Franco-Prussian War - 28mm French Artillery

28mm French 4-pounder guns & crew for the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Metal models and miniatures from Perry.

After a nice long run of "Star Wars Legion", my brushes depart suddenly to return to a more familiar historical setting - the Franco-Prussian War. These are 28mm metal guns and figures from Perry Miniatures' new line for the Franco-Prussian War. These are 4-pounder rifled muzzle-loading artillery pieces, the mainstay of the French artillery during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.

"Fire on those Prussians!"

It was great to see that artillery pieces and crews have been among the early releases for the Perry's new 28mm Franco-Prussian War figure range. Proper guns and crews from 1870 are otherwise lacking - even in the relatively complete Wargames Foundry range (also sculpted by the Perrys) does not have proper 4-pound rifled guns for the French side. So when these appeared as new releases from Perry Miniatures earlier this fall, I ordered a pair of guns right away. 

Spoked wheels are always terrible to work with - and these were particularly awful. Check out the tags that needed trimming...

Painting artillery is always a drag - the spoked wheels are generally a nightmare to work with, and these were no exception. While I won't pretend these guns were fun to build and paint, they are nonetheless a very welcome addition to my 28mm collection.

I do like the sculpt of the fellow pulling the lanyard...nice and dramatic....

While the guns were a pain in the ass, the French crew were fun to paint up - in general, the French uniforms for this period are just lovely, and I really like working on them.    

Ready for action on the table top, at some unknown time in the future...

The French artillery performed badly during the Franco-Prussian War, but even with whatever negative modifiers and other issues they might be saddled with, a French player will still want to at least try to use their guns on the advancing Prussians. These two pieces, together with the previously painted mitrailleuse can combine to represent the artillery complement of a French infantry division on the tabletop. I also still have the 12-pounder reserve gun, so the French artillery for my 28mm Franco-Prussian War is now in pretty good shape! 

That's all for now - regular "Star Wars Legion" service will resume shortly, I expect. 

28mm Prussian Infantry for 1870 - Perry Plastics

Back to the Franco-Prussian War! 28mm Plastic figures from Perry Miniatures. Flag from GMB.

Hello again! Funny how when you stop posting on the blog, it is really easy to...stay not posting...isn't there some smart saying out there about a how a blogger at rest remains at rest? I have all the usual excuses...late August weather was just so lovely, I even managed to get a visit to Winnipeg in, being busy with work etc. etc. And then the NFL finally got going again...you know...all sorts of excuses...but through it all, I have been doing some painting, and I'm glad to share it now that I have finally made some progress worth sharing! Here is a unit of Prussian infantry for the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. These 28mm figures are plastics from the new FPW range being released by the prolific Perry Twins.

The main unit figures are assembled from the "marching" frames, while the skirmishers are assembled from a "firing" pose frame.

If you are keen on a period, it is always great news when the Perry Twins take an interest - and this case, it is somewhat interesting because one of the only reasonably complete 28mm ranges for the Franco-Prussian War is found with Wargames Foundry, and it was sculpted by...the Perry Twins. So I guess they are "re-entering" this period now, all of these years later!

Another view from the front of the unit.

These plastic multi-part figures were one of the first figure sets released for the new range. Those who know me will know I am quite the grouch when it comes to historical plastic figures. But I must say, these are quite nice. There is a choice of poses (firing or marching, with the mix depending on the box you select), an assortment of heads allowing a range of options (can be regulars or Landwehr), and even different variants of picklehaube - so the little details are all covered. Thus, while I continue to believe that there are no plastic figures which would not be better off as metal figures, I will say these are brilliant - if you like this period, buy these figures.

Another view of the command group - officer, colour-bearer, drummer and trumpeter - the flag is from GMB.

View from the back, showing the rolled greatcoats, and fascine knife. On close examination you'll see how much trouble I had painting the frigging "swallows nests" on the shoulders of the musicians.

Assembly is pretty straightforward - just watch the fascine knife (hanging on the left hip), as that is a pretty tiny little bit, and will disappear easily into any flooring if you don't glue it just right...

WIP of an early test figure.

Another view of the test figure.

Do I have any quibbles? Well, plastic bayonets seems like a terrible idea...but I don't have any better suggestions either...so let's just hope for the best :)

My newly-reinforced Prussians await the call to battle from their assembly grounds on the living room map table...

