From SidneyR: French Hussars from 1688 (120 points)

It's a little embarrassing (...and depressing...) to think that this is only my second contribution to the wonderful Challenge IX.  Alas, my day job has conspired in an unpleasant way against me this time, and my output has been way down on last year's.  Ah well, such is life, dear Challengers... such is life.

Rather than being downhearted, I've tried to press on with the squadron of French "hussars" that I had high hopes of finishing by the end of December 2018!  Ah yes, it's taken a long time to get these Croatian and Hungarian rascals finished!   The figures are 28mm from The Assault Group and Wargames Foundry, with some additional conversions and green-stuff nonsense for added fun.  Bases are from Warbases, and the (possibly excessive tuft-age) is from WSS Models in the UK.

At this point, I'll make a note or two to myself for the next Challenge.  Don't start the Challenge with a difficult unit and every figure wearing a wacky Eastern European-style 'uniform'.  It kind of slows things down.  Something nice and standard like Union infantry, circa 1863, might do the trick next time!  Oh, and never pick up the phone on the 28th December when it's a work call; it's never going to be good news - I think I'll remember that lesson...

So who on earth are these chaps, and did the French really have hussars in 1688?  The truth is, perhaps, stranger than fiction.  The Sun King's army in Flanders in the Nine Years War does appear to have featured a regiment of "Hussars", but these seem (according to David Chandler) to have been little more than Croatian and Hungarian deserters from the army of the Hapsberg Empire.  Led by a dubious faux-nobleman, describing himself as the Baron de Kroneberg, the "Hussars" caused no end of disciplinary problems in the French camp, and amounted to little use in the field.

But the idea of copying the screens of Croatian cavalry which were seen by French forces when fighting Imperial armies was a good one, and from such small beginnings, a legend was born...

These two hussar scouts were meant to have been finished by me, with some other figures, for the first Challenge IX Themed Round of "Reconnaissance".  Clearly these Croatians are not as adept at scouting as their Versailles paymasters might have hoped, turning up very late and in the wrong blog post!  Perhaps, in truth, par for the historical course!

Of course, un-constrained by historical reality, there's every chance to beef-up the French hussar's role on the tabletop.  Here's some nonsense I put together while sitting in the office and not painting over the past three months...

So, in all, 12 figures in 28mm, giving me 120 points for a rather low total for Challenge IX.  Oh well, on the bright side, two more days to finish the rest of my target of 730 points.  Where's that airbrush? ...

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Ah, it's a good day for the Painting Challenge when Mssr. Sidney Roundwood submits an entry for us to enjoy.

Lovely work on these Croat, er, Hungarian, um, 'French' Hussars, Sid. I love the eastern modifications you did to their uniforms to make them distinct from their more urbane compatriots, especially their plumed hats, capes and draped coats. Beautiful!

These stylish ruffians will give you 130 points, with a few more added for your very effective conversions. We look forward to your final gambit before midnight Wednesday's close.