10mm Blucher Austrians

I had mentioned in a previous post that one of the projects I hope to finish off are my Blucher starter armies. I purchased figures for Sam Mustafa's sample scenario ("Along the Danube"), both Austrians and French. I have a good majority of the Austrians done, and the French...well...they are purchased and sitting in bags.My figures are all Old Glory 10mm, which are very nice sculpts in my opinion. I based all "brigades" on a 60x30mm base. The plan is to place a thin 60x40mm laminated cardboard sabot underneath with the remaining exposed 10mm having unit identifiers and stats.

I started trying different painting techniques with these guys. I primed an off white, inked with sepia and then went over the straps and large uniform sections with bright white. I went with speed over detail with the infantry. I was happy with how they turned out.

Also, I apologize in advance for the shoddy photography. With the winter sun, I have a limited amount of natural light and was trying to rush to get some decently lit photos. I may have jiggled a bit with the camera. I ended up tossing alot of photos involving other projects. I will try to revisit these figures when I have more optimal light and steadier hands.

Here are some German infantry in helmet. Each brigade depicts two regiments in the same facings. The figures are on 5-figure strips, each brigade has 6 strips to a base.

Same two brigades from the rear.

Here are some Hungarian infantry in their shakos and blue pants. I must have accidentally ordered/received French command strips for my Austrian Hungarian infantry. I thought something was odd but painted them up anyway, when i finally looked at the package label I realized my error. You can miniature Austrian Imperial eagles on the fanions. Oh well....

And another rear shot..

Some Grenadiers.

And a rear shot showing their bearskin bags..

Austrian artillery in brown, very smart looking...

White coated Austrian kuirassiers

Strelets 1/72 Napoleon in Egypt

I don't often paint figures bigger than 15mm and I rarely paint plastics, however I was intrigued with Strelets' "Napoleon in Egypt" range so I picked up a few boxes to make up some French, Mameluke and British armies. I plan to ultimately game with them using the Maurice rules. 

I had to travel for work quite a bit this past year and my hours allowed me some idle time. I wanted to be able to get in some painting time so I didn't feel like my work trips were a black hole for my hobby progress. I decided that the Strelets would be the ideal travel companion since they are light and don't really break to easy. 

Here are some of the "Light Infantry" which seem to be French in their tropical uniforms. I opted to paint these guys in pink because how many chances does one get to paint pink uniforms and be historically correct? 

Here is a closeup, the sculpts are good but some of the details aren't crisp. I primed all of these figures with a gloss black fusion primer. It really bonds to the plastic, and I should mention that I typically rinse these guys with vinegar prior to priming. I read someplace that it gives some bite for the paint to stick to. After priming with black, I drybrush with grey to pick out details and begin painting.

Another closeup of these pink-clad warriors.

Some French in the more traditional revolutionary-era uniforms of the 1790s. I added some striped trousers for revolutionary effect.

A shot from the rear showing off backpacks and the such...

Here are my four completes units. I tried to keep similar poses in each unit: marching, advancing, charging and firing. At some point I will finish up the French and tackle the British and Mamelukes.

DBN: Penninsular Battle

Today, I was able to get together with my gaming buddy Matt to try out DBN. Here's how it went:


Initial Deployment from the French side of the table, both sides were identical in army composition: 8 Musket, 2 Light Cavalry, 1 Artillery, 1 Light Infantry & a General. There were two hamlets (non linear fortifications) in the middle of the battlefied. The game table was 30" square.



Turn 1) French center marches forward in column, while chasseurs e cheval advance on the flanks. On the Allied side, British light dragoons move on the far flank (French right).









Turn 3) On the French left, a brigade of chasseurs e cheval are bombarded by the Allied artillery (receiving one "hit"). French light infantry advance on the unoccuppied hamlet. In the center, the French raggedly advance (due to poor CAP rolls) in column, as the British redeploy in line. The Portuguese remain in column. On the right, two brigades of British dragoons look ready to pounce on a brigade of French light cavalry.



Turn 4) A brigade of French cavalry charge forward on the British right, while the French legere occupy the small Spanish hamlet. The French center continues to slowly move towards the British center and the British cavalry continues to loom ominously on the French right flank.






Turn 5) The French chasseurs e cheval brave cannister fire and charge boldly into the British artillery. The French general (having rolled high enough on the CAP) orders his legere to garrison the hamlet on the left. In the center, the French columns brave the withering British musketry and slam into the thin red line. The Portuguese column advanced to meet a column of French. The British cavalry continues to inexplicably do nothing...



Turn 7) Casualties begin to mount: The French light cavalry brigade on the left is destroyed by artillery fire. The legere dug in the hamlet fare better, surviving a bombardment. In the center, ehe French columns take several hits but manage to destroy a British infantry brigade. The Portuguese column also take punishment. The French right flank is quiet.





Turn 8) It becomes apparent that the center is where the battle will be decided. British musket fire versus the French attack columns, and both generals lcommit themselves to the struggle. Thus far, the Allies have lost three infantry brigades (1 British, 2 Portuguese) while the French have lost one light cavalry brigade and one infantry brigade.






Turn 9) French Victory! The Allies lose another British infantry brigade in the center. The French occupation of the Spanish hamlet on the left anchored that flank, while the British showed a surprising lack of aggression on the French right. This allowed the French infantry brigades in attack column to deliver the coup de grace.





It was my first bona fide game of DBN, both myself (the French) and my gaming buddy (Allies) have experience in DBA, so alot of the mechanics were familiar. The game played fast and relatively smooth. Look forward to playing again!