Having failed to deliver a completed Field Battalion Bremen as promised last week, this week's post comes with a bonus Hanoverian general. He is Hinton Hunt BN 254: Lieut-Gen. Charles. Count von Alten, in General's full dress uniform, on horse BNH 11. Both figures are David Clayton castings, I believe, but are very fine.
Marcus Hinton clearly based him on the magnificent portrait of Alten that hangs in the Bomann Museum in Celle. The painting even provides an intriguing little peek at the decoration in the corner of his general officer's shabraque, which one only very rarely gets to see as paintings from the era always seem to show just the plain blue-grey shabraque cover used by British general officers on campaign. I liked this detail so much that I even had a go at incorporating it on my figure.
Alten is to command the now completed Field Battalion Bremen, with whom I am really quite chuffed, having wanted a 'thin red line' of my own for about as long as I can remember. Less successful, however, is the new shade of green I've been trialling for my tabletop. As in previous attempts, it's played havoc with the colour balance on my camera. The last shot, taken with the flash turned on, is the closest I could get to capturing anything like the actual tones. It may pay to invest in some whiter light bulbs, perhaps.
In other news, I'd like to say a big "hello" to David C, who has now embarked on his grand design to refurbish an army of Der Kriegspielers and Hinton Hunts. If you haven't seen them already, do take a look at the splendid first results on David's Miniature Minions blog.
Even more Hinton Hunt goodness is also now on show on Mark Dudley's Ilkley Old School blog. Mark's Austrians are simply stunning.
Finally, Rob G has sent me some photos of his absolutely spiffy Spencer Smiffies in action during a recent game. Further photos and one of Rob's uproariously entertaining write ups of the game should be appearing in a forthcoming addition of the Wargamers' Notebook.
Happy Easter everyone!
WM
Edit: I've added an extra shot of Alten to show his nearside. The resemblance to the painting is a lot clearer from this angle!
The depth of colour and tone of the horse is stunning - it glows! Nice to see the Bremen and Verden finished as well - I notice some are based with six figures (2-deep), surely this makes forming square more awkward than all 1-deep bases? Your armies have tempted me to do something similar (Wallmoden etc.) so dug out some old 15mm Minifigs for that vintage look to mess about with - starting HH from scratch seems too hard (and expensive). Fairly pleased with them - will send some photos soon but everything's packed away for Easter at present - I use the dining table and the traditional Rabbit Pie takes precedence (in my opinion the Easter bunny is much employed under a suet crust with prunes and cider then handing out sickly chocolate eggs).
ReplyDeleteIt'll be a plain old Easter chicken in the WM household, Rob. We suspect that Wellington Girl isn't quite ready for the idea of Bunny stew!
DeleteThe horse is my attempt to reproduce the stunning technique demonstrated by Stokes on his Grand Duchy of Stollen blog. He's painted yellow with a thin brown wash and then an extra wash of brown calligraphy ink, topped off with a very light yellow drybrush. I was desperate to give this a go, which is the reason I didn't paint him white as in the painting.
I look forward to your 15s with great anticipation. Wallmoden's Corps has got to be the perfect wargamer's army.
Just curious, but noticed the shabraque is only decorated on one corner, is that right?
DeleteIt is, Rob. As the painting does not reveal what the rest of the shabraque looked like, I decided to paint just the corner as if the cover had somehow come a bit loose!
DeleteIn answer to your basing observation, Rob, you are correct, it does make forming square a little awkward. Normally I would have used a tidier interlocking-company arrangement, but Alten wouldn't have fitted in the middle if I'd done that!
DeleteThe battalion and von Alten are stunning!
ReplyDeleteBest Regards,
Stokes
Thank you, Stokes! I haven't quite matched your masterly yellow-horse technique, but it's a start.
DeleteHe's my second Alten (making him an Alt. Alten, perhaps?) as it happens. The first one was done as a commission for Stryker. You can see him here: http://hintonhunt.blogspot.co.nz/2015/08/count-von-alten.html
Stunning art Matt and a really interesting and informative blog with the promise of more luscious conversions and parade photos from other blogs too! An excellent Easter gift to us all!
