Phillipe-Jean...

 ...Vicomte de Flagge-Hutte, in the employ of Typoo Bhyka as the commander of his cavalry ~

The figure is a Perry Miniatures French mounted Colonel from the AWI range of French figures.  He's a one piece casting and as it's such an active pose I thought him a natural for a cavalry commander. The uniform is entirely conjectural, based on the light blue with yellow facings that I decided on for Typoo's European troops. As he's from the nobility I gave him a pair of yellow trousers too!

Now that he's finished I can get on with highlighting the five crew figures for the #2 gun, the Bhyklawar Horse Artillery to finish the battery. I've also started the first 4 Voluntaires de Bykli to sort out the look of the unit. The detail on these Eureka figures is much sharper to my eye than either recent Foundry or Perry Miniatures figures I've completed, which I hope will compensate for my ongoing hand and eye issues. We shall see I expect.

4th Native Infantry Regiment

 The latest addition to my ongoing Tales from Pendawar project comes in the form of the 4th Native Infantry Regiment. The figures are once again from Perry Miniatures, the flags by chum George Anderson, and the bases from Warbases, as ever. 

I painted the framed turban red rather than the blue of all the others to remind me of the fictional backstory I've developed for them ~ their predecessors, during the SYW conflict on the sub continent, carried an enemy battery at the point of the bayonet despite grave losses. As an acknowledgement of their martial achievement they were awarded the distinction of red rather than the customary blue colour. In truth I got the idea from the picture below ~

I'm turning next to the horse artillery for the Army of Pendawar in the form of two six pound brass guns and crew. The more knowledgeable amongst you will come to  recognise the figures as being from the Foundry Sikh Wars range, but we'll gloss over that slight time anomaly for now if you'll humour me. 

Some thoughts about painting.

 On one of the two wargames Forum Boards I joined I've recently contributed to a discussion about brushes. This got me to thinking about issues surrounding the general issue of painting wargames miniatures.  Having been doing this pretty steadily for 50 years I thought I'd have a go explaining my own approach as it's evolved, particularly over the last few years as issues surrounding aging have come to the fore.

First, a little personal history is in order I think to provide context. Like many of my generation, the baby boomers of the post war period, I grew up amongst a father and uncles who had served in WWII and a mother and aunts who had worked on the Home Front in industry and agriculture. An interest in things military seemed a natural part of life, collecting and playing with Britains and Timpo WWII figures and Corgi and Dinky WWII vehicles. Battles raged across carpets, the cobbled yard and the garden, depending on season and weather! 

From that beginning interest was further developed by building Airfix kits and collecting their soft plastic OO/HO boxes of soldiers. Increasing pocket money and paper round earnings saw me branch out into larger scale plastic figure kits, by Airfix at first and later the occasional Historex kit. It was at this stage, newly married and in our first home in Walsall, that I first encountered 25mm Hinchliffe metal Napoleonic figures which I bought in the now long gone Model Shop (Grainger's?) to collect and paint for a change. Wilf Upton, who worked there, on Saturdays I assume, suggested I might join Alumwell Wargames Society. I went along one Wednesday evening with no great preconceived notion of what I might encounter. I saw my first Napoleonic game and was hooked for life! 50 years later I find myself painting Napoleonic figures still, though I've ventured all over the globe and through history in the meantime.

So, putting that aside, back to where I started with painting. At first it was Humbrol enamels, the smell of White Spirit brush cleaner, and rows of 24 infantry figures being batch painted: pink flesh, block painting, no shades or highlights, shiny yacht  varnish brushed on. Some time in the late 1970's I discovered Plaka acrylic paint in the local Art Shop and enamels were consigned to history. About the same time the idea of black lining must have caught up with me, then added shading and the highlighting of flesh areas. I first did the latter I remember on a unit of Pecheneg horse archers! I remember because I was asked by a fellow club member what it was meant to be!

From Plaka I graduated to Colour Party acrylic paint, which I stayed with for years learning to shade, often using artists' inks, and to highlight. Always finding it helpful to chat with club members, look closely at display games at shows and then pour over colour pictures in hobby magazines: Battle for Wargamers; Practical Wargamer; Miniature Wargames; and lastly Wargames Illustrated! Finally graduating to first Valajo and now Foundry Paints. 

So, what if anything have I learned? I'll borrow from Lord of the Rings if you'll indulge me: I've been there and back again. The exponential growth of access to high quality images of figures and games through the number of hobby magazines and then the internet and the world of online blogs and forum boards has driven me and many others I expect to ever increasing efforts to 'improve' the finals appearance of our figures. You'll notice I say figures rather than armies? That's been the core issue for me I think on reflection, too much exposure to finely finished individual or small groups photographed in close up and looking far larger than their 25/28mms in reality. 

