So after all these years I'm finally going to take the plunge and paint historically reasonable Nappies, namely Austrians. As I still have over 300 unpainted figures, the scale will be 1/72 and the rules most likely Lasalle. I was surprised to see that Lasalle is not card-driven while the later Honour games are. Of course the Kaiser's enemies will also be painted.
I'm going to use 24-men infantry and 8-men cavalry units on 5x4cm bases. The cavalry will most likely be based per horse as I have some French dragoons whom are done that way. The infantry per unit ratio is unusually large for me, playing and painting 12-men ones. Luckily most sets have six figures of each pose, so combining two sets or even four poses from the same set will not cause much trouble.
The figures I have are the helmeted Italeri ones plus some Landwehr which can cause a little stir but I will just overlook it as I don't want to sculpt hundreds of shakos and the HäT sets are currently out of reach.
The infantry needs a bit of converting work, but it's mostly just trimming or sculpting back the helmet crests that were accidentally cut off.
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| Test fitting a 24 (23, actually)-men unit on plasticard bases |
For cavalry, I'm going to use a multitude of sets:
Zvezda Saxons for cuirassiers with Italeri infantry heads and minor conversion work on the vests;
Italeri Prussian dragoon bodies with helmeted head swaps for chevauxlegers/dragoons and some tinkering with the horse furniture. It's also possible that I will mix up the figures and horses from the Zvezda and Italeri sets.
Zvezda Russian hussars for the Hungarians' favourite.
I would do uhlans too but this is already too many!
I would do uhlans too but this is already too many!
I'm quite unsure about artillery, without alternatives I'm just going to use the HäT set. I have conflicting experiences with HäT figures, but they make many sets that others don't.
All I need now is someone to paint the French or do my exams instead of me so I could paint them.
To be honest, a group of Frenchmen are painted for South America and so are some Austrians, only basing is a problem. Until I have forces of playable size, there's still the opportunity to play SDS with the individually based dudes.
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| This is 70 Austrian figures in the process of being painted. |
I can produce 2x fusilier and 1x grenadier units by combining two Italeri sets, as it turns out. And only one pose is absolutely useless (man running with one foot on the ground), and this one will either be butchered (for cavalry heads) or converted to a standard bearer (as can be seen above).
Also, if you remember my rant from March about my appliance for scholarship failing, good news: I have appealed the decision and the committee judged in my favor and nullified the first decision, so now I've got to run another round with papers and then hopefully I'll receive the sum.
Also, if you remember my rant from March about my appliance for scholarship failing, good news: I have appealed the decision and the committee judged in my favor and nullified the first decision, so now I've got to run another round with papers and then hopefully I'll receive the sum.
For some reason - don't ask me why - I have a particular fondness for Austrian armies (30YW Imperialist, my Army of Trockenbeeren-Auslese is clearly 'Austrian' in origin, and I use Napoleonic Austriansas my main enemy of the French - and my War of the Spanish Succession Army will also be painted up as Imperialist...).
ReplyDeleteMost of my Napoleonic Austrians have the helmet, in my view an elegant piece of headwear. Acquiring a couple of shako-wearing units, I made them into Hungarians (2nd and 33rd Infantry). The bearskin chappies thet came with them became the Hahn (Hungarian) Grenadiers.
Most of my Austrian army comprise metal figures (mostly Minifigs, but some Warrior and Hinton-Hunt clones), but there are a couple of plastic HaT Grenze units, and an Italieri (French) Hussar unit painted up as my favorite - everyone's favorite - Hussar unit, the Hessen-Homberg.
I do like the Italieri figures Napoleonics for the most part - a good size and, by and large - nice, well cast and posed figures. I particularly like the French carabiniers, which I think could be done up as Austrian cuirassiers and even dragoons.
The Austrian army has an interesting place in Europe's history, with an often less than stellar performance, but somehow always managing to stand up again. I have started this project quite on a whim, but as with my 17th century one(s), I plan on the long term.
DeleteUs Hungarians have a special relationship with the King/Emperor, something I did not consider, but I'd like to paint up some Hungarian units of course. I have family ties to the later K.u.K. army, as one of my ancestors was part of Emperor Franz Joseph's guard, and another one a Hussar officer in WW1. It would be interesting to reach further back in history on the family tree (the furthest we went back was this particular great-great-grandfather in the 1860s) and see, for example, the participation in the earlier wars.
I have hesitated a lot between a box of carabiniers and the Zvezda cuirassiers, but in the end bought the latter. I also consider making a Hungarian Hussar group out of Alban figures for skirmish gaming.
I agree, we Hungarians have an interesting relation with our past as a part of the Empire. I have an Austrian army plan as well, in 28mm, have two boxes of plastic one from Victrix and one from the Perrys. I prefer the Shako as a headgear, because I want to use the figures for the Independence war (1848-49) as well.
ReplyDeleteSo looking forward to see your project, as an inspiration to do mine. :)
Well I have a great vow to start any new period in 6mm only... I was considering '48-49 with Baccus figures at one point.
DeleteBest way or in 15mm. Just not for me I already have 300+ figures in 28mm, so it is to late for me.
ReplyDeleteThe same thing with me and 1/72 Nappies :) I personally don't like 15mm very much, but it's probably only because I've started with 1/72s.
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