Oh those Spanish troops - aren't they pretty and dashing !

So upon a closer inspection of the 15mm Spanish damaged in the Feb 22 Earthquake has revealed the following

25 Figures broken\crushed beyound usefulness _ it will be easier on my sanity to simply buy replacements than to try and repair.

49 elements of infantry (196 figures) need to be rebased and have the odd minor repair (Mostly command elements).

So I have taken this as an opportunity to repaint them and then rebase them. As these were painted 15-20 years ago they are simple one slap of paint jobbies when my Wargaming production line was geared towards quantity instead of quality. So Ill start with a good blackwash and then put in the highlights, new standards and new bases. This time I'll actually make an effort basing them instead of my usual green paint, PVA, flock routine I do.

The first unit on the Worskshop is a Grenadier unit (The picture is old) and I plan to make these look a lot sharper and based on an actual unit, probably the Malaga Infantry Regiment.

15mm Painting So Far.

Some Spanish Light Infantry (Unit no decided) - Battleline figures, not too bad figures I suppose, though the glue on heads are a pain in the backside. I didnt have any light infantry painted for the Spanish so I have done some. All I need to do now is add a flag and finish off the base.

Some 15mm scenery I picked up off trademe, a few farmhouses, you can never have too much scenery ! I have some river, a bridge and some other buildings to go. I have never really had my own scenery so its quite pleasing to be painting some.

Hesse-Darmstadt Infantry, BattleLine Miniatures, a horrible set of figure but have attemmpted to paint them as best as I can. Base needs completion and a standard (Most likely a print yourself job from Warflag)

Some Westphalians, horrible battlineline gnomes againt but I did what I could with them.

3eme Croatian Infantry Grenadier Company. AB Figures, very nice but very expensive, A lot of people say these are the best, but I think the OG figures I have are on a par (and half the price)
3eme Croatian Voltigeur and Centre Company, I have painted more of these figures but only decided to show 2 of them.

Von Pfuhl’ Infantry Regiment (Wurtermburg Infantry), I picked up some 15mm OG figures (Poles, Wurtenburgs and some Old Guard) to increase my 15mm French. I painted a command element to see how they look and I quite like them, only 100 to go now :).

Artillery Driver - Battleline do some cheap limbers so I picked some up. Not needed for games but thought I would have some eye candy. Hopefully my artillery batteries will now actually look like batteries when they move.
Spanish Dragoons - some more Spanish Dragoons to add to my collection. Battleline Figures and they just need a little tidying up before basing.


Duchy of Jaxonia
Thus, I have also entered the realm of Emperor Vs Elector in the forming of my Duchy, rulked of course by Marquess Paulus Von Jaxon (http://jacko-thedancingbear.blogspot.com/).

SOme years ago I picked up a vast chest of plastic figures and have made several half hearted attempts at getting them ready. I dont even know where they all are currently, but I have grabbed what I can and started the project once again !.


Duchy of Jaxonia Infantry - I painted theseGreen Jackets a long time ago and they look bloody horrible, if I do say so myself. I'll need to some a fair amount of tidying up of these figures as they hurt my eyes to look at them lol. I'll probably end up painting the shade in, but anything is better than this, I think the French figures I painted when I was 13 looked better than this ! What on earth was I thinking at the time.
Duchy of Jaxonia - Artillery - I have painted some gun crew and a gun, I thoroughly detest painting guns, I dont know why but I can't fight without them and I was tempted by red coated artillery for some reason.

Duchy of Jaxonia, Infantry - Base coated figures and now into applying more layers. My units might be a mix of colours, as I haven't decided yet what to do, or even the history of my nation. Red always looks good on SYW figures, adn I have painted enough white on Napoleonics to last me a life time.

Duchy of Jaxonia, Garde Artillery - Base coated and have begn the next phase of the extra layers, will probably end up being 2 guns only, as the Duchy doesnt have too larger Guard force. I think as a whole my forces will amount to 6 Infantry battalions, 4 guns and 3 Dragoon regiments. I am tempted to create some militia force, as peasants with guns is always appealing :).

Napoleonic Campaign In Spain.

The campaign continues after the Xmas Lull, several days ago we fought a rearguard at Tortosa, in which the Spanish attempt to load troops onto the British Navy, while the French harass the rear. As it turned out it all fell to pieces on about move 3 and I find fighting under these rules with Spanish to be getting quite tedious. I know a fair amount about the Spanish army, and I appreciate the obvious quality issues but at the end of the day its a wargame and it has to be enjoyable and recently it hasnt been. I think my incessant whining was probably hightened by lack of sleep (Baby, Earthquakes), overworked (Curse you work)! and my reluctance to try and get some extra sleep when there is a tray of unpainted figures nearby. I guess as I don't wargame as much these days, when you only play one game every month and all you do is get stonked - its gets a little tedious.

Anyway, in Spain the East is going kaput at a vast rate of knots, the centre has been quiet, though in Badajoz the sudden arrival of Junot has increased the excitement. In the NW all sorts of entertaining events are happening as Portugal is once again invaded by the French and our white hearted heros march onwards to Bayonne !

Its a nice sunny day, the baby just went to sleep and I ahve attempted to take some pictures from figures that are sitting on my WIP tray (which is quite a mess at the moment).

To the left are some 15mm Westphalian Horse Atrillery. Some creative licence was used in painting them but I have to say they are the best 15mm figures I have ever painted (I beleive the are Minifigs). My 15mm painted figures are slowly forming.

Above - More 15mm Minifigs,  this unit is the Westphalian Guard Grenadiers. It isnt the full unit but as I'm undecided on rules at the moment this will no doubt change.


Below are my 25mm Prussian Artillery (Old Glory) painted using the artmaster studio guide. They aren't finished yet but I think they look good. My job on the eyes needs tidying up though as some of them look like goldfish. Facings, buttons and final trim to go.

Two of the Militia command. base layers are done and I now need to finish off the facings etc. These will probably be from Neumark Militia troops. The figures are Old Glory.

Some 28mm Highlanders. The three on the left are some half painted Foundry Officers while the drummer on the right is one from my Victrix Packet. Ill combine the figures as the look the same. But Im not looking forward to painting the tartan as I haven't done that in 20 years. They shall be the 92nd and I will have enough for a second unit but Im unsure which Regiment to use.

2 Plastic Perry Rifleman next to two "practice" 5th Italian Line infantry (foundry). I painted up a few just to see how they looked. The two line are foundry figures that I bought off ebay a long long time ago. I received the Riflemen with a copy of WI that I subscribed to a year ago. I quite like the white and green of the Italians and the Rifle figures were nice to paint but alas I dont have any more.

 A foundry(I think) sapper and a unknown Austrian Officer (maybe Elite miniatures). I will create an Austrian Unit but I need to remember which one I planned. For so long I have played Ion's Austrians that I never ever considered an Austrian Army (Yes I started with the standard Brit and French) The Sapper will join my Italians I think.

Some more old Glory 69th Foot (British). I already have the 33rd done, I just now need to finish this unit. I always paint the officers first to see how they look.

My Victrix French who will become the 7th Italian Line Regt. Very nice figures and fun to put together, however the bases they come on are the wierdest shapes and never fit "my" bases. So some pruning is needed but its plastic so its all so easy :).

The 6th Neopolitans are started. These were the figs from my previous post. The were undercoated in black and then the faces and muskets painted (The officer is just to show the base colour). Hopefully they will look good and I can't wait to use them. You might tell from now my French Allied army is soleyl based on who had the most flamboyant uniforms !