FPW Prussian Hussars

15mm Lancashire and Essex (probably)

1st Leib Regt. of  Hussars

2st Leib Regt of Hussars 1870

3rd Regt Brandenburg Hussars

5th Regt hussars ( Pomeranian)

French Horse Artillery Limbers and Crew

These are  probably 15mm Outpost limbers (which are an absolute bargain!) for the Franco -Prussian conflict, but which I think will also suit my Austro-Italian and Crimean forces. I probably have a  surfeit of artillery for my French, but I can always post them permanently to separate conflicts or field them as reserves. I've decided to (temporarily) use limbers to designate my horse artillery units ( as well as the 2 crew members to a base). I will eventually try to buy limbers for all my artillery units, if only to complicate the games and create logistical problems :)

I still have traces to do when I find some fine enough chain.

Austrian Jagers 1859 or earlier?

These are my Lancashire (I think) 15mm Austrian Jagers. I was hoping to use them for 1866 but I think i will need to find jagers in greatcoats for that and the hats will need to be different . In the Osprey books The 1859 jagers are shown in white Waffenfrock but I've seen them elsewhere in the traditional grey. My grey is a  bit too dark and the figures are a little muddy from the  GW Nuln oil wash, so I'll tone it down next time. The fahren are surplus as I don't think the jagers carried their colours into battle if they even had them at all.

Austrian Hussars 1859 -66

These are probably Lancashire figures 15mm that come in  a pack with Dragoons (posted some months back). Not sure whether they'll get much action on the table as  cavalry seem a little vulnerable in late C19th battles. I spent an inordinate amount of time painting the shabraque decoration, yellow line within white lines, within black lines within etc, etc

I picked regiments that kept  their old uniform colours after the 1850s reforms. I think these are the 10th and 12th regiments.

First of the Wurttemburgers

These are 15mm Wuttemburgers some from Outpost, others possibly Friekorps. Nice casts anyway.

Jagers -

Three battalions here, which is all they had. One jager battalion was assigned to each brigade with three line battalions.

 The first of the line battalions -

Still a few more battalions of line to paint up, plus loads of artillery and some cavalry later in the year. I was hoping to use these for the 1866 Bruderkrieg as well, but the hats are wrong for the earlier conflict. More troops to buy :( !

Nine Austrian infantry battalions 15mm

Each brigade of Austrian infantry should have 6 battalions ( 2 regiments) plus one of Jaegers. So here I have nine battalions for 1.5 brigades. Still a load more to buy and paint up although I've already finished the command stands for the absent battalions. Each regiment has one white Leibfahnen and two yellow standartfahnen.

Here are elements of the first battalion, figures by Lancashire 15mm, Flags from QRF.

 As much as I like these figures the guys at advance are too deep for the bases with their projecting bayonets, making it very difficult to form them into march column without injury.

Normally there'd be a lot more room between ranks. We don't want any of that pesky artillery overshoot do we?

Two regiments of line infantry

Austrian dragoons, two regiments 15mm Essex

Well , I pretty sure they're Essex - big fat heads on the horses!

I don't think these are in the PoW lists, but they do turn up in historical OOBs so I've got some just in case. Whilst cavalry are little use on the battlefield in a heavy role, they are handy for tying up enemy units and scouting. One day my flags will arrive from QRF and I can finish these.

Here they are formed up for review, sans guidons.
I like the Essex figures ( although the horses heads are a bit comical) as they are easy to paint with nice defined detail. The bases are very narrow making it difficult to base them up on strips for painting.

Next projects are Hussars in two different uniforms - 1859 and 1864-66.

Austrian Artillery 15mm

Who would go into battle with lovely yellow artillery pieces? Well, I'm glad they did; I love artillery on the wargames tables and I particularly enjoy a splash of colour from these chaps.

I bought enough artillery to field a full corps plus some reserves. Although the PoW lists don't go that far, there are some historical lists that call for  bigger forces. My artillery consists of heavy, medium, horse artillery and  rocket troops. These here are the heavies and medium batteries, the horse and rocket batteries are still being painted.

This is the heavy battery which is listed in some OOBs for usually one battery in  a field division of a corp, which other heavy batteries usually reserved.
These are probably QRF guns with Lancashire crews

Comparison of the heavy battery with the 4lb medium battery. I use the same 4lb guns but with two crew to represent horse artillery.

