Cacciatori del Alpi

Jake stopped by the house on Tuesday for a couple hour hobby discussion and to pick up his portion of end-of-year BTD order.  Of course, topics included scheduling upcoming games and current and future projects.  It was Christmas when we last got together for a game and we had catching up to do even though many of our hobby activities are documented in our blogs (see Jake's excellent blog).

Discussion quickly turned to Jake's Renaissance Italian Wars project in 28mm.  He has been busily churning out units for his project and I have been sorely tempted on many an occasion to contribute.  Well, after the pep talk on Tuesday, I prepared a list of Wargames Foundry Landsknecht.  On Friday I pushed the send button and I should have enough figures to field one Landsknecht square and two units of heavy Gendarme cavalry from the Impetvs lists.  Getting them into the painting queue might pose another problem.

Speaking of the painting queue, I finished the second battalion of Cacciatori del Alpi for the Sardinians in my 15mm Risorgimento project.  These Cacciatori were part of Garabaldi's Redshirts.  As their sister battalion before, the figures are Battle Honors Zouaves.  The sculpts are not the best and the figures are a little fragile but they will do.   

Next off the painting desk will likely be one Impetvs stand of medium Moorish cavalry with spear.

American Militia in the AWI

These American militia are an odd lot.  While my portion of the AWI Saratoga project began as a commitment to fielding the Germans, I picked up a number of British figures to fill out the OB.  In fact, I picked up a lot of British from Perry Miniatures and Wargames Foundry.  Some of these British figures I received when our British commander threw in the towel on the group project.  In part of the figure swap, I found these figures already primered.  How they got into the British lead pile, I don't know.  Nevertheless, I figured they could be pressed into service the next time we muster our 28mm AWI collections for battle.

I believe the figures to be Perry but I suppose they could be Foundry as well.  My bet is on Perry.  What I have is a four stand unit of 16 figures in various states of loading and preparing to fire.  I threw in a couple of regulars to the motley bunch.

Very nice models and gives me the itch to push AWI lead on the gaming table.

State of the Painting Desk

Being away for work all of last week, no activity at the painting desk occurred.  With some time this weekend, I returned to the Works-In-Progress that were left lingering on the desk and started a few more.  A number of units are currently on the desk in various states of completion.  Some are nearing the final stages while others are wearing only a coat of primer.  Below is a photo of the paint desk.

Paint Desk, March 9

In the foreground and closest to completion are 16 28mm Perry AWI militia.  This unit only requires flocking and a final spray of Dullcote to muster off the table.  In the center are four 28mm Moorish cavalry and 12 15mm Cacciatori del Alpi.  The Cacciatori comprise the second battalion to be fielded as Garibaldi Redshirts for the 1859 project.  Also on the desk are 24 28mm medieval heavy infantry for the Reconquista project.  These BTD figures will form two Impetvs stands of heavy infantry.  Finally, on the right are 24 28mm FIW French infantry and Coureur des Bois that I will be fielding as two militia units for the FIW project.  Will I tackle all 24 FIW figures at once or only paint enough for one, 12 figure unit?  I will answer that question after I get the other items cleared away.

Quite a lot of activity on the painting desk this week and hopefully many of these will be mustering off the paint table soon.

Montcalm & Wolfe Campaign Begins

A few weeks' ago, I began laying down some thoughts on conducting a wargames' campaign (Thoughts on Selecting a Wargame Campaign). Keeping the operational/strategic aspects of the campaign simple was key in selection.  A second key criterion was that the scope of the campaign should remain small.  Finally, I needed to have a majority of the troops required already in hand and battle-ready.

After some time spent in contemplation, my choice for this trial will be the French & Indian War.  To govern the operational activities, the DTP effort, Montcalm & Wolfe will be utilized.  Luckily, there is an excellent VASSAL module available and in many ways provides a much more handsome tool than the original game.  Oh, the module is free as well!

The campaign begins in May 1755 with monthly game turns.  All units begin deployed in set positions with the exception of three French regular regiments.  These variable regiments are placed, one each, in Fort Duquesne, Fort Niagara, and  Isle aux Noix.  With these deployments, Fort Duquesne can be defended from a possible stab north from Braddock, the upper reaches of Lake Champlain can be protected, and allows a possible strike against the British garrison at Fort Oswego at the start of the campaign.  Only the larger engagements will be transferred to the game table for resolution with miniatures.  Hopefully, this exercise will generate a few interesting encounters to play out on the table. 

