The Hussar Project for 2026. . .

 

Both illustrations of the later uniforms apparently sported by the Warasdiner Grenz Hussars were lifted (I prefer the milder "borrowed") from the Project Seven Years War website.

Well, the Christmas and New Year's holidays have come and gone.  We've dedecorated the schloss for another roughly 11.5 months.  And before I suit up for a solo ski tour locally this Sunday afternoon, it seems like a good idea to clarify where I see the Grand Duchy of Stollen collection heading in 2026.  So, here's the plan such as it is, and if we might use that rather grandiose term.  

In short, I aim to paint something in the neighborhood of 57 Austrian hussar figures and horses.  You read that right.  But hey, why not celebrate the approaching 20th anniversary of the Grand Duchy of Stollen Blog (September 2006) with something monumental?  Of course a game too would be a nice change since it's been quite a while, but one thing at a time.

Back to the hussars for a moment.

I've mentioned a few times already my harebrained scheme once the third and final batch of the Anhalt-Zerbst Regiment has been glossed and based.  Yep.  Leaping back into hussar territory despite my sworn testament back in 2011 or 2012 -- after 30 Minden Prussians painted as hussars of Lauzun's Legion -- that I'