From AlanD - Poles for the Retreat from Moscow (120 points)

It has been a busy start to the teaching year with one of my colleagues away, so teaching an extra senior class as well as running the History Department. I am teaching lots of ancient history and having great conversations about possible parallels between the rise of fascism and current political events, but the painting has been suffering.

It is a relief to get an entry in this week, especially since I missed the Home (or Homer) Round. I'm very much obsessed with Sharp Practice 2 at the moment, playing French Indian Wars with Paul O'G (see below) but also getting together a Grand Armee force for the Retreat from Moscow. This week I managed 24 Polish infantry, from Murawski Miniatures. With temperatures here around 40 degrees C, I have enjoyed making the snow bases.

Command Figures

Grenadiers

Fusiliers and Voltigeurs

I do really like Murawski Miniatures, and they are generally an excellent match for the Perry Retreat from Moscow range. I have to say, however, that I was a bit disappointed with some of the figures I painted up this week. It appears that Murawski asked Paul Hicks to sculpt a small group of Poles in winter gear for the Retreat, and these figures are top notch, like the one on the left in the picture below. However, it looks like they have bulked out their Retreat range by taking some of their figures in summer uniforms and adding greatcoats with modelling putting over the top, as with the figure on the right. Unfortunately, this hasn't always been done very well, with the result that some figures ostensibly wearing greatcoats still have their sleeve cuffs etc. It is a bit of a shame that they seem to have taken a short cut to flesh out such a lovely range of figures.

That being said, I am much happier with them all painted up than I was while I was painting them.

If you have read this far, you deserve to be rewarded with an account of the Worst Defeat I Have Ever Suffered in Any Game Ever. Last Wednesday Paul O'G and I played a game of SP2, in which my troops were utterly broken and routed from the table without having fired a single shot or damaged the enemy in any way whatsover apart from some harsh language. The lesson of this debacle was that marching slowly towards a formation of British regulars with their muskets presented is a very bad idea. The fact that I still enjoyed the game so much is testimony both to how great SP2 is, what a fun gaming group we have, and how fine an adversary Paul O'G is.

_________________________________________________

More Retreat goodness, just brilliant. As I said to Millsy earlier, we've just come through a week of around -40 temperatures, so during my dogwalks through our neighbourhood park I would look not too dissimilar to these figures (except of course, no musket and I had a nice warm home to come back to!). 

Again, like your previous efforts with this project, Dux, you've done lovely work. I especially like the miserable drummer and the stoic NCO toting his halberd. It's too bad that this batch had some issues but you've obviously preserved. Perhaps in light of the 'Worst Defeat You Have Ever Suffered in Any Game Ever' the figure karma of working with these frozen fellows will allow you to enjoy some victories. :)

So, a 120 points for your climb up the roster. Well done Dux!