Tag: VTW1848

Fragment 26/1

Last year I started some posting ideas around bits of things which did not really make a post but when combined with others could justify a post in their own right.

After the first two fragments of 2025 things sorted of dried up a bit. Or rather my focus was on specific miniatures or gaming posts.

I am going to have another try this year and ironically the first driver is the same as last years – magazines. And with further irony the second idea mimics fragment 25/2 – books.

However to kick off 2026 fragments I am going to mention painting challenges. These have kind of taken over my painting activities to the extent that three define my painting year.

First up is “paint what you got”. Now this challenge by Dave Stone works for me because it drives me to dig out what I have either half painted or abandoned. It has proved its worth.

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/tag/mid-19th-century-wargames/page/2/#:~:text=The%20Painting%20Portrait%2025a%201848%20Bavarians&text=The%20portrait%20approach%20should%20enable,a%20ball%20topped%20pin%20head.

Second is the Analogue Painting Challenge. I took this on at no14 and so I am on year three.

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/tag/fantasy/

This challenge has caused problems in that it got my ideas flowing and instead of reducing the lead mountain I ended up scratch building models during the challenge as the “themes” caught my imagination.

On the positive side I have found a use for those magazine freebies and indulged in my recycled household junk heaps to create spacecraft.

Klim class Intra planetary trader from AHPC15

I also think it propelled me into painting a background for my model displays – retiring the painting pedestal in favour of the painting portrait. In fact I even produced a sci-fi background last year.

Ahpc invariably overruns well into spring so now absorbs about half my painting year!

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/2025/04/26/the-painting-portrait-25k-ahpc15-leftovers/

The third challenge is Dave Stones scenery season which runs over the summer. Or in my case summer into autumn. This has proven a godsend as scenery production was nil and an ever increasing list of kits, models or ideas were tying me up in knots.

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/category/scenery/

So three challenges which basically cover the whole year of my painting activities.

Maybe in another fragment I will say something about the impact of these challenges on my painting activities themselves.

life miniatures painting

Irregular Loss

I have just discovered that Ron Kay of Irregular Miniatures has died at the age of 98. He was full time on the team until 93, casting figures for all us hobbyists. He carried on as a part time member of the team still handling the big and complex castings. “Hats off” as they say.

I did not know Ron personally but seem to remember him at the Irregular stand at wargames shows.

I can do best by sharing some of my Irregular Miniatures collection and sending my condolences to Ian Kay and the Irregular family.

Irregular have provided me with some great 20mm figures that helped me build my 1848 forces.

1848 Danish Infantry repurposed from Irregulars colonial range

Duchy of Modena Dragoons which were Neapolitan Dragoons

1848 Rumanian infantry which were ww1 Austrians

1848 Roman Legion which were ww1 Austrians

1848 Garibaldeans in red and blue shirts

wargaming

One Hour Wargames and 2 more Sneedens

Post author By lorenzoseventh
Post date 3rd Jul 2025
4 Comments on One Hour Wargames and 2 more Sneedens

The thing about one hour wargames is it’s genuinely “pick up” attraction. If you want to throw dice, move figures and get that war game with a purpose feeling for minimal preparation, then I find it’s a winner.

Yes, the mechanisms are abstract but you have to compromise somewhere and Neil Thomas rules generally offer that blend of compromises I like.

These battles were prompted by my reading atlas of the civil war and discovering Robert Sneeden – a Union Cartographer. https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/2025/06/05/a-game-wow/

In the first game the Royalists held the hill with some rookie blues and grays in action

The royalists divide their forces to hold both enemy objectives

The royalists include this new blue unit

Rebel forces enter the fray

Rebel victory

The rebel attack on the town is overwhelming

The rebel cavalry destroy the royalist right wing infantry

So the second battle ends in Royalist defeat. It’s all square and all to play for…..

The royalists needed to escape through the town and up the great road……

The royalists choose the remote river crossings on their left wing to make progress

The royalists are peppered by the rebel skirmishers

And so victory to the rebels in the action and also the short campaign.

