Tag: strelets 1/72

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miniatures painting wargaming

Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge 2023/24

For some reason this year I decided to enter a painting event in the darkest month and promptly joined two, both before Christmas.

Daft I know.

I have already posted about “Paint what you’ve got“.

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.

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Mid 19th Century Wargaming miniatures painting wargaming

Buildings Blast – some C19th figures used

My “Buildings Blast” post about two games I fought after setting up most of my buildings scenery covered a What a Tanker game and then a mid C19th game between Austrians and Piedmontese.

The tanks in use were the usual suspects, however the C19th game included several units which were converted – head swops or using different paint jobs.

Here are some of the units that were in play.

For 1859 Piedmontese I basically used these Hat ACW Infantry Firing, a paint job adaption. Crucially the kepi gradually replaced the tapered stove pipe in Piedmont/Sardinian Armies between 1848 and 1870 so ACW sets are a good source for these forces and require little adaption. And at a squint can cover Danish troops in their German wars 1848-1864, but thats another story.
Hat Napoleonic Russian Militia were simply painted as Milan Civil Guard. A couple of figures had flat hats created to replace their busby like hats. The Flag is a home made effort using artists acrylic pens on dried out glasses cleaner material. Yep some “value” glasses cleaner wipes don’t have a long shelf life – and I have packets of them! However oddly they are a bit like tough crepe paper so of course ended up in the hobby spares box.

…….in the foreground my “topiary hedges are on show“

The biggest conversion on show was my 1849 Piedmontese or Sardinians – rapidly expanded infantry were sent into battle with simple frockcoats and larger red tapered shakoes. (the regulars had double breasted frockcoats and smaller tapered stove pipe hats). I used Hat marching ACW union troops and took the Shakoes and back packs from Hat Dutch Napoleonic Infantry.
These lancers are circa early 1970’s Minifigs – conversion is in my “minds eye” to some Piedmont Lancers who of course did not wear green! or had combs on the helmets, red on their pennants……oh well its amazing what you can forgive.

The cobbled street comes from Coritani (Magnetic Displays Ltd).

These figures are Strelets 1877 Russian Artillery posing as french artillery circa 1850. The “piece” is I think a Zvezda item from their Great Northern Wars range
These trusty Hussars date from the 1970’s and are French Napoleonic. They regularly turn up as Austrian Hussars in my games.
The river is from S&A Scenics and the bridge is a laser wood cut kit from 4ground

4ground and S&A Scenics Links

My last unit on show is the 1860 British Legion – that sailed to Sicily with Garibaldi’s Mediterranean Invasion Army. The figures are Strelets Russian Turkish war of 1877 Russians in summer uniform.

Even in these days of a truly massive games market the more obscure historical events being modelled benefit from some conversion and adaption in order to capture the flavour of uniforms.

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Mid 19th Century Wargaming miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal: 22e 1859 french artillery

My current preoccupation is mid nineteenth century warfare. You can’t travel far without meeting the resurgent French Empire. Here is my offering on french artillery around the time of the Franco Austrian War of 1859. Being a few years before the American Civil War it can be argued that conflict obscures the war which inflated French self belief and probably contributed to their Prussian undoing by 1870.

I opted for individual basing plus I went with my pale grasses again.
This second shot shows some back figures in focus including two riflemen complete with blanket rolls
The men all carry moustaches – whiskers were a trademark of the period.
Here are the 14 figures which allows me four per gun plus the two riflemen.
The figures are from the Strelets Russo Turkish War of 1877 range. They have some great animation as long as you like the chunky style.
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1/72 scale figures 20/25/28mm figures metal miniatures wargaming

Scaling the Heights

James Fisher has a fascinating blog on Napoleonics. James asked me about Warrior Miniatures. Now I will say at this point Warrior Miniatures and I go back to the mid 1970’s, however my association has only ever been as a paying customer. So any effusive comments about them is simply reflecting my enthusiasm for their products.

So James wondered about plastics and the metals from Warrior Miniatures which I would add, shown here, are from their advertised 25mm range.

