Two more Napoleonic units - British and Spanish infantry

I think both of these units may be Der Kriegspieler figures - I painted and based them quite a while ago and have only just got round to photographng them. When I feel brave I may get the Green Stuff out and have a go at adding greatcoats to some command figures for the British. The Spanish officers are from Douglas Miniatures - not a very good photo I am afraid.

I do have a large number of Spanish and Portuguese infantry battalions which I have acquired and which are waiting painting - the Portuguese are eight line and two cacadores battalions, all Hinton Hunt, with a third Der Kriegspieler cacadore battalion; and four and a half Hinton and three Douglas Spanish line battalions. It may be a while until I get round to these, but it will beef up all my Portuguese brigades in British Divisions to full strength, and bring my Spanish contingent up to one and a half strong or two weak divisions.

British Stovepipe Infantry

Not a great picture, but I have finished all my early war British infantry with this two-and-a-half-battalion brigade.

Napoleonic Units: Hesse Darmstadt Regiment Gross und Erbprinz, second battalion

This second battalion of Gross und Erbprinz has taken an age to complete. This time I remembered to use the original Hinton Hunt painting instructions. I also used Vallejo Dark Prussian Blue to distinguish them from the first battalion (Vallejo Prussian Blue).The rank and file are Der Kriegspielers (thanks George) and command are vintage Hinton Hunts. I think I may do a mounted colonel using one of my vintage Garrison Wellington figures. The flag needs redoing now I have changed the ink cartridges in my printer.

The plan will be to brigade these together with the first battalion and the Badeners (who are still waiting for their officers). They may also find themselves operating together with the Bavarians - thanks to the generosity of Paul in Oz these now stretch to three small battalions.

Can you ever have enough artillery?

After the last three weeks, my answer is yes, especially if you have to paint them all.

Things have been quiet here on the posting front as I have been conducingd a major audit of my French and British artillery, sorting into crews, allocating guns, and painting and basing the unpainted and unbased. The results are posted below.

I had thought I had finished, but have found one extra painted British gun, for which I will paint up one further RHA crew, and also I need to paint up a small number of extra French artillery drivers.

Though I wouldn't swear to it, I think the final tally is in the region of:

French

23 guns and 3 howitzers
4 caissons
6 limbers
around 30 horses

British

24 guns and three howitzers
Siege train of 2 18 pounders and a 10" howitzer
A rocket troop in light order (pack horses rather than rocket carts)
1 ammunition limber
12 limbers
around 50 horses

Guns are a mixture of Hinchliffe 20mm, Hinton Hunt, Der Kriegspieler and Newline Designs. There are also a couple of Fine Scale factory siege guns

It has to be said that Marcus Hinton was not at his best with artillery guns and equipment - managing to get them looking chunky and underscale at the same time.

The old Hinchliffe 20mm pieces are miniature masterpieces. The best currently available substitute for Hinton Hunt guns and limbers are those from Newline Designs - a big range, and as they are small 20mm pleasingly recall the slightly undersize look of Hinton Hunt ones, while being considerably more detailed.

My French artillery arm suffers from the usual over-representation of Guard units and the absence of line horse artillery from the Hinton Hunt range. I am intending to second some Guard horse artillery units to support of my Grand Duchy of Warsaw forces.

The acquisition of 30 or so Der Kriegspieler Royal Artillery gunners helped achieve a better balance between foot and horse artillery units for the British. I am also pleased with the siege train - I will sort out some trains for these, as I have considerable numbers of Jacklex oxen which serve a bridging train and colonial artillery units, and which can easily do double duty for the Napoleonic period.

Next task is a second (Der Kriegspieler) Hesse Darmstadt battalion. This will leave me with some new Russian and Prussian acquisitions to complete; and audit of my Austrians; and then facing up to around 100 battalions of French and British infantry - and then the cavalry.... I think in the circumstances the approach of completing national contingents has worked quite well

British Artillery - Royal Horse Artillery

Eleven RHA crews, all Hinton Hunt figures, serving a mixture of Hinton Hunt and Newline guns.

British Artillery - Royal Artillery

Thirteen Royal Artillery crews - a mixture of Hinton Hunt and Der Kriegspieler figures - with Newline guns, including 2 howitzers (can you spot the deliberate mistake in the first photograph?)


Finally, a third howitzer crew, this time Alberken/Minifigs 20mm figures, also serving a Newline gun

British Artillery - Royal Artillery siege train

Produced for the siege warfare try out with Tony over at the Prometheus in Aspic blog, the gus are a Hinchliffe 20mm British 10" howitzer and two Fine Scale Factory 18 pounders. The crews are a mixture of Hinton Hunt and Der Kriegspieler figures, and the gun emplacements are from the Italeri plastic artillery sets - these come in both the Napoleonic French and American Civil War large sets.

