From Kerry T: Men in Buff - ECW Cavalry (240 points)

Morning, afternoon & evening all

I hope you all had a good new year and have a great  hobby year to look forward to.

For the this my third entry and for the first few weeks of this challenge I had planed to try and knock off some English Civil War cavalry. I'm painting both Royalist and Parliamentary forces for the ECW because I'm largely a solo gamer. My main inspiration came from Simon Miller and his blog and a few years ago when I got an unexpected windfall (my annual bet on a golf tournament at my home club) I bought some Empress Miniatures ECW figures with the winnings.

Since then I've added figures, mainly infantry but then you do need  a fair few cavalry I'm told for ECW. In the main infantry regiments are close to 40 figures strong and cavalry around 24figures. My aim is to use For King and Parliament but I'm also intrigued by the prospect of Never Mind The Matchlocks.

This year I sold a  "never would be used" painted Prussian SYW army and have since used the proceeds to buy some ECW cavalry from Empress Miniatures, First Corps, Bicorne Miniatures and lately Bloody Miniatures.

I painted more than 100 horses over the holiday period as I prefer painting these in large batches. Hopefully than means I can produce a new unit in each of the coming few weeks.

Given my last post was Men in Black, I now give you men in Buff - does this mean they are Buffoons?

Bicorne Miniatures Dragoons

Though these Dragoons carry the colours of Sir Henry Washington (Royalist) my intention is really to use my cavalry generically for both sides - call me a Philistine if you like. There used to be a great web based ECW resource that I used for coat colours but sadly it seems to have been lost forever now. If anyone has any web ECW sources they recommend for painting I'd be grateful. Consequently I have no idea if the coats match the flags!

Another Flags of War ensign

Only 12 figures strong at this stage

The second unit are definitely a Royalist unit though -The Kings Lifeguard of Horse. 

The Dragoons show the Lifeguard the way

Again only 12 figures strong and with a mix of sword and pistol

They're no longer down wind of those smelly dragoons

This way to ye old tavern

On the way home from the tavern, lets charge that house

Finally, never ever ride next to an officer, especially if he's been to the tavern

Its not easy to fit 3 Bicorne horse on a 60 x60mm base

so look where the officer's pistol is pointing!

The Lifeguard are also Bicorne Miniatures and will allow me to open myside-duel challenge for         the title Masterchef or Chief can opener. 

Unlike the Dragoons they each wear a cuirass/breastplate over their buff coats and thus I claim 60cans/points and 1 squirrel

No breastplate only a mold line!

Thus in summary

24 Mounted 28mm figures @ 10 points each= 240 points

Best wishes

From Millsy:

Oh my, these are just gorgeous Kerry! I've been hearing about these on our regular chats and it has certainly whetted my appetite to see them completed. The wait has more than been worth it too.

What a wonderful collection of mounted troops and representing the rightful King as well. It's great to see a Royalist lifeguard unit, and also one of the lesser known in Washington's Dragoons. I can almost hear the thunder of hooves as they charge and rout the rebels before following them off the field.

Let me also compliment you again on both your table setup and your photography. Both are superb and prove the perfect backdrop.

240 well earned points mate!

Cheers,
Millsy

From KerryT - "There be dragons...." or P is for Parliament (250 points and Squirrel 6)

 There be Dragons down by the river...

Nobody was quite sure how it all happened that day in the village of Overbythere.  The village alderman was certainly red faced when the true story emerged. The villagers had just grabbed what they could and ran for their lives - they were after all and uneducated and superstitious, who could blame them.

It all started when little Johnny Bumpkin came tearing over the bridge, running full pelt and so out of breath screaming for all he was worth "Quick there be Dragons, there be dragons coming down the road by the river"

There are of course a number of possible explanations, he was uneducated after all, his speech impediment didn't help and neither did the fact that the first person to hear his cry of alarm, his deaf old Nan who kept shouting out loud the bad news for all to hear. So the whole village just ran, and ran and ran....

Dragons? Can you blame them? Why Dragons, they be dangerous and are mystical and all....

Hold on to those damn horses called Colonel James Wardlowe to the men of his regiment of Dragoons.

He was expecting to be collect provisions here having agreed this beforehand, but why was the village  deserted?....... hopefully the villagers had not been chased off by those damned Royalist infantry and his stores plundered? Surely not

Dig those heel in, whoa..

These are of course Dragoons and not Dragons but hell its a different way to start a post other than with my usual  "Good Morning, Afternoon & Evening all"

These are my P is for Parliament entry and this is the first unit in my Parliamentarian Army - Colonel James Wardlowe's Dragoons, ECW figures by Bicorne Miniatures

Unfortunately I left it a bit late to order the guidons and am also 3 mounted dragoons short, but then again that will give me an excuse to buy more!

Bicorne Miniatures really are nice to paint with good raised detail and I like the variation of poses provided in the dismounted dragoon offerings

There is one dead figure from First Corps in this unit

A bit closer, they'd look better with a guidon 

 

Here's the customary horse's arse

This now gives me my 6th Squirrel and means I'm now half way through my 12 Ps.

By my calculations that's 20 foot figures at 5 points, 14 Mounted @ 10 points and 1 spare horse totalling 245 points though I expect to be severely admonished and fined 240 of those points for an awful pun or play on words! 

_____________________________________

Perhaps an awful play on words, Kerry, but the eye-candy more than makes up for it. They really do look superb, especially when featured amongst your lovely terrain. I particularly like the horse-holder stands with the skittish horses - wonderful little vignettes, those (for which I've added a few more points). More please. :)

- Curt

From AlexK: More peninsular war goodies (145 points)

So its final push time, time to tie up the loose ends and get the final points to finish without the horrible feeling of failure hanging over me for the next nine months (too dramatic!??). Now I have quite a gap between posts, but for once this doesn't mean I haven't been painting rather that due to scenario specific terrain items, I've been scratch building terrain and sticking my fingers to everything in sight whilst doing so. Now I should have another post later in the week with those terrain pieces, but I come before you with what was my main aim for this challenge in this post and that's a whole bunch of British Peninsular Napoleonic's.

So first up we have 8 Light Dragoons and wow!, were these time consuming. They are 28mm Perry's plastic and are really nice, well sculpted and now they are finished I won't be painting anymore anytime soon. The problem stems from the  fact that every time you think your done, you notice that they've sculpted another little detail on and you need to go round and paint it. There were 3 separate occasions when I thought I was done, first I forgot to finish the carbines (so my fault really), secondly I had to go back and do the regimental piping on the the saddle roll and then finally I had to go round putting the metal studs on the Tarleton (best hat ever), but now they're are done I really like them and I'm pretty sure they're going to be my favourite unit.

Secondly I have a level 1 leader, which is just the sergeant from the line infantry box, but after the cavalry he was a welcome distraction.

Finally from the Napoleonic's side we have another 8 more line infantry again from Perry's, these will give me a good solid base for my 'Sharp's Practice' force. I might possibly get another 8 done before the close of play, but I'm not holding my breath.

Talking of scenario specific painting my final piece for this post is a 0.30 cal machine gun team with a couple of extra crew. The terrain and troops are for playing through the TooFatLardies Pint Size Campaign "Let's go 29". The standard U.S platoon is a bit light on fire power so a 0.30 cal should add a bit of beef to the line up.....hopefully.

Points wise I think it is,

8 x 10 for the Dragoons = 80

11 x 5 for the line infantry, sergeant and 2 U.S troops = 55

1 x 10 for the 0.30 cal = 10

so a 145 all told.

From DaveD - phew its been a day of days in the day job!  Nice job Alex - i do like to see the cavalry with fancy hats!