Situation May 1755

Looking over the OBs for both sides, the number of militia units may outstrip what I have painted.  While I have a number of colonial units that can be pressed into service for the British, only a handful of militia units for the French are service-ready.

To remedy that shortfall, I placed a small order to 1st Corps.  Now, I have not purchased from 1st Corps in several years but I do field several of their British and French units in the FIW collection.  The 1st Corps figures come in at the larger end of model size compared against Old Glory and Dixon.  Painted and deployed on the table, most of these size differences vanish.  

What I ordered were two dozen figures from the Coureur de Bois and French in Campaign Dress SKUs.  The order arrived within two weeks and are primered and ready for the brush.   Painted, these will provide the foundation for two more French militia units wearing a mix of dress.

French militia from 1st Corps

1799 Suvorov in Italy - The Russians

While thinking about dual purposing my Prussian SYW jaegers as Russian jaegers for my 1799 project, I was reminded that the Russian infantry have yet to receive flags.  I need to remedy that!  Thus far, the project musters twelve infantry battalions comprised of two combined grenadier battalions, four grenadier battalions, and six musketeer battalions.  All battalions received flags except for the combined grenadier battalions.  All figures are AB Miniatures.

Russian infantry arrayed on parade

Russian infantry arrayed on parade

Russian infantry arrayed on parade

Combined Grenadier battalions

Fanagoria Grenadier Regiment

Kursk Musketeer Regiment

Moscow Grenadier Regiment 

Smolensk Musketeer Regiment

Yaroslavl Musketeer Regiment

One of the difficulties was matching the Russian regiment given in Duffy's Eagles over the Alps with Mark Conrad's excellent and most useful translation of Viskovatov (link).  Also, with respect to flags, regiments listed differed either from Duffy or Conrad.

After a bit of checking and cross-checking, I came up with the following mapping;

• Yaroslavl Musketeer RGT = Durosav Musketeer RGT
• Kursk Musketeer RGT = Koursk Musketeer RGT
• Smolensk Musketeer RGT = Scheikovsky Musketeer RGT
• Moscow Grenadier RGT = Grenadier RGT Rosenberg
• Fanagoria Grenadier RGT = Fanagoria Grenadier RGT
• Miloradovitch Musketeer RGT = Aspheron Musketeer RGT
• Tyrtov Musketeer RGT = Tula Musketeer RGT
• Forster Musketeer RGT = Ferster (Tambov) Musketeer RGT
• Jung-Baden Musketeer RGT = Butyrsk Musketeer RGT
• Baranovsky Musketeer RGT = Nizovsk (Nizov) Musketeer RGT

Of course, I may have some incorrect but that will do for now.  Note that "hat" companies for Russian grenadier regiments actually wore the short mitre (think Prussian SYW fusilier) with the flank company wearing the tall mitre worn by grenadiers.  Elites in a grenadier battalion were not termed "grenadiers!" 

SYW Grenz Carlstadt Szluiner

A second, open order grenz battalion passes off the painting desk.  These fifteen grenz are from the Carslstadt Szluiner regiment and are outfitted in their distinctive all-blue uniform. Figures are from Eureka's 18mm SYW range.  While considering the duel purposing of the Prussian jaegers as Russian jaegers during the 1799 campaign, thoughts turned to the same for the grenz.  Unfortunately, grenz uniforms changed between the wars so double duty is unlikely for the 1799 campaign.  Luckily, AB has recently released early grenz in the French Revolution range.  

Grenz Carlstadt Liccane - skirmishing

To oppose the Prussian jaegers fielded last week, off the painting desk today are fifteen colorful, Austrian Grenz of the Carlstadt Liccane battalion in open order.  In my collection, this battalion can be deployed upon the field of battle either in close order (23 figures per stand) or, now, in open order of three stands.  Figures are from Eureka's 18mm SYW range.  A second unit of skirmishing grenz is on the painting table.  The unit in work will be fielded as the blue uniformed Carsltadt Szuiner battalion.  The Austrians are a colorful lot!