Austrian infantry regiment no 17 Reuss-Plauen Napoleonic 67

 Here is a Victrix Austrian infantry unit, nice figures, slightly longer coat than Perry so good for the earlier period, same body as the grenadiers so could work for you Richard? Primed a long time ago in Halfords grey spray primer , I gave everything except the backpacks helmets and gaiters a wash of agrax earthshade, then black liquatex ink for boots and helmets, brown liquatex ink for backpacks, flesh, steel ,gold and facings which I've taken from the useful Perry pamphlet you get with their set giving me infantry regiment no 17 Reuss-Plauen. It is, I find , slightly confusing that because of Austrias historical ties to the states in what became the confederation of the Rhine you end up with the Reuss regiment in Austrian service opposing the Reuss regiment in confederation service, I think there was one occasion when a Saxon unit and Austrian unit had to fight it out in spite of having the same colonel!  There's also various German princes in command roles on the allies side while states with the same name are on Napoleon's!

I thought with the agrax earthshade they looked a little like French colonial Poilous from ww1?

Nice figures, compatible with Perry plastics and interchangeable, heads and arms fit in the same way which is helpful as you have to carve the neck off wargames Atlantic bodies to add Perry or Victrix heads, although like the Perry helmeted Austrian heads, the way they're cast the mould line runs down the face which I always struggle with, the Victrix Austrian shako heads by contrast the mould line goes down the side, giving you a much easier clean up! I have just noticed one of them needs a touch up on his arm, oh well with this many Austrians on the go I'm bound to have some white on the go at some point! 

Fort Charles Port Royal, it's a particularly hot place, hotter than Kingstown, maybe because it's so exposed? There's also fort Rocky down the road which I can best describe as a 20th century vauban style fort in concrete with some additional positions for coastal defence guns it's a bit odd! 

Photos just to keep Keith happy you understand !

Anyway, more Austrians on the way soon!

All the best 

Iain

Austrian infantry regiment no 54 Froon Napoleonic 66

 Here's a Perry plastic unit Regiment no 54 Froon primed in black, well some were primed in grey but got a black wash, then the usual rough white wet brush coat, flesh, brown , steel, grey, gold white touch up and black touch up, and the facing colour( light green)  for this unit and a black pen to go over the yellow on the crest, it's easier than trying to paint it I find! 

It's a supper fast white wet brush/semi drybrush then go back over the straps and do a final tweak after everything else is done. Standard Austrian flagpole, I did most of these flagpoles together to save time! 

A quick shot of the temporary acting painting desk.

More Austrians and Hungarians as we head towards Easter

All the best 

Iain 

Hungarian infantry regiment no 60 Napoleonic 65

 No one makes plastic Napoleonic Hungarians but I remember seeing on Deans WAB blog a pretty simple conversion which I have followed on these chaps, they're Victrix Austrian infantry in Shakos and I've roughly carved off the gaiters, not a great job but I think it will do? Once more grey Halfords spray primer, agrax earthshade everywhere except shakos and backpacks and boots, Liquatex brown ink for backpacks and black ink for shakos and boots, wet brush/dry brush  white, freehand knotwork in yellow, always fun and the same light blue as the Reuss as it's my French blue  plus white, steel, gold and facings plus the flagpole of course! 

Dark green ( steel green) facings and a converted British casualty marker atop their file box home.I've got another unit of these almost finished as I've been trying to push all the figures along as efficiently as possible, so every figure I  have  here has at least flesh and metal and a couple more colours at least on all the infantry units, I'm doing James's last 10% now! I have three more Hungarian units waiting to be primed back home that are wargames Atlantic rank and file ( rather better conversions I feel) and Perry metal command  and two similarly set up units of Grenzers, my future includes lot's of hand painted  Hungarian knots! There's going to be more Austrian and Hungarians as I'm almost done on French infantry in the UK, although obviously I've always got more French cavalry! Flags and flocking to follow when I'm home.

All the best

 Iain 

French 4th Provisional Dragoon regiment napoleonic 64

 This unit is my interpretation of the 4th provisional Dragoon regiment, made up of the 3rd and 4th squadrons of the 14th Dragoon regiment that were in depots in France and hastily combined into a unit and sent to the front in 1809 as Napoleon was forced to fight a war on two fronts and of necessity had to raise forces in whatever way he could.  These chaps have a campaign look about them , inspired by an Angus McBride Osprey illustration of a  Dragoon trumpeter in overalls.

There is also a Mike Chappell illustration in a Blandford book I've got at home of a Dragoon officer in overalls instead of boots, reading about how badly supplied even the French cuirassiers sometimes were , and let's face it they'd have been top of the food chain outside the Guard, I'm pretty sure most units resembled our rag tag and bob tail unit here! I also liked the greatcoats wrapped around the body campaign look which I was able to achieve courtesy of Perry plastic chasseurs a cheval set, the overall legs from a variety of Perry sets, the officer is a promoted elite torso with tails from the plastic French line infantry officer torso, interestingly this campaign was where Napoleon started to run short of his revolutionary officers, hard campaigning had reduced their numbers and officers were sourced from NCOs, it had always happened since the revolution but was accelerated during this campaign as he sought to build up provisional units from depot units and  new recruits. The trumpeter is from the cuirassiers kit where you get lots of spare trumpeters and the horses are a mixture of Perry and Warlord light cavalry horses and some British light dragoon horses to make up the numbers, the Perry  ones all needed head swaps ( as they had light cavalry  bridles) and I've tried to replicate the heavy cavalry saddle, squaring up the portmanteau and freehand painting the saddle cloth, I think I've got away with it, just! Helmets, busbys, swords and carbines came from the dragoon set I  had just about enough sword sheaths!

 Optimistically there's a few Austrian cavalry helmets on the bases of the Warlord horses, they don't come with a base, so I've added a Perry one, it also helps raise the horse up as they are noticeably slighter than the Perry ones, the officer is on a Perry British light dragoon officers horse , painted up I don't think it's beyond the realms of the possible? Alright James, just call me Ridley!  The unit served in the Aspern campaign, Napoleon's first defeat but I think we can give them  one or two trophies !

So much like the actual 4th provisional Dragoon regiment I've scrapped the barrel and put together something of a dogs dinner of a unit but I'm happy with them, it also means that as they started off as members of the 14th regiment I get to have a unit with pink facings.  I know I'm pushing it a bit with the eagle but all my other French heavy cavalry units have one so it feels churlish not to include it, plus I can of course invoke the rule of cool ! It will like the basing have to wait until I get back home.

I know that the elite riders are clearly in Bardin tunics and like all my other dragoons incorrect for 1809 but that's something I  will just have to live with! The greatcoat clad chaps are in a mixture of kinski and Bardin tunics, but difficult to tell with the greatcoat covering most of the tunic up.

I also need a provisional dragoon unit to go with my( as yet unprimed!) 1809 Westphalians as I thought an 1809 campaign with Brunswickers would be fun and not too big, my nephew has Brunswickers in the later British style uniform but I fancy doing three battalions in the 1809 uniform or the nearest plastic equivalent and I'm sure I can use them as some sort of Prussian landwehr unit for 1813, I know heresy! 

These chaps are on temporary bases as I don't paint cavalry based and I wouldn't have room to take them home if I did but the size and spacing is right.

Last unit of French for now, Austrian and Hungarians to take me through to Easter.

All the best 

Iain