My Seven Years War Prussian Collection

The more I think about it the more I see the merit of the Photobucket debacle inspired collection post.  Not least because some of my projects are coming to fruition and will shortly see the table top.  I guess I'll be doing a few more posts like this.  Here is most of my Seven Years War Prussian Collection.  

Barring the Old Glory artillery all are Blue Moon 15mm biggies.

The Generals

The Cavalry

The Infantry

The Artillery

QRF Carlist Cavalry

I now have some of these and, as I had anticpated, they are mounted on a re-worked ancient, in both senses of the word, Frei Korp horse. I have Macedonians mounted on this horse from the 1980s.

Now these are not bad sculpts as wargames cuddies go, in fact anatomically they are rather pleasing.  They are a bit small though for a range of 15mm biggies.  The visual effect, for me, is of big men on small horses. 

Obviously if you think that’s what Carlist War cavalry should look like then no problem.  I’m not sure of that though.  

Anyhow I’ll paint a couple of bases up and see if I begin to feel the love.  Here's a work in progress of an Alaban Hussar below and a Navarre Lancer above on one of my newly made ploughed fields.

Here’s a pic of them with QRF Cristino infantry and I'd say they look proportionate over all. I'd certainly not consider this post a review, more a first impression.  Of course you'll make your own mind up.

When they're done and based I'll do a side by side pic with their Fantassin/Capitan equivalents.

My Seven Years War Collection-Austrians

As a result of the Great Photobucket Attempted Shake Down all the photos in my Seven Years War posts on this blog disappeared.  

A shame I think and annoying for those interested who click on the link and find me describing something they can't see.  So here most of them are again. 

I suppose this is telling me I'm ready to paint some more 7YW stuff. Two battalions of Hungarians I think. I'm interested in giving Honours of War a go. 

Grenzers and artillery Old Glory the rest are Blue Moon.  As you can see I've gone for 6 figures per base for line infantry.  It's expensive but I like the visual effect.  I blame Kubrick's Barry Lyndon.

Generals

Cavalry

Infantry

Artillery

Prussians shortly.

Restoration? You Might Want Some of These

I wrote back in summer about the joy of characterful biggies and my plans to use Mick Yarrow Miniatures Sedgemoor and Donnington Wars of Louis XIV figures together. For TPL games you understand. 

So not huge armies.

Lo, the Donnington’s have arrived. No pictures are on their website which of course makes buyers wary.

What can I say? First these are very nice figures with sufficient variety not all of which is shown here.  These are straight out of the packet.

Second, as you can see they do match with Mick Yarrow’s stuff. Here are some Donnington cavalry half way through painting.

Thirdly, let the camera tell the story. Finished Dragoons, I say finished but I can see some facial hair is needed.

If you fancy Restoration antics, and who secretly doesn’t?  You might want some of these.

Even More '98

Here’s the 70e Demi Brigade ready for action.  Below the Royal Artillery of Ireland.

Then we have three units of United Men pikes.  The different flags will help tell them apart and make it easier to keep track of them on the table too.  

More British regulars next.

Carlist War 15mm Progress-Like buses

Well, three didn’t come at once. All the same I now have some Carlist War cavalry and artillery.  Long awaited, and the burning question was, will all this stuff fit size-wise?

Beauty famously is in the eye of the beholder and toy soldier compatibility is like-wise.  So, let a picture or two be worth a thousand words and make your own mind up. The cavalry are all Fantassin/Capitan and the infantry QRF.

Me?  I’m happy enough and when other Carlist War offerings come my way I’ll be reporting back to you. 

From the top Marino's Carlist Lancers, Cristino Line Lancers and Cristino Light Cavalry all with Cristino Light Infantry. 

A Bit of Variety for ‘98

As I ply the shades of grey and brown on my Irregular United Irish Men it comes to me that a bit of variety would be just the thing. Flags, and I've located a few more, cheer things up.

As it happens the bits box produced some old Chariot Miniatures Parisian Mob, bare headed or wearing Liberty Caps and armed with half pike or musket.  Mixed in judiciously they should liven things up nicely-not least because the Republican- minded United Men were often depicted in the self-same Liberty Caps.

Meanwhile the 70e Demi-Brigade is coming together.  General Humbert’s men were apparently equipped with a wide variety of uniforms old and new.  I’ll be wanting some French grenadiers in Bearskin and hanging plume.  The idea is that three battalions made a Demi-Brigade and two Demi’s a full Brigade. I think I'll go for a Brigade.

And here are the Reay Fencibles.

It’s all ticking along nicely.

Yeomanry For '98

Horse and foot Yeomanry for ’98 and based for The Pike Man’s Lament (TPL). 

The uniforms and flags are both correct but maybe not in this combination.  I can live with that because the Yeomanry chose their own design of both and paid for them themselves.

