WIP- Guard Mameluke band part three

 Guard Mameluke band 

I feel embarrassed to say I have had these guys almost complete for almost a year, grey horses can be a challenge especially if they are for a guard unit that you want to look fabulous! A few days off this last week has allowed me to actually sit down and finish some part completed projects that have been in my project drawers for a long time. 

These guys are finally coming close to completion, they are from the fabulous Gringo 40 range. 

Cheers

Matt 

National Garde du Nantes - Garde d'Honneur de Nantes

 National Garde du Nantes 

I am currently working on my French Revolution and Napoleonic’s this month and I am planning some National Garde units for fighting the Chouan and Vendee royalist rebellions. 

To my surprise I also found a National Garde du Nantes uniform for the 1808 visit of Napoleon and Josephine to the capital of Brittany. The city of Nantes and the region had still not recovered from the counter revolution fighting in the region from 1793 to 1795, and some chouan were still active in Brittany and Maine/Mayenne departments. 

The honor Garde was raised as a volunteer unit, uniforms were paid for partially by the members. It consisted of a two companies of 84 cavalry and two companies of 120 infantry and a band of 26 musicians. The city also presented two standards the unit, the Nantes Garde of honor was commanded by colonel Pitier Deurbroucq, who had lead the defence of the city in the Revolutionary wars.

Cavalry Uniform 

Black bicorne, white plume over an amaranth base, national cockade, gilt twisted braid edging, tassels, and gold buttons. Green Chasseur à Cheval-style coat with pointed lapels, collar, lapels, pointed cuffs, and amaranth turnbacks, gold buttons with an eagle bearing "Garde d'Honneur de Nantes" , gilt braided aiguillettes on the left shoulder, gold trefoils on the right shoulder, gilt hunting horns on the turnbacks. 

Officers wear the aiguillettes on the right and an epaulette of their rank on the left. The bicorne is edged in gold.
Ochre gloves. White waistcoat with three rows of gold buttons. White breeches with gold trefoils and braid. Black boots with gold trim and tassels. Sabre with copper gilt scabbard, gold sword knot, black belt and loops, gilt buckle. 

The officers also have a dress uniform with a coat whose lapels are green piped in amaranth, the rest as above. Undress uniform White cashmere breeches, white stockings, black shoes with gold buckles, small sword.

A hunting-style black leather horse harness with white metal buckles. The halter is trimmed with amaranth cloth, and it includes a black fly whisk, an amaranth surcingle, and a breastplate adorned with an eagle. The shabraque is made of dark green cloth, edged with amaranth cloth, with a gold lace braid running along the edge. It has gilt hunting horns in the corners, no portmanteau was fitted, pistols are holstered under the saddlecloth.

The trumpeters wear a uniform with the colors reversed, as was customary during the early part of the empire. 

Mounted Chasseur Officer 

Flag Finial

The mounted company drapeau

Uniform habit  of a OR

Original officers habit in the Nantes Museum 

Cuff and flap detail 

Turn back detail 

OR habit veste

Napoleonic French légère skirmishers

French Légère skirmishers 

These four skirmisher bases have been part finished I think for 10 years, the command base perhaps longer as I have not painted old glory light infantry since 1997

The were based coated but had not been completed so a tounch up, wash and highlight then based, done in two evenings in between other bits on the desk. 

Elite miniatures

Elite miniatures 

Old Glory Miniatures

Cheers

Matt

French 76th ligne regiment

 French 76th ligne regiment 

I should of posted these two weeks ago, but was too slack to complete the 2 & 3 Porte Aigle pennants and paint the edge of the flag, finally yesterday I needed to clear the painting table for new projects so I competed these along with a unit of cavalry, and 10 skirmisher bases. 

The victrix figures are a poor cousin to the perry figures, the bayonets being quite flimsy, most poses are good though, but again difficult to flesh out a full battalion for general de brigade. I do not think I will buy another box though and will purchase the Perry figures or print some more piano figures. Happy with the paint job though and another addition to the pre 1809 army. This coming month onto more 1813-15 Prussians, 1793-95 Chouans, French guard Mamelukes, French plastic guard infantry 1814 in greatcoats, then some  1813-15 Hanoverians for a big Napoleonic game in October in Brittany. 

Cheers

Matt

Garde imperial Fusilier Chasseurs - WIP part 1

Garde Imperial Fusilier Chasseurs

I am planning additions to my late French army for the 1814 campaign, I have purchased three bags of the victrix imperial Garde packs in great coat, assembled them and have commenced painting this week.I have also purchased six boxes of Piano miniatures figures, so far two boxes assembled. 

I am tossing up if I should do snow on the bases or just leave them in campaign muddy wet conditions. Looking at the historic record we know that it was very cold in January and the first week of February with snow on the ground, it then warmed up after the 14th of February then cold again in March with light snow. 

I am planning to build orders of battle numbers for the battles 

Fusiliers-Grenadiers 2 battalions of 40 = 80 figures + 16 skirmishers 

Fusiliers-Chasseurs 2 battalions of 40 = 80 figures + 16 skirmishers 

Velites de Florence - 36 figures + 6 figures 

Velites de Turin - 36 figures + 6 figures 

Voltigeurs young guard 3 battalions of 40 figures = 120 figs, 32 skirmishers 

Plan to have the first battalion of fusilier Chasseurs completed this weekend. 

Cheers

Matt

Wip -Wednesday

 Wip Wednesday 

Lots on the table this week, Napoleonic French and , bloodbowl Halflings, Aliens, medieval, renaissance and terrain bits. 

Cheers

Matt

French Napoleonic dragoons

 French Napoleonic Dragoons 

First completed pieces off the desk since our return from holidays. French dismounted dragoon skirmishers from the Perry plastic Dragoon box. Quite a simple paint job and done quite quickly. Really happy with the results. 