Now I have chosen to show the figures randomly arranged. Previously I have posted with some attempt to show exact height difference. Yet I think that ultimately it is the opinion that matters not the maths. So do they look ok?

First up the plastics – L to R Hat Russian Militia, Waterloo1815 Austrian 1859 Artillery and then Strelets 1877 Russian Artillery. Note thin strelets bases probably make between 1-2 mm height difference. The austrians have been on short rations while the green russians look rather too well fed……….The blue strelets are slightly shorter and as they are furtherest from the camera this is enhanced. unless you game with all troops in one neat row view exactly side on then that comparison is false. So my slightly layered approach is more suited to judging if figures will “mix well”.
L-R Hat Russian Militia; Strelets Russian 1877 Artillery then Strelets ACW Union in attack converted with Hat stove pipe hats and finally Hat Napoleonic Austrian Landwehr
L-R strelets 1877 russians; converted strelets attacking union ACW infantry, Hat austrian landwehr and far right Waterloo1815 Austrian 1859 infantry, again thin strelets bases and they being shorter yet squatter mean they could be easily 2mm shorter. I think it will be fine.
Warrior Napoleonic 25mm range L-R irregular spanish, then a sole British Napoleonic Light Infantryman BN10 I think and finally spanish line troops (these are the standard 4 poses you get with Warrior along with a firing pose. To me they are active and uncomplicated – great for gaming pieces – not so good if you are producing perfect rembrandts
Warrior Napoleonics SN8, SN6, SN9, SN5 irregular spanish infantry
Warrior Napoleonics Spanish SN5; British Light Infantry BN10 – with shoulder pads!; Spanish Line Infantry SN1 and SN4
Warrior 25mm Napoleonics – 4 of the 5 standard poses – firing pose not shown
warrior and waterloo 1815 figures interposed
Warrior and Waterloo1815 figures interposed
Warrior and converted Hat figures interposed (conversion from kepi to stove pipe has added almost 2mm to top of figure)
Warrior and Hat Landwehr interposed
Warrior and Strelets 1877 russians interposed
Warrior and Russian Militia interposed

Just for fun here are some other figure comparisons – I think hinds and caliver books still run these “retro” minifig/hinchliffe lines. I have posted elsewhere the gross sculpture change Greenwood & Ball did between their Garrison Normans and Vikings. I think the bigger more detailed Vikings shown here sunk without trace – while the older G&B figures were rerun for a time into the 2000’s?

1970 era Hinchliffe persian, Greenwood and Ball Garrison Viking, Minifig ECW, Hinchliffe Assyrian and Minifig 7YW french musketeer – minifigs tended to be shorter and fatter
1970’s metals interposed with strelets russians
1970’s metals interposed with Austrain Landwehr Hat figures
1970’s metals interposed with Russian Militia Hat figures
1970’s metals interposed with strelets ACW conversions
1970’s metals interposed with Waterloo1815 Austrian 1859 infantry

Here is another oddity – again a short life production from Minifigs

a persian horseman for the Cyrus the Great era who dwarfs a standard 1970’s minifig horse which was all that was offered then! The figures were completely oversizing the existing ranges when they came out. again I think they sank without trace
I quite liked the figure at the time – but they never got beyond my by then favoured black undercoat and some block painting
magnificant helmet comb……….with skirts – they deserve painting one day……….

Now I have dug out a later 25mm 1700 grenadier – I think its a foundry chap with practically no base.

base starts at 10cm
eyes at 28mm and grenadier cap tops out at 34mm
so how does he match up?
Warrior examples with two 25/28mm figures – the chap on the left is more 25mm but still above 25mm foot to eye.
Bulk is one issue – warrior are campaign figures so half starved whereas most 28mm figures are obviously garrison based and well fed
warrior napoleonics alongside minifigs 7YW musketeer and 25/28mm grenadier
warrior napoleonics alongside hinchliffe assyrian and 25/28mm grenadier
warrior napoleonics alongside hinchliffe persian and 25/28mm grenadier
warrior napoleonics alongside Greenwood and Ball Garrison viking and 25/28mm grenadier. I actually think the vikings cut the mustard in the 25/28mm sector but 45 years too early!
warrior napoleonics alongside minifigs ECW and 25/28mm grenadier

