28mm Napoleonic French: 9th Hussars

 

Two squadrons of this regiment.

28mm Napoleonic French: Vistula Lancers

 

I've had these sitting around for a couple of years so it was high time I finished the regiment. These are Warlord Games figures and I'm not the greatest fan of their horses but nonetheless I'm happy to add this unit to my Napoleonic French army.

28mm Napoleonic French: Maréchal d'empire

 

Here is the C-in-C of my French Napoleonic army, although which marshal has yet to be decided.

28mm Napoleonic French: 19th Legere, 1st and 2nd battalions.

 

I have painted these in 'almost' full dress. I say 'almost' because although they have their plumes, and some have their epaulettes as well, none of them have their laced boots. That's because the Perry plastic sculpts don't have them. Colourful chaps though.

28mm Napoleonic Russians: IR Kazan

 

Here are two new battalions for my Russian army. I've done four battalions and I showed these a year ago (Tchernigovsk and Staroskol Regiments) so we are progressing with the second brigade. I choose which regiments to paint based entirely on the flags and these are from Flags of War.

28mm Napoleonic Russians: Tchernigovsk and Staroskol Regiments

 

A new brigade of Russians for my Napoleonic armies. They were not actually brigaded together but I paint Russians purely on the appeal of the flags. The next brigade will be Kazan and Mouromsk.

28mm Napoleonic French: Five squadrons of Perry plastic Chasseur-a-cheval

 

Three squadrons of the 10^th (with red facings) and two squadrons of the 16^th. Full dress with plumes as that's how I like them!

28mm Ural Cossacks from St. Petersburg Miniatures

These are lovely metal figures from a Russian company called St. Petersburg Miniatures. Well worth the price with bags of character. They could be used from the 18th century almost through the RCW.

British Napoleonics: 2nd Queen's Royal Regiment

And now for a complete change.............

During the Napoleonic Wars, this regiment first fought in the Peninsular Warat the battles of Vimeiro and Corunna. It then took part in the disastrous Walcheren Campaign before returning to the Peninsula to fight at the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, the second Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, the Battle of Salamanca and the unsuccessful Siege of Burgos. By the winter of 1812, the regiment was so depleted by casualties and disease that four companies were amalgamated with the equally weakened 2nd Battalion, 53rd Foot, to form the 2nd Provisional Battalion. Six cadre companies returned home to re-form. As part of the 4th Division, the Provisional Battalion took part in Wellington's triumph at the Battle of Vittoria on 21 June 1813, followed by the Siege of San Sebastián and, 1814, the battles of Orthes and Toulouse.

The metal command figures are from Perry and the plastic marching rankers are from Warlord Games. All that is left to do is the four-figure light company. The flag is from Flags of War although I am slightly unsure about the green-blue hue used on the company flag.

28mm British 16th Light Dragoons for the Peninsular

More lovely plastic figures from the Perry brothers.

28mm British 13th Light Dragoons for the Peninsular

Lovely plastic figures from the Perry brothers.

Napoleonic French Legere Regiment

I have always wanted to have a Legere Regiment in full dress with all the plumes. These are not quite full-dress (they are missing boots with tasseled tops) but they are as full dress as I could manage given the availability of figures in 28mm. These are mostly Victrix with the occasional Warlord Games figure thrown in. I have also given them all the same pom-pom colour as a deliberate choice.

I based the painting on the three illustrations above.

28mm Avanpost Napoleonic French Officer

This is the best 28mm Napoleonic figures I have ever seen.

I have been war-gaming for almost 45 years and have purchased Napoleonic figures to paint and game with over that period – from the early 25mm Minifigs to the Perrys brothers and Victrix, not to mention another dozen or so companies. But the best figures I have ever seen have just landed on my desk. They are from a new Russian company called Avanpost. If you go back to a post a made here on August 7^th 2017 you will see that I spotted a mounted figure on Facebook and wanted to find out who had made it. A kind reader pointed me in the right direction and I made a small order which has now arrived.