It has caused me in the last few years to question why such a level of effort and detail is necessary in painting armies, unless of course painting is your major focus in the hobby. I was almost lost to the painting fascists, as I've dubbed them, to be honest before I came to see what I was doing to myself. I realised I was morphing slowly and almost unaware into a 'painter who wargamed rather than the 'wargamer who painted' I needed to be if projects were ever to reach the table. This revelation if you like came to me when I was working on Perry Miniatures British figures for the Sudan. They seemed to take me for ever! How would I fare when it came to the Mahdists? 

The figures remain in my opinion the very finest I've ever managed, but they took so long I almost gave up several times! So, when it came to the Mahdists it was back to block painting, ink washing and one highlight in the details. Much quicker! And on the tabletop battlefield? Well, they looked fine to me.

So, I'm a born again painter of wargames figures using a block colour, one highlight and some ink washes. But for all the recent disruption in life I'd probably have gone over to GW contrast paints for man and horse flesh at least. I may even when we open up a bit more from this virus malarky! The key for me at any rate as I've said in an earlier blog post is how the army looks when I'm gaming. I might say at the bottom line you could spray one side pink and the other puce if you wanted and noone minded to play the game. But we do like our toys to look something like in the final analysis don't we?

So I've settled for 'something like' as my ambition when it comes to painting. Partly of course that's been driven by aging issues of eye and hand, but I've come to live with those. I enjoy my painting, even when it's curtailed by these very issues. Friends and blog followers remain relatively positive about my efforts, the figures feature in my Wargames Illustrated articles, they will do as Phil says! I've been helped towards this by many folk but also by the availability of wonderfully detailed flags, shield transfers and endlessly varied basing materials and decoration. The overall result, I think, looks fine in a wargame context but would never win any prizes in a painting competition (would it Dan?) I'm happy where I am with my hobby now, just sorry in a way it was such a drawn out journey. The moral you ask? Don't beat yourself up over standards you can't attain reasonably, there are no Painting Gestapo waiting to knock on your door. As is said, To thine own self be true!

Encounter at St Olaf's-in-the-Marsh

 For this week's game here in GHQ Phil and I settled on an ECW bash. A locally superior Parliamentary force, led by Obadiah Bykleigh, must beat the Royalists of Sir Marmaduke 'Gaylord' Robinson before his superior numbers of horse arrive to tip the balance against Parliament. The game is set at 12 Turns and uses my own A Crowning Mercy rules(available from Caliver Books). The following pictures will I trust carry the sense of the action to regular readers ~

The opening move sees a broad advance by the Parliamentary force, while the Blue Dragoons move off to the right to seize the farm complex and secure the army's right flank. 

Meanwhile the Royalists head straight for the enemy, though their Red Dragoons are sent to occupy a low hill overlooking the farm and from where they can observe any Parliamentary flanking threat.

Sir Marmaduke Robinson's Foote have a prominent role in the Royalist advance, keen to show their metal before their Colonel who commands the Royalist force.

The first clashes of the action are on the Parliamentary left flank. Obadiah Bykleigh knows he must press home the attack while he enjoys superiority of cavalry numbers before the Royalist reinforcements reach the field of battle.

With the dragoons covering their flank the Royalist Foote begins to form up for action.

Meanwhile the Parliamentary Dragoons have lined the hedge row along the lane, flanked by Lord Brooke's regiment of Foote. 

Essex's Tawney coated Foote are ready for action in the centre of the battlefield. Sadly their powder was damp or their ardour stunted as they made little impact on their enemy. (New dice please!)

Royalist Foote formed for battle trades fire with the enemy in the centre of the action. For all the fierce fighting not very many casualties seemed to accrue on either side.

Parliamentary cavalry charges home and with the clash of steel drives back the Royalist Horse. With no sign of the longed for reinforcements it looked promising for a swift Parliamentary victory.

Meanwhile in the fighting to secure St Olaf's the Royalist forlorn hope despite losses drive out the Parliamentary dismounted heavy horsemen who had attempted to seize the churchyard.

Obadiah Bykleigh leads his cuirassier regiment against the Royalist opposite number. A vicious melee where no quarter is given or expected develops which holds up the Parliamentary attack and gives time for the expected reinforcements to appear behind the right of the Royalist army.

The central firefight between opposing elements of Foote remains stubbornly indecisive with neither side giving ground to its opponent.

In the distance the Royalist's newly arrived horse can be seen streaming forward to throw back the Parliamentary cavalry. With no progress in the centre in evidence Obadiah Bykleigh began to sense that the battle was slipping away from his grasp.

Parliamentary Horse and cuirassier break and flee to the rear carrying Obadiah Bykleigh away with them! Parliament's cause is lost!

