Road to Salamanca

[BP]

This topic has been inspired by Jim's many trips to Perdition, its a brief history of my first foray into Napoleonics. Something I have always wanted to do, but the cost and time and lack of painting ability always held me back. Unfortunately the availability of plastics negated 1 of those and being self employed has negated one of the others by having to work away from home and subsequently having lots of time in the evening. Painting keeps me out of the pubs

There is not a lot I can do about the lack of talent I'm afraid

The first figure I painted had green facings and subsequently he needed a unit/brigade/division. This became the start of the 11th North Devonshire in Hulses Brigade of the 6th Division at Salamanca.

I started painting in January 2010 and by the end of June I had painted 4 battalions and 2 guns/limber and crews. The 2 guns were chosen as initially Black Powder was to be used. Thankfully I discovered R2E, but alas I needed an extra gun. I was then working at home so painting stalled, but started again in December when I painted 2 Portuguese Battalions, and in April 2011 I was again away from home so I have painted the 2 additional battalions of British and recently just finished the 3 battalions of Portuguese and the gun and limber that was outstanding. Some of that needs based though.

The majority of the figures are Victrix, from 2 boxes of center company and 1 box of flank company. Additional Frontrank figures were added to pad out some of the missing figures. Notably the flank companies of the 2nd Regiment, the ensigns in Hindes Brigade and a few of the brigadiers/generals/ADC. The riflemen are Perrys plastics, from a box of Perrys British Line which I havent painted yet. They look like they will be forming part of Pakenhams 3rd Division at Salamanca though. Thanks to Peter McCarroll for the extra kneeling figures for the 61st.

So without further ado

Hulses Brigade - Flags are ones I downloaded and printed off

1/11th North Devonshire


2/53rd Shropshire


1/61st South Gloucestershire


Company 5/60th Royal American


Full Brigade



Hinde's Brigade - Flags are by the Flagdude

2nd Queens Royal


1/32nd Cornwall


1/36th Herefordshire


Full Brigade


Rezende's Brigade and Greene's Artillery will follow once based.

All comments welcome

Cheers
Bill.
PS they do look better from 3 feet away.

[Ed Youngstrom]

They look very good to me at any distance! Good work.

Ed

[Rob Herrick]

What lack of talent?

Now, painting Brits and playing in the Sideshow may show one's lack of taste, but that's a different question!

[18th Century Guy]

These look great to me. I think you're doing a fine job with them. Keep it up.

[toggy]

Look great Bill, just a few hundred more and then we can have a peninsular game at Ludkins.


Bob

[Gerryjd]

Nice work Bill.

Ignore Toggy, we'll just class them as Guards Plus and that'll take care of his Froggies!!!!!

Better get on with mine then!!!

Cheers

Gerry

[toggy]

I thought the Portuguese were classed as guards, so surely Brits must be veteran elite guards with a +2 for priests

[Gerryjd]

I thought the Portuguese were classed as guards, so surely Brits must be veteran elite guards with a +2 for priests

Now if we can just get Barry to "House rule" that !!!!!!!

Cheers

Gerry

[CoffinDodger]

Bill,

Those are tremendous and I can't wait for a Peninsula game to get my Froggies up against them. I am determind to throw better than three ones in a row when trying to charge skirmishers.

I can't compliment you enough on your figures.

Regards,

Jim

[obriendavid]

Don't knock your painting Bill these look great and that's a good sized force you have there but of course the Brits wouldn't have Priests...
they have Ministers which give you a +3 on morale.
Cheers
Dave

[Rob Herrick]

Don't knock your painting Bill these look great and that's a good sized force you have there but of course the Brits wouldn't have Priests...
they have Ministers which give you a +3 on morale.
Cheers
Dave

Of course they can have priests! That's what the Spanish and Portuguese allied contingents are for!

I sense the coming of . . . something unexpected.

[BP]

Thanks for the comments guys. I am probably my own worst critic, but I'm happy with them

Next up is Rezende's Brigade. I believe the Comte De Rezende was one of the few, if not the only Portuguese Brigade commander in a 'British' Division. It was a bit tricky to get numbers for the actual battalions involved. Most sources I found only gave the overall brigade strength at ~ 2600-2700. I then found a source for the annual returns of the Portuguese infantry each 31st of December and used those 2 to guess the strength of the battalions. I went for as much symmetry as possible.

All figures are the Victrix metals and the flags are by the Flagdude.

1st Battalion 8th Infantry


2nd Battalion 8th Infantry


1st Battalion 12th Infantry


2nd Battalion 12th Infantry


9th Cacadores - Lovely figures but painting black on brown had me pulling my hair out. I ended up trying to highlight the black to get some definition going on - Something I almost never do


Full Brigade


The Portuguese Brigade is almost the same strength as the 2 British Brigades in the 6th division. I have modelled most of the British regiments overstrength. Only the 32nd and 61st are correct. The others should be 16-20 figures strong, the 2/53rd being only 321 strong at Salamanca.

Next up is the artillery assigned to Clintons division. Its getting there, but basing must be the worst part of painting the figures

Bill

[CoffinDodger]

Bill,

Hell's teeth, you are motoring through these and will be in Salamanca long before I am anywhere near Perdition. I'm lucky if I get a battalion a month done. I honestly don't know how you can paint so fast and yet still produce such a high standard. The Portugese brigade is excellent.

Jim

[BP]

Thanks Jim,

I cant claim to have painted them all recently though

Only the 2nd battalion of the 8th was completed this weekend. The other part of the regiment was painted but not based and the 12th was painted earlier this year.

I generally paint when away from home, but leave all the basing materials etc at home. Too much to cart about. So I can base figures when I get a chance at the weekends, which isnt often

I've been off since Wednesday lunch time though as my daughter was starting school on Thursday, so could catch up on a lot of the backlog of basing. There was no way I was missing her big day and its good to take some time off and chill out at home. Just back from watching Cowboys v Aliens. Complete bunkum but good fun

I wont be having any ministers or priests though. The theological 'discussions' between the priests and ministers would cripple the morale of the units and paralyse the command structure

We'll just rely on the guard elite cacadores to sort things out.

I doubt I'll have the artillery finished before next weekend though, basing is still drying out and I'm off to Manchester again tomorow.

Currently painting the 1st Portuguese Cavalry. Might get some pictures of them up next weekend.

Bill

[barr7430]

Depending on how many Allies we could raise, the Peninsular IS a possibility for December at Ludkins