French Napoleonic 2nd Swiss, 1815.

 The last couple of weeks, I have been mostly painting Perry plastic French Napoleonics to create the 2nd Swiss for the Hundred Days. It felt like a hundred days painting these! The flag, I think, is from GMB Designs.

Perry plastic Napoleonic Prussian Infantry.

 Not my usual territory. Sticking religiously to the Perry painting guide as I don't have much on the bookshelf for this period. 

A Big Sudan Project. Part 4.

 The transport for the battery of two 37mm Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon. The horse teams and drivers come from the Perry Miniatures' Victoria's Little Wars range, and I utilise the two Gattling Gun Limbers that comprise the set. The limber with caisson comes from the 1st Corps Mexican-American War range. There has been no conversion work in any of this, just a suitable palette for French Colonial Artillery.

 

A Big Sudan Project. Part 3.

 Bimbling on with the French in the Sudan 1880s project. Postie delivered some Perry AZW Gattling gun packs this week. These were the choice for the crews for the 37mm Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon from ActualSize Miniatures. Sadly, the officer figure from the pack did not fit behind the larger Hotchkiss gun. As a result, both Hotchkiss will be crewed with three figures. The figure from the pack that carries ammunition for a Gatling has undergone some conversion work, replacing the Gatling ammunition with a wooden box (moulded with greenstuff). This appears more suitable given the size of the rounds fired by the Hotchkiss. I decided to go with a slightly later uniform colour scheme for these Colonial Artillery figures. The khaki coat is more 1890s than 18880s, but once again, this adds a little more visual interest. I also painted up the first three of twelve Perry French Chasseur d'Afrique from their Franco-Prussian War range. They will certainly "pop" on the table top. The limber team for the first Hotchkiss is already on the painting table. 

Vive L' Empereur!

 Aly asked if I would paint some Napoleonic figures for him. I suddenly felt queasy, and I began to tremble. "Don't worry, not Hussars," he said, "in fact lots of greatcoats." So I accepted his commission and a couple of weeks later, these figures arrived in the mail.  Aly has converted these Perry Plastic figures. It was a joy to paint something that is original! I give you the 1st Battalion of the Chasseurs of the Guard. Flag by GMB Designs.

 

A Big Sudan Project. Part 1.

 So.... last week, our Glorious Leader outlined his plans for a new Sudan campaign to take place in a year. The scenario would involve the French in the 1880s, some years before the Fashoda incident in 1898. French troops, suitable for the 1880s, would be needed. The plan is also to have any French troops on the table to fit in with rest of the Glorious Leader's Sudan collection that is almost exclusively from Perry Miniatures. Gringo's 40 Tonkin range was spot on for the date, but the figures are simply too big to sit comfortably next to Perry sculpts. 

Something that will match and REPRESENT French troops of the era will be required. The brief here is to have some figures that LOOK LIKE French troops from the era, rather than historical accuracy.

Looking at the figure on the right of the above illustration of French Marines of the period, we have a figure in gaiters, a haversack, two pouches on the belt, a plain frock coat and a sun helmet. Essentially a Perry Miniatures plastic Zulu War British infantryman. I have a number of these left over from a previous project, as well as some Perry Plastic 1880s Tommies. Time to mix and match and do some very minor conversion work. Here we have the first company of "marsouins" destined to deal with the Mahdists and no doubt challenge British control in the region. 

The rifle is a Martini Henry rather than the French Gras 1874 bolt-action weapon, but we can live with that. Some press moulded greenstuff provided something to replace the waterbottle and give a small pouch at the centre back of the waist-belt. For the most part here, the arms come from the Perry 1880s Infantry box. If Zulu War arms have been used, the cuff detail has been removed with a scalpel. Everything else is in the choice of paints. More porpoise will follow, and in the fullness of time, French Foreign Legion, Algerian Tirailleurs and some Chasseurs d'Afrique, after all, I have a year to work on this.