Just thinking out loud here, you understand. I can’t be held accountable for any of this, OK?
I’ve been thinking about where to go next with the Duchy of Alzheim. As I’m writing this, my French Army stands at nine foot units (7 Line and 2 Light), five of horse and a smattering of artillery. Now, I reckon that this is a pretty fair force for now and probably won’t be adding too much more to it for a little while, apart from the ongoing effort to round out the unit sizes to my current targets and eventually adding some Gardes Suisses to pair with the Gardes Francaises and some more gunners. Naturally I’ll revisit this at a later date and add more units, but that’s for the longer term.
I’m now looking for another project to take me through the next twelve months. I’m thinking of taking up my original Seven Years’ War project and picking up where I left off with my Prussians. I’d gotten as far as building out IR13 to my original unit standard which was about 43 figures, so it won’t take too much to build it up from there. On top of that I had about a dozen of DR5 and a half dozen of the von Kleist Horse Grenadiers and a couple of guns.
From this base I’ve been poking around at my lead stocks and think I can make a pretty good start on another two Musketeer Regiments and a Fusilier Regiment, each with sufficient Grenadiers to give me a couple of combined Grenadier battalions. I’m then wanting to round out DR5 to three Squadrons, the v. Kleist Horse Grenadiers to a similar strength(?), add a Cuirassier Regiment, a Hussar regiment, some more guns and some v. Kleist Light Infantry.
That should make a nice little force, smaller than the French, but able to stand well enough against them in the field, especially if they ally up with my Bavarians once they’ve been built up to 2 Foot and one Horse unit.
I think that’d be enough to occupy me for the next twelve months or so.
What are your longer term plans?
9 comments:
"What are your longer term plans?"
What about convincing you to paint a fictitious Lace Wars unit, just one of your own? You painted (last year) a nice warband in light brown and green that screams to inspire you an unit of Alzheimer Jägers with the same color pattern...
Cheers,
Jean-Louis
But how often did the French and Prussians meet?
Might I suggest thinking about the option of Hanover? They had lots of attractive uniforms (and allies) . . . and good looking colorful flags as well.
They also had two different hussar uniforms and colorful light troops. Don't forget the Legion Britannique.
You would then have a force that regularly fought the French . . . and could still incorporate a few Prussian troops as well . . . very colorful (and more historical opponent-wise).
Just a thought.
-- Jeff
Jean-Louis - I think those Green and Buff fellows are a couple of Hanoverian Jaeger I painted from samples. In fact, let's call them the Green and Buffs! I don't currently have any intention of painting more, but since I have two... then why not more? Especially since I have a considerable pile of Hanoverian Infantry that look at me pleadingly on occasion, giving rise to a certain amount of guilt on my part! I would probably prefer to paint historical units, no reason; just personal preference.
Jeff - After Rossbach? Not too often, but I do have a lot of RSM Prussians that I initially bought to use as Saxons which now are unemployed due to my purchasing enough Eureka Saxons to build 5 batallions of foot, so I need to do something with them. Sell them? Never! I do have a couple of units' worth of Hanoverians and another of British, so the Prussians will probably morph in that direction over the next eighteen months or so.
In the meantime, I think the project I have outlined will let me use up a considerable part of the stock of figures I've accumulated and allow me to tie up some loose ends with my collection as it stands just now.
What are you chaps doing over this time-frame?
Regards,
Greg
I have a lot of minis sitting around to be painted (and/or prepped) in hopes of getting enough for some gaming (and since I am basically a solo gamer when it comes to these kinds of minis I'll need anough for both sides).
Maybe an attempt at some cartography. I also have some ideas for attempts at sculpting, but who knows if I'll ever get around to producing anything worthwhile.
Short term plans - to get over a nagging, but minor illness, that has de-motivated me from doing much for the last few weeks.
I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I need to clear the box full of WSS material first, then replace/repair the existing old glory battalions in my French force.
Other than that I've not got any pangs to start a new period.
Unless someone launched a range of 1/32 plastic SYW figures.
That's a plan!
As for 54mm plastics, well, there are a few, you know... Don't let me sing you a siren song...
Greg
Greg,
actually they were Dark Ages warriors in chainmail -both mounted and on foot, so I endvisaged a mixed legion of light troops. A pet compulsion of mine, when I discover a pleasant colors pattern, is to 'translate' it in WAS uniforms...
Grimsby Mariner,
54mm Lace Wars plastics are precisely a current topic on the OSW group...
Ah, Jean-Louis, my Saxon Bretwealda and retinue, they are currently sitiing on my bedside table; some of my favourite miniatures. I am looking forward with keen anticipation to Gripping Beasts' "Early Saxons".
I am slowly building a light legion at the moment, the "Volontaires du Dauphnie" who look splendid in their light blue and buff uniforms. I have about a company of Fusiliers and a squadron of dragoons in their brass helmets. I wonder if they had Grenadiers and artillery? I suppose if i wanted them badly enough, they might! Perhaps a squadron of Hussars, too?
Greg,
according to "Les Troupes Legeres de l'Ancien Régime - les Corsaires du Roi de l'Armee de Terre", Sapin-Lignieres, 1979 -a glamorous coffee-table book, but seemingly well researched- les Volontaires du Dauphine had only Fusiliers and Dragons. BTW he gives them a 'ventre de biche' waistcoat -the color of the uniform of the Volontaires de Clermont-Prince / Legion de Conde- which is slightly more orange than the English buff.
Then, who knows? Sapin-Lignieres gives Grenadiers explicitely only to the Grassin, Fischer, Lamorliere, Bretons-Volontaires (Kermellec), Volontaires Royaux and later to Cantabres-Volontaires when promoted to Royal-Cantabre, then to the Volontaires de Clermont-Prince(among the 'true' light troops) and light guns only to the Grassins, Lamorliere and Royal-Cantabre. But here and there in the ± 'serious' litterature one finds references to e.g. a pontoon train for Fischer, while Sapin-Lignieres mention only the 'Charpentiers-Bateliers' with bearskin!) of the Volontaires Royaux...
As for Hussars, the mounted component of mixed legions was generally dragoons, less often hussars (chasseurs in hussar dress for Fischer), but seemingly never
both. The Volontaires Royaux had a company of 'Guides', but they were infantry.
But as you said, if you wish them enough... for once you would add fictitious types to an historical unit, and thus create fictitious uniforms (M. Petard in 'Uniformes' suggested lapels for the Grenadiers of Grassin, and hussars in light blue and buff would be gorgeous); you could even add pontooneers: I'm certainly not one to try & dissuade you!
Best regards,
Jean-Louis
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