What I Found Down That Rabbit Hole

 

two weeks of steady work and the Regular and Reserve regiments are finished and ready for flocking

 

       I have always been the sort to get swept up in the enthusiasm for a bright shiny new project, particularly if it involves a bunch of friends and a favorite historical period. So, when it happened that some of the guys at Bastion Gaming Center began building armies of 28mm Napoleonic  soldiers I was all in. I already had the figures from buying boxes to review for the blog and I found that my painting mojo had returned after finishing the Victrix Hoplites; it was off to the races. In just two weeks I found myself flocking bases. Honestly it was very satisfying to get a project under way in such a short period of time (there ARE advantages to being retired!). 

 

          Everyone is working with the idea that the units we are building are suitable for 1812-13. I have Prussians, Rich has the Brits while Eric is working on the French infantry and Joe has the French cavalry in hand, The Housemartin has the Bavarians in progress and even 

Trunkmonkey is making noises about building a Russian force. This is shaping up to provide some real fun.

             But back to me and my Herculean efforts. Even with spending three hours a day hunched over the workbench I keep looking at the minis and thinking "Maybe some highlights" and "I really should paint all those buttons". It is what I call the Matching The Sculptor Syndrome; the urge to try to paint every detail that you can find on the figure. Never mind that the sculptor was working on a model three times as large as the miniature you are holding and not trying to paint hundreds of them. At those times I take a deep breath and remember the wise words of a very dear friend and mentor, Walt Keener, "Hold it out at arm's length and look at it that way. You are wargaming, you should never get any closer than that" This helps me stay focused. 

 

the Regular Line infantry come from the Perry Brothers plastic range

 

included in the box are  Jager troops as well as line

 

 

the Reserve infantry come from the ever-growing range of Wargames Atlantic figures

 

 

laid out in battle line they look like they go on forever

 

the troops laid out in battle array; Jagers to the front with the Regulars forming the hard core of the combat infantry, behind them the Reserves are deployed in column ready to exploit any opportunity or reinforce any weak spot, the Landwher will form behind the Reserves once I get them finished

 

a different view of the same formation

 

yet again another view of the troops

 

and a couple of random officers that I found in my spares bin leading the whole formation