Saturday 14 February 2015

From Curt - 28mm Napoleonic Spanish Guerrillas (75 Points)


Cripes, I started these figures in December at the start of the Challenge and have been slowly nudging them along in fits and starts. It’s funny; I find that when I’m not following a common uniform ‘template’ it can take me forever to come up with the goods. I’ll hum and haw over how to paint every item of clothing, every strap, every hat, almost paralyzing myself with indecision. It’s really quite silly. I know I could have probably done-up the majority of these figures in simple browns, greens and blacks, but that seemed pretty uninteresting and a bit of a cop out for such fine figures. So I painfully plodded through them, model-by-model, and I’m happy to see them completed and off my desk. 


These fifteen 28mm castings are from Brigade Games. Most are listed as ‘Napoleonic Guerrilla’ figures, but a few are actually Napoleonic naval crew, nonetheless, I found they blended together quite nicely. By the looks of them I would say that Paul Hicks was the sculptor, but I’m not sure on this. No matter, they are excellent models – they required little in the way of preparation and were a real joy to paint. 


From my understanding many of these guerrilla units were composed of Spaniards from all walks of life so I decided to paint them in a motley assortment of civilian garb and re-purposed bits of uniform, both Spanish and French. (And, yes, you have to have a fierce priest and armed monk with any Spanish guerrilla unit.)


I stuck to my standard method of basing for these. For ease of identification the force commander is based on a hex base, while the lower level leaders are on squares and the troops are on rounds. 


The roadside shrine below is from Grand Manner. It’s quite a nice hunk of resin I think. I often find a small characterful piece of terrain can speak volumes to a setting than a bunch of nondescript models. When I put this on the tabletop it immediately says to me, ‘We’re in the Iberian Peninsula. Genuflect, put on your wide-brimmed hat and enjoy some hot chocolate and churros.'


I picked up this shrine along with a few other pieces from Grand Manner this past Christmas during a promotion. It was the only way I could rationalize getting them, as with shipping they’re quite expensive. Nonetheless, while some of their range has been around for quite awhile, I still find Grand Manner offers some of the best terrain available, so it's nice to be able to treat oneself from time to time. 


Next up for this little project will be some dismounted French dragoons for these Guerrillas to tangle with…

49 comments:

  1. These are great Curt! They looked terrific in person last night too!
    Cheers
    Pd

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    1. Thanks Pete, with a bit of luck (and inspiration) we can get a game in with them this spring.

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  2. Wonderful painting work, Curt. They are a really colorful bunch!

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  3. Great paintjob to complement the lovely sculpts! A very characterful bunch. They do seem quite a bit like Paul Hicks' handywork

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    1. Thank you Samuli - I think you're right in that they are probably Hick's sculpts. they have that thinness in the facial features and the muskets are similar to others I've seen from him.

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  4. Excellent work - I really like the armed monk!

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    1. Ha, to much of the Sacrament wine giving him courage!

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    2. He's my favourite as well!

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  5. Beautiful painting Curt. :)

    I know what you mean about indecision around painting irregulars like these - painting up all those gangsters last year I had the same issues.

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    1. Thanks Tamsin. Yes, gangsters are fun but they require the same amount of thought regarding colour choice. Thankfully their suits/hats often look best matching so once you make a decision the rest goes relatively quickly.

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  6. Aha, I grabbed the very same shrine from the GM sale for quite the same reason - a small piece that really evokes the region. And I've that Brigade lady-guerrilla laying about too!

    Really fine painting on these, I like the dashes of colour.

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    1. Ha! Yes, it is a nice little piece. I'd love to have GM's entire Spanish range but I'm afraid that would be prohibitive so I have to be judicious in what I choose. I have one more building coming up in this series so stay tuned for that, if you're interested.

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  7. Terrific painting, you've really sold these Brigade models.

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    1. Thanks James! Brigade does have a very enviable range of models to choose from.

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  8. Another brilliant entry. If i was the French and stay at home

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    1. Thanks Martin! Doubtless many French felt very much the same...

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  9. That shrine really does set those figures off. Beautifully painted Curt!

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  10. Fantastic painting Curt, can't wait to see the French.

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  11. Great looking mini's Curt, well worth the extra time that you took to decide on the colours

    Ian

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    1. Thanks Ian, it was a bit of a grind to be sure but worth it in the end.

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  12. Great painting and lovely figures, I will look forward to the dismounted dragoons.

    John

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    1. Thanks John. I have to keep the steam up on these so I can get some games of 'Drums and Shakos' in.

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  13. Wonderful work they should be fun troops to play.

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    1. Thanks Adam! Yes, I hope the guys like them once the collection is done.

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  14. Nicely done!
    The basing is also great !

    I'll see you on the hills of Somosierra ;-)

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    1. Thanks Gilles! The Somosierra campaign was not a good time for the Spanish - maybe Vitoria instead? ;P

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  15. They look every bit the part! The Peninsular War is my fav time of Napoleonics. The British in fighting retreat, irregulars, and Spanish Remnants that wouldn't quit!

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    1. My sentiments exactly David. A very colourful period with lots of participants, terrain and sizes of battles.

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  16. Great looking group of guerrillas; cool looking little shrine too

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  17. They are fabulous. I am sure we all feel the same about making colour choices for irregular troops. Hats off to you sir.

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    1. Cheers Clint! Yeah, I'm sure many painters can sympathize with having to paint irregulars. They look great once completed but getting there can be a bit of a chore.

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  18. Outstanding work my friend! You've worked your magic once again. Their boss in his green uniform and strange hat is my particular favourite.

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    1. Thank Nick, very kind of you to say. Yes, their 'capitan' looks the part with his top-hat embazoned with skull & crossbones. The green is perhaps a bit vibrant, but he will stand out on the tabletop!

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  19. A grand job Curt. Great choice of terrain piece too.

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    1. Cheers Mark, I'm glad the extra work seems to have paid off somewhat..

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  21. Really, really nice. I too can appreciate the indecision of colours to use when painting. It seems odd but it can slow the flow. cheers

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    1. Yes, these guys almost brought me to a standstill - I thought I'd never get them done! I had to move onto other things to keep my mojo going.

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  22. Definitely feeling your pain in terms of painting "irregular" uniforms. It took me forever to finish my first Malifaux crew because they were all different. Congrats on pushing through. Obviously, it was worth the effort--so much character!

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    1. Thanks David. They were a grind but the extra time spent seems to have benefited them. I'll tell you though, I'm not looking forward to the next batch of these!

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  23. Now if you weren't the master of background tales already you would be now: these figures practically tell the story themselves, love the scenics you've included there. The whole ensemble is just so well thought out I am seeing green and yellow of envy right here!

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    1. Thanks very much for your kind words Sander, I'm delighted you like them.

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  24. Excellent work on these Curt! I really like the road shrine and the company who makes it which is still grade A top shelf terrain.

    Christopher

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