The Government supplied the weapons and drill instructors.  The general idea was that the better off would become more closely aligned both with each other and the aims and policies of Government.  

By the time of '98 in Ireland this process had been repeatedly disrupted by shifts in Government policy designed to weed out elements deemed to be suspect. Usually, Yeomanry units were commanded by a local notable and provided an opportunity for patronage and socialising as well as a cost -effective body of armed men.

These are Minifigs and once more I find myself appreciating the quality and charm of that brand.  I'm very tempted to add a unit of British regulars in top hats (round hats) just because I like the figures.

I've stepped back from painting up three units of Militia and decided to go for one of Forlorn Hope representing British regulars and one of Militia.  The TPL points value will remain the same.

The People of No Property

As you can now see I’ve pragmatically solved my ’98 dilemma.  Khurasan are not yet available, Trent 28mm are too big, though Boy I nearly did.  Irregular are here, appropriate and affordable.  So, Irregular United Irish Men it is.  In all truth I couldn’t wait to try this out with TPL.

Over the years I have been stocking up on suitable figures for the Crown Forces and the French.  Most of them are Minifigs and Chariot which fit with Irregular but wouldn’t with Khurasan 18mm biggies, another bonus there then.

Here’s the first unit, complete with a nice internet sourced flag.  I’ve found a selection of those that will make for variety.

I’ve gone for 3,2,1 basing this time and also cut the pikes down by about a third. The United Irish Men seem to have favoured the Montluc approach “Grasp your pike in the middle and go for them”.  You can see the original length by looking at the standard bearer.

Here is some commanded shot.

For United Men starters, I’m aiming for 3 units of veteran pike and 3 of commanded Shot, 24 points in total.

And for the Crown, 1 unit of Raw Gallopers for the Yeomanry, 3 units of Raw Shot with close order capability for the militia, a gun and a unit of Shot as the Fencibles 22 points in total.

I’ll add fun stuff like French and British regulars later to enable 30 and 36-point games.

Once More Beyond the Khyber

A cheap and cheerful British Expeditionary Force for TMWWBK action beyond the Khyber Pass.  All 15mm from Irregular.

Here are the Highlanders, there will be three units of them.

A gun.

And of course, Bengal Lancers.  

The Afghan resistance are provided by Irregular and Minifigs.  

Those Lancer figures would be ideal for Fayne's Horse in the Opium War.

“No one is more terrible than the desperate” TPL for 1798

For some reason whenever I think of ’98, The Year of Liberty, The Year of The French or whatever soubriquet you want to use for the Rising of The United Irish Men I think of the Napoleonic Russian General Alexander Suvorov.  It’s not the above quote which is one of his and perfectly apt for ’98 but a much better known one “The bullet is a fool and the bayonet is wise” or in full

“The bullet is a fool and the bayonet is wise.  The bullet is a mad thing; only the bayonet knows what it’s about”.

Suvorov knew the limitations of the musketry of his day and that given enough determined men the bayonet would carry the day.  So far as I know Suvorov never lost a battle.  The connection, I suppose, is that from necessity the United Men also relied on the points of their weapons, for them the pike.

The pike men were mostly drilled and trained and now and then had some good quality skirmishing fire power.  Their initial foes, the Yeomanry and Militia were not very formidable troops.  Lord Cornwallis described the former as “A danger to everyone but the enemy” and the latter were mostly simply not prepared to fight against the United Men.  Later, good quality British and French troops turned up-but that’s for another time.

So, to The Pike Man’s Lament.  I think these rules will really work for the ’98 so with no further ado, here are my suggestions.

For the Pike Men use the Pike category and make most of them Veteran and add Wild Charge if you are so minded.  Two Veteran units and one plain might be a good choice.

For those with fire arms use Commanded Shot and if your United Men are lucky enough to contain men who were Wild Fowlers for a living make a unit of them Veteran.

You might consider a gun too, with old Napper Tandy to command it.

For the Yeomanry I’d go with Raw Gallopers.

The Militia should be Raw Shot with Close Order capability.

The Fencibles should be ordinary Shot with Close Order capability.

A gun should be added too.

In terms of proportions a majority of the United Men units should be Pike and for the Government Forces a majority should be Militia and Yeomanry.

You might well ask, if this is such a great idea why am I not doing it? And further- more where are the pics?

Unless Ian Kay fancies doing some more active* 15mm pike men figures I’m faced with a dilemma.  Khurasan have some great United Irishmen figures for ’98 but have yet to release them and Trent Miniatures have a very nice full range -but they are 28mm.  I turned my back on real biggies 4 decades ago, to re embrace them would be traumatic-I might like it too much.  So, no progress or pics yet-but I plan and wait.

* Ian fair play to him, has a small range of UI figures and some that’d do for the Militia but I find the United Men ones too static in their poses.