It's a long road. . .

After von Bauchschmerzen and his coach are done, it's onto this 80-figure regiment of RSM95 figures that have been in the eadpile for about seven years now.

It's a long road, but someone has to walk. . .  er, um, uh. . . paint it.  So, after the good General von Bauchschmerzen (lurking in the background here) is finished, it's time for a return to the fighting troops after about two years of painting various vignettes of one kind or another.

So. . .  It's onto this rather large bunch of figures, which will be painted up as a composite fictitious regiment.  However, the uniforms will be based on those worn by troops that marched and/or fought for: 

* Kurmainz (white with mid-green facings/turnbacks)
* Saxe-Weimar (blue with red facings/turnbacks and straw yellow smallclothes)
* Saxe-Coburg (white with red facings/turnbacks)
* Saxe-Hildurghausen (blue with yellow facings/turnbacks and white smallclothes).


The plan is to follow my usual procedure for large units and break them down into four smaller, more manageable batches of roughly 20 figures at a time.  The different uniforms for each company should keep things a bit more interesting too.  This will bring the line infantry of the Electorate of Zichenau up to full strength -- three regiments of 80 figures.  Eventually, the Grand Duchy of Stollen will field four slightly small regiments of 60 figures each, so each side will have 240 line infantry.  Note, these numbers do not include light troops like jaegers and croats/pandours.

I hope that my now usual painting method of oil washes over a white gesso basecoat with limited details picked out with Ral Partha and Citadel hobby acrylics will help speed things along so that these are done by March-April 2015.  Whenever everything is done though, I'll tack the rank and file down to multiple bases.  According to basing conventions laid down by the late Peter Gilder in his In the Grand Manner, line infantry have eight figures per base.  The four regimental command figures will be on their own four-figure base.  The company officers, drummers, and NCOs will be based individually, so that I have the ability to place them where desired according to formation.

That's the long-term plan at any rate.  Now, I'd better get von Bauchschmerzen finished because these figures won't paint themselves!  Be sure to tune in over the next 8-12 weeks to see how things progress with this, my last ever, 80-figure unit.

-- Stokes

Here's a lovely and understated photograph from Finland of Christmas candles and rice porridge flavored with cinnamon sticks and a frosty window in the background.