French Porte-Fanions.... a little help here.

Next up for my French is another line battalion, I've started with the figures left over from my first Victrix box and I'm going to add to that greatcoated figures from the Perry plastic box with bicorne head swaps.

The very first figure is a Grenadier sergeant carrying a porte-fanion.



This is where the 'trouble' starts, I am struggling to find decent info about French Porte-Fanions. Google (that old friend) brings up a few pages but they contradict each other as to the colour and any wording of the porte-fanion.

I appeal to any blog-readers out there to send links or help with porte-fanions.

French Line finished except for bases.

This unit seems to have taken ages because I've been doing it around other things. It is a small (24 man) line battalion in bicornes made up of straight out of the box Victrix figures.

I've gone for a march-attack pose for the unit as that screams to me "FRENCH".

The figures are good, the painting so-so but I'll hope to pull the unit together with the basing.

THey carry the colours of the 70th Line (1st Regt) but I think from my next unit I'll use generic colours.

So nearly finished.......

First apologies.

It's been a couple of months since I posted on this blog as I've been busy getting some second World War forces up to date for a big multiplayer game in June. I also must apologise for the quality of pics my 10 year old digital really is starting to show it's age and the digital rather than optical zoom is, in a word, crap.

French Line Infantry Colours

The above figures are my officer and colours for my first French Line Infantry battalion for my Peninsular War project. I don't have a particular French Division in mind so I am making them as generic as possible, although the colours are 1804 pattern and for the 1st Bat 70th Line Regt.

Due to the fact that my figures may be used in games representing battles from 1804 until the end of the Peninsular War I have chosen to compromise. I will build 6 company battalions as used in the later French organisation but I will use bicorned troops and stick with Red pom-poms instead of company specific colours.

The figures are Victrix plastics and I am finding it quite an enjoyable exercise painting them, especially considering I only started them as opposition to my British.

Voltigeurs too...

This is half of my Voltigeur company from the battalion, again figures are Victrix.

French Update

Above are the Grenadier company of my first French line battalion. They are Victrix figures and I found them quite easy to paint to a standard I am happy to use on the table.

First of the French

It had to happen, having finished my first British Brigade I decided to start on the French. I wanted to check out the plastics available and as my French will have to do duty from Egypt to the Peninsula I decided to go for the Victrix French Infantry 1804 - 1807.

I'm having to 'fudge'.

I'm using the 1804 - 1807 figures in Bicorne but I'm doing them in the later 6 company French Battalions but without the company designation pom-poms. I've decided on 24 man Battalions with duplicate Voltigeurs in close order and skirmishing.

Anyway, above is the first of my test figures, a Voltigeur based skirmishing.

Despite the poor photography (a combination of no talent and a crap old camera) I hope you can see the cowskin pack as I think it came out well.

More line infantry

This is the 'core' of the 2nd battalion from the first Brigade I chose to make up for General De Brigade....they represent the 53rd Shropshire Regiment and I have chosen to represent them as a 24 figure under strength unit.

I will post a better picture of the full unit when I get chance. The final unit includes their light company in skirmish formation.

The figures are mostly Perry plastics with a metal Victrix Colonel and plastic Victrix officer.

"Top of the morning"

Although I have only (so far) completed one Brigade, I couldn't resist making up a vignette to represent my General De Division. I felt the need for change after all the line infantry I'd done and this is the result.

The Mounted officer is a metal Perry figure, the foot officer is a converted Perry plastic and the seated private is a converted plastic from Victrix.

General De Brigade

This is my first General De Brigade, a really nice figure from the Victrix metal range. I really enjoyed painting him and can't wait to finally get him on the table.

95th On the hunt

These are the light infantry element of the Brigade I'm starting with and represent soldiers of the 95th rifles.

Again these are Perry plastic figures and paint up well, even for a man of my modest painting skills.

Now that I have a Brigade finished I think I'll start hacking a few of the plastic figures around to see what I can come up with.......keep watching for the results.

Casualties Mount

I really like these figures from Essex Miniatures. As my figures are multi-based I thought I'd do this as a casualty marker for my 11th North Devons.

British Line Infantry

First Battalion for General De Brigade complete.

These are Perry plastic figures, with a Victrix metal sapper figure included and represent the 1st Bat. 11th North Devon during the early stages of the Peninsular war.

Where to begin.....

This is a blog about my Peninsular War project in 28mm.