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Napoleonics
Below is an assortment of various 15mm Minifig Napoleonic figures. To
the right are some French curassiers and Line infantry; to the left are Russian curassiers and Line infantry. These figures
were painted in the mid 1980's and were originally based for the "Empire" rules (version III as I recall). Eventually, I got
a copy of "Napoleon's Battles" by Avalon Hill and started to rebase my figures; that's why the bases are unfinished in this
picture. I never did get enough of the Napoleonic figures painted to do any serious gaming with them, but now I'm thinking
about rebasing them once again for one of the newer sets of rules that uses fewer figures like "La Petite Emperor" or "La
Petite Armee". Even though I like the Napoleonic era a lot, it's not very high on my priority list for gaming right now.
Below is a close-up of the French curassier command stand. I was hoping
that the dappled effect on the trumpeter's grey horse would look better in the picture, but some of the shading has been lost.
The paper flag is made by La Legion.
Below is an Airfix Highlander in HO/OO scale, or that's what it said
on the box, as I recall. The Highlanders were part of the Waterloo series of figures.
I painted this in late 1973 or early 1974. At the time, I was living
out on a farm and when I painted this figure, I was snowed in and bored, so I thought I'd try to paint the plaid. I remember
that the brush I used for the tiny lines on the tartan only had a few hairs left in it, but it seemed to work fairly well.
This was the only figure from the box of 40 or so figures that got the detailed painting; I'd have gone blind trying to do
them all like this!
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| This figure stands 23mm tall from his feet to his eyes. |
Below: Grenadier of the Old Guard. I painted this figure a few months
before I painted the Highlander above. The bedraggled looking vegetation on the base is made from bailing twine I found on
the farm. I also made the base from a thick piece of masonite. There are lots of mistakes on this figure and I know I could
do much better now, but he's still one of my favorites. Like the Highlander, he's painted entirely in enamels. After all these
years I still remember my miserable cheap brushes and the smell of cigarette lighter fluid I used as thinner. My how things
have changed!
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| Imrie/Risley 54mm French Grenadier of the Old Guard |
The American Civil War
The pictures below are 15mm figures from the old "Confederals" line by
Heritage. I bought them in the early 1980's and they were my first major purchase of metal wargaming figures. I became aware
of the ACW at a very early age during the Centenary (when I got my first Marx toy soldier playset on the subject) and
I've been interested ever since. In later years I became the president of the local Civil War Roundtable and I also became
an ACW reenactor with the First Minnesota Regiment of Volunteer Infantry.
These figures were painted using enamels with Heritage's suggested "stain
painting" technique. Basically, the technique consists of priming the figures white, then applying thin washes of paint over
the main uniform areas. The washes settle in the folds and create shadows and highlights with just one application of paint.
This actually works fairly well. After the washes are applied, the details like muskets, blanket rolls, and other equipment
are painted. I've long since moved on to acrylic paints and other techniques, but I have to admit that I do get a little nostalgic
for the smell of turpentine now and then.
I have about 2 brigades each of Confederate and Federal infantry plus
artillery along with some cavalry. (Most of the cavalry remains unpainted, however.) All of the figures were based for the
"Johnny Reb" rules, but I'm considering rebasing them for "Volley and Bayonet" as the later are faster playing rules and will
require fewer units. I've got nothing against the "JR" rules, it's just that I've come to prefer faster and simpler games
that can be completed in a reasonable amount of time.
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| Federals with National flag. |
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| Federals with regimental flag. |
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| Berdan's 1st US Sharpshooters |
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| A typical Confederate unit. |
Above is a picture of a Federal artillery battery behind some gun emplacements.
I made the emplacements using some twigs from a tree in the backyard of the place I was living at the time. The tree was some
sort of evergreen, but it had loads of dead twigs in the interior where the sun no longer reached. I wish I would have
collected bags of the stuff because it was really easy to work with, no painting or additional finishing was required, and
I think it looks good with the smaller scale figures, too. At the very least, I wish I would have found out for sure what
kind of tree it was, but I think it may have been some sort of cedar. "Too soon old, too late smart", I guess.
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