Some more Colonial British

Here is a selection of my stalwart, red-coated soldiers of the Queen.  I've collected these guys for years.  The very first box of Victorian plastic 22's I ever bought I actually purchased in Vienna, Austria.  I had always lived in rather out-of-the-way places (and was usually quite cash-strapped), and Vienna was the first real city in which I had ever lived.  I had bought boxes of ACW, WWII, Napoleonics, and some other more common types here and there, but I had never been to a store where there was a large selection of plastic 22's.  I was pleasantly surprised, then, when after jaunting down a pleasant little street off of the Kenyongasse, I happened upon a small, out-of-the-way shop with little plastic toy soldiers in the window.  Intending only to look, I went inside and found entire walls stacked clear to the ceiling with box upon box of old Airfix's, Matchbox's, Hat's, Esci's, Revell's, and Italeri's, among others.  I spent two hours in there, just looking at everything they had.  Ultimately, I took the 4 euros with which I had intended to buy dinner and purchased an old Esci set (the box was of the old style with the little triangular window of clear cellophane) of British infantry for the Zulu War.  The following picture is of some of those guys, along with subsequent purchases, all Esci.  They're formed up into one corner of a battalion square.  I probably have enough of them to build a complete square of kneeling and standing firing figures.  I painted them up to be 24th Foot. 

Next are two photos of a British rocket section for the Zulu War.  I put it together from the explorer figure from Eagle Games' Age of Imperialism game, an Esci British soldier, and Hat's Napoleonic British rocket set.  There are some obvious problems with these figures.  Firstly and most obviously, the figures should be Royal Artillery and therefore all in blue, rather than in the infantry regulation scarlet tunic.  The Napoleonic rockets are also incorrect.  The rockets used in the Zulu War would have been shorter, and the stands from which they were fired would have been knee-height, rather than these tall tripods.  Still, it was one of my early attempts at a conversion so I can't bring myself to scrap it. 

Here is a photo of one of Hat's new brilliant sets, British mounted infantry.  Mounted infantry were just that: detachments from infantry battalions mounted on ponies.  They almost never fought mounted, using the ponies strictly for mobility, and for this reason Hat's addition of the horseholder figure was excellent.  The mounted infantry were absolutely criticial in defeating the Boer commandos during the last phases of the Second Anglo-Boer War, but were also used in earlier conflicts, such as the Zulu War.  These fellows are painted up as a mounted infantry detachment from the 24th Foot for that conflict. 

Eventually I'll have to base these guys so that I can actually game.

Step-by-Step Imperial Troops

For my first batch of "for real" Imperial Habsburg infantry I used troops from the Strelets "big box" of Tsar Peter the Great's army and court.  These figures are quite close to what the Habsburgers would have looked like in the matter of clothing.  Their equipment, too, is quite accurate.  This makes sense, as these figures were designed for the Great Northern War, which started less than fifteen years after the Siege of Vienna.  Also, the figures are for Russia which, despite Peter the Great's attempts at modernization, was still more backwards in many respects than the other combatants during the war with Sweden.  Many of the musketeer figures actually have plug bayonets, which is accurate, but sort of rare in 1:72 plastic.  As such, all they really needed was a different paint job.  I started with a base coat of Citadel white primer.

After they were fully dried I started painting proper.  I generally paint from the inside out; so areas of skin first, then uniforms and such, and then cuffs, turnbacks and lapels and so on.  The observant reader will note that mustaches of yore were apparently quite formidable.

After I finished the skin and hair, I moved on to their uniform coats.  As per most of my sources on Habsburg uniforms, I used a light gray.  On my next batch, I will most likely use a darker grey, as it looks a lot better; from too far away the light grey looks like white primer.  For their trousers I went with a simple brown, and their gaiters I painted white. 

After the skin and major items of uniform clothing, I finish the uniform by painting the facings, buttons, and other items, as well as shoes and hats.  For this regiment, I chose blue facings and gold buttons. 

After the uniform is done, I move on to the weapons and other equipment, and the base.  I haven't decided on how I want to base these guys yet (since I haven't decided on the rules set to use yet) so I simply painted their stands green.  Also, in the above photos it can be seen that I at first attempted to paint a blue facing stripe down the front of the uniform coats to represent lace around the buttonholes.  However, it simply wound up looking like a painted stripe on a tunic, so I painted back over it and just picked out the buttons. 

I've never really used drybrushing or washing on any of my 1:72s.  I like how the techniques look when they're done right, I've just always thought 1:72 was too small for it to be effective.  I may try it on some figures later, but I don't think it is useful on the Strelets figures.  Strelets are fine, but their finer details are always a little grotesque, and it's not the best idea to highlight the flaws with drybrushing and inking.  Zvezda has a range for the Great Northern War, however, and I may try to do some fancier work on those. 

Characters

One of the nicest things about Colonial wargames is the scope for imagination.  There were so many theaters, and so many larger-than-life characters, that you are quite free to invent your own, and give them ridiculous names that are all too easy to live up to.  For starters, here is one of Der Kaiser's finest officers, Feldmarshal Herzschlager von Angriff, flanked by Kapitan Hans Grunewald and Unter-Leutnant Karl von Hohenpfeffernusspitzenkampfer (with the flag). 