Now some finished and based figures to compare against

Warrior Napoleonics and minifig austrian 7YW very very fat figures – the frei corps figure I hated even painted as it turns out and still don’t like even today. Yet they have done good service on the gaming table.
Warrior Napoleonics and Hinchliffe Bavarians who match well for campaign slightness while height is fine in my view
Warrior Napoleonics and Zvezda 1/72 Great Northern War Russian Infantry in some inexplicable uniform from the mythical world of Fauxterre of course. With thinner bases the Zvezda figures are physique wise taller. Zvezda have produced some significant variations in their historical ranges which puts certain figures in the 25/28mm category
ALL Warrior Napoleonics and their french counterparts with painting 45 years apart! clearly there is a very stiff breeze blowing……
Warrior Napoleonics and Tradition 25mm Russian Guard. Slender style matches and as guardsmen they are just a bit taller to eye level.
Warrior Napoleonics and early minifig french napoleonic line infantry

To sum up, when it comes to height, I have become ever more tolerant and actually it is anatomy which jarrs my view. This is why I struggle with Perry figures – they are just so perfect. Which shows you just can’t please some people.

Some beautiful plastic 28mm Perrys from my stalled Wars of the Roses project with a metal tumbling dice norman (1/72) thrown in

Finally a book which started my wargaming in earnest and is a celebration of fantasy gaming – I kid you not!

This books celebrates fantasy gaming

I leave you with this image from that book – published in 1967 – when it really probably was bad form not to have the correct facings or turnback colours etc. Lawford and Young said “play fantasy” and in the game photos they showed that scale was not a big issue. These look like 30mm figures rubbing shoulders with 45mm figures?????

The lancers smallness is offset by their horse size while the bearskin wearer looks almost 20th century parade dress with a decididly 18th century chap next to him…. who cares….the game was a cracker.

Above all if it looks right to you then it is fine – play* away.

*tournament players will not be so lucky methinks.

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metal miniatures miniatures painting Vienna Treaty Wars wargaming

Hey its Summer!

Summer is here and some fine weather is in prospect, following on a week or so of warm and sunny days.

So the paint brush gang have packed their bags and headed for the seaside or wherever paintbrushes go in holiday.

figures abandoned in the basing zone………. WW1 Belgians (posing as Neapolitan Chasseurs 1859) with ACW Union Infantry (posing as Bologna Volunteers 1859) and Austrians in kettel and short shako (posing as themselves 1848 – 1860)

That means the Painting Pedestal stands bare.

the painting pedestal – a study in “still life”

Hopefully the Painting Pedestal will return later this year. Meanwhile the Painting Table is crowded with a queue of figures pleading to be painted or have their bases finished off……..

These Irregular Miniatures metal 20mm British Infantry boast the mid 19th century fancy of the wide topped shako.
These Warrior Miniatures metal 25mm Napoleonic Spanish are just started – in the distance some revolutionry chaps are awaiting their first colours – also from Warrior Miniatures.

Enjoy your Summer whatever the weather and whatever you do.

Categories
garibaldi wargaming Mid 19th Century Wargaming miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal: The Kingdom of Sardinia

Italy in the mid 19th century continues to fascinate me with my project to build armies of the Risorgimento, Wars of the Italian Unification (WotIU), or even the decline and fall of the Austro Hungarian Empire. The fact is that “The Empire”, once Holy Roman and western successor to the original Roman Empire, had its hands all over Italy having displaced French and Spanish interests after the fall of Napoleon in 1815.

The Kingdom of Sardinia is confusingly also known as the Kingdom of Piedmont which was just part of its claim.

So you often get written descriptions of Piedmontese fighting or occasionally Sardinians but usually Bersaglieri (who did all the fighting!). My recent Bersagleri efforts can be seen in this post.

