Total Pageviews

Search This Blog

Sunday, May 9, 2021

Works in Progress - Bavarians, Colonels and Old Guard Grenadiers

 With the completion of the Dutch Grenadiers, I have started in on a few new units which are in various stages of completion.  Even more importantly, given expanded access to the vaccine, I have an actual game planned for next week with actual real live people.  I'm not sure I remember how to be sociable, so I may have to practice with my pups before the weekend!

Les Higgins French Old Guard Grenadiers are on deck for prepping and priming.  A few bayonets need repair, but most figures are in excellent condition.  I will be mixing in a few SHQ command types, which mix pretty well with Les Higgins.  There is also a Franznap Colonel and a copy of the Hinton Hunt FN 367 figure of General Cambronne, who may serve instead as General  de Brigade Michel, along with a Les Higgins Major.  Collecting this many out of production figures is no easy feat, so I would be remiss to not thank Wellington Man for finding the majority of these on ebay for me, and Rob G who contributed a some excellent extras that looked virtually brand new as well as General Cambronne.

Here we have some Der Kriegspieler Bavarian Chevau-leger.  A lot of work has gone into these to better approximate the uniform of the Bavarian Chevau-leger.   The command figures are Hinton Hunt and of much higher quality and sculpting accuracy.

While I am working on painting the Bavarians and prepping the French, a battalion of French Marines of the Guard are soaking in the Dettol to remove the old paint.  Thanks to Bill W who generously provided the Marines!

Finally we have just a few odds and ends in process.  Colonel Ralph Dundas Tindall at the far right will take over command of the Dutch Grenadiers.  Next to him is a wonderful Franznap figure of a French Vivandierre nursing her baby.  Finally there is a conversion of a Portuguese Colonel.  I need to spruce up two more of Dick Tennant's Portuguese battalions to complete the British 1st Infantry Division, so I will probably get those done before starting the paintwork on the Les Higgins Old Guard Grenadiers.

 

10 comments:

  1. You have a lot going on there David! It never ceases to amaze me how these old castings continue to pop up in sufficient numbers for modern day collectors to be able to field complete units, which is great. Good luck with the wargame, I guess we will all need to re learn how to socially interact again after this pandemic, I'm sure the pups will help :)
    Lee.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I took several auctions and the help of friends to pull this lot together. It can be done but certainly not an easy task! I'm all nervous about having folks over for a game- it's like going on a date when I was a teenager...

      Delete
  2. I am impressed that you have so much on the go at once - great work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Stryker - lets me choose between activities, painting or figure prep. Sometimes I just not in the mood for painting, and on those occasions I can work on getting figures prepped.

      Delete
  3. Les Higgins figures have great detail and are easier to paint than Hinton Hunt/DK figures as a result.

    The range was fairly limited and the poses a bit staid. I still cannot understand the officer pointing with his foot on a rock.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hah! The officer figure is definitely a mystery, but there is a certain charm in his goofiness! I am looking forward to the straight forward painting on these. They are much finer castings than any of the DKs or Hinton Hunts I have worked with thus far.

      Delete
  4. Those are all coming along really well.
    Regards, James

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks James. The challenging part is yet to come as most of the detail for the chevau-leger will just have to be painted on or over some roughly cast areas.

      Delete
  5. Hmmm, my last comment obviously didn't get through...
    Your painting bench is starting to look like a production line - how are you ever going to fit all these figures on the table? It's always interesting to see your painting bench for the stuff in the background - I see the 25mm testudo Russian cavalry are also coming on as is Conan although I see you haven't succumbed and painted him in his dazzle-camouflage war-paint.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I hadn't thought about doing Conan in his camo. Now that is an idea worth think about!

    ReplyDelete