Newcastle United

 It is the Spring of 1813, and the Emperor has called for his Chief of Staff.

Napoleon: Ah, Berthier, I've made you Prince of Neuchâtel!

                 Look, you get your own battalion.

Berthier: But Sire...I haven't led troops since 1778!

Napoleon: Don't worry. I've written instructions!

Berthier can barely decipher the Emperor's appalling handwriting.

Berthier:..Oh crumbs..er...Companies...Forward, Wheel Right!

Under the Emperor's watchful eye, Berthier scrambles to correct his mistakes.

Berthier: No, no, no!..um.. Halt! Face Front!

Berthier: MERDE!

Cambronne is scandalised.

Cambronne: My word!

The Emperor has seen enough.

Napoleon:...Nom de Dieu!

Today's vintage vignette was brought to you by:

Minfigs 25mm ('intermediate' range) FNX 12: Napoleon Standing;

Minifigs S-Range, NSF 1S: French Marshal Passing Orders; and

Minifigs S-Range, N 1S: Napoleon Seated at Table.

My special thanks to:

Aly Morrison, who sent me his wonderful Neuchâtel Battalion, which I 've finally got round to rebasing;
Rob G, who helped me get my grubby mitts on an FNX 12; and

The Archduke, who did the same for the N 1S.

Yours,
WM

Lammings on the List

I was a bit too tied up with domestic duties to get my Lammings photographed yesterday, but I found a bit of time today.

I haven't quite decided who's going to command them yet (I have a Lamming French marshal, but he may be just a bit too enormous), so Marshal Quiestil is doing the honours for the time being.

The figures are all Lamming Miniatures from Bill's earliest French Napoleonic 20mm range, specifically:

FI/1: Line Voltigeur or Grenadier elite, x 5;

FI/2: Line Voltigeur officer, x1, converted into a standard bearer;;

FI/3: Imperial Guard Grenadier advancing, x 6 (albeit four different variants);

FI/5: Line Voltigeur cornet, x 1

FI/7: Voltigeur or Grenadier elite drummer, x1;

FI/8: Line fusilier, x 9; and

FI/9: Line infantry officer in bicorne hat, x1.

I really wasn't sure how all these were going to turn out, particularly as I was a bit doubtful about the fusiliers, but they've really grown on me. It was also far from clear how compatible they were going to be, which you never really know until they're all painted and based. I'm happy to say they seem to have blended in really well.

They even seem to work quite well as mixed battalions:

Next week the Neuchatel Battalion, now rebased for Muskets & Marshals, will receive their new commander....

Salutations,

WM

Tinker Bill

For the last few weeks I've been colouring in a battalion of 20mm Lamming French line infantry. I actually started these over two years ago, so I thought it might be a good idea to finally finish them.

It's been a fairly slow process so far because I've been trying to block out the entire battalion in their basic uniform colours before getting into the details. In theory this will make painting them a bit more efficient, but whether or not this really turns out to be the case remains to be seen.

Completed this evening were the two elite companies.

The voltigeurs were the trickiest, but the wonderful wee trumpeter I found for them was just too delicious to resist, so he kept me motivated.

The grenadiers were a lot simpler, but while painting them I discovered there were actually four slightly different variations, as I hope the next two pictures will illustrate. The first three have a rather Hinchliffey type quality, which makes me wonder a bit. Bill Lamming certainly seems to have tinkered about with the range quite a bit.

Next up should be the fusiliers, although I also have several personality figures in production, so we'll see how we go.

The luscious wooden surface they're all standing on is my new painting desk, which is a gorgeous old fold-up writing bureau which I've squeezed into a corner of the living room. It's a lot warmer in there and I can play my music on a proper sound system while I paint. I'm hoping this will do wonders for my productivity.

Stay safe my friends,

WM

Life Savers

It is the Spring of 1813, and at a secret location Generallieutenant Baron von Winzingerode arrives with the Leib-Garde Grenadiers, who have been newly promoted to the Russian Imperial Guard. Marshal Blücher rides forward to greet them.

Blücher: Aach, Vinzingerode! Ve vill make ze Gardes Brigade togetzer, jah?

The Leib-Garde Grenadiers parade for inspection. They haven't received their new Guard standards and uniforms yet, but make a proud showing nonetheless.

Two passing British officers can scarcely believe their eyes.

Lyon: Look, Wussians!
Alten: Oh yes, Wussians!

The Leib-Garde Grenadiers march and countermarch.

