Planning Forward

 These few pictures might tell you a little story of where I am going next.

This first one is of some few Swedish Dragoons. I wonder how many of Holger Ericsson's figures representing the army of Charles XII are actually painted as such. 

I am nothing but responsive to my comments...

These beautiful marching figures are from a small stash I have had in my collection for quite a long time part-painted. So, I shall need to buy a few more to round them out to a full unit which will be well worth the expenditure. Don't tell anyone, but it would be a lovely thing to put together a small Swedish army from HE figures. All arms are represented fairly comprehensively and by heaven I already have rather a lot of infantry. There are even horse teams for the guns.

Next are some more HE figures. Those in the first picture below are some of the first HE's that I bought when I heard of them, they are painted in something of the style of the French guard cavalry. 

Next there is a lovely little batch that came to me through JP from the collection of Stuart Asquith which are not too far away from my own in their look. I am thinking of a composite Alzheim Leib Regiment with Dukes' and Duchesses' squadrons respectively. These too will take a few purchases to bring them up to strength and the heck with it, yes they will both be rather over-officered with many an appointment "à la suite".

The picture does not really do them justice...

Last, we have another red-coated regiment from the Comardo Collection. I had long since decided that the Alzheim dragoon regiments will wear red coats and here we shall go. 

I think that totals another 49 cavalry which will need to be completely painted from scratch plus the finishing works that will need to be done on the 15 Swedish Dragoons which are on he painting desk now. I like that. Also, the Comardo Alzheim Dragoons paint time will neatly fill the waiting time for the newly ordered figures On a financial front it represents a good combination of lead pile reduction and new incomers!

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A bold General of Cuirassiers and an obscure Brandenburg Markgraf

The Brigadier of my new cavalry brigade, Generaloberst Von Ahlenfeldt. Born in 1670, von Ahlenfeldt learned his warriors' trade in the Turkish Wars, served under Prinz Eugen and Ludwig von Baden and some Englander named Marlborough against the French and latterly with the Russians against the Swedes and Saxons before retiring to Alzheim in the middle 1720s. A moderately famous and relatively competent cavalry commander, he has revived the declining Alzheim Horse and become known - only half in jest - as the "König der Kürassiere".

A dashing Holger Ericsson Cavalryman indeed.

And a stolid King of Prussia by HE as well.

And here we have the rather obscure Friedrich Wilhelm, Margrave of the Mark of Brandenburg, This place is known to history as a flat and sandy desolation garnished with a few gloomy pines. Little more than a Swedish highway during the Thirty Years War Brandenburg is second in lack of significance to Mecklenburg.

The de Lusignan Cavallerie

 

De Lusignan's cavallerie legere with Von Abriegelung's Cuirassiers in the background

In reversed colours with a banner cribbed from Kronoskaf with some small overpainting.

Well, I do like it when I can close the book on a project and this has been one I have enjoyed doing. I am going to take a couple of days to consider what's up next. Do I paint another regiment? I have to say that once I got into the swing of painting these two cavalry regiments, things just hummed along, so it's a temptation to be sure. Perhaps a red-coated one? Or green? 

The other siren call for me is to round out a couple of LOTR armies I have doodled away at over the past 5-6 years - Rohan and Orcs. Each is at around 80 odd figures each and I could see myself building them out to around 130 Rohan (60 riders and 50-80 shieldwall). and 150-180 Orcs (mostly infantry with about 20 Warg riders). That's a rather big temptation, and I painted 5 orcs in between working on the last batch of de Lusignan's.

Another thought is to carry on with my Y2K Bundeswehr. I have a platoon of infantry painted (1:1), four diecast Marder 1A5s undercoated, a Gepard coming in the post and my eye firmly on some Leopard 2s. Looking around for Soviets and I think Zveda "Art of Tactic" Cold WAr Hot figures will do nicely for Soviets/Russians. There are plenty of kits of BTRs, BMPs and BRDMs about. Ditto later model Soviet era tanks as well.

And then also too there is my Blitzkreig to Barbarossa collection which burgeons. Have to admit there though that I had a wobble and trailed off in a 1944-ish direction with some panthers and Maultier trucks.

Plenty of options to chose from. Thoughts and opinions more than welcome! :)

Graf Von Abriegelung Regiment of Cuirassiers

 

And that is the last figure of that fine body of horsemen. Looking at the lace pattern on the saddle-cloth and the pole, I would assume that this will be an Alzheimer Regiment.

The Graf Von Abriegelung is a solitary, introverted type of chap who enjoys long, quiet days in the library, taking a constitutional around the battlements of his ancient, Ivy infested old Schloss. It's said that the Plague went through the town below and he didn't even notice.

Daily management of the Regiment of which he is Inhaber is of course devolved upon the senior Captain....

And a quick update:

Things to do During Lockdown.

 I could have done some work in the garden, I suppose.

But I didn't. 

With their gloss varnish drying in the early morning sunshine, I present the latest unit of Spencer Smiths, painted very much as 'German" cuirassiers. They still require two officers and an Ensign.

The naming Dear Readers, I leave to you. If it helps, they will be in the Imperial service.