It has been over a year, at least, since I have added a 28mm unit to my Franco-Prussian War collection - and boy, was I rusty! It was slow going at first, and I found that I was often distracted by my squirrel-brained desire to either paint even more 30k stuff, or just paint something else entirely (watch future posts for more on that)...so these fellows took a little longer to finish than I might have liked. But they are now finished - 24 figures all together, based for Black-Powder type rules, using the same basing system I adopted when I first started this project in late 2017 - 20 of the figures are grouped together to represent the bulk of the unit, and four are based individually, placed on the table to represent deployed/detached skirmish companies.

The line advances, with skirmish groups deployed out front...

It has been great to revisit 1870 on the painting table, and I'm sure it won't be long until I'm back at it again...the new Perry Range looks like it will be lovely, and there are already a number of new figures for it that I can't wait to add to my collection. Watch for more as we head for another winter here in Canada. That's all for now - thanks for reading!    

Painting Challenge "Theme" Entry - Rohan Outriders

Outriders of Rohan in 28mm, figures from GW

Curt's "Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge" features a number of bonus theme rounds, running every two weeks or so throughout the Challenge period.  Participants are encouraged to paint and share a figure that matches a given theme.  The first theme for this Ninth Edition of the Painting Challenge was "Reconnaissance" - and while I had a lot of options which might have fit the bill, in the end I opted for something I stumbled across while rummaging around in my hoard-o-unpainted-stuff - some Rohan Outriders.  These are 28mm metal castings from GW's "Lord of the Rings" ("LOTR") figure range.

Each blister pack contained one mounted and one dismounted outrider, so you see two packs' worth of painting here.

That one leg on the bottom is holding the whole thing up...yikes...

Beautiful sculpting, as always, by the Perrys

LOTR is a fine set of rules, and we have enjoyed many games over the years, if maybe a little less recently as Peter Jackson's brilliant 2001 movie trilogy fades from view and other interests have arisen in the intervening years to take its place.  I do have a small force of Riders of Rohan for the game, and there have been some memorable encounters for this force on Fawcett Avenue gaming tables over the years.  But my brushes haven't touched an LOTR figure in at least...10 years, maybe more?

Love this fellow drawing the bow while riding to battle, a great pose.

This pose really screams "Rohan" to me!

Anyway, I stumbled on these figures in the hoard, and resolved to get them painted up.  I couldn't tell you what an "outrider" does, as these seem more contrived for the game as opposed to matching a specific character from the books or movies.  But the GW website portrays them as scouts, and as such I thought they fit this theme round very well. They are little more armoured, and seem a little tougher, than the standard Rohan warrior, but are not as armoured as the Royal Guardsmen are.

I opted for fairly muted brown colours, although the green of the cloak and the metal bits of the armour do "pop" a bit. 

A distinctive green on the cloaks is a big part of the Rohan look, in my opinion at least :)

The GW figures for LOTR were top-shelf castings - I had forgotten just how nice they were. As an added treat, these are proper, honourable metal figures.  The proportions are slim and realistic, an attribute so seldom attributed anymore to a GW sculpt of anything meant to be a human or person.  The only downside to these beautiful figures is the plastic horses - they are connected to the base by means of only a single plastic leg...I'm worried how long the metal rider and plastic horse will last together while being used during a game...

These Outriders were a treat to paint. It has been great to visit the LOTR setting on the painting table again, and I'm hopeful that more LOTR stuff will be done this winter.

A New Project - The Franco-Prussian War

A new project...28mm French troops for the Franco-Prussian war - figures from Wargames Foundry.

Any sane or rational analysis of my hobby affairs would conclude that I need a new period to collect and paint about as much as I need another hole in the head.

Good thing my approach to gaming is neither sane nor rational! With that in mind, I introduce you a new period of interest - the Franco-Prussian War.

"La Ligne De Feu" by Pierre-Georges Jeanninot - 1886 - painting of French infantry in action during the battle of Mars-La Tour

For a good chunk of the past two years my painting interest has primarily been GW's Horus Heresy/30k setting - and I've loved it! But late this summer I wanted to take a break from the 30k brush mayhem, and, well, any time I lean back from one period or setting, you just never know what I'll do next. Enter this new project...