Winzingerode (under his breath): Hmmm, I must say zose
Garde zu Fuß are a rather weedy looking lot!

The Prussians begin to wonder what they've let themselves in for.

To recap, the figures are all Garrison Miniatures circa 1973-1975, being:

RN 8: Russian Line Grenadier x 20;

RN 8: Russian Line Grenadier x 1, converted into a drummer with a Musket Miniatues drum;
RN 8: Russian Line Grenadier x 2, converted into standard bearers; and
RN 1: Russian Pavlovski Officer x 1, converted into a grenadier officer using the head of an RN 5: Russian Grenadier officer bearing a flagstaff

Many thanks again to Rob Y for so kindly sending me these wonderful figures, and to all those who've encouraged me to get them finished. I'm very pleased with them.

Cheers
WM

Russian WIP

Not much to report this week, except to say that we're five days into our second national lockdown, which looks all set to continue for a while yet. It's not all been working from home and doom scrolling, however: I've also been working on my Russians.

Progress to date is illustrated below. All the white bits are on at last, and although there's a lot of tidying up to do, I think I'm definitely on the home stretch with these now.

I'm very hopeful that they'll all be done by next weekend.

Yours,

WM

An Austro-Russo-Hanoverian

It's a dark and stormy night here in Wellington, but the fire is roaring in the hearth and there's a wee dram of very fine single malt parked up beside me, so all is well with the world.

As promised, I have a new general to show off. He's a beauriful old vintage Hinton Hunt RN 85: Russian General Staff General with spy glass, who had a rather adventurous journey before he finally came to me, but he got here in the end. He's painted almost exactly as specified in  Marcus Hinton's painting instructions (thank you Clive!). He is to be Ludwig Georg Thedel Graf von Wallmoden, aka Ludwig von Wallmoden-Gimborn, the commander of my Anglo-Russian-Hanoverian corps (which I really must get round to finishing some day).

Wallmoden was an extremely capable and very highly decorated Austrian soldier who also happened to be a grandson of George II. He was a specialist in leading light troops, so in 1813 he was just the chap, or so it seemed, to  keep Davout's Corps safely locked up in Hamburg while the rest of the allied armies marched against Napoleon. He succeeded in this task very well, although he could never quite manage to corner Davout or his Danish allies. Nevertheless, in doing so he kept the Prussians out of Hanover, which was all that his British paymasters really cared about.

Wallmoden was in Russian service in 1813, so this is probably what he would have been dressed like during that year. His Chief of Staff was none other than the famous Carl von Clausewitz, who was also serving the Tsar at this point, so I'll probably need to paint him too.

The RN 85 was the only Russian General produced by Hinton Hunt so until I can get another one I thought he'd also do very well as a temporary commander for the Leib Grenadiers.

Auf Wiedersehen and Do svidaniya

WM

Half Life

I've finally finished the first half battalion of the Garrison Leib Grenadiers.

I couldn't work out why it was taking me so long to paint these, but when I thought about it for a bit the fact that it takes nine separate steps just to paint their wee cuffs and collars probably has something to do with it.

Thankfully, I was able to rescue the flags by coaxing just a little more blue out of my tin of Humbrol 89: Middle Blue by mixing the paint properly. They're still not all that vibrant, but definitely a bit bluer.

The last shot illustrates the difference in height between Garrison RN 8s, Hinton Hunt RN 17s and Lamming FI/1s (Lamming didn't do any Russians, unfortunately). The HH is definitely on the short side compared to the other two, but it's nothing that can't be cured by a bit of stand thickness variation.

It'll clearly take me a while to get the second half of this battalion finished, but I've a new general to show off in the meantime who'll probably be making an appearance next week.

Toodle pip,

WM

Flags for the Lads

My Russian Leib Grenadiers have been going a bit slowly lately, not least because I decided that they really ought to have two flags rather than just the one. Apart from anything else, this meant I had to carve out another standard bearer despite the fact that he was already partially painted.

The first battalion of the Leib Grenadiers were entitled to carry a "white flag", being a white cross on a field of pale blue, and a "coloured flag", where the colour scheme was reversed. These flags were issued in 1797 and not replaced for another thirty years, apparently.

My main issue with my version of these flags is that the new tin of Humbrol 89: Middle Blue I had to break into produced a blue which was not really all that blue when it came down to it. This concerns me a bit.

