Seeking to bulk up my 1813 Prussian army for Leipzig in 1813, I needed some Landwehr. The best figures are undoubtedly Calpe, but they are very expensive. The Warlord figures are disappointing, particularly with their comically enlarged hands. HaT figures have recently started a new foray into 28mm with a rerelease of Landwehr, Their previous attempt to get into the market suffered from figures that were underscale compared to most of the other manufacturers out there, but a couple of months ago they released two boxes of Landwehr marching and Landwehr skirmishing, and they have managed to match the scale of Warlord almost perfectly.
For this entry, I have painted the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Silesian Landwehr Regiment, using a mix of Warlord plastics, Warlord metals (the command figures) and the new HaT offerings. I think they mix pretty well. The HaT figures suffer from soft detail, and the muskets in particular are fairly dreadful. On the upside, they now release these in hard plastic, and en masse they will do the job. They are also extremely cheap!
I cut off the most egregiously overscale hands from the Warlord figures, replacing them with bits of leftover dark ages figures, which makes them less upsetting to look at.
I quite enjoyed painting these, which is lucky as I have another battalion on the way. Beautiful they are not, but with a game of Soldiers of Napoleon coming up in a couple of weeks I'm sure they will do their duty.
36 figures adds 180 points to the total thanks Millsy!
From Millsy:
Very nice indeed Alan! I've been waiting to see these for a while after hearing you talk about them on our paint and chat sessions. They certainly don't disappoint mate.
The yellow cap bands and the variations in coat colour really make these look the part of better quality troops as they were in the later war. No ragtag mob this!
180 points added to your tally and I can't wait to see them in person.
Cheers,
Millsy
Nice work on these proud Prussians. The mix of makers you've chosen work well together.
ReplyDeleteVery good work on these
ReplyDeleteGreat job! I had to lean forward to the screen to see what you meant about the muskets but no worries. Your paint job and hand conversion brings the various manufacturers' quirks together nicely.
ReplyDeleteFabulous work on those
ReplyDeleteGreat work on these landwehr, I didn't like the warlord games plastics but wanted to stay plastic so mine are perry plastic ACW Union troops in sack coats with spare Wargames Atlantic heads! These new Hat figures look really good and the finish is great!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Nice one mate - that Prussian army will be superb once finished!
ReplyDeleteSolid infantry - I like the blue
ReplyDeleteGotta have Landwehr for 1813! Lovely work and the mix of figures works very well. I don’t want to think about hand replacements - there are horror movies based on those!
ReplyDeleteYep, it's all about the hands... Terrific work, Alan. I would have just sold a kidney and gone with the Clape myself, but I admire your persistence and the final results. Well done.
ReplyDeleteLovely work.
ReplyDeleteAh , big Nap units - love em ,
ReplyDeleteGreat looking Prussians Alan!
ReplyDeleteFine work
ReplyDeleteI think they look great massed up like that.
ReplyDeleteGreat unit Alan, admire your dedication in replacing hands
ReplyDeleteGreat work on the workhorses of a Prussian Napoleonic force
ReplyDeleteA fab looking unit, Alan.
ReplyDeleteWonderful work these. The yellow really helps contrast the blue. Well done.
ReplyDelete