DeleteHS is becoming quite the newsletter of HH activity
HH/DK activity should be celebrated wherever it occurs, LG. It's a lonely business out here in the colonies, I can tell you,
DeleteMost impressive lines of battle, and great paint job!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Phil. I am, of course, still a newcomer.
DeleteExcellent job, young sir - lovely. I used to have an HH Alten, but I went through some strange ditherings a few years ago - for some reason I can hardly credit now, I decided that the difficulty of obtaining 20mm generals had finally beaten me, and I would replace my existing staff chaps with big (current) Minifigs, and proceed thereafter with those. I sold off a few HHs that I would be pleased to have back now. I quickly realised that I didn't really like this improvement, so then I sold off all the new SAMFs (square-ass - technical term) and have gradually moved back to HH, NapoleoN, Art Miniaturen, like that. My current Alten (C) is a NapoleoN, I think. He's not as splendid as yours though.
ReplyDeleteThe (C) bit reminds me that I am vaguely interested in why Karl, Graf von Alten should have had his name Anglicised - the contemporary Army Lists show him as Charles, right enough, and this pattern is continued with the likes of "de Bernewitz", the Brunswick brigadier in the Light Division whose name was very obviously Von, and whose family would probably not appreciate the neo-Norman gentrification of their title. Xenophobia is a noble tradition, I realise, but we did have a German king at the time, for goodness sake.
Anyway, just an idle thought for a Sunday morning - Graf Karl (or whatever) is beautiful, inspirational - my compliments to you both. I also have a figure for Karl's brother, Viktor, who commands a light cavalry brigade in my Peninsula Army, but he's dressed as a KGL hussar.
The relentless British tendency to Anglicise everything in sight is only too evident from a New Zealand perspective, Foy. Thank you for your very kind words. Alten is only right for the Waterloo period, of course, rather than Wallmoden's command, but he was too delicious to resist.
DeleteRe command figures, although I'm having a lot of fun with these old HH castings at the moment I'd love to try my hand at some of the other models on offer. The old Minifigs S-range commanders in particular look magnificent, albeit their gigantic heads!
DeleteThe horse colour is stunning. I will have to check out Stokes method.
ReplyDeleteThe depth of colour on the Red is also excellent.
The gloss finish makes the colours mire vibrant. What gloss do you use as it is lot glossier than the one I use.
Cheers, Mark. The gloss is Winsor and Newton "Artisan" brilliant gloss, which produces a very brilliant effect, as advertised. I've no idea how it reacts with acrylics, but it has a champion effect on Humbrols.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gentleman you are, Sir. Alten is my new project and you and your respondents have now done all my homework for me. On the other hand, you have set the bar impossibly high. I shall resort to my preferred battle-stained look. Thanks again for an inspirational posting. Oh, quote of the month... from the Colonel of the 43rd Light re-enacting Waterloo last weekend, when I asked in interest whether light infantry officers still wore bicornes in 1815, "No, but it's my bl**dy hat, and I'm wearing it". I refrained from asking why his lads were not still at Antwerp......
ReplyDeleteAlthough I like to paint Marcus Hinton's confections to their maximum gaudiness, Archduke, my favourite figure is Ney in his dirty old infantry coat!
DeleteBrillinant job Wellington Man. I just finished reading 24 hours at Waterloo (again). A quetion for you or anyone who cares to answer, who were the rid Jarmins and why were they so called? Cant find an answer by google. Thanks, Richard in UK.
ReplyDeleteHi Richard. I'd just finished reading Robert Kershaw's book too when I painted these! In a letter written on 7 May, 1815, Lieutenant-Colonel the Lord Saltoun, who was with the 1st Foot Guards, wrote that the army in the Low Countries had been 'increased lately by several battalions of Hanoverian Landwehr, who are tolerably good-looking men in general. . . . The spirit which the French call morale is very good in them, and they are pleased at acting with the British, whom they consider as countrymen. John Bull, however, does not admit them by any means to that honourable distinction, but calls them "rid Jarmins"'. Alexander Fraser of Philorth, Seventeenth Lord Saltoun, "The Frasers of Philorth" (Edinburgh, 1879), vol.1, p252.
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