Today of course saw the end of 3 days of fighting at Gettysburg – the great Union victory which along with the capture of Vicksburg saw the war finally turn against the Confederate Southern States.

miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Portrait 25k: AHPC15 leftovers

Post author By lorenzoseventh
Post date 26th Apr 2025
3 Comments on The Painting Portrait 25k: AHPC15 leftovers

I just missed the end of AHPC15 with some 1848 era artillery.

Rather than park them like last year I decided to get these Properly finished.

Irregular miniatures bell shako British do good service as Dane’s of the 1840’s

Guns were different to the Russian 1850’s version.

Full complement with earlier model to fore.

B and B Miniatures provided these chaps posing as 1848 Schleswig Holstein rebels.

One 4 pounder horse gun and one 6 pounder field gun both rifled breechloaders

But it’s hard work getting pickelhaubes for the 1840’s and the figures come with the guns – waste not want not. At three feet I can live with the difference.

miniatures painting wargaming

Painting Portrait 25e Danish Line Infantry 1848

Post author By lorenzoseventh
Post date 26th Feb 2025
3 Comments on Painting Portrait 25e Danish Line Infantry 1848

My project Schleswig Holstein in 1/72 continues if a bit slowly.

This time this unit – piquet field of battle battalion, is offered up as my final entry in this winters paint what you got painting challenge https://wargamesculptorsblog.blogspot.com/2024/12/paint-what-you-got-painting-challenge.html?sc=1734736394728&m=1#c801656457305268158. It is run by Dave Stone.

The figures are hat Nassau Napoleonic infantry. 1/72 or 20mm plastics.

I picked them because they have the nearest shako look for the Dane’s bell shako.

I have started to use a furled flag approach as invariably my flag production does not match my figure painting!

I could do some head swops to get other sets in on the act but wanted to try a straight paint job here to see if I liked the result.

The basing is my standard 40mm square mdf with budgie grit pva then 3 colour brown, ochre and yellow/white highlights. As it’s nearly spring the grass is dead tufts from gamers grass over Javis sawdust green.

wargaming miniatures painting

The Painting Portrait 25d First War of Italian Independence

Post author By lorenzoseventh
Post date 6th Feb 2025
3 Comments on The Painting Portrait 25d First War of Italian Independence

Quickly following on from breaking my duck in the analogue hobbies painting challenge I submitted these fine horsemen.

Now Modena was a small duchy in 1848 and the Dragoons were both mounted and a foot based part of the ducal army.

In fact the mounted arm stretched to just a few squadrons.

That was fine with me – I just had to have some sky blue cavalry in my collection.

The miniatures are Irregular (now based in Kingston upon Hull). They are easy to paint and have the detail I want for gaming.

My AHPC15 entry is here http://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2025/01/from-john-b-friday-crew-1848-modena.html?m=1

Back to the paint table as they say.

Tags wargaming, miniature figures, 20mm, 20-25mm, miniatures painting, Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe, wars of italian unification, risorgimento, wars of the italian unification, mid 19th century wargames, VTW1848, 20mm metals, painting portrait

miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Portrait 25c Flugelmutzes in 1848?

Post author By lorenzoseventh
Post date 3rd Feb 2025
8 Comments on The Painting Portrait 25c Flugelmutzes in 1848?

My first entry into the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge No15 were figures left over from last years challenge. They were primed but that was it.

So having a LIMBO section in this years theme of the Divine Comedy by Dante was most helpful.

The figures were Hat 1806 Prussian Hussars repurposed as 1848 Prussian Hussars. Fortunately the Prussians in 1848 were going going all new with frock coats and pickelhaubes but also retro with flugelmutzes!

You can read the entry here

http://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2025/01/from-john-b-friday-crew-1848-8th.html

This year I have got off to a slow start with AHPC15 and Dave Stones Paint What You Got challenge is well challenging me.

hey ho.

Tags 1/72, 1/72 plastics, 20-25mm, hat 1/72, hat miniatures, mid 19th century wargames, miniature figures, miniatures painting, painting figures, painting miniatures, Vienna Treaty Wars, VTW1848, wargames, wargaming, Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe

miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 24i

Ralph Weavers’ book on the Hungarian Army of 1848/49 was my source for this unit or rather legion. They represent the Romanian or Rumanian legion who fought for the Hungarian side in the war for independence. The Austrians crushed the rebellion as they saw it but the empire was diminished.