Three medium batteries

Clearly not a tactical formation!

Bengali and Indian troops for the Sudan / Anglo-Egyptian War / NWF

Painted these chaps up a while ago. Nice clean castings, wish I could remember who they were from. I don't have my PoW lists to hand so I can't identify which units they represent or even which campaigns, but I'm hoping to get them into battle soon.

Here's what I've amassed so far - six units of infantry and a brigade commander.

Hopefully these steadfast troops will halt the onslaught of enemy long enough to save the day.

 Will 'Rupert' keep his men in order, spot the enemy and join them in the thick of it when the time is right?

1st company finds itself alone but help is not far behind.












Time to give the enemy some of Sheffield's finest - 'they don't like it up 'em.'

Chasseurs D'Afrique

Picked another random bag from the lead pile. Essex 15mm Chasseurs D'afrique. Originally intended for FPW but I think I can use them elsewhere - Crimea, Mexico, Italy and Indochina(?).

 So I've seen yellow cuffs, white cuffs and black cuffs, white belts and black belts. I will have to order another book from Outpost for the uniforms of the Imperial armies.

First units of French Cavalry

First cavalry units for my C19th French, starting with a base of Spahis. Not sure who made these, your guess is probably better than mine.

Although they can operate as scouts and staff troops, they really need some friends to bulk out the unit.

Then there are my  Guard Guides, a full squadron here. Far too well heeled to waste in battle, I shall keep these dainties in reserve. About time I did some line cavalry. I have nine? Dragoons,12 Curassiers (two regiments), 12 Chasseurs D'Afrique and 6 Hussars. I guess I can use the excess Dragoons as picquets and escorts.

French Guard Horse Artillery

Here are two batteries of French Guard Horse Artillery, possibly Outpost but not certain. I suspect the guns are from elsewhere.

French Artillery

Here are my French foot artillery. I think most of these are re-purposed ACW figures.

French C19th - first recruits!

These are my first troops completed for my French armies. Should be good for Crimea, Italy and Franco-Prussian wars.

First up are three batallions of the French Foreign Legion.

 No idea who made these, although looking a the guys at the back (who must be over a foot taller than their colleagues) I suspect that most of these are freikorps though I may be very wrong.

My order from Outpost arrived together with Tom Nutt's book on the French republican forces. It appears I've got the epaulettes wrong for my Legionnaire battalions so I have a little corrective work to do.

1st & 2nd battalion - red strap, green cresent, red fringe.
3rd battalion red strap, red cresent, green fringe.
 The red is called 'garance'  which I think is a deep terracotta  red or 'brick' red.

C19th Flags from East Riding Miniatures

Ordered some of  the von Fahnestock flags from ERM and they arrived the following day - awesome! I picked a selection suitable for the later half of the C19th. Can't find them anywhere else other than Crimean stuff from Navwar.

These are all hand-painted and reduced so they fit with the hand-painted figures! I found someone selling  flag cravats and tassles too - Maverick Models but the contents are not described so well so I'm going put in an order when I'm a little more flush.

Tried out the Fahnestock flags with this French one. Only just realised it's upside down - silly me! Used a paper clip to make the flagpole. Just need a finial and  tricolore cravat. Next time I'll try using some brass rod, hammered and filed to a point. I tried making tassles for my Austrians a few days ago with gold  thread. Hard work and they look a bit aenemic.

Here are three of my French command bases, just waiting for the men to join them.

Cochabamba Cavalry

Another two units of Cochabamba Cavalry were converted from Warmodelling / Fantassin french Chasseurs and Hussars. French Shakos were removed and replaced with Spanish Artillery Bicornes ( any bicornes would do, but I had these left over) and the officer had his  arm replaced with one from a top-hatted militia officer.

Again two bases of Fantassin figures, converted as above, with a base of Lancashire Dragoons with the carbines cut away. All the  Fantassin figures were guidon bearers or  officers armed with spears or bugles taken from infantry ensigns or buglers.

Cossacks are coming!

Here's my first unit for  my Crimean  and other Russo-turkish conflicts.

They'll be joined soon by Russian artillery and infantry.