Filing in time

 

The 42nd

So, that was a fairly productive long weekend. I dipped into my new stash of Willie Highlanders and pushed out another half-dozen figures including the Grenadier you see in the right of the photo.

Despite the tartan and the separate swords and muskets, these are less of a chore to paint than the Arquebisiers de Grassin and I expect (hope for?) fairly decent progress on these.

I think they are quite a useful regiment to have as they can be used at both Carillion/Ticonderoga and Fontenoy with some companies also being used at Prestonpans of all places.

Arquebusiers Unchained or, What's Next?

 Well, it has been a long job, but I have finished the Arquebusiers de Grassin.

Lurking in a wood near you.

They were not a tough job, but there was a fair bit of flash on them. In retrospect, I would question using the remastered minis that are on the Tradition website. They do not seem to offer much extra value; the officer is identical to Suren's original and has all the flaws that it came with. There is a Grenadier which was nice, but it was so miserably sculpted that it was painful to paint. It would also have been nice if it could have been provided separately so you could adjust the proportion of them in your unit. There is a drummer which I have not yet had the heart to paint, but looks like a bit of a trial to assemble drum to drummer. The fusiliers have all been modified, but when that's happened, the cartridge boxes have somehow been rather 'flattened' and pushed into the miniature.

So, while I am glad I did them, I am glad I won't have to do them again!

So, now the question arises... what' next.

I have a few options. I spent some time last week painting a few sample Highlanders I have had knocking about here for months. I have a method now for tartan that works well for me; it's a bit impressionistic, but looks 'right' and I can knock out an infantryman in the course of a 45 minute painting session. I'd build the unit to the "Drums of War" organisation (4 x sub units of musketeers @ 19 figs each plus additional Grenadier and Light companies, two of each) - but it's a double-sized unit so it would be a long project. The first batch of figures are on order.

42nd Highlanders

44th Foot

Next option would be to finish off the 44th Foot. This was a hard-working regiment in the French and Indian war, being present at numerous engagements, not the least of which were the Monongahela and the siege of Fort Niagara. I started work on this unit when I finished my third French unit for the French and Indian war. I only need to paint about a dozen figures and flag the unit to put this one to bed.

Another project that tempts me is to crack on with the 46th Foot. I have some of the command in Staddens. I also found a few Grenadiers unexpectedly this morning which has dangled temptation in front of me. They are very handsome figures.

IR 5

So, who does not like a Stadden Prussian Grenadier? This chap got painted this morning. Took about an hour because they are quite demanding figures to paint as they require your very best in terms of precision. 

Lastly, I also watched on Henry Hydes' YouTube channel his restoration of the Spencer Smith "Oldenberg" Regiment and some of Charles Grants' rather super old buildings which have come to him. and now I have an itch to pull out some of my unpainted Spencer Smiths and have a go at them. 

Building the Gardes Francaises

 So, here's the thing.

I know I am building a French Army for the French and Indian War. Set in stone. No chance of deviating from that; I have finished building the three line regiments that were my goal, so it's done and dusted. I am actively looking at the British castings that I have and so far there are enough for most of the first unit and parts of a second**. So, it's going to happen.

But... I found my old Willie*** Arquebusiers de Grassin in a box a few weeks ago and counted them back and forth and I seem to have half a units' worth of them. Then a Drummer from the Gardes Francaises mysteriously appeared on my painting table and I was compelled to paint him in the Grand Livery Lace.

So much lace...

Which in a round about way brings me to my topic. If one was to have a middling diversion in the direction of building the Gardes (I am sure the exchequer could spring for a birthday present), how would I do it? The current establishment for my line regiments is in the nature of about 50 figures and each represents a battalion. The Gardes were a brigade-sized unit of six battalions. Now, I may be silly, but even I am not going to spring for 300 figures. So the question is "What to do?".

Currently I am mulling two solutions. The first is just to make a single battalion and leave it at that. And there is merit in that. In the case of bath-tubbing a battle like Fontenoy*, it seems quite reasonable to have a battalion stand in for a brigade on the wargame table.

The other thought that crosses my mind is that my battalions all break down into two Grand Divisions, so, why not simply add a third? The unit has a fair bit more heft, it won't break the bank and it'll look good on the table.

What would you do?

*Fontenoy? Well, I'll have a pile of French infantry and artillery already. Will it kill me to add some cavalry? And I will already also have a number of British infantry units including the 42nd Highlanders out of the FIW project. And, dash it all, I have castings for half the Arequebusiers de Grassin already.

**It will be rebasing time for my RSM British. There are enough already-painted castings to create a full regiment.

***And lets face it, the Willie French and British are based off Fontenoy, Culloden, Carillion and Quebec.