Cheers

Matt

Chevau-légers lanciers Brigade commander Tomasz Andrzej Łubieński

 Chevau-légers lanciers Tomasz Andrzej Łubieński

I had a few spare command figures over from the warlord boxes, the metal horses need pinning to stand, this one was snapped off at the hooves so I repined and also added a central pin, when basing came around I stuck flock to hide the pin, I think it looks effective. 

Tomasz Andrzej Łubieński 

Tomasz Łubieński (center, mounted on a white horse) fighting Austrian uhlans at the Battle of Wagram , July 6, 1809. Painting by Juliusz Kossak , 1867.

December 1806 the defeat of Prussia by the French, Tomasz Łubieński became second-in-command of the Polish honor guard tasked with welcoming Napoleon upon his entry into Warsaw. After the Battle of Pułtusk (1806) , where he served as the Emperor's messenger, he received the national order of the Legion of Honour .

April 7, 1807 He was assigned as a squadron leader to a newly formed regiment, the Polish Lancers of the Imperial Guard. In mid-June 1807, he commanded the first contingent of 125 light cavalrymen, assembled in Warsaw, which left the city for Königsberg , then Hanover ; from there, joined by a second detachment, his men marched successively to Paris, Chantilly , and finally Bordeaux , where they arrived in November 1807.

With his regiment, Łubieński participated in the Spanish campaign , in particular the Battle of Somosierra , November 30, 1808. At that time, he commanded the 1st squadron of Polish light cavalry of the Guard, the other three being led respectively by Jan Kozietulski , Ferdynand Stokowski , and Henryk Ignacy Kamieński. During this engagement, following the attack of the 3rd Polish squadron against the Spanish positions, Napoleon ordered Łubieński to lead a second charge at the head of his own squadron and a platoon of Guard cavalry. Although hampered in their advance by the aftereffects of the previous charge, Łubieński's cavalrymen reached the summit of the pass where, regrouped by their leader with the remnants of the 3rd squadron , they witnessed the pursuit of the routed enemy army by the last two squadrons of the regiment. Łubieński subsequently sought to be recognized, at the expense of Kozietulski, as the true victor of Somosierra .

At the beginning of 1809, as General John Moore 's British expeditionary force retreated before the French forces in Spain, Łubieński defeated a British squadron with only 29 cavalrymen . His squadron eventually left Spain inJanuary 1809, closely followed by the rest of the Polish light cavalry regiment. On April 5th He received the officer's cross of the Legion of Honour .


During the 1809 campaign against Austria, he participated in the Battle of Essling , May 22, then to that of Wagram on July 6th. To reward his courage, Napoleon made him a Baron of the Empire with a pension of four thousand francs, later increased to 6,000 francs. In 1810, he returned briefly to Warsaw and received the military order of Virtuti Militari . Disagreeing with Wincenty Krasiński, Łubieński submitted his resignation, but it was not accepted. At the beginning of 1811, he was sent to Sedan with the Vistula Legion ( Legia Nadwiślańska ), one of the main Polish Napoleonic legions; he was promoted to colonel and given command of the 8th Regiment of Light Cavalry Lancers .

March 1812 he led his regiment to Berlin , Grudziądz , Wystruć , and Vilnius , while Napoleon assembled the Grande Armée to launch his attack against Russia,  Łubieński's regiment was part of the reserve corps commanded by Marshal Nicolas Charles Oudinot . It participated in the battles of Filipow, Polotsk, Borisov; on the return from Moscow, during the crossing of the Berezina (November 1812), his regiment suffered heavy losses protecting the army's passage. At the end of 1812, Lubienski returned to Warsaw, which was about to be occupied by the Russian army.

In 1813, still at the head of the 8th Lancers , he took part in the German campaign , notably in the battles of Lützen , Bautzen , Dresden and Leipzig. January 19, 1814 colonel commanding the 7th Lancers Regiment with which he charged at Champaubert , Vauchamps and Reims. Promoted to brigadier general on March 15, 1814. He resigned from the French army on June 1st​ following the abdication of Napoleon

Cheers

Matt

WIP Wednesday- Mameluke Band part two

 WIP Wednesday- Mameluke Band part two

The band is fully underway with the horses all base coated along with the band members, I have elected to add sculpted cobblestones to the base so I will paint each band member then sculpt in the base before placing the next one, this May slow the basing process by a few days but I think will give me a very nice table and  display piece for the cabinet. I plan to have these completed by the end of next week. 

Cheers

Matt

8e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers, 3 Sqaudron

 8e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers, 3 Sqaudron 

The third Sqaudron, this time I elected for swords and carbines, again warlord miniatures 

8th regiment ready for battle! 

Cheers

Matt 

8e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers, 2 Sqaudron

 8e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers, 2 Sqaudron 

The second Sqaudron, I elected to portray with lancers also. Again warlord figures 

Cheers

Matt 

8e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers, 1 Sqaudron

8e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers, 1 Sqaudron 

 Off the desk this week are my newest regiment of lancers, the figures are from the warlord range, they are the last French lancer unit I will build with Warlord figures. Overall quite happy with the results. 

Cheers

Matt 

Mameluke band …… part 1

 I purchased the Gringo 40s band from Ged at 2024 Partizan, but only a few figs, I decided while preparing my order for 2025 Partizan to add more band members. I also purchased a full Mameluke Sqaudron to replace my foundry figures. 

I have a number of research pics for references for my upcoming band project, so I thought I would post them before embarking on my painting project. I undercoated the figures yesterday and hopefully will get some paint on them by next week. 

Cheers

Matt