Next are General Lord and Lady Cecil Cromartie Footlebottom of the Queen's Loyal Derbyshire Regiment.  General Lord Cecil is in his finest mess uniform, complete with swagger-stick, and appears to be anticipating a rather lively night with a fine bottle of Chateau Latour 1854.  Lady Footlebottom is dressed more sedately, for going to her local Temperance Society meeting.

Lastly we have an unlikely duo, Herr Fliegermeister Kapitan Fritz von Brennenderzusamenstosser of the Deutsche Imperische Fliegender Korps, and Lieutenant Michel du Sucre-Tarte, of La Bataillon de la Belle Francaise de la Empereur de Avion.  They're not friends or anything, but both being aviators, I figured I should put them together.

There are just some of the many colorful, bungling, noble, and flawed characters who shaped the destinies of nations and steered the world to the brink of global war again and again, only to see it safely back on course.  Until, of course, they steered it straight into global war twice in the space of less than four decades.  Come to think of it, these guys are probably the reason we now elect our leaders.

British Colonial Troops

Here a few pics of some of my freshly painted ancillary troops for colonial conflicts in the 18th and 19th Centuries.  This is without doubt my favorite period, both for study and for gaming.  There are so many possibilities for gaming and scenarios as well as imaginative invention.  Also, the varied troop types and awesome uniforms are impossible to resist.  I generally use The Sword and the Flame as a rules set.  It can be a little tiresome, though, as figures are generally based individually for gameplay.  However, if you keep the game small enough moving the figures isn't too much of a pain, and it almost creates a middle ground between skirmish and full-scale battle games.  First is a section of the 15th Bengal Infantry, the Ludhiana Sikhs.  Their turbans took a very steady hand, let me tell you!  The Sikhs are from Hat's new range.  Hat always does excellent work.

Second, here are two photos of a Naval Brigade landing party, complete with Nordenfeldt machine gun.  I painted the sailors in a variety of uniform combinations.  When Royal Navy troops fought on land they generally served as gun crews for heavy artillery or machine guns, and as such fought in un-dress (serving the guns was hot work).  The sailors protecting the guns may have been more uniform than I've painted them, but I think the mismatched dress better captures the ad-hoc feel of these units.  These, too, are from Hat.

Next is a photo of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (79th Foot).  It's always hard to paint tartan, and I had to simplify the plaid pattern in order to make it fit.  Hats, again.

Finally, where would any army be without its support corps?  Below is a pic of a regimental surgeon and an engineer.  The engineer seems to be out of uniform, as he is most likely seconded to an expedition to locate the source of the Nile.  Such is the glamorous life of an officer of Her Britannic Majesty's Royal Engineers!  These two are not from Hat, but from Eagle Games' Age of Imperialism board game.  There are quite a few useful pieces in the game.  Interestingly, the engineer figure is an explorer, while the surgeon is actually a kit-bashed engineer. 

More are certainly to come, not least the solid, stolid ranks of red-coated and khaki-clad, tea-drinking lads who marched all over the known world, shooting people and nicking their countries. 

Beginning Imperial Forces for the Siege of Vienna

The Allied forces that defended Vienna and then relieved the siege at the Battle of the Kahlenberg in 1683 were exceedingly varied.  The Imperial Austrian troops retained the same basic structure introduced by the great Montecuccoli in the 1660s.  Normally, an infantry company would consist of 48 pikemen, 88 matchlockmen (the flintlock came into common service only in 1699), and 8 shieldmen.  Uniforms were evolving, but still very civilian in appearance.  Uniform coats were described as being buff, cream-colored or light grey, with the cuffs being of different colors.  First is a section of Imperial infantry on the march.  So far, all of my Imperial troops are from the truly excellent Zvezda set of Austrian Musketeers and Pikemen for the 30YW.  Equipment had not changed dramatically since the 30YW, so these figures are armed well enough.  However, these figures do not have the proper clothing.  The coats should be longer, almost knee-length, with large cuffs.  Also, it is unlikely that pikemen still wore armor, although contemporary prints indicate that they sometimes still wore helmets.  As it is, these were the figures I had, so I figured I could use them as a citizens' militia.  To create a uniform appearance (but not too uniform) I painted cockades, epaulettes and gloves the same shade of blue.  The majority of jackets and trousers are buff or grey, with a smattering of red and brown for variety.

These Austrian pikemen from the same set are also far too armored.  Also, I should most likely trim the cockades from their helmets. 

