Paint 'em or Purge 'em ?

For regular readers with a good memory, the post,

Paint 'em or Purge 'em

may be vaguely familiar as I wrestled with whether to either paint or purge a selection of TAG ECW musketeers.  Feedback was nearly unanimous in lobbying for painting the small pile of lead.

My decision? 

Paint 'em!

Off the painting table today are those TAG ECW figures.

Getting this handful of figures into the painting queue took nearly two months as other figures and units took priority. Finally, the figures saw some attention last week. Out from the workbench they march.

The plan is to use these figures as commanded shot, baggage guard, or possibly even a Forlorn Hope.  I will try to work some of these figures into the next ECW scenario that hits the gaming table.  When will that be?  Who knows?  At present, Reconquista clashes are seeing action on the table.

The response from readership helped to push me over the edge toward painting these figures and clearing away a small handful of orphan figures from a dormant project.  Actually, the ECW project has seen recent renewed interest with a couple of units of cavalry and commanders coming off the painting desk.  Another command stand is in work in an attempt to decrease the TAG ECW surplus.

The next Paint 'em or Purge 'em victim is in the crosshairs.

Paint 'em or Purge 'em

After 18 months of no additions to the ECW collection, I decided it time to revisit the project.  With most of the ECW figures having been painted and mustered out from The Lead Pile long ago, the project is considered finished.  A few bits and pieces linger but no pressing needs remain.  Is this true that the project is finished with little need for expansion?  From experience, this is rarely the situation.

Digging through the boxes of metal, a box of TAG figures emerged.  Ah, I remember these.  Seems only one unit of TAG cavalry has seen the paint brush to date.  Why not add another regiment of horse?  Indeed, why not?

As work progressed on the next nine horsemen, I dug around some more in the pile.  Out of the figure stash came about two-dozen musketeers.  Now, these are really dressed for the earlier Thirty Years War but they could see service in my ECW project in a variety of roles.  But does the project really need more musketeers with no complement of pikemen?  

These musketeers could be pressed into service as commanded shotte, militia, or baggage guards.  Since there are no dedicated commanded shotte or town militia mustered out in the collection, a need could conceivably exist.  Oh, and the figures are beautiful too!

Having never fielded either commanded shotte, town militia, or firelocks/baggage guard in a game, perhaps simply purging these figures is the prudent way forward.  Of course, maybe the right scenario has yet to make it to the table?

As my decision hangs in the balance, what would you do?  I will count up the responses and see where the issue stands.  Perhaps someone will lay a convincing claim to these figures before I push them into the painting queue? 

Paint 'em or Purge 'em? 

I may have answered my own question...