More artwork from the Franco-Prussian war...there is a lot of amazing artwork out there for the period

The Franco-Prussian War, known sometimes as the War of 1870, started in July of 1870 with a declaration of war by France (helpfully torqued by the machinations of Bismarck) on Prussia.  As the power of the Prussian state had been growing through the latter period of the 19th century, a conflict between France and Prussia had appeared inevitable.  A dispute related to the succession of the Spanish throne provided the pretext (as a side note, WTF is with the Spanish throne? Can't they ever manage to hand that thing off properly? Sheesh!).

A battalion from the French 74th Infantry regiment.

The coming war would prove to be a disastrous one for France. In a short period of weeks the French Imperial Army would be broken apart, isolated, encircled and destroyed.  The Imperial government of Napoleon III would be swept away, and a Republic would arise to take its place and try to carry on the struggle.  Paris was put under siege, and the battle continued through the winter and into the spring of the next year.  But France could not win, and the Treaty of Frankfurt concluded affairs with the annexation of Alsace and the humiliation of France.  Germany would be unified under Prussian leadership. Seen in a very broad historic context, the Franco-Prussian War was a short war, but one with significant consequences and ominous signs for the future.

Battalion from the 50th French Infantry regiment.

Why game this period? For starters, just check out the uniforms! Kepis! Baggy red trousers! Zouaves! Epaulettes everywhere! And the Prussians are all wearing those goofy spiked helmets! A cavalry charge called "The Death Ride"!  The incomprehensible idiocy and indolence of the French senior officers! The incredible bravery and sacrifice of the French line troops! The mitrailleuse! The numerous near-disasters of the squabbling royals on the Prussian side! The scheming machinations of Bismarck! Lots to get hooked on here...

Just for the look alone, I was drawn to this period.  Toss in the drama and the tragedy and you have a very compelling setting, one that is not all that common on wargaming tables. I was hooked on the idea of eventually doing a Franco-Prussian War game for the group.

Aerial view of my first brigade for the French.

What scale to do? The set-piece battles of the Franco-Prussian War were pretty large affairs, so that would point towards smaller scales, like 6mm or 10mm.  Baccus has a tremendous and complete range in 6mm, while the excellent Pendraken and Magister Millitum offer very complete ranges in 10mm.

But I am so hooked on the uniforms, and this in turn dragged me toward 28mm. Much less choice here. The only range that is even close to comprehensive is the Wargames Foundry collection, which were sculpted by the Perrys.

(I should note here a new range, for skirmish gaming, is on the rise from an outfit called "Eagles of Empire" - they have beautiful figures, but they are closer to 32mm in size, and the range lacks the elements required to truly represent battalions etc. in brigade/battalion gaming.  I'll have more to share about these figures in a later post...)

Officer in the foreground will serve as a Brigade command figure in games of "Black Powder".

All options appealed to me - I couldn't decide. I didn't want to just roll a dice, but I did leave it to fate. I ordered a little bit of everything, just to see what might grab my passion.  In the end, my course would be fixed by three words many hobbyists dread - "cast to order".  This is a business trend that many figure manufacturers are compelled by market circumstances to follow.  But it also means for long, long lead times when you want to purchase figures.

Basically, in the time it took between placing my order with Pendraken and receiving the figures, I was able to place two orders with Wargames Foundry and get about 20 of the figures painted...(Baccus, meanwhile, has yet to arrive as of this posting but should be here soon).

Skirmishers to the front!

And so 28mm it is! I have decided on relatively small infantry units - 24 castings, 20 of which are based and four are out on rounds.  The four individual models will represent the deployment of skirmishers, which was pretty common.  I'm hoping the increments of 24 figures will allow a fair trade-off between large-ish units on the table while still being small enough to make decent progress adding new units.

For cavalry regiments, I'll use 12-figure units - more on those to follow later.

For rules I'll use the ubiquitous and very-flexible "Black Powder".  The Franco-Prussian War runs right up against the end of the period covered by those rules. The infantry are armed with single-shot, bolt action rifles (including the incredible French "Chassepot" rifle) and the Prussians are sporting steel breech-loading rifled artillery - it's the very sunset of the age of linear tactics on European battlefields, and using the large size figures will stretch the distortion of time/size scales on the table to the limit (I doubt I'll even have much Prussian artillery on the table, as the range would be huge).

