Russian CG Bn: Murmanski/Apsheron

With four games already in the books for March and a fifth slated for the 31st, work at the painting desk has been subdued as I struggle to set aside any time at the paint table.  The switch from time spent at the painting desk to the gaming table is a welcome change of pace but it carries a price.  Fixed hobby time means there is always a corresponding trade-off.  My time maintains a zero sum budget.  For the record, I do not recall a month in which I ever made time for five miniatures' games.  Gaming frequency seen in March was, indeed, a rare event.  Likely a pace too brisk to sustain.  More likely is a return to the painting desk.  

Anyway, a second Russian combined grenadier battalion makes its way off the painting desk in March.  As mentioned in an earlier post, Suvorov brought a number of combined grenadier battalions to Switzerland and Italy in the 1799-1800 campaigns.  One such battalion consisted of the amalgamation of the grenadiers from the Murmanski and Apsheron Musketeer Regiments.  With many of the grenadiers in greatcoats, the grenadiers look prepared to cross the Alps if need be.  Figures are from AB Miniatures.

One more combined grenadier battalion is making its way through the painting queue to be followed by Austrian hussars for the 1799 project.  After that, attention turns back to fielding one more Celt/Gallic stand of warriors in 28mm.

On the Italian Wars front, an order from Pete's Flags arrived early in the week and the remainder of my Italian Wars collection has been outfitted with many handsome banners.  The variety of colors and designs in the flags make this collection pop when on the table.  Before I clean up the table from recent battles, perhaps these newly flagged troops deserve a parade?  One constant in the vicious cycle between gaming and painting is that a game provides incentive to paint more units for the recently gamed period while painting builds a desire to see these new units out on the gaming table.  The recent battles of Maisnon are no exception.  I have my eye on fielding another Swiss/Italian pike block.  The point of actually beginning work on this pike block has not been reached but figures are pulled from The Lead Pile and I am making ready to drill out the hands to accept pikes.