Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Allied Reinforcements Arrive

I had hoped to have these done and ready for a picture before the sun went down. Oh well, at least you're not missing any nice detail........... I didn't paint any!

 1/72 doesn't seem to be as big as it used to be, not when painting, and especially not when doing headswaps. So the latter are going to be avoided as much as possible and the painting is a basic toy style which is in keeping with the theme. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying this whole thing mightily and like how its turning out.

Nottinglish Colonial Mounted Rifles
When I first got the old Airfix Guards and Foreign Legion from John the Wargame Hermit and got the idea of a Little Wars like Square Brigadier setting, my mind went wild with possibilities. The basic idea was to achieve the sort of look one might have gotten by buying various sets of painted toy soldiers that Britains or some other make. 

I found myself perusing the Scruby FrancoPrussian and Colonial listings as well as the Plastic Soldier Review and day dreaming about a dozen armies and all sorts of neat conversions like I used to do. In other words duplicating my 40mm plans. Ooops.

To keep with the idea of a quick, no cost, game in a box, I decided to limit myself to 2 armies, each of 20 units or about 60 figures, built out of what I have on hand and minimal conversion.  So, no 20mm Scots Greys and lots of left overs. The not French army has become a brigade with 3 Foreign Legion units, a machine gun or artillery unit (gun not made yet) and 2 squadrons of cavalry. (Chasseurs d'Afrique- ish unit ready to paint.) Unpainted Boers volunteered as not English mounted police err I mean rifles, and  the allied army is now ready to field up to 12 units.


The Red Legs: an Imperial Marine Infantry brigade with a squadron of Imperial Mounted Guides.

 The Free State needs seven 1/2 painted Boer cavalry finished and seven ACW figures repainted and they will be also have 12 units  and the next game will be on!

11 comments:

  1. They look great. I can see how one could get carried away with all sorts of possibilities for different armies, so I wish you luck in keeping to the minimum required - for now :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The temptation largely evaporated when I painted the batch of these tiny guys. I just need to figure out how to do something that works as well with the 40s so I can paint 100 different uniforms on them.

      Delete
  2. Ross Mac,

    The more I see of this project, the more I am liking it!

    I have my 'Napoleonic-like' project underway ... but reading your blog entries are enticing me away from it. At present I am just about managing to resist the temptation, but my resolve is weakening.

    All the best,

    Bob

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bob, once the Napoleonics see action that should sort itself. If not, there are all those lovely 15s.

      Delete
  3. Great looking figures.You have inspired me to get out the Airfix,pennies and Milliput this evening as I begin to move towards a game with the rules...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds like fun. I look forward to reading about the results.

      Delete
  4. "The basic idea was to achieve the sort of look one might have gotten by buying various sets of painted toy soldiers that Britains or some other make. "

    I know a chap (very handsome he is) who's doing something like this with a pile of Staddens.

    :^)

    Greg

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes so I've heard, Mad as a Hatter they tell me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nice additions, the red pants, or red legs, are really impressive!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What traditional toy soldier army is complete without some?

      Delete
  7. Perhaps... Your chaps look very nice to me. Love the way the Frenchies look in particular.

    Greg

    ReplyDelete