Having not painted as much as normal while still trying to paint for other people has put all of my projects on the backburner for the last couple of months, so it was nice to finally finish a small unit of Gallic slingers for Eagle Rampant.
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| Should have put the guy with the tartan in the front... |
They are mostly painted in two shades as opposed to three tone, and I guess it is noticeable, but I just really wanted to get them completed. On reflection, I might go back and highlight a couple of areas, but I can't imagine any complicated shield designs happening on their bucklers.
So with that unit complete I thought I'd treat myself and paint something else completely different. My eyes fell on my test unit of Paraguayan 15mm, which are all based and undercoated ready for painting. I picked them up and studied them, thinking about what colours I was going to need - some of them are wearing full uniform and others just have a kilt - and then put them back down. For the first time ever it felt like painting these little fellows was going to be too hard. I've been painting a lot of 28mm recently, and have enjoyed them, but I've also painted a lot of 15mm in the past and never had a problem. I'm not too sure what this painter's block is about, but it made me reconsider my next subject.
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| There's a fairly decent size differential there. Is that why I couldn't face painting them? |
Instead of tiny Paraguayans, I pulled out a unit of Ebor Miniatures 28mm British from the War of Spanish Succession and put the base coat of red on them. This is the only unit of WSS infantry I have, but for a couple of days now I have been contemplating finally doing the WSS in 28mm. It has been my dream project, but for some reason I've never been able to kick it off, always getting distracted by this and that. No more. I ordered another unit last night, of French infantry this time. The plan is not to buy a new unit until I have the other one either painted or in the process of being painted. Then, hopefully it won't seem too overwhelming. One issue I have with this, though, is that the New Zealand peso is taking another dive. Two weeks ago it was two for one with the pound. Now it is 2.5:1. Good for the farmers, they say. Sorry, but I don't give a crap - it is seriously hindering the amount of lead I can accumulate. I hope the dollar bounces back soon - it has had a good couple of years being pretty steady at 50% of the pound, and it would be very annoying if I had to try and put together this project in the bad old days of three dollars to the pound.
In other news, I've made the decision to get the last of the big five for WWI. Austro-Hungarians will round out my armies so that I will have 1914 forces for them and for France, Germany, Britain, and Russia. These 15mm figures don't seem a trial to paint at all, maybe because they are quite large? Or is it the subject matter?
Nate
Nicely done they turned out well. I always like the look of slinger units I think its the more dynamic poses you don't normally get with say archers or crossbowmen.
ReplyDeleteThanks Simon. Good point, there are only a couple of ways to fire a bow/crossbow.
DeleteVery good looking sextet of Celtic slingers.
ReplyDeleteAll of your projects sound interesting to me and I welcome following progress on any one of them.
Thanks Jonathan. At present I'm just painting things with no rhyme or reason, hoping that at some point in the near future I'll have some finished projects! Not the way I've operated in the past, but it just seems to be working out that way.
DeleteI couldn't agree more about the exchange rate. I hope it stabilises, but at 0.44 it is still pretty good. My worst memory is when it stood at 0.27, or nearly 4:1.
ReplyDeleteGoing off subject for a moment, what references are you using for your Great Northern War? I am really keen on this period since visiting Stockholm, but I am lacking information on unit mixes. For example I can't find any information on the ratio of pike to musket in either the Swedish or Russian armies.
The rate did get pretty low at one point - I hope we don't see those days return.
DeleteIn Konstam's Poltava he states that the Swedes were one third pike armed and then contradicts himself by stating that the Russians had 1 pikeman to 4 musketeers like the Swedes. I'm pretty sure that in Englund's book he states that the number of pikemen per regiment had decreased by Poltava, but I can't remember exactly where he says that - or even if I imagined it. I'll have a quick flick through. I honestly think that the mix is up to you - it would have varied and not been terribly consistent.
As for uniforms, I'm using tacitus http://www.tacitus.nu/gnw/battles/Lesnaya/swedes.htm
which is an excellent source.
Thanks Nate,
DeleteThe GNW project is low on the priority list, but I suspect I will not be able to resist getting some figures late this year. I have yet to decide which manufacturer to use. It will have to be 28mm and I would like it to be Ebor, but he has not released this Swedes yet. Footsore are interesting, but the range is limited.
Hi Mark
DeleteReading Englund's book he states that at Poltava a third of the infantry had pikes - each company of 150 soldiers had 50 pikemen which deployed in the centre of that company, which is interesting. He also states that the pikes were used to form the whole of the third rank during the advance against the redoubts. It sounds like they were quite tactically flexible, but 1:3 seems to be the ratio.
Thanks Nate. That is very useful
DeleteThese slingers are amazing, excellent job!
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil.
DeleteLovely work on the slingers Nate! I have a few to do at some point. Seems along way off at present!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree about the exchange rate, stuff the farmers!!
Thanks Rodger. Everything seems a long way off at the moment! Just have to keep plodding along and we'll get there - while continuing to add to the lead pile so that we never do.
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