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/tag/piquet-wargame-rules/

Actually it is not true about the Bersagleri being the only soldiers in Italian armies – its a bit like British Grenadiers being the only useful infantry in a british army. Bersaglieri (sharpshooters) were elite troops armed with rifled muskets and latterly breech loading rifles, who were often in the thick of the fighting, used as shock troops, and using a freedom of action which in turn required much greater discipline.

So in the wargaming world it is not surprising the mainstream manufacturers have gone for Bersaglieri.

Sadly this range by Waterloo 1815 remains incomplete

Waterloo 1815 make their Italian Bersaglieri in 1/72. Strelets actually name their offering Sardinians – technically correct – again their are characteristically Bersaglieri.

Strelets’ only adventure into this war era – although they did a lot of Crimean figures – key ones are now out of production – and yes the Bersagleri really fought there alongside the French, Turks and British.

The poor old line infantry of Sardinia/Piedmont get short shrift. The saving grace is the Amercian Civil War where manufacturers offer an abundance of figures which can be borrowed………..

Shakoes can be a problem, yet even here clothing fashion in military terms meant armies in the mid 19th century tended to be either “french” (kepis/short shakoes) or “germanic” (helmets/caps) or “british” (short shakoes/caps) in styling. And then of course you get emulation. The British love of “bearskin” clad soldiers dates from the demise of Napoleons’ Imperial Guard. Within a few years the French had resurrected their own Bearskin Guardsmen as well. And it seems everyone had a post Napoleonic frenzy in glitzy uniforms for almost 40 years until barrel rifling and breech loaders changed warfare.

Finally you find tucked away a manufacturer who has provided apparently everything you need for the Sardinian kingdom.

Lucky Toys made two sets – garibaldi’s redshirts (very 1859 I think) and Piedmont Infantry and Bersaglieri (again circa 1859 I think). Thats easy to explain – 1859 was the war year which saw the Austrian grip on Italy collapse.

All this adds up to lots of possibilities for mid 19th century armies fighting across Italy.

Here is Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia courtesy of Lucky Toys.

So there will be some posts on my latest additions to the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Question is – which decade?

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1/72 scale figures 20/25/28mm figures Mid 19th Century Wargaming miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal: Brigata Dunne

Gabriele Esposito has written a fine Osprey about the Italian Wars of Unification. In fact he has two: Part 1 covering Sardinia/Piedmont plus the two Sicilies while part 2 covers Papal States, Minor States and Volunteers.

They are Men-at-Arms series Nos 512 ansd 520.

This quartet of Ospreys are excellent resources for Italian Wars of Unification.

This particular unit is based for my preferred rulesets by Neil Thomas and Piquet Field of Battle.

With only 12 figures for a battalion they may not be to some people’s liking. Equally they are 1/72 and plastic so 28mm metal fans will have no joy here.

I am quite taken with MAA 520 because it is not just the colour plates that offer so much opportunity and variety. Often in the past Ospreys offered little on uniforms beyond the text for the plates – much of the other text dwelling on potted histories and organisation. These MAA’s offer lots of uniform detail. The black and white plates are very relevant (not always the case in Ospreys), well chosen and in the case of volunteers lots of choice.

I have discovered that there was an English battalion of volunteers in the Sicily campaign of 1860 during the Second War of Unification. It was followed by an English Legion which saw no action. They were all part of the Brigade or Brigata named Dunne after its English Commander.

Plate H1 showing an english volunteer of Brigata Dunne also figures on the front cover of MAA 520.

I used Strelets 1877 Russians in summer dress as they offered the nearest thing to this figure in my view. You might say – well there are plenty of ACW figures that would fill the gap. Well I did look and somehow none looked the part when compared with Strelets 1877 Russians.

Plastic Solder Review complained about the missing bayonets which applies here as well.

I can live with that – 1/72 plastics is often about compromise. I am pleased with the result. In this case Guiseppe Ravas’ illustration made the job easy.

