Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Zee Tiny Leetle Guns of Zee Emperor

Stage 2 in finishing my initial order of 6mm French Napoleonic figures from Baccus is done with this four gun battery. I continue to like these castings very much. It took me about a day to paint this lot, which is incredibly fast for me. I am enjoying the discovery that a little bright paint and the suggestion of detail, like a white crossbelt, goes a long way.

I continue to be nervous about my lack of detailed knowledge about the uniforms of this period. My source for these chaps was a plate in Michael Head's book, French Bapoleonic Artillery, which I found online. Obe thing I am not sure about is how common the red shako cords and piping were. Alexis Cabaret's wonderful Cent Jours website, dedicated to the uniforms of Waterloo, show l'Artillerie a Pied wearing shakos without cords, the only adornments being the front plate and a red pompom. So I don't know whether the cords were dispensed with by 1815, or what. My learning curve continues. Any takers?

Thnese four stands represent my first entry in the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. Next up will be a group of 28mm Union infantry in Hardee Hats. I'd love to get them done before New Year's Eve.

Next posts: Commando heroes and a scantily clad lady vampire. Stay tuned!

5 comments:

  1. Inspiring battery, Padre! As for the red festoon on the shako, by 1815, it was probably done and removed from the regulations. However, adhearance to regulations was spotty at best and "optional" when out of the sight of a general at best. A good portion of the artillery would be in overcoat in 1815 anyway. Paint 'em how you like them.

    [On another topic, I think the Holy Synod of Saxe-Fredonia will approve your elevation to the arch-episcopy early in the new year... once we get a map from our map maker.]

    Happy New Year!

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  2. Looks Great, Mike.
    You are expanding your 6mm troops and I am reducing my 6mm and 10mm lead and pewter footprint!

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  3. It's a hell (pardon me, Padre...) of a great job! I cannot imagine how to put so much detail in that smal surface. As for the artillery uniforms, I must confess that I was as lost as you are when I did my research for my 28mm Perry´s. I ended up copying the colours from another blog

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  4. Lovely guns Padre and a great start to the Challenge :)

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  5. It all depends on which uniform regulation your sculpts are depicting. The cords and big shako plumes etc. are from the heyday of the Empire around 1809-1812. By 1815 there were the simpler uniforms you see in pics of Waterloo. The Perry figures are the Waterloo uniform regulation.

    Looks good Mike.

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