Saturday 23 January 2021

Five points of Prussians!

Between Monday to Friday this last week I managed to paint 50 more Prussians, a 10 figure infantry base per day, good going even for me! With the base featured a week ago this now makes up 5 points towards the 1813 DBN army, 1 point each for the line infantry and 1/2 point each for the Landwehr bases. 

I think this output was fuelled by events of last Sunday when I had reason to drive into Maidstone from Rochester to drop off some essential baby supplies to my youngest daughter (Daisy's Mum) for whom we are their support bubble (child under 1 year). It's only a 15 minute drive but to say that I was staggered by the amount of traffic on the roads and the numbers of people walking about is an understatement. It certainly did not feel like the middle of a lockdown, far from it, and as one who has worked really hard at sticking to the covid rules since this pandemic began it really shocked me. In Maidstone I saw a group of at least a dozen older teenagers sitting on a wall with cans of beer just around the corner from the Police Station. When I got back home I felt somewhat depressed, and decided to do what I always do when feeling like that, paint it out of my system. So I set myself a goal for the week ahead of 50 figures in five days.

The figures are all AB's painted at some speed in my tried and tested method. I have included details of the painting method below and a shot of the limited (wet) palette used. I tried to lighten the Litewkas of the Landwehr somewhat compared to the line uniforms. I'm guessing around 3 hours per base split into a couple of sessions, the Prussians are easier to paint than the British and French due to having less lace and plain covered shakos. Should add that flags are printed from the Warflags site and may not be accurate in terms of unit facings etc.










DBN 1813 Prussian.

The  Prussians will initially form a 12 point army and expand to 18 points:

4 bases of line infantry (Line muskets)  

4 bases of Landwehr (Militia muskets)

2 bases of 'reservists' (Militia muskets)

2 bases of Jagers.

1 base of Kuirassiers (no armour).

2 bases of heavy cavalry (Dragoons)

2 bases of Landwehr cavalry (Militia lancers)

2 Foot artillery.

Command base & baggage base.

These are all AB figures that I have in my drawer apart from the baggage piece. I think I must add a couple of bases of Hussars to the above and maybe a couple more line infantry which will give me some variation.

Painting sequence:

Black base coat, Prussian dark blue jacket highlighted by adding a touch of Azure blue. Medium grey trousers and overcoat roll, facings, white belts, light brown flesh base with sunny  skin tone highlights, flat brown musket stocks and packs, steel barrels with silver added for bayonets, brass for sword hilts, scabbard ends and cartridge box plates, and black/grey highlights to shako cover, gaiters and cartridge boxes, flat green bases. Varnish is my standard Satin and all the above are Vallejo. using small dabs of each on the wet palette allows any correction to be made without needing any fresh paint, the method is pretty quick and effective. 






28 comments:

  1. Hello,

    Old John put me on to your blog. I'm glad I popped in.
    50 figures is astonishing output, and they look very splendid.

    Iain

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    1. Hello Iain, thank you for looking in and appreciate the comment. I can bash them out when I put my mind to it!

      Lee.

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  2. Replies
    1. Cheers Ray. Hope you are bearing up under this lockdown.

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  3. Impressive output and brushwork! Your blue highlight is perfect.

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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    1. Thank you Stokes, it's a learning curve when starting a new army.

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  4. some people don't take pandemic seriously. up here majority of people follow rules, Iain not a bad painter but his dice throwing is terrible!! and he hates my artillery:)) hoping sometime we can get together to have a game again, am totally impressed by your speed of painting, my compliments
    stay safe, look after yourself
    cheers Old John

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    1. Many thanks John. I know from experience that when I start to feel like that the best way of dealing with it is to paint it out of my system :)

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  5. You should go out at least twice a week and hope the two journeys propel you to 100 figures per week :-) Amazing, you are already prolific and manage to keep a high standard, so fifty good looking napoleonic figures is really an achievement.