Next are a few photos of the Polish Winged Hussars I've painted up so far.  The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's army was probably the least advanced of the armies involved in this war.  It was a curious mixture of eastern and western styles of arms and armor.  Far and away, however, the most magnificent troops in the entire campaign were the Polish Winged Hussars.  These companies were a complicated, partially-feudal cavalry force.  They were certainly not the majority of Polish cavalry, being a rather elite corps, but they were very fun to paint, and will look absolutely superb when they are completed and smashing the left wing of the Ottoman Army at Vienna.  These are from two sets.  The one with the larger pennant with a cross blazoned on it is from Zvezda's superb set, while the other three are from Orion's set.  Red seems to have been the typical color for most Polish cavalry, so that's the theme I went with here.  Being so feudal, most of the winged hussars would have had considerable variety in uniform, reflecting personal taste as well as the tastes of the company commander.  The schemes for the pennants were painted to reflect the uniform scheme, although some evidence exists which indicates that the Royal Hussar Company would have borne pennants of yellow and black, the colors of the Commonwealth.

 And here are two close-ups:

There are many, many explanations for the "wings" on the lancers.  I think my favorite is that the fluttering of hundreds of wings startled and frightened enemy troops and horses.  However, it is more likely that they were simply for decoration.  There is also some disagreement on whether the wings would have been worn on campaign.  However, most contemporary sources seem to indicate that the Polish Winged Hussars were in full regalia at the Kahlenberg.  Even if this were not the case, I prefer to paint them with the wings.  On the whole, I am satisfied with my Poles, but not my Austrians.  My Austrian infantry as shown are likely to be of little use in Vienna or at the Kahlenberg.  I'm not sure why I didn't convert them first; I guess they were just such excellent figures I wanted to paint them as is.  I'll most likely use Revell 7YW figures for the remainder of my Imperial army.

In the Works

Here are a number of the things I'm working on.  The careful observer will note that I have quite a few projects going on at once.  I'm not sure what to tell you about that.  Life is short, and miniatures are many! 

First and primarily, I am building up armies of British colonial troops: redcoats, kilted Scotsmen, Sikhs, Gurkhas, cannon, Nordenfeldts, Zulus, Afridis, Dervishes, German Schutztruppen, French Foreign Legion, the whole shebang.  I'm also adding a little whimsy to the mix, designing and building several steam-powered landships to go along with them.  Granted, it's not strictly historical, but I've been researching early tanks, and after seeing some of these early designs my imagination just kind of started running wild.  Check these out:

And yes, that one in the middle is real.  The Russian Lebedenko tank, which they actually built and tested.  Apparently it did not work exceedingly well, but what a wacky design! 

My second big push is on miniatures for the Anglo-Irish and Irish Civil Wars.  This is a tricky proposition, and requires quite a bit of conversion.  The British troops are easy enough to find, and they are easy enough to convert into Irish Free State Troops.  However, finding combatant civilians with period-appropriate weapons is entirely different.  Fortunately, some recent releases have helped to fill the void, such as Caesar's wonderful two sets of WWII Underground Partisans and Redbox's sets of Gangsters and Policemen/Civilians.  A bit of creative painting and some modifying and converting, and I'll have a skirmish going in no time.  Well, after I build a quaint little Irish village, some fields and forests for an ambush, and get some armored lorries for the British Tommies, Auxies, and Black and Tans.  Here are some photos (unfortunately only black and white) of one of the major players in the conflict, the Royal Irish Constabulary (These are all technically RIC A and B Specials, better known as the Black and Tans):

My most recent obsession, however, is the Siege of Vienna in 1683.  When I first read about this truly pivotal battle a number of years ago, I was captivated by the idea of hundreds of Polish Winged Hussars thundering across the field to smash Kara Mustafa and rescue Vienna at the last possible minute.  As a campaign, it really has a remarkable scope for modelling.  The range and scope of the Ottoman Army is truly staggering, with troop types varying from Tartar irregular horsemen to uniformed janissaries to armored sipahis and more.  The Allied armies were varied as well, with pike and musket Austrian formations, well-drilled Saxon battalions, cuirassiers and, of course, the Winged Hussars.  There are quite a few sets available for the period, as well as a number of sets for the Thirty Years' War that can be easily converted, sometimes requiring nothing more than a paint job.  I've painted up a small number of Winged Hussars, and let me tell you that they are quite the project.  They look darned good, though.  Hopefully pics will be forthcoming. 

I've got quite a few more irons in the fire, but these are my top three.  Any comments, photos of uniforms, conversion suggestions, or general thoughts are welcome.

Fall In

Here is my official entrance into the blogosphere.  It is perhaps fitting that this blog should be dedicated to military miniatures, modeling, and military history in general.  I have devoted much of my life to all three.  My chief interest lies in Queen Victoria's "little wars" of the 18th and 19th Centuries, but my interests really do range from ancients to WWII and beyond. 

I primarily work in 20mm plastics.  They're inexpensive, and the ranges are extensive and varied.  Also, they are far easier to convert than metals.  I've been pleasantly surprised that in recent years HaT has been releasing more and more sets for the Colonial period, including artillery and cavalry.  Other manufacturers have released in the period as well, increasing the range of poses and figures.  Most of the conversions I've done so far have related in some way to the Colonial period, creating German askaris, Gurkhas, gun crews, and so on. 

In the future, hopefully, I'll have photos and reports to post on my conversions.  I also intend to post relevant photos and bits of information related to wargaming, military miniatures, and military history.  Look forward to it!