Sunday 12 August 2018

Three Line WIP

With the three line in question all being Vintage Hinton Hunt French Infantry of the Line 1812-15:

FN 1: Officer (charging);
FN 4: Colour Bearer (charging); and
FN 6: Drummer (charging).



Forming up behind them are nine equally vintage FN 5: Fusilier (charging) in what will be an all-vintage Hinton Hunt battalion. This will be only my second battalion to achieve this feat. The other one is the Silesian Schützen battalion, which was the first battalion I painted.

I'm painting these now as a replacement is needed for the Swiss in my First Division, seeing that they've shuffled off to join their fellow 1807-1812 comrades in the Second Division. Strictly speaking I should be painting a DK battalion for this gig (I have an ambition to be a DK French 1812 infantry completist), but having finally got my mits on some HH originals I just couldn't resist them.

Also on the table this weekend was the penultimate part of commission I'm doing for Ian S. He is a conversion of an HH Prussian Hussar. This particular figure is a copy, rather than an original, but it's a jolly nice one.



All that's needed now to finish Ian's commission is a bit of flag pole bashing and shaping and then it will be off to the post office with the lot. Phew.

Have a good one,

WM

18 comments :

  1. French line infantry, excellent, just what the doctor ordered. Any troops painted this well will surely fight well.

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    1. This will, amazingly, be my sixth French line infantry battalion, but as they are all different makes, poses and eras it somehow doesn't fell that way. Enough to justify another Guards battalion, perhaps?....

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    2. These are lovely, and I am very jealous that you managed to "get your mitts" on some HH originals! The brass plates on the shakos are extraordinary! I see you have opted for the red outer ring on the tricolor cockades, which frankly I prefer, but since I'm primarily focusing on 1812-13, was not very common at that time.

      It's fantastic that you are able to paint so well and still maintain a great output. 6 line infantry units and almost 2 divisions, I say you have more than justified the pleasure of painting another guards unit!

      David

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    3. Cheers Dave. Yep, it's to be 1815 all the way for these chaps.

      French line infantry in particular have been very difficult to track down. A lot of gazing at ebay was involved. I thought I'd never find any, but over the aeons this project has already lasted it was a statistical certainty they'd turn up eventually.

      Hurrah, I'll put that down as a tick in the "Yes, more Guards please" column.

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  2. Beautiful toys...
    My first ever box of lead soldiers ( a birthday present if I remember correctly... its been a while) contained some of these...
    I remember that they came with typed out painting instructions...
    I think that we all deserve you painting up another guards unit... how about the Dutch Guards... :-)

    All the best. Aly

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    1. Aly, those first boxes of lead soldiers have a lot to answer for. I vividly remember receiving mine at Christmas in 1978. Finally getting hold of a battalion of FN 5s was not far off it!

      Ah yes, Dutch...I'd forgotten about them. That is a very tempting suggestion.

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  3. You've done more than enough to justify another Old Guard unit (you can never have too many). The trumpeter looks superb - just begging to be painted!

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    1. Cheers, Ian. He was quite tricky, but I got there in the end. He will be with you soon, I promise.

      Well, it's unanimity on guardsmen so far...

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  4. Excellent progress with the French, another guard unit (maybe chasseurs) would bolster the bearskin brigade.

    All the best

    Paul

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    1. The command group are pictured at the moment I was forced to down tools and do something more useful, Paul. This was a bit frustrating as they are very nearly finished.

      I have just enough DK Dutch grenadiers left to make a second, identical charging chasseur battalion, as it happens, so it's definitely an option. I think what I'm really yearning for, however, are grenadiers. A really beautiful vintage HH battalion has been calling to me plaintively for months.

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  5. What a coincidence, I've just put 1 x FN1, 1 x FN4, 1 x FN6 and 16 X FN5 in the bleach jar. I'll be happy if they end up looking half as good as yours Matt.

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    1. It's all about getting the pack straps right, Dave, I've decided. These are by far the trickiest bits.

      It sounds like your planning to add some grenadiers and voltigeurs. I've 95% decided to go for an all-fusilier battalion in this case. The French have been rather jealous of the splendid uniformity of the Prussians for quite some time now.

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    2. Yes Matt, I've also got 6 x FN 3 Grenadier (charging) which will be the flank companies.

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    3. That should be FN3 Grenadier firing!

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  6. It good to see an original Hinton Hunt unit coming together. I have a few FN5s myself and hope to make another French battalion. The Standard bearer and drummer will however not be originals and I may have to use 4 Alberken figures for the Grenadier company.

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    1. I think it's OK to mix Alberkens and Hinton Hunts. They are very close cousins! The HH charging grenadiers don't mix at all well with the HH FN 5s. This is why I've more or less decided to save them for a combined grenadier battalion.

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  7. What regiment, WM? I like the drummer in blue. More guards, Hell, no, you need at least another six line battalions to support those self regarding immortals. Let's face it, people like painting guards because they don't have to do piping. Line infantry are just superior, and don't need loaded dice to help them win. And if that doesn't light the barbie, nothing will.....Es lebe die Leib Husaren und die Silesian.....and yes, I am having an existential crisis.

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    1. They are the Umpty Seventh, at the moment, Archduke. It's also a bit unclear who is to command them. I'm mulling over the options.

      Guardsmen are not very immortal when I command them. Ian will attest to this. Nor are they very victorious. They are, however, dead easy to paint, as you say. Its the massed red plumes that I find so irresistible.

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