Tag Archives: British

Napoleonic

42nd “Black Watch” Highlanders

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I have been dreading painting these Highlanders ever since I brought the Victrix plastic sets off Trademe over a year ago. Probably more like two years ago. I think that the kilts were what was giving me conniptions.  As it turns out it was not the kilts but the damned dicing on the bonnets. I just couldn’t get it right and after stuffing it up and repainting about four times I just left it as is. As long as they are identifiable from wargaming distance as Highlanders I am sure that people wont mind don’t care now.

As far as the tartan goes I knew I could never paint as detailed as some that I have seen, so went with what I could to approximate the 42nd’s tartan.  In the end I am pretty happy with how they turned out.

The miniatures are Victrix with a smattering of Perry Miniatures parts (loading arms, a sergeant’s pike arm and a few other bits and bobs) and a single Westfalia Miniatures ‘Rude Highlander’.  Will save the other one in the Westfalia set for the 79th. I have a matching casualty base from the Perry Miniatures British casualty set I painted a year or so back.  The flag is the post-Peninsular one that comes in the Victrix Highlanders box.

Napoleonic

British 10th Light Dragoons (Hussars) – Elite Miniatures

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I really hate painting cavalry.  I mean I really really hate painting cavalry.  When it comes to cavalry I really really really hate painting Hussars. It is like slamming your fingers in a door – feels really great when you stop.

This week’s completed unit is the 10th Light Dragoons (Hussars), 1808. I chose this regiment because that is what is illustrated in my copy of the wonderful Military Dress of the Peninsular War.  Miniatures are Elite sourced from Nathan at Elite Miniatures Australia. I will point out that he does not just stock Elite – he has a great range from a variety of top line manufacturers.

As far as this unit goes they look a damn sight better from three feet away than they do in close up pictures, but I am reasonably happy with them despite the fact that they drove me batty.

I like the yellow bags on their fur hats.
Brigaded with the 16th Light Dragoons.
I know he is a RHA officer but what the heck.
Brigaded with the 16th Light Dragoons.
Zulu Wars

Zulu Wars: Dismounted Auxiliary Cavalry

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When I got home from Wellington last week I found a package from Nathan at Elite Miniatures Australia waiting for me. Nathan had packaged these up and posted them to me before he left on his latest adventure in PNG.

These Empress Miniatures are lovely figures. I got the three sets of dismounted auxiliary cavalry (4 Natal Mounted Police, 4 Natal Carbineers and 2 each of Buffalo Border Guard and Newcastle Mounted Rifles).  These figures can easily be painted up as units that were attached to forces other than No 3 Column – such as the Stanger Mounted Rifles. They are on the small side compared to the Black Tree figures that make up the bulk of my miniatures for this project. Even Mrs Woolshedwargamer commented on the fact that “they look little”.

I now have to get some horse holders to make the unit “look right’ when deployed dismounted.  I think that these Empress Miniatures fit really well with my converted Perry Miniatures ACW cavalry.

Next on the wish list – horse holders for these guys and a unit of Mounted Natal Native Contingent, some Frontier Light Horse and Imperial Mounted Infantry.

 

Buffalo Border Guard (L) Newcastle Mounted Rifles (R)
Natal Mounted Police
Natal Mounted Police
Firing Line
With Durnford
Natal Carbineers
Buffalo Border Guard (L) Newcastle Mounted Rifles (R)
Natal Carbineers
Buffalo Border Guard (L) Newcastle Mounted Rifles (R)
Zulu Wars

Zulu War: British Volunteer and Auxiliary Cavalry

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I have wanted to include a unit of Volunteer and Auxiliary Cavalry in my British force for some time but various reasons – mainly cost and other spending priorities, has put this on the back burner. However, I splashed out and ordered some Empress dismounted volunteer and auxiliary cavalry from Nathan at Elite Miniatures Australia.  While waiting for them to arrive I decided that of course that meant that I needed to represent these guys in their mounted form as well. So…I decided to give converting a go.

I looked through the lead/plastic mountain and found a box of Perry ACW Cavalry.  I also had sprues of Warlord Games British infantry and Natal Native Contingent available, along with a tube of really old greenstuff.

These guys came out a bit huckery in places but on the whole I was happy enough with the outcome considering it was a two day job.  I made four Natal Mounted Police, four Natal Carbineers, two Newcastgle Mounted Riflemen and two Buffalo Border Guard.

The horses were used as is. The tack and harness is not exactly Zulu Wars Imperial but I could live with that.

Bodies were mostly used as is, with some tunic lengthening and ration bags added with greenstuff. Helmets and hats came from Warlord Zulu Wars British infantry and cartridge belts from their plastic Natal Native Contingent sprue. I also took the odd NNC hand and rifle as well.  Not the greatest conversions but I think will pass muster on the tabletop and three feet of distance.

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Natal Carbineers
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Natal Carbineers
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Natal Mounted Police
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Left – Buffalo Border Guard – Right – Newcastle Mounted Rifles.

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Zulu Wars

Zulu War: British Casualty Bases

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Yesterday I knocked out these casualty bases for the British side in my Anglo-Zulu Wars project.  I had a few Redoubt casualties (all Auxiliary Cavalry) that I brought in an order last year – really to test the waters with Redoubt figures to see how compatible they were with my Black Tree Designs figures. Very compatible as it turns out.