We'll never play Mars-La Tour in 28mm, but a smaller action using "Black Powder" rules is something I'll figure out. 

Will I just decide to paint some of the other size figures at some point? Of course! I'm terrible at focus, and the only way we will ever play, say, the Battle of Froschwiller on a table around here is in 10mm or 6mm.  But for now, I'm stuck in with the 28mm figures...

I have finished only two French infantry units so far, so this a long, long, long way away from appearing on a gaming table.  But the journey is underway - and Curt's next Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge is almost here.  I hope the Challenge will see me complete a fair number of units for the period.

And who knows how long I will last before I paint some more 30k stuff?

A Few Random 20mm WW2 Germans

20mm WW2 German infantry- figures from Wargames Foundry and AB

After a long run this summer painting 30k stuff, it was time to switch painting gears.  I haven't painted any WW2 stuff in quite some time, and I have an appreciably sizable "pending pile" of the stuff, so I thought I would paint a few bits just to keep in practice.

A handy panzer faust out front...

These figures are mostly 20mm Foundry WW2 Germans, with a few from AB mixed in for kicks (and because the little range of Foundry WW2 stuff is profoundly limited). The AB castings are a little smaller (18mm, I think?) but mix in just fine overall.

On balance these would be mid-to-late war Germans, I think - particularly the chaps in camouflage smocks.

Iconic MG team pose - those fellows are AB castings

There is no particular plan involved in painting these figures - generally, they will help round out a German Panzer Grenadier platoon for games of "Chain of Command" or "Battlegroup", but I picked them because they were already primed and had been sitting around on the painting desk for a while.

Some chaps sporting rifle grenades mixed in the back

I found it to be slightly tough sledding to recall which colours I had used to paint these guys previously, but after a bit of trial-and-error I pretty much got it matched up and was able to finish them off without too much trouble.  I usually struggle with German camouflage, and this was no exception, but I aim to get "close enough" and this pretty much does that for me.

Ready for action on the gaming table

The Foundry figures were sculpted by the Perry Twins, I believe, and are wonderful figures.  But the AB castings are a true joy to paint - I don't have many of them, but that will change soon! I just wish some AB Russian infantry were out there somewhere...

Overall this was a reminder to me that I need to spend some more time writing down my painting "recipes" for different periods and settings.  While I'm tearing through a particular project, I settle on paint combinations that I get comfortable with, and just assume I will always recall them.  That didn't happen too easily this time around, something that will probably not change as I look ahead...it didn't seem THAT long since I touched a WW2 figure, but I guess it was (the 2014-15 Painting Challenge maybe?)...can't trust the memory forever :)

Side tracked, yet again... Small Ronin or Daisho skirmish force

So, with all the Warhammer 30k going on, you would think that I should be working on my Fire Raptor and Sicaran Venator, but no I got sidetracked, once again, with another side project.

Mike, Kevin, Dave, and I have started looking at some small skirmish games set in ancient Japan.  Is it ancient if referring to the 16th century? If we can call a 386 ancient technology, then I am going to stick with the 1500's being ancient too.  The two games we have looked at are Ronin (by Osprey) and Daisho (by the Ministry of Gentlemanly Warfare).  Ronin is historically based and sticks pretty close to real history, while Daisho is more mythical factoring in powers and demons (if you so choose).  The great thing is that both can be played with the same figures, which we all collected over the last few months and have been sitting cleaned and primed on my painting desk.

I was sick the last few days from work and couldn't focus on some of the technical work I had to do on my 30k stuff, so I pulled out a few figures to get ready for Ronin.

Keep in mind I set out to paint these quickly and to a table top level, they are not meant to be show entry pieces.  I used quick base colour (mid-tone), wash (shadow), highlight method, with very little additional cleanup of fine detail.

I think the longest part on each was painting to insignia's on the back banners.

All of the figures, other than the large banner bearer, are from the Northstar Bushi Buntai box set for Ronin.  The large banner bearer is from Perry Miniatures.  The figures are all excellent quality and the various other Northstar and Perry figures I picked up will all mix with each other perfectly.

However for only about 6 hours of total paint time, I am pretty happy with them.  I may go back and clean up some of the fine details at a later date, but for now I have a force to play either game with.

Hint Hint Kevin, Mike, and Dave....