First, I bought resin figures to see how sturdy they might be and whether resin could carry fine detail. Because resin is light it make post quite cheap but the owner of the company, Oleg Derbasov (who writes good English) says that all resin models will also be available in metal for those that prefer metals. As to resin holding detail, the detailing is quite fantastic. A single foot figure came with a sprue of extra parts that will need glueing – backpack, two arms (one with musket). The mounted French officer sits on a beautiful horse (surely the best I have ever seen) and with two separate arms it means that the arm holding the reins actually holds the reins. These are miles better than any plastic figures I have seen and indeed, in my opinion, are even better than the fantastic Perry sculpts.

You may think this has me quite excited and you might be right. Oleg has currently French infantry in shakos and bicornes of the pre-Bardin uniform as well as Russians. The French are all in pristine full dress which is what I like too.

You can contact Oleg at avanpost.miniatures@gmail.com

The figures are also well priced – the resin foot are 1.70 euros each. Ask him for a full listing as he also does figures for the mid 17^th century.

I wish him well for this business. War-gaming truly is in a golden period.

Russian Napoleonics - 3 Opolchenie Battalions with Perry figures

These are wonderful figures from the Perry brothers - full of character and with a languid touch as they are clearly being held in reserve. The 'pike' is a musket conversion which you can tell from the shape of the stock.

The flags are my work.

Napoleonic French: 27th Ligne 1st and 2nd BTNS

These are plastics, mostly from Victrix but the odd extra from Perry and Warlord Games.

Lieutenant Colonel Sir George Augustus Quentin of the 10th Hussars The Prince of Wales’ Own

I have been looking for a senior officer to command my British Light Cavalry Brigade in the Peninsular and I have found some very interesting details about Lieutenant Colonel Sir George Augustus Quentin of the 10th Hussars The Prince of Wales’ Own. As I am fielding the 10th Hussars, as well as a couple of smaller Light Dragoon regiments, this chap seems the perfect candidate.

George Quentin was born in 1760, and was the eldest son of George Quentin of Göttingen.

Quentin served seven years in the Hanoverian Garde du Corps, prior to entering the British Army. He was appointed cornet in the 10th Light Dragoons in 1793. Subsequent promotions followed to lieutenant (1 October 1794); captain (17 May 1796); major (14 February 1805) and Lieutenant-Colonel on 13 October 1808. He served in the Peninsular War under Sir John Moore from 11 November 1808 to 16 June 1809, at the battles of Benavente and Corunna; also in Spain, under the Duke of Wellington, in 1813 and 1814, where he received a gold medal and one clasp for his conduct in command of the 10th Hussars at the battles of Orthes and the Toulouse. He received the brevet rank of Colonel on 4 June 1814. On 17 October 1814, Quentin was court-martialed on multiple counts of dereliction of duty during the Peninsular War. At the trial it became apparent that the charges had been invented by the officers of his regiment in retaliation for Quentin's attempt to impose discipline on the "aristocratic rabble" under his command. The trial lasted two weeks at the end of which the court decided that Quentin should "be reprimanded in such manner as his Royal Highness the Commander in Chief shall be pleased to direct."

This ‘reprimand’ does not appear to have affected his military careeer as in 1815 he served under Wellington in Flanders, and at Waterloo, where he was severely wounded. He was promoted to lieutenant-general in 1838.

Quinten was created a Companion of the Order of the Bath (C.B.) in 1815 and Knight Bachelor in 1821. He was aide-de-camp to the Prince Regent from 1811 to 1825, when he was appointed Equerry to the Crown Stables. He died on 7 December 1851 aged 91.

So my Light Cavalry Brigade commander is a (probably highly efficient) German (brought up in Hanover he might have spoken English with a German accent) who is an aide-de-camp to the Prince Regent (so politically he has influence and protection) and who is disliked by the aristocratic officers (fops?) of the regiment he commands. That brings on some possibilities.

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I am considering representing (generically) Sir David Baird’s reinforcements to Sir John Moore’s army as the basis for my British Army. I will drop the British Guards but think that two British divisions with artillery and cavalry will make a fine force.