    Agree with the general dismay of seeing so much mobility at a time of national crisis, but it seems endemic and speaking as someone who does care, all that one can do is look after your own acre.

    Thanks for your painting insight, I am hungry for this sort of stuff at the moment. I have never really been totally happy with my own shading (or layering) practices and hop from product to product. This morning ‘Super Shader’ from Black Hat Miniatures arrived in the post and will be the next thing to fuel my journey of exploration.

    Love your Prussians.

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    1. Hello Norm. I'm finding the Prussians are quicker to paint as far less lace etc. I had to push myself though to hit that 50 figure target! Fact is that at the moment there is little else to be doing or at least that I can find any enthusiasm for.

      Interested to know what you make of the Super Shader product. I had recently been considering making up some of the old Magic Wash but can't be certain of the right floor cleaning product that is the basis of it. I used it find it excellent as it shading all of the hollows whilst leaving the raised areas remarkably clean unlike my experiments with inks and washes.

      Covid - I really don't blame the teenagers for doing what they do, get togethers/parties etc, I cannot imagine my own teenage years cooped up like this, the festivals, gigs, pubs and clubs etc. We will clearly be living with this situation for a very long time to come sadly.

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  6. Always wonderful to see a master's work. I can't think of a better term!

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  7. Nicely done and as always a very effective result. The basing and effect you’ve got for DBN/ Command and Colours is spot on.
    Looking forward to seeing these guys in action.

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    1. Cheers Graham. I'm keeping everything doubled up so they can be used for DBN or C&C. I think the next thing I want to do is to create a slightly textured surface for the card table rather than the flat green cloth, and same for the S&A hills to match, I think it would make a big difference to the overall look of the games.

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  8. These are splendid looking Prussians Lee. I love mix of figures in each unit and Warflags flags set them off beautifully.
    Regards, James

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    1. Thank you James. The Warflag Prussian flags are very colourful. I had considered using commercial flags but with one per base the cost would be prohibitive so I'm happy with what I have.

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  9. I love them. I've been wondering lately whether I ought to move away from Prussians, but you're making it very difficult for me!
    Best wishes and stay safe.
    Matt

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    1. My Prussians were very much inspired by all of those I have been following on fellow bloggers, I tried to resist but just couldn't. Learning as I go here really.
      All the best to you Matt,
      Lee.

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  10. I've always played the 1806 Prussians, but they are tough to win with, or I am just a bad general! Despite that extra point for the army, those Militia units die very quickly and count as much as a line unit for victory points. Admittedly the 13 points does give an extra element lost before the army is demoralized. The killer for the 1806 Prussians is the 1" musket range! If they can ever get within range to use their bayonets they are tough, but in a firefight they are easily outmatched. Beautiful work on your army!

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    1. Hi David. I was tempted by the 1806 Prussians but I know that my eventual goal is the 100 days campaign so 1813- 15 was the way to go. Interesting points re the earlier Prussians and the limited range of their muskets, I was not aware of that.
      Cheers,
      Lee.

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    2. According to the rules it is meant to represent the out of date doctrine of the early war Prussians, not an actual indication that the weaponry was inferior. They are always fighting the French as well, who usually get an extra command pip, while the early Prussians actually lose a command pip, making it hard to move a bigger army!

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    3. Ah, that makes sense David. That sounds like quite a challenge!

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  11. Great looking Prussians and terrific output! My daughter is 17,well for the next month or so and pretty much sticking to the regs,much harder for her than me and my wife, plus I'm out at work 5 days a week (can't work from home) it would have driven me mad asa teenager, pretty quite where I am ,even at the weekend, so some hope!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks Iain. My three sons in law have continued to work throughout this pandemic, so for them life is pretty 'normal'. The youngest works with his Dad who supplies and fits carpets to commercial premises and business is booming, they have completely refitted a couple of undertakers recently for whom it's also a busy time! Not a lot to laugh about at the moment really though :(

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