Bases are some of the emergency MDF sabots I had cut at my local timber merchants for our Command & Colours Napoleonic excursion. I am not sure yet whether to leave these as they are or to try to add some landscaping to the bases. I rather like them as they are.

British Artillery - Rocket troop conversions

Bought on ebay a while ago, I think these may have been from Pete Bateman, but I am not sure

British Artillery - Royal Horse Artillery Limbers

Eleven British Limbers and a single British Ammunition limber (on the left hand side of the front row.

Four of the limbers (two of which are on flocked, two on unflocked bases) are Hinchliffe 20mm models, the rest are Hinton Hunt. I am not sure about the ammunition limber, I suspect it is also the Hinchliffe 20mm one rather than the Hinton Hunt AL2A, as it is a much better and finer model than other Hinton Hunt artillery equipment.

British Artillery - Royal Artillery Limber

A Hinchlifee 20mm limber, ridden by S Range Royal Artillery limber twins (Hinton Hunt didn't do such figures), with a Hinton Hunt driver and horses. As these are my only RA limber riders, I have only one RA limber.

British Artillery - Limbers and horse-saving system

As mentioned elsewhere, because I am better supplied with limbers than horses, I have a modular system designed to stretch a limited number of horses as far as possible. Each limber has a two horse team; I then also have some extra pairs and four horse teams on separate bases, which can be added to limbers as required. My idea is that perhaps when guns are being moved this will be marked by the use of these extra teams.

The two pictures show the modular system with the teams and limbers, first separated and then closed up.

Additionally some of my limbers have longer bases to accommodate guns being towed behind them.

French Artillery - Guard Horse artillery

Eight crews with Hinton Hunt guns

French Artillery - Guard Foot artillery

Six Hinton Hunt crews, with Hinchliffe 20mm guns and a single howitzer, on the extreme left of the line. This crew contains one Minifigs 20mm gunner. The Guard Foot artillery have recived my best gun models, the majority of the long guns are 12 pounders.



An Alberken/Minifigs 20mm crew serving a Newline Gribeuval 8 pounder.

French Artillery - Line Foot artillery

10 French line foot artillery crews mostly with Newline guns, and an 11th crew with a Der Kriegspieler howitzer (this is on the left hand side of the line).



The final picture is of an Alberken/Minifigs 20mm French Line crew, also with a Newline Designs gun

French Artillery - Caissons and Limbers

Horses, drivers, and most of the limbers are Hinton Hunt.

Caissons are Hinton Hunt but are rough castings. Some of the wheels are replacements from Newline. There is also one Hinchliffe 20mm limber.

A couple of the drivers (on the extra teams for the caissons) are Guard, the others are Line. I probably need to paint up a few extra drivers so each caisson has one.

Napoleonic Units: Der Kriegspieler Baden infantry

A bit of a curiosity, I didn't see pictures of these figures before they arrived. I was hoping, I suspect, for figures in the kasket rather than the shako; also the single breasted tunic bears no relation to any plates of Baden uniforms I have found. So I have painted as generic German State infantry in campaign mode.

Saxon Zastrow Cuirassiers

Here are pictures of the completed Saxon Cuirassiers. These are two piece castings, SXN 33 on horse SXN1. The horses in particular needed a lot of work to remove flash, but I think they have turned out ok.

Russian National Contingent finished: Pavlov Grenadiers

The last of my Russian contingent, almost two battalions of Pavlov Grenadiers. The marching figures are all nice early Hinton Hunt original castings; the charging battalion are also originals. The standard bearer is one of the conversions issued by David Clayton.

Possibly they could do with one more gun crew (they only have one, and a three man crew at that) but I now regard my Russian contingent as painted, and even catalogued. Total strength is 215 foot and 66 mounted figures, with two guns and limbers (which are Newline Designs).

Next up will be the Grand Duchy of Warsaw. These are mostly painted, I need to paint around 20-30 remaining figures and allocate them to complete units. The infantry include some Alberken/Minifigs 20mm figures. At present the cavalry resources are two regiments of lancers and one of cuirassiers, all Alberken/Minifigs 20mm figs (though I have a few Hinton Hunt separate arm lancers who I may add to this force). I am also considering transferring a Hinton Hunt Chasseur regiment.

Russian National Contingent reinforcements: Der Kriegspieler Hussars

Eight Der Kriegspieler Russian Hussars, painted as the Izioumski Hussars.

Russian National Contingent reinforcements: Der Kriegspieler Cossacks

A small unit of the Der Kriegspieler Cossacks, showing the three types in each pack, two Don Cossacks leading four Bug Cossacks, in their high and smurf hats.