A (hopefully) brief downtime

Just a word to say I'm still around, but very busy with a couple of commissions. The enervating heat prevailing here in the Midwest isn't exactly helping matters either. I'll post the action report of the Skirmish at Lehmangraz sometime before the end of this month, and post the occasional non-18th century piece over on my other blog.

The Rumtopft Dragoons on parade

Presenting Hetzenberg Dragoon Regiment 1, Rumtopft. These fellows are fresh off the painting block, all varnished with Pledge/Klear/Future. I decided to leave them somewhat shiny as I like the effect.

At the moment I have no plans to expand the Grand Duchy's army beyond this regiment, two more of line infantry (IR 3 Brabenachel and IR 4 Kranke), and a light infantry battalion. The Margraf's army needs a two-regiment cavalry brigade, two batteries of artillery and perhaps another regiment of foot. All the above with time and funds permitting...

Classic Wargaming Journal

Due to recent commitments I'm running a bit behind the times here, but I'm pleased to see a new publication has entered the hobby in the shape of the

Classic Wargaming Journal.

Harking back to the original home-produced publications produced by wargamers some forty years ago, CWJ is born of editor Phil Olley's desire to put something back into the hobby. Very much a labor of love, this little publication has a lot to offer the gamer, especially those of the Old School persuasion. The contributors for this pilot edition are well-known from their various blogs and websites, and they provide some excellent articles here. I hope you'll join with me in subscribing to a worthwhile effort, and in wishing Phil well in his endeavor!

The Rumtopft Dragoons 2

An update on progress painting the Rumtopft Dragoon regiment. The main colors are blocked in. Next up is the finer detail of off-white crossbelts, gauntlets, buttons, trimming, etc. I'll add some red piping to the lapels and turnbacks to make it stand out a little more.

At the moment they're coming along nicely, although to my eye the regiment is looking more like a jäger zu pferd or chevauleger regiment than one of dragoons. Maybe toward the Napoleonic era they'll undergo transformation into something of the kind. Those tricorns would be replaced by helmets. The tunic will change too. Hmm..! ;)

On the painting block - the Rumtopft Dragoons

On now to the next project on my painting block - the Rumtopft Dragoon Regiment. These stalwart lads covered themselves in glory during the Battle of Viehdorf, where they earned battle honors by defeating the Margraf of Dunkeldorf-Pfühl's cavalry.

Of course for that action they were represented in proxy, through Will's good offices. I thought it high time I painted the regiment and got them on strength, using the RSM95 figures bought for me by my lady wife last Xmas.

The above image gives an idea of what I'm aiming for. Since the regiment won battle honors they are allowed to wear a cockade in the Hetzenberg national colors. The cockade design later became the basis for the roundel displayed on the Grand Duchy's aircraft during WW1, but that's another story...

Now, I'm no great enthusiast for painting cavalry. Something about the acres of horseflesh that needs covering in pigment vaguely depresses me! Even so, I find my painting block makes the chore easier. I've secured the riders to their mounts using super/crazy glue, and placed the musketoons in their hands the same way. Painting the whole figure as one unit will make things easier still - I hope! Next up is the black undercoat, a mix of Vallejo black and a drop or two from the Pledge bottle, and I'm away. Watch this space...

The Guns of July

As promised, some shots of the Grand Duchy of Hetzenberg's artillery arm. On the left we have the Line battery of 6-pounders; on the right the heavier metal of the Guard with their 12-pounders. All figures and models are RSM95 by Dayton Painting Consortium.

Normally under the Shako rules I'd mount the guns and crew on rectangular bases. In this instance I may set them up on old CDs, which will give ample space to fit the crew around the gun. My thought is that a gun crew caught by infantry or cavalry is in a world of hurt anyway; having a rectangular base matching the frontage of the other arms isn't going to make a whit of difference. Any thoughts and opinions? Please leave a comment!

Back from the French-Indian War

It's me - we're back from the wars after a hellishly hot weekend in eastern Illinois. We're both feeling a bit battle-worn and frazzled today, so this is only a brief update. I'll post a few pictures of Muster at Forest Glen sometime in the week.