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1/72 scale figures 20/25/28mm figures basing Mid 19th Century Wargaming miniatures painting

The Painting Pedestal: Bersaglieri

In my last post I mentioned some pesky Bersaglieri – so here they are. 1848/1859 and all that………..

The figures in the line are Strelets 1/72 based to Piquet Field of Battle (I use 40mm square bases) – three figures to a base just like Wesencraft and Peter Pig – the rule of three works quite nicely here.

My own preference these days is to have command bases even where the rules don’t require them. Impetus rules tempted me away from the rigidity of DBA and with its larger bases plus the variable figure poses offered by 1/72 I really like the combination.

Yes these chaps are the slightly maligned Lucky Toys which stand at almost 26mm high.

In build along with some Piedmont Line Infantry and Red Shirts, so you know what is coming down the line sometime……..

Read the Plastic Soldier Review, be horrified and then pay about £4 for 30 odd figures which you have to build yourself just like Perry plastics!

These Bersaglieri are meant to represent Piedmontese/Sardinians in summer dress (white trousers) and will work from the 1840’s to 1870ish.

I paint the bases in burnt umber followed by a yellow ochre heavy dry brush and finish with a pale yellow highlight. I prefer the clumps of grass which to my mind looks right even though Lombardy can look just like the bright green fields of England on its day.

Artists license as they say.

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1/72 scale figures 20/25/28mm figures Mid 19th Century Wargaming miniatures painting wargaming

Piedmontese Unit 1 Complete

The first milestone is complete. I have a unit of Piedmontese for the period around 1850. Probably the first figures in this era I have painted (well since the year DOT Airfix ACW figures that started me off wargaming).

ok so these Union ACW Strelets Firing Figures are from the wrong continent but hey there were only these kepis in the depot and their regulation tunics had to be swopped for something a bit longer! Oh and they left all their packs behind when they went chasing some Austrians…………
On a pedestal nothing is too good for Strelets despite the frankly accurate reviews in Plastic Soldier Review. The thing is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
In PIQUET 1700-1900 Field of Battle rules, 2×2 equals Attack Column
The Firing Line from PIQUET 1700-1900 Field of Battle rules
I like a few figures with my scenic crumble (courtesy of woodland scenics – no I am not a shareholder)

Next up on the painting board are some Austrians looking quite serious and on the other hand Bersaglieri – complete with capercaillie feathers.

Categories
1/72 scale figures new additions wargaming

Plan A 2021

The beauty of a written plan is you can tear it up and then reflect later on whether things got better or worse as a result!

So here is plan A for 2021.

Whats in a Name

My wargames plan A for 2020 was about Normans in the South (NitS) and that plan “went south” which is in the negative. At least Plan B gave me plenty of wargames pleasure.

For 2021 I am in the nineteenth century and specifically it is the wars of Italian Unification which have me dazzled.

Abbreviations give me WoIU. Not very catchy. Or I could tweak it to get WotIU – Watteu.

hmmmmmm.

OK we will run with that WotIU.

WotIU in my plan runs from Napoleon to Nation State as Lucy Riall says on the cover of her book entitled “Risorgimento”. So I could go with “Risorgimento”. That feels a bit constricting though.

And low and behold Neil Thomas gives you a book – Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe 1815-1878.

Excellent. Too Excellent as Neil Thomas offers you a myriad of armies to choose from. And it is anything but uniform in this period.

Skakos, coatees, knee gaiters, stovepipes, kittels, greatcoats, kepis, short gaiters, spikey helmets, zoaves, bersaglieri……….and red shirts.

So where do I begin?

Two armies around 1855 – looking a bit like

Austrian – kittels, trousers and small tapered shakos

Piedmont – kepi, trousers and frock coats or tunics

It seems the cavalry still resembled napoleonic styles but with trousers.

So I have made a start with some ACW Union Infantry being repurposed as Piedmontese Line Infantry.

Austrian artillery mix it with Piedmontese Bersaglieri

The aim will be to get some forces on the table.

So posts might be thin on the ground if I am painting well……..