The Dragoon Days Of Summer 2018

Prussian Dragoons from 1870 - 28mm castings from Wargames Foundry

Well, things continue to move pretty sloooooow when it comes to hobby stuff. Work continues to be a culprit, but also other 1-to-1 scale things that are not work, such as visiting the lake in Sault Ste Marie Ontario! I brought some painting with me, but the pace is quite...well, summer-like.  The weather has been hot and pleasant, and summer in Canada is oh-so-short, so I haven't been bending the brushes too often, and blogging even less!

I'd paint more but...you know...

At the same time, I'm trying not to let the painting instincts atrophy completely, and so I'm still working away at 28mm figures for the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.  I have finished a small group of Prussian Dragoons.  The castings are from the Foundry collection, sculpted by the Perry Twins many years ago. 

Dragoon officer under the painting lamp

These are not the flashiest cavalrymen you will find - while the lighter, cornflower-ish blue does offer a touch of drama - overall these Prussian Dragoons look very much like the hard working, blue-collar, low-glory arm of the cavalry.  They may join in "Death Rides", but don't get any glamour, glory or credit.  The Uhlans get the flash. The Kuirassiers get into fancy the paintings and news clippings.  The Dragoons get...ordered to ride somewhere and do something...

So far, so good, if a little dark...

These Foundry castings are sturdy and consistent, suffering only from the mono-pose syndrome.  That said, there is no alternative, and their consistency does offer a level of organized dread that suits Prussian cavalry well! All those slightly odd-looking Dreyse carbines at the ready...the French infantry will need their sturdy Chassepot rifles handy to empty the saddles in this lot!

Cornflower blue will stop those French bullets...right?

While many of the photos bulk them together in one unit, in fact the facing colours are from two different regiments.  While I intend to have 12-figure cavalry units for my "Black Powder" games in this setting, the initial scenario I have in mind will include smaller units - detachments from Regiments - which I will represent with just six castings per unit. Hence the two different colours - and I can always group them together into a single "regular" unit on the table, depending on the nature of the game/scenario. 

Spiked helmets? Check. Cartridge box with cipher? Check. Carbine? Check. Horse? Check. Off we go boys!

Strictly speaking, the unit is not completely finished - I still have to add the groundwork, which I will do when I return home. But I'm hoping to sustain a little bit of painting energy by sharing the photos, and hey, it's an excuse to post something! 

The officer castings do give a bit of animation to the otherwise monotonous rumble...

Go get those Frenchmen!

Up next in the painting queue is another Prussian foot unit.  In normal times I can polish that off in a couple of weeks. At the same time, if the summer weather holds up (and I hope it does), well, I'll settle for a little bit of continued progress...

Sunset on Goulais Bay, Lake Superior, near Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada

I hope everyone out there is having a great and safe summer!