From BobV: Two SYW Brigades [Overdue and Returns] (320 points)

 Hello again all!

As I am sure some of you can sympathize, I have a lot of unpainted lead. My goal for this challenge is to finish off all of my unpainted 18mm Napoleonics. So far I've succeeded in finishing off a couple of brigades and I am within sight of reaching my goal with just a couple of brigades left. However, the monotony of painting only Napoleonics was risking my mojo and I decided that I needed to break out something else to keep my interest up and keep me going. I am aware that one might argue that the similarities between armies only 50 or so years apart are too minuscule to make any difference in interest, but I'll get to that point in a minute.

In addition to my Napoleonic armies, I have a decent collection of unpainted SYW armies. This portion of the collection goes back more than 30 years. My painted figures from this collection are old minifigs that were painted as a newlywed on our then new glass top coffee table (yes I painted at great risk). The remaining unpainted figures have resided in an old dusty box since the late 80's. I believe that qualifies for the Overdue Library Section Bonus. To rejuvenate  my painting spirit, I decided to break them out and see what I could do with them.

Here is the initial now completed batch:  

There are at total of 12 battalions of 15mm Prussians and Austrians. (144 figures). Each side has four battalions of line and two battalions of grenadiers. I am unsure of the manufacturer but I believe that the figures are from Old Glory. I have no recollection of who made the flags.  

SYW has always been one of my favorite eras to to study, paint and game. The era was at the cusp of modern organized armies and thus balances the uniformity of regimental dress and the variety of independent units. I enjoy the wider variety of uniform choices and the flair of colors and lace. It may not seem like it to some, but this set was much more fun to paint than the my last brigade of simple redcoats. 

These figures are based for Tod Kershners's Warfare in the Age of Reason Rules. The rule set has always been one of my favorites. It was a gift from my father. He wasn't a huge fan of my hobby but I did convince him to visit the Emperor's Headquarters in Chicago once when he was on a business trip. He was much more excited about the sausage he found in the Emperor's Polish neighborhood than he was about visiting "some damn hobby shop" but he made the effort and that set of rules remains special to me to this day. Here are some closer photos:

These need a bit more work before I am completely happy with them. The flag edges need painting and some other minor clean up, but for the most part they are ready to go on campaign.

For Points I am claiming the following

144 15mm Infantry @ 2 pts    =                                       288 Points

 Bonus points for Overdue Section of the Library =          20 Points

                                                                                  Total 308 Points

I'll be back again soon with more Napoleonics. Happy Monday.

Sylvain: Lovely stands of figurines! The old esthetics of rows of similarly posed miniatures has its charm. I will add a few points (12) for all the flags waved by your units. I enjoyed reading about your risky business of painting on the new coffee table and the good will of your father who found some kind of compromise between sausages and wargaming. Awesome painting job!