Welcome to the New Year.

 So welcome to the New Year. 

Looking back the last year has been really lame as far as my painting goes. Whilst overs got locked down with CoVid, as a teacher my work seemed to pick up with having to design online lessons, in writing lessons (for those with no internet) and in person lessons (for those who were still going to school). After that things never seem to get back to normal. My last post was back in April 2020 and I have painted very little since.

I did get some things painted but always in a rush for a game so I never seemed to get them photographed or have time to update the blog (well down on my list of things to do). I will catch these up some time soon, just after we move house (which is the thing I have been getting ready to do of late). Nothing like being a little busy. Sure!

Anyway I have managed to get a few things done I have managed since the change of year. Now of course the items in this group had been started last year but I will soon have 24 cavalry finished which have been entirely painted in 2021.

 So to start with. Austrian Commanders. All from Perry Miniatures in metal. 6 figures.

I got a pack of their Austrian Commanders and a pack of Hungarian Field Officers which the figure below is from.

Now the Perry plastic figures all represent "German" troops but with a little trimming of the buttons of their trousers and they can pass as Hungarians. 16 figures.

As they were meant to be, German troops. 16 figures.

Uhlans. Warlord Games plastics, their Polish Line Lancers, with lots of odd spare bits and pieces used to convert the headwear to the right type.

 

 

The figures themselves are plastic but they come with metals heads. The one on the right below shows how they come, the one on the left how they need to end up.

For parts you will need the head of a Perry plastic British Light Dragoon. The cords hanging down the side of his hat needs to be clipped off to make the cords that go across the czapka.

 

Then you need one of the short shako heads of a Perry plastic French Hussar. You need the pom-poms from the side of the head and the plume off the top. These will go in the same places on our Uhlan to be.

 

Finally you will need the cockade and field sign (the leaf) of the Landwehr head from the Perry plastic Austrian Infantry. (you can see a lot of left over bits being used. And also get and idea of how many figures and types of figures I have lying around the place.)

 

The final modification we will do is model the Austrian style saddle cloth using some Greenstuff.

 

Now basing was a complete pain in the arse. Because the Warlord kit comes with only two right arms, one hold the lance in line with the horse (so could be up for marching or down as if about to stab someone) which is fine. The other arm holds the lance across the body. This means that the lance head with pennant is in their neighbours face whilst the butt end is tripping over the horse on their right. In the end the mucking about to try and get them based as a unit has detracted from the joy of creating this unit. It rally was that much of a problem and still is. They haven't even made the table yet and already two of the lances have been broken. Humpf!

Very soon, 24 Austrian Dragoons.