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A Frontier Light Horseman. I don’t actually have a unit of these yet, but best to be prepared.
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A Natal Carbineer. I do in fact have a unit of these – subject of a post next week when I take some pics.
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A Redoubt Natal Carbineer that I converted to be a Newcastle Mounted Rifleman. based on one of the custom 70mm casualty bases I had made by Warbases in the UK.
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Another view of same. He arrived with the barrel of his carbine broken off so replaced with a piece of a pin.

I had no British infantry casualty figures on hand so turned to my Warlord Games plastics. I brought a bunch of sprues during one of their sales a year or so back and assembled one company of British infantry and got halfway through painting them before I decided that I didn’t like the plastic figures for this project….but that meant a lot of left over bits.

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A British sergeant comforts a wounded comrade.
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Started life as a standing firing pose. But then again don’t they all.

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Zulu Wars

Zulu Wars – British Column

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And here are the Imperial forces mustered so far to fight the Zulu. British regulars backed by European and native contingents.  I plan to add to thus force using the fantastic Empress Miniatures range to flesh out the various mounted infantry and cavalry units and more natal native troops.  So far I have painted the five companies of the 1/24th present at Isandlwana and have enough unpainted lead to finish the remaining British regulars (might even do the band if I can find the figures).  Of course, I also plan to do the naval contingent, rifles, some regular cavalry and lots of supply wagons – time to order more pencil sharpener wagons I think.  Redoubt do British drivers. Anyone know a good source of plastic 28mm oxen?

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                                  Redoubt Miniatures bugler.

 

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Dismounted Boer Volunteers fight the old foe.

 

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                                             Artillery Support.

 

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                                            British Lancers.

 

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                                      Firing Line

 

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                                Bring up the Reinforcements.
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                                  Natal Native Contingent.
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Love these Black Tree Natal Native Contingent infantry – just wish they did a few poses with rifles. I guess it will be Empress Miniatures to the rescue here.
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Do you want fries with that, Sir?
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Redoubt and Black Tree figures.

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Napoleonic

Napoleonic Stragglers and walking wounded

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My troops, both French and British have finished the winter campaign season and have returned home to their barracks in the Woolshed. They have fought at Waterloo three times, Quatra Bras and Ligny over a three month period. They covered themselves with glory, except for the last game when I was commanding my own troops and made two command rolls in five turns of Black Powder gaming.

I was unable to attend the first two games due to work and family double-bookings so dropped my guys off to the Waterloo Commemoration Game coordinator’s place way back in June.  On the way, I was about two kilometers from his place when a guy pulled out of a gas station right in front of me forcing me to brake way heavier than I wanted to. I heard the models jump around and was too afraid to even look in the boxes – I left that for Paul.

Well after three months my guys are home and I assessed the damage. You know, I was pleasantly surprised. Nothing that cannot be fixed with a few hours work one evening.  I did learn one thing – my fears for the strength of my Victrirx British infantry were well founded. All the damage to my Brits was to Victrix miniatures. None of the metal infantry had so much as a bent bayonet and the Perry plastics came through totally unscathed.

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Two boxes of British and French arrive home.
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This Victrix sergeant of the 43rd now has a bayonet that turns about 45 degrees from where it should – currently hanging by a thread of plastic.
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The King’s Colour of the 69th has been shot away – once again Victrix figures.

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This sergeant of the 69th has had his pike shot away (Victrix figures)
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The sole metal casualties of the campaign. This poor Connoisseur French Chasseur has had his hand taken off by a canon shot.

As far as stragglers go – one base of Perry British Riflemen. I am sure they will straggle in over the next few months.

Napoleonic

28mm 23rd (Royal Welsh) Fusiliers (Connoisseur Miniatures)

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I had these guys for almost as long as I have had my son who is twenty next birthday.  They were the first British infantry I ever tried to paint and I gave up after about ten minutes and they have sat in a box semi painted ever since. At the start of the year I decided to knock the bastards off.

Old Connoisseur Miniatures. I know that the fusiliers didn’t wear their bearskins in the Peninsular but twenty years ago I didn’t and nowadays I don’t really care – especially seeing as I have an army that includes the Loamshire Volunteers.

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Napoleonic, Napoleonic Naval

28mm Royal Navy Landing Party (Brigade Games)

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My first unit completed this year. Finished them last week but only just got around to posting.  Another beautiful summer day at the Woolshed.

A unit of Royal Navy Sailors on shore duty. These figures are from Brigade Games and are wonderful little miniatures. I only wish I had the skill and patience to do them the full justice they deserved. For an example of that look here. However, saying that, for my level of competency I am pretty happy with them.

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reduc_IMG_1690I thought that my landing party needed some artillery support so also made this artillery base. I am particularly happy with how this base turned out. Perhaps because I have been using round bases for my Zulu Wars British Artillery I decided to make this battery a one-piece model rather than two separate artillery bases. Anyway, it made a change from rectangular Napoleonic bases.

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Zulu Wars

Last thing I painted in 2014

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I finished this British casualty vignette just now at 10pm on New Years Eve.  Started at 5pm and since then I rescued a lamb from a ditch, cooked a lamb curry (not the same lamb but one we killed two weeks back), drank half a bottle of Merlot and have made a dent in a nice Pinot Noir.  That probably is why it looks the way it does. I may need to respray in the sober light of day and do it over but at the moment I am quite happy with it, even if the photos are  crappy.  This is a Redoubt Miniatures Vignette of two British soldiers carrying a wounded comrade in a blanket.

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