also fielded period buildings – all scratch built by Dave!!!!Closer view of Danish light infantry Closer view of buildings Danish light infantry prepares to receive Prussian attacks Prussian line infantry marchNew uniforms in blue for the DaneSteam engine in close up – I think this is scratch built as well!Another Danish rocket troop Danish early machine gun unit Prussian hussars creep along a covered way, cavalry were not significant players in this warVon Bismarck’s Prussian hordes practice for 1864, 1866, 1870………Dane’s actually made great use of their maritime dominance Prussians advance Prussians on their march to ultimate defeatNot unlucky for me – great table number 13
So if the big wars are jaded or you simply want an unusual escape then the First Schleswig Holstein War might be just the ticket.
The 176th anniversary of the First Schleswig Holstein War is unremarkable, although with hindsight you can link it to the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings in June 1944.
The Victorians made humour of Schleswig Holstein framing a Question no one could answer. Lord Palmerston famously said only he and two others (a professor gone mad and the prince consort – now dead) new of it and he had forgotten what it was about….
Prussia saw an opportunity – there would dozens in the future
The British might have done better to look closely at this first war, certainly the second war in 1864 and definitely a third war in 1866 that swept away Austria, while they should have worried in 1870 when the French Empire dissappeared. All these wars can be linked to one man – Otto Von Bismarck. Needless to say all this created the climate that ultimately enabled the subsequent two world wars in Europe.
The rebels were later equipped by their allies
It seems odd that the war which effectively kick started the Second Reich gets little notice today. Perhaps that is because the Germans or rather the Prussians most notably lost. Defeated by a regular mid nineteenth century Monarchy. The Danes were anything but united at the time and yet still managed to defeat the Prussians and the rebellious Schlieswig Holsteiners along with Saxons, Hanoverians and other North German Confederation members.
The Danes were victorious in the field and ultimately in the diplomatic outcome, but it would not last
It was a short war and ended in steps, first Prussia withdrew – capitulating in 1848 – under the threat of a British Fleet in the Baltic (the Danes did not want it there either!) but more importantly a Russian Land and Sea invasion. The Russians sent a squadron into the western baltic to show support for the Danes.
There were many volunteer units on both sides
The war then carried on despite conferences, conventions, truces and protocols: The nineteenth century was the peak for treaties and diplomatic events.
Peace eventually broke out and a final protocol was agreed by the major european powers. Crucially the German Diet refused to recognise this 1852 London Protocol, leaving the door open for a rejuvenated Prussia to resume its Danish interests in 1864.
Unfortunately I bit off my than I could chew entering two painting challenges over Christmas. Dave Stone had kindly let me in to “Paint What You Got” after it started. That would have been fine except I had not bargained for the effect of the library theme at AHPC14.
The upshot is that I have only managed two of my many units on the paint production line before the challenge ended. But I reckon this last unit needs to see the light of day.
The first units completed were the 15th and 7th Prussian Landwehr circa 1848.
And then I did nothing – well I managed to slowly progress one unit and that was my Danish Volunteer Cavalry circa 1848.
These had been started back in January 2023!
They are based on an illustration in Ralph Weavers excellent Partizan Historical Guide on the First Schlieswig Holstein War.
This short war yielded a lot of volunteer units which adds to the variety of uniforms recorded as in being around this time.
The figures are Strelets 1877 Russian Hussars which were the nearest match I could make without modifications – especially as I was looking for raised kepis. Headgear is a bit of an issue in 1/72 plastics. However cut and pin techniques are easily done. Here instead I felt I could ignore the hussar details. further license is the pistols – I reckon the officers have privately got themselves the brand new colts from the USA! Apparently this was quite common in the mid 1900’s. Anyway as a volunteer unit I am assuming the regular quartermaster stores were short for them…..
Increasingly I am using contrast colours in a way I have used washes in the past. As GW citadel seraphim sepia has been very popular I first tried their CC browns. And I have used them here on the horses.
Coat d’Arms horse basic colours were overpainted with Citadel Contrast Gulliman which was a bit of a sudden test on my part. It worked for me although I was already happy with the CD’A colours.
The other use was to cover a very flat and washed out VJ intermediate green with Citadel CC warp lightening green. This darkened and enriched the green uniform more to my liking.
Other than that I just used regular acrylics from Vallejo.
Basing used my standard 3 colour over bird grit tried and tested GW suggestion from many moons ago. And this time I used some tall 12mm gamers grass with a dead wintry/summer look. I have found the gamers grass tufts very effective.
Well that wraps up my Paint What You Got challenge. Better late than never I say. It has been a success because 3 units have moved off the production line – all having started their long journey back in January 2023.
Thanks to Dave Stone for organising and maybe next time I might be a bit more focused.
In this post you can see my first entries into the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge 14 or AHPCXIV.
Why enter? good question for me – as these events have not really been my thing in the past. I suppose I entered because some other bloggers I follow do it and it seemed they had fun?
I did tip my toe in the water with Dave Stones one where I completed a tower. That was only back in August last year scenery season challenge
Then again I decided it might help me with my painting plans. Quite simply the answer to that has been proven to be a resounding YES. It definitely focused the mind and I have painted more since entering both events.
However I have also deviated from my plans in an enjoyable way.
In keeping with my purpose to increase painting activity my Danish Forces of 1848 have been first to benefit.
I decided to bring forward units earmarked for the back end of the project. First up I chose to paint some Danish Guards and then some Danish Light Infantry.
In my next few posts I will pick up what AHPCXIV has been landing on the Painting Pedestal.
The Wargaming Erratic 