The Royalist cavalry pours forward past its stoic Foote into the open flank of the Parliamentary Foote. The army is beginning to fade away as a fighting force and the battle is lost.

Obadiah is left to reflect on a battle lost which so nearly seemed won at one stage while Sir Marmaduke can reap the well earned rewards of victory! Eight turns played out of twelve allocated to the game, so a solid win for Phil's alter ego. Next up here in GHQ in two week's time will be a return to Bhyklabad  and the Indian Mutiny. Meanwhile, back to painting Sepoys for the Army of Pendawar...

Pendawar Presidency Body Guards

The last 3 of my order of 12 Sepoy Native Cavalry from AW Miniatures comprise three of the figures in full dress with laced jackets. I decided to utilise these as a Small Unit in Black Powder 2 terms and designated them the Presidency’s CinC Body Guards. Their uniform is inspired by that of the Java Volunteers in the period illustration below ~

 

 I mounted them on white horses to give the unit a bit of a lift and I must admit that I like the contrast of the red turbans with the dark blue jackets and yellow facings. 

Like their 1st Native Cavalry fellows they'll need a European officer at some stage. I would have tapped up Duncan for two British Light Dragoon officers and trumpeters as I have spare heads but it suddenly struck me hard that I can't do that any more... Never one to be daunted by circumstances though I've ordered up a pack of Irish Yeomanry (without carbines) from the Trent Miniatures remaining stock at Arcane as I remembered that Duncan had told me to use them as officers when he hadn't got a suitable figure in the range.

More on this Scale/Size issue

In an earlier blog post last month I wrote a shortish piece on the issue of Scale/Size discrepancies between different manufacturers of wargames figures. It was well received by those visitors who kindly took the trouble to leave a comment in reply, so heartened by this I thought I would return to the issue briefly if you will indulge me.

In part my reflections on the Size/Scale issue have stayed fresh in my mind largely because I have recently completed a unit of Sepoys for the 1st Native Cavalry regiment of the Army of Pendawar (see previous post if you missed them). Those figures by AW Miniatures were sculpted I believe to fit with the Redoubt Enterprises' Wellington in India range, so are on the stout end of the figure spectrum, a bit like me sadly. They were certainly much heavier than the Perry Miniatures or Foundry cavalry I've already painted for this project!

In the picture below I've composed three units here in GHQ awaiting varnishing: Perry Miniatures infantry in the foreground; Trent Miniatures British Light Dragoons in the left rear; and lastly AW Miniatures Sepoys of the Native Cavalry in the right rear. You are seeing these three units at the same distance you would see them if you were here playing a game with us in GHQ, as wargames figures are meant to be seen of course. Certainly if you allow for the somewhat enlarged turban the Sepoy cavalry sported I really think you'd struggle to notice any significant difference, especially during the heat of battle!

Of course you are not obliged to agree with me on this issue, or any other for that matter. They will do for me, and by extension for the other GHQ Irregulars, and really that is all that matters in the final analysis!
 

1st Native Cavalry Regiment

 Finding figures for the Native Cavalry regiments in my Tales from Pendawar project threw up only two choices as far as my web research took me: Redoubt Enterprises or AW Miniatures. As there has been ongoing grumbling on one forum board in relation to the newish owner of Redoubt in respect of decent Mail Order service I plumped for AW Miniatures for the required figures. I'd already sourced my native artillery pieces from them so knew the service was good. 

I ordered the larger pack of 12 cavalry, which brings you two different poses of both horse and rider. They were sculpted I believe to be compatible with the Redoubt Enterprises' range, so they are at the larger and bulkier end of the figure spectrum, the riders more so than the horses. This may though be to some extent amplified by the exceptional headwear worn by the troops; I find it hard to make a judgement. All the figures are not in the same jacket, which I found odd. For these at any rate the figures in full dress jacket with lace can represent the junior officer figures. The problem of a suitable European command figure for the regiment I've put to one side at present.

The first nine have been painted up as the Army of Pendawar's 1st Native Cavalry Regiment, using the same British Blue-Grey mid-tone and light-tone shades from the Foundry Triad, for the jackets. There is a further base of three figures to represent a Small Unit, in Black Powder terms, as the Presidency's Horse Guard in due course, but first it's the fourth and final Sepoy infantry regiment to complete that part of the project.

Looking over the Lead Pimple I see that besides those three cavalry figures there remains a unit of mounted tribal warriors and a European battalion of the Voluntaires de Bykli for Typoo's army and for the Presidency's Army of Pendawar a unit of Highland Infantry, sourced from my trip last month to Foundry, as well as a battery of artillery. While on the subject of trips I was sad to see Claymore cancelled for the second year recently, one of my favourite shows too.