The Romanian troops came from ethnically Romanian areas that ultimately became Hungarian ruled in the Transylvanian region after World War One ended the Austrian Empire.

Again I have used Austrian World War One infantry turning a blind eye to ammunition pouches etc.

The flag is homemade and again it suffered some bleeding when pva coated.

A trim of the peaked cap and a paint job gives me what I wanted. The fact is I bought these Austrians speculatively during lock down when I was in the hunt for capped infantry. The 1840’s is a difficult period to model as you often get the right hats with the wrong uniforms or vice versa!

World War One era figure ranges are useful if you ignore the equipment errors.

The uniform was a bluey purple so I tried contrast paints and was very happy with result.

Again I used Ralph’s text to help me decide on uniform details – the flag says Justice Fraternity.

This basically clears the decks for two painting challenges. AHPC15 started last Friday and “paint what you got” starts Boxing Day. They finish 21st March and 28th February respectively so will keep me occupied.

Merry Christmas and thanks for stopping by.

Tags 20-25mm, 20mm, 20mm metals, Irregular miniatures, mid 19th century wargames, miniature figures, miniatures painting, painting figures, painting miniatures, the painting pedestal, Vienna Treaty Wars, VTW1848, wargames, wargaming, Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe

miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 24h

It’s been quite a gap since June when I posted the last of my AHPC14 miniatures – Danish artillery 1848. And I had not clocked a pedestal moment since my French cuirassiers appeared in May.

In fact the pedestal has physically moved on to a new home but I plan to keep the post title for now.

Today on parade are some irregular miniatures I painted as part of a challenge I did with John@justneedsvarnish.

https://justneedsvarnish.wordpress.com/

The figures are actually 20mm Austrian World War One infantry.

I like irregular’s style of figure which works for the relaxed 3 figures per 40mm square basing I use for my nineteenth century armies

I trimmed the peaked caps and a paint job later I got my 1st Roman Legion (who became the 10th line infantry) of the Roman Republic.

My reference is Ralph Weavers Garibaldi and the Siege of Rome published by Partizan Press. I used his text description which differs somewhat from the colour image in the book.

As I mix old 25mm, 1/72 and 20mm figures from different manufacturers basing sometimes includes height adjustments.

2mm washers help these 20mm figures blend in.

The flag is homemade and the emblems in ink bled when I pva coated them! So that flag will need replacing-one day!

Finally the background tree was a bring and buy find while the two very nice trees to the fore are from “scenics ?”. The cottage is one of my very old airfix models given a makeover during Dave Stones season of scenery this autumn.

Mid 19th Century Wargaming miniatures painting wargaming

1st Schleswig Holstein War – Royal Danish Army uniforms 1848

Post author By lorenzoseventh
Post date 8th Jun 2024
2 Comments on 1st Schleswig Holstein War – Royal Danish Army uniforms 1848

The Royal Danish Army of 1848 was characteristically mid 19th century in dress. It still had a napoleonic uniform as such, yet things like the peaked cap and Hungarian kepi had begun to change the look. Pantaloons were noticeably full length and trouser like.

At the start of the war infantry uniforms were red tunics and bright blue trousers. Uniform regulations for 1848 planned a change to essentially all dark blue clothing complete with a bright blue kepi.

1849 line infantry in Hungarian kepi’s, new tunic but old knapsacks

The regulations crept in although the kepi was so popular – soldiers often threw away their bell shaped shakoes in the field.

Other elements of the army – Artillery and Engineers kept the older kit for longer.

The Cavalry had largely reduced to the Dragoon in combless metal crested helmet (a fashionable trend) while the Hussars wore a small tapered shako. Dragoons wore red tunics and bright blue trousers, the Hussars wore all pale blue.

Tags 1/72, 1/72 metals, 1/72 plastics, 20-25mm, hat 1/72, hat miniatures, Irregular miniatures, mid 19th century wargames, miniature figures, miniatures painting, painting figures, painting miniatures, strelets, strelets 1/72, Vienna Treaty Wars, VTW1848, wargames, wargaming, Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe