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.

Vistula Lancers

"Za Polskę!"

After recently reading the last instalment in the Goldsworthy series of novels which our hero is involved in the Battle of Albuera, I decided it was time to finally get my Vistula Lancers painted using the lovely, if intimidatingly detailed, Zvezda Polish Guard Lancers.

The fact that all the horses are sporting swallow tailed shabraques, rather than the sheepskin ones my sources commonly showed, means that I was painting a little blind. I found one which showed the officer's shabraque trimmed in silver, so extrapolating from that, I painted the other ranks' shabraque trimming white. I'm worried that it should actually be yellow, but it's too late now!

These have taken a long time to finish what with life being very busy at the moment, but I wanted them to be ready for tomorrow. They'll be part of my French division which will be gracing the Austerlitz table at Tim's all-in bash. It's not actually the Austerlitz battle (which will take place on the first weekend of 2017), just a chance to use our favourite 1500 point force on a wide, expansive table. I'm hoping for some Albuera-style glory from these boys!

Spanish Cavalry - Regimiento Farnesio

Regimiento Farnesio

Here's the second unit off my paint desk for this year! These are my Hagen Spanish cavalry (see previous post) painted in the uniform of the Farnesio Regiment.

I still haven't perfected my photography in our new place yet; they're still coming out fairly muddy, even with the appropriate camera settings and flash. I either need stronger lighting, or should try natural light instead, I think.

I was a bit unimpressed with the horses to begin with, but they've grown on me. The usual horse pose for plastic 1/72 scale figures is thoroughbreds in a flat out gallop or some other dynamic action pose. These ones are very staid in comparison. Also, they initially looked a spavined, sway-backed, moth eaten lot for cavalry mounts. Then I remembered reading somewhere that the Spanish equine bloodlines had been corrupted by centuries of prioritising the breeding of mules. They're actually quite appropriate in that regard!

The horses also came complete with saddle and bridle, but no reins. I remedied that by gluing on a loop of black cotton from each horse's bits to their rider's fist. Not sure if it was worth the aggravation of attempting something requiring extra-fine motor skills with my sausage fingers! Anyway, you be the judge.

Regiment in line

Guidon from Warflag

Command

Guidon bearer and escort

One figure had lost his plume, so I cut it off another one to vary the look of the regiment.

Troopers

I love the fact they all come with carbines.

Reins visible in profile

Troopers

1° Chevau Leger Lancier

Can this really be the first unit I have painted in 2016?! Unfortunately the answer is yes! Where has the time gone?

I signalled that these were going to be on the drawing board way back in January. 3 months later, here is the finished product: The Neapolitan 1st Chevau-Leger Lanciers, using the new Waterloo 1815 set of French lancers and providing new heads by a little judicious head swapping. All troopers have shakos while the officer gets a rather dandy busby.

I still haven't worked out a good place to set up a photo studio in the new house, so bear with my lighting fails.

The figures are very hard plastic, more akin to Zvezda than Italeri in consistency. The lances are very delicate and require extreme caution when cutting them off the sprue. I'm wondering how long they'll last on the actual figures The figures carrying their lances in an upright pose are particularly vulnerable; I've already clumsily knocked one and bent the lance at a precarious angle!

The sculpting is very delicate and in proportion with dynamic poses, but one gripe is the shabraques which have a curious 'tail' on both sides, reminiscent of a British light dragoons shabraque:

Exhibit A

Besides that minor gripe, they are very nice figures and will grace a tabletop in the not too distant future, I hope. They may well end up going the wrong way, but they will still be on the tabletop!