A Growing Menace

Just finished basing the latest French infantry regiment: Orleans.

Figures painted by James Brewerton, flags by Mark Allen.

 The French force is growing, and the good folk of Pils Holstein are getting nervous...

Time for Pils Holstein to call upon some allies... 

Is help on the way?

Grenadiers de France

Just a few snaps of my latest unit...
The Grenadiers de France. Painted by Mark Allen, with flags by Mark too.

This past week I have got on with basing these, and took these snaps on my iPad to record progress - I posted a full tutorial/ description of the process on John Ray's AMG forum and it garnered much interest, so I thought it worth a couple of pics here, as I know it's such a hot topic for wargamers everywhere!

The key for this style of basing is it's simplicity and "un-fussiness." It is reminiscent of the style pioneered by Peter Gilder, and is of course my version of the basing presented by John Ray. As well as the simplicity, it's also very robust and doesn't detract from the figures at all. Each to their own, but it's definitely working for me, for this project.

With James Brewerton having completed painting the next unit on the French roster (they are due to arrive this coming week), I'm glad I have got up to date with my basing backlog!

I'm mindful that I haven't yet presented the promised battle report from the Altenkirchen game played recently, but it's not forgotten (I'll do it when I get chance!), but thanks to all who regularly pop by this blog, and thank you for your continued interest and comments.
Cheers for now...

Tricorne Banging!

A new craze in Pils Holstein - Tricorne banging.
Gotta watch this, it's awesome!

http://youtu.be/uT3SBzmDxGk

Will it catch on do you think?
Pils-Holstein's got talent!!
More wargame related stuff soon.

Action at Altenkirchen

A recent game set up:

- the scene from behind the French lines.

Forces involved:

Pils-Holstein 
Commanded by Prinz Albrecht of Pils-Holstein
Second in command: Brigadier Maximillian von Bruch.
Infantry
1. Pils Holstein Leibgarde (30 figs)
2. Kronprinz Grenadiers (30 figs)
Light Infantry
1. Kurtz Jagers (14 figs)
Cavalry
1. Kronenbrau Kuirassiere Regt (20 figs)
2. Transvladak Uhlanen (10 figs)
Artillery
2 Light Guns.

French
Commanded by Marshall Saxe
Second in Command: The Marquis of Genitalia
Infantry
1. Picardie Regt (30 figs)
2. Diesbach Regt (30 figs)
Light Infantry
1. Arquebusiers de Grassin (28 figs)
Cavalry
1. Edelweiss Hussars (20 figs)
2. Nassau Saarbruchen Volunteer Hussars (10 figs)
Artillery
2 Light Guns.

Will report on the action when I get a moment!

A Small French Force

Having shown the progress of the Pils Holstein forces previously, here are the French forces to date...

Left to Right: Arquebusiers de Grassin; Picardie Regt supported by Diesbach Regt. and flanked by 2 light guns; Edelweiss Hussars supported by a squadron of Nassau Saarbruchen Volunteer Hussars.

Below: French Infantry Brigadier: The Marquis de Genitalia. Converted figure. Painted by Mark Allen.

This weekend saw the first small action, played out between the French force shown and The Pils Holstein contingent depicted a couple of posts ago. A thoroughly enjoyable encounter and a chance to test out rules.

Report, maps and photo dossier being compiled as we speak.

French Infantry Regiment Picardie

Despite the disappointment of the Rugby result at the weekend, it's time I showed the first of the completed French infantry battalions.

The Picardie Regiment.

Painted by James Brewerton, flags by Mark Allen, and basing by myself.
Sadly, not a great photo... doesn't do James' painting full justice.

More French figures are on the basing conveyor belt and when complete will allow a small action to take place. And even more have been added to the painting production line. The invasion force is starting to build!

Inspiration

OK, I'm biased. As you know if you've been a regular visitor to the blog, John Ray is a good friend of mine, so let me declare that up front, for the topic of inspiration is John's book, A Military Gentleman.

With the book having been available for a while, I thought it only appropriate to now give you my first impressions, and to impress upon those who are fans of the horse & musket period (and the 18th century in particular), that this really is a tome worth investing in.

So, with my allegiance fully declared, here goes:

Wow!
You know, there are those pieces of inspiration, whether they be books, artwork, films, in fact anything that stirs the hobby juices, that come along once in a while and really make an impact. This book is one of those. It's jam-packed with John's extra-ordinary and unique collection. It's got a style of presentation that is so professional and beautifully executed. The attendant artwork is superb, and the text itself is something of great interest and difference that it will hold attention throughout.

John's collection is simply stunning, and the combination of massed ranks of marching infantrymen interspersed with vignettes that capture the period so delightfully, is quite marvellous. In fact, it's that combination that really hits the sweet spot for me.

The collection itself is vast… with big battalions in that inimitable pose that John Ray has sculpted. And the vastness is matched by the consistently high quality of the paintwork, the simple and effective basing style, and the wonderful array of flags.

The extra-ordinary buildings (the large town scenes are breath-taking) have a believability that is often absent in model collections, and this can be said of the ships, wagons, coaches and other attendant paraphernalia… all of which has an authentic style that takes you right into John's miniature world.

The photography is first class and with the highest production values in terms of paper quality, John's massive collection is seen in full glory.

The addition of Brian Rigelsford's charming pen and ink sketches throughout the book is a lovely touch and adds to the overall elegance of the work. Then there's some of Bob Marion's work too, and again the colour and style of the plates compliments the book beautifully.

The text itself is a story, which is a neat idea, and allows John to showcase the collection superbly. Many of the vignettes and individual figures were created purely for the story too.

This book isn't so much a wargaming book as it is a work of art. It's a reflection of John's passion for, and focus upon, a very specific period. The collector and connoisseur in you will love it…

see the link to John's blog on the right hand side of this page for more details…

Next time I'll give some more progress on my own collection.
Until then, that's all for now…