I'm all of a dither about this. I've been loyally painting almost everything in Humbrols since I started this project, but the decline in quality in some of the old standards is starting to get really noticeable. The metallics are particularly awful. When I finally run out of the old stock I've managed to scrounge off a few mates I may be forced to take up acrylics. I'm really not happy about this.

Yours, somewhat dejectedly

WM

Wrangling Russians

What with it being the long Easter weekend, I thought I'd get cracking on Rob Y's rather more-ish Garrison Russians. As is the tradition with these things, I wanted to get the command group into shape before launching into the rest of the battalion.

First up is my officer conversion, which is a mashup between a 1972 Garrison RN 1: Pavlovski Officer, and an unlisted 1975 RN 5: Russian Grenadier officer bearing a flagstaff. Apart from the obvious head swap, I used the flagstaff to fashion a slightly more robust sword for the conversion.

Rather simpler was my own standard bearer, who is just a 1975 Garrison RN 8: Line Grenadier with his musket removed and holes drilled to hold one of my fizzy flags. The drummer, however, who is based on another RN 8, was a bit more complex. It took the best part of a day to shave back and replace his left arm and attach a drum. His drumsticks still need a bit of work, but I'm nearly there.

I haven't quite decided who they are to represent, but I'm leaning strongly towards the Leib Grenadier Regiment. This appears to have been the only Russian line grenadier regiment which really was composed exclusively of grenadiers and they have the added  advantage of being transferred to the Russian Imperial Guard in 1813, which will make them A+. Just the thing, I'm thinking, for making up a Russo-Prussian Guards division.

My test grenadier will need bit of white lace on his cuffs and collar to turn him into a Leib Grenadier, but this shouldn't take more than jiffy.

Happy Easter!

WM

Gunners Inglorious

Marshal Blücher has assembled General von Pirch's entire division to watch the Prussian artillery at gunnery practice.

With his beloved  Schwarzen Jäger all around him, Colonel Ludwig von Lützow is bursting with pride.

The gunners swing into action like a well-oiled machine, loading the shot...

...and then ramming the charges home.

Blücher gives the order to open fire.

Blücher: Artillerie ... Feuer!

The guns discharge simultaneously with a deafening roar.

It's all a bit too much for the sensitive intellectuals in the Königlich Preußisches Freikorps von Lützow, who turn and flee. Von Lützow is powerless to stop them!

Lützow: Körner! Eleonore Prochaska! Kommen zurück!

Blücher is furious!

Blücher: Lützow!!!

My sincere thanks to Mr A. Gentlemen for allowing me to fulfill my Lützower ambitions.

In other news, which underlines perhaps just how necessary it is to secure a powerful gunline, Mr Rob G in the UK  has sent me some sensational photographs of his superb 6e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers:

I think you've really outdone yourself this time, Rob.

Best regards

WM

Lützow Heavy Weapons

I've been terribly busy with various work projects these last few weeks, but as they've finally slackened off a bit I've managed to get some painting done.

Readers of this blog may dimly recall that Mr A. Gentleman very kindly supplied me with a set of wonderful Hinton Hunt Lützower infantry conversions a few years ago. "If you can bung me a few more," I said, "I'll turn them into gunners". I'm somewhat mortified by how long it's taken me to paint them, but here they are at last.

Depicted below are the other ranks. The first two figures, I believe, are conversions of a Hinton Hunt PN 21: Prussian Landwehr infantryman, marching. The third is a charging variant who I think started life as a BN 72: British Fusilier charging. All I needed to do with them was to pare off their muskets and substitute various artillery implements.

I think the the superb Lützower officer conversion which follows was made from an  AN 50: Austrian Artillery Officer. The only change I made to him was to solder on a new scabbard as the original had broken off. I may have overdone the length a bit.

Their gun is still in the works but when it's finished I'll show them all off properly along with the rest of the Prussian gun line.

While I was about these I decided to have a go at a Garrison Russian grenadier who was very generously supplied to me by Rob Young. Like the Garrison Prussian Landwehr Rob also sent to me, he's a wee bit bigger than a standard Hinton Hunt, but not disastrously so.

He's the first of what is to be a little Austro-Russian side project, which will be matched with a few Bavarians and other satellite units on the French side. I've been dying to do this for ages, so despite the fact that Phase 2 of my main project is not quite complete, a battalion of Garrison Russians is what's up next after the Lützowers are finished.

I can't quite articulate what it is that attracts me so much about Garrisons, but every time I get hold of them I find them absolutely irresistible.

Yours

WM