There's nothing wrong with my eyes; my arms are just too short!

I've been short sighted since the age of 12 but with my glasses I've had 20/20 vision, close or at distance. Until recently, that is! After an unproductive (figure painting-wise) year, I've noticed that after a fairly long break where I didn't put brush to figure, I find it difficult to focus on the details. Hence, after a recent visit to the optometrist at work, I now have not one, but two pairs of glasses! One for everyday distance and computer screen use and the other pair for close in work, like painting figues and reading. The improvement is astounding! I hope this translates to a marked increase in productivity, not only in figure painting, but blogging as well.

Below is the latest output from my workbench (which due to said age-induced eye failure has taken months) namely a continuation of my Neapolitan project. In this instance it's more Guard infantry and the Swinging Dick himself, King Joachim Murat. The command figures and the 1st Regiment of Velite Grenadiers are by the ever brilliant Franznap, although the messenger's horse is a ring in from Zvezda, as the original horse's delicate legs snapped off at the ankles after a mishap.

1st Velite Grenadiers of the Guard 

Command figures

"Andiamo, ragazzi!!"

NCO telling it like it is.

The other ranks aren't that impressed, though.

Hurry up and wait!

"Message for you, Your Majesty!"

Joachim on his Tiger-skin saddle

ADCs from the rear.

The Voltiguers of the Guard are a mishmash of various elite figures from HaT sets like 8095, 8166 and 8167 with head replacements using Italeri heads with the shako plate and cockade shaved off. The unique look of the shakos was achieved by painting alone. Only the officer hasn't had any modifications, besides having his shako details trimmed. He's the only Italeri interloper amongst all the HaT figures.

My version of amaranth is a little too red-brown, when it should really be a pinky-purple as per the images below. I can't work out from the images and what little description I've found if the stripes on the shako were hussar-style flammes / bands or just painted decoration, but as my conversion is just a paint-job, that's the view I'm taking. Also, the images don't make it easy to decide whether the colours should be buff or yellow, so I've made an executive decision for buff shako and collar and yellow lace.

Voltiguers of the Guard

Firing line

Command and infantry 

NCO and marching infantry.

Neapolitan Reinforcements

The next battalion off the workbench is the 1st battalion of the 7th Line Regiment of the Neapolitan Army. This was the famous black regiment recruited from Caribbean exiles from Saint-Domingue which was foisted onto Napoleon's brother Joseph when he was King of Naples. An anecdote I read somewhere claimed that this regiment went from being the worst in the French army to the best in the Neapolitan without any change in their abilities! I'm not sure how many, if any, of the black troops were left by the Battle of Tolentino in 1815, but I decided to paint them up that way to lend a little exoticness to the brigade. More info on the history of this regiment can be found here

Speaking of Tolentino, I realise now I've completely cocked up the OB; So far I've painted the 1st and 10th Line regiments and the 1st Light. Only the 7th and the 1st Light are from the same brigade! I should have painted the first two as the 4th and 8th Line, which have amaranth and pink facings, respectively. It looks like I'll either have to repaint the facings (groan!) or just keep adding to my Neapolitan collection!

I've also added some command stands to the collection using Franznap's brilliantly characterful figures. First off is a dismounted stand featuring a general and his AdC viewing the battlefield before them with an Italeri horse contentedly munching the grass in the background.

Second is the mounted general receiving some news from his AdC, who rides up, touching his hat in greeting.

I'm shortly going to paint up an army command stand featuring the Dandy King, Joachim Murat himself! Stay tuned!

Portuguese Artillery and Spanish Command

"Pronto!... Fogo!"

I am terrible at resisting the "ooh, shiny!" impulse, especially when it's for a unique set in my chosen scale and can add to my already existing collection. With that declaration made, let me introduce you to my new Portuguese artillery battery!

These are from the expanding range of metal Napoleonic figures offered by Hagen Miniatures. The figures are great, the gun very detailed, and there's quite a range of paraphernalia that comes with the set. In fact, I found that I could only use 4 of the 6 figures provided, otherwise the base would have been very crowded!

I've added my patent tuft of cotton wool to the portfire and blackened the muzzle to show that it's been in heavy use.

┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉

"Yo espio con mi ojo pequeño...."

This is the second of my recent Spanish command figures. He'll act as an infantry brigadier or cavalry divisional general. Again, he's from the Italeri French command set with a head modification using a Lancier Bleu head. He's had his epaulets removed and his collar built up with Milliput after decapitation of his original head took off more than I intended!

First Figures for 2017

While I get Austerlitz Part 2 sorted out, I will reward your patience with some photos of the first units to come off the production line for 2017.

The first is the 2nd battalion of the Neapolitan 4th Regiment of the Line. This has been a long time in coming as it's been on the go since October last year! Again, the figures are from Italeri set 6066 with one of the voltiguers sporting a Lancier Bleu pokalem-wearing head. The next unit in this project will be the yellow faced 2nd Regiment of the Line which was an exclusively Afro-Caribbean regiment, reputedly the worst in the French army until it was transferred to Neapolitan command during Joseph's reign when it became the best without any change in performance!

The next unit off the painting desk is the Spanish cavalry regiment, the Lanceros de la Legión Extremeña. I have found quite a few pictorial references, some of which are featured below from my Pinterest archive, though not much seems to be known of their battle record. It seems to be one of those hastily organised regiments which popped up and then disappeared soon afterwards in the period before 1812.

As their uniform is so similar to a French uniform, they cried out for a conversion project using the Waterloo 1815 French Line Lancers, similar to the one I did to create the Neapolitan Chevau-Leger regiment. This time, as well as using shako-wearing heads from the old Italeri French infantry set, I also used horses from the Italeri French Dragoon set. The colour-bearer has a head from Lancier Bleu and one of the lancers has a bear, bandaged head from Franznap.

The Waterloo 1815 set has a drawback in that there aren't enough lances for every figure with an empty hand. I had to use piano wire to create lances for the two figures with outstretched arms, and the lance pennants out of paper. I think the pennants are a little large and may require replacing, if I can be bothered. Likewise, the colour requires some sort of finial, but I'm not sure when I'll get around to it! Maybe I should just paint the tip gold and be done with it.

The colour and the bugler's uniform are entirely speculative, so if anyone has any has any further info on this unit, I'd be happy to hear from you.

With the increase of Spanish cavalry in my collection, it's time I had a cavalry commander to try and prevent them routing off the field when they inevitably break! Below is my version of a senior Spanish officer based on images of a brigadier from Napoleon's War in Spain by Lachouque & Tranie using a figure from Italeri set 6016 with the epaulets and aiguilettes removed and a Lancier Bleu head added.