Tuesday 17 January 2017

From BenF - It's highlanders laddie, the Campbells are coming (48 Points)

Well, the weather is still sweltering here just north of Sydney, Australia, but despite the rolling heatwaves I've managed to get some painting done. These are the first of my major project for 2017, American Revolutionary War era British and Patriot forces for Sharp Practice 2. While my force will be designed around the Philadelphia campaign of 1777 (Including the battles of Brandywine, Paoli, White Horse Tavern, and Germantown), my interest in the period was piqued by reading Bernard Cornwell's 'The Fort'. This book is based around the surprising victory at Penobscot Bay and Bagaduce of a tiny British force under Brigadier Francis MacLean in 1777. 

The narrative follows a number of characters, including the young John Moore who commands a scratch skirmish company tasked with defending Fort George and the town of Bagaduce (now Castine, Maine) against Patriot Massachusetts Militia and Continental Marines. The British forces in this battle were drawn from the 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot and the 82nd (Duke of Hamilton's) Regiment - both drawn from Scotland. I wanted to paint up Moore as a Leader for my Sharp Practice force and a couple of units of skirmishing Scots. 

Now, all good historical gamers know the value of research. Moore served in the 82nd, which I discovered was not a 'kilted' Highland regiment, but was instead a lowland regiment equipped as regular British troops. Unfortunately I discovered this only after purchasing some of the lovely Perry and Kings Mountain highland figures. So, these are all painted up NOT as Moore's skirmishers, but instead as men from the 74th Regiment.

So, below we have two officers, one a line company man and one a flank officer with a rifle. In the novel, Brigadier MacLean comments on the prevalence of officers called Campbell in the 74th, so for my SP2 games, these officers have been dubbed Archie and Angus Campbell  (no relation). 


It just wouldn't be right to paint up highlanders without having a crack at a piper, so I decided to do one of them as well. These Perry figures are lovely a sculpts. This was also my first crack at tartan, and I followed Giles Allison of Tarleton's Quarter's excellent tutorial on how to paint government sett, the standard AWI tartan.  

Finally, the chaps who will actually do most of the fighting, six hat company men serving as a skirmish group.  I painted the officer's tunics in a bright scarlet, and the men's in a more faded brick red. Apparently at Breeds Hill, the Patriots aimed for the brighter tunics through the smoke, knowing that only officers would be wearing such fine quality material. I'll be painting up Moore and his skirmishers in the correct lowland uniforms, along with a two groups of 74th hatmen in line formation for good old Angus Campbell to command  in the game.







As I mentioned at the outset, my goal with this challenge has been to speed up my painting without losing too much of the quality. I completed this lot using a basecoat/wash/highlight method, and with the exceptions of the eyes (on some of the figures -the piper particularly) and flesh, I'm very happy with the result. My plan from now on is to paint the faces using my older technique of layering, and then paint everything else using the much faster wash/highlight method. For a glacially slow painter, I'm very happy to have taken this unit from bare metal to finished figure in one week.

For the basing, I went for a rather bleak, Autumnal look, which for me works for the battles around Philadelphia and in New England in 1777 and 1779.

I've actually played a few games of Sharp Practice 2 this past week, using my Peninsular war kit. I've noticed a few odds and sods which my forces could benefit from, so next week's  entry will be a mixed bag of Napoleonic Peninsular Brits, French, and civilians.

Well, that lot should be a couple more points towards my goal. Also, if possible, could these be added as an entry for me to the Sharp Practice side challenge?

Alan and Paul: Coincidentally, I am re-reading Bernard Cornwell's 'The Fort' at the moment. Great book - one of Cornwell's best, in my view. Wonderful work on these challenging figures. I think you have nailed the wash and highlight approach - if you can produce figures of this standard at a pace you are happy with, you are doing very well. Congratulations on the dicing around the cap bands, and great effort on the dreaded tartan. The leaves on the bases are a very nice finishing touch. That's 45 points for the figures, with a couple extra for the tartan.

27 comments:

  1. Oh my stars, these are nice. I've looked at the photos several times and I can't decide which subtleties I like - the shading in the white trousers is just one example. Bonny brushwork! This will definitely be a contender for one of the final prizes, I am sure. Well done, Ben.

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  2. Really nice work. Tartan detail is amazing. cheers

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  3. Great figures with some really nice details

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  4. Those are gorgeous! Well done, Ben!

    Regarding Campbells: We breed like rabbits and so are good as 'food for powder' in Highland regiments. :)

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    1. And they are treacherous murderous bastards who slaughter their hosts in their sleep. Don't forget that GRR Martin based the bad guys in your clan.

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    2. Culloden = botched job.

      MacDonalds = useless whiners

      Martin = washed-up hack.

      To be good is very good, but to be bad is better.

      Coming over to game on Friday? I'm hosting... ;)

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    3. I had family on both sides of the '45, as if Scottish history wasn't complicated enough...

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    4. Nice deflection Campbell. All tru but you're still treacherous murdering bastards.

      Oh yeah, I'm on for Friday (with two bodyguards and a food tester)

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  5. First of all these are effing amazing! I agree with Padre Mike above.

    Secondly you need to stop painting the same range of figures and period as me. You're making my highlanders look very very bad.

    As for Campbell duplicates, there are only so many Scottish names to go around. IIRC there were several (7?) Simon Frasers in the 78th at Quebec in 1759. My in laws are from Cape Breton (possibly more Scottish than Scotland) and talk about Red Angus MacDonald V's Big Angus MacD Vs Little a Angus MacD vs Black Angus MacD etc.
    Lovely, lovely, lovely work.

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  6. Gorgeous work. I'll have to give The Fort a look.

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  7. These are off the chart great

    Ian

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  8. Things of beauty! Well done Ben!

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  9. These are such fantastic work, you have nailed the painting!

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  10. Excellent work on these splendid troops! None of your Jacobite nonsense here, thank you very much!

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  11. Wow, these are just great, I thought they were some more 40mm, lovely work and impressive tartan.
    Best Iain

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  12. Some of the best Scots of this period I have seen painted.

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  13. Great looking stuff! Always lovely to see Scots and their uniforms

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  14. Beautiful work. One of my favorites so far.

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  15. wow, what detailing. Very nice 5 o'clock shadow on the faces, really sets them up.

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  16. fantastic work got to be my favourite entry so far stunning painting on great sculpts

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  17. Fantastic work on some great models. Having painted tartans before, I can easily say you have done a much better job than I have ever managed on such a hard task. Amazing work!

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  18. Fantastic, particularly the detailing. Highlanders are such a faff but oh so worth the effort.

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  19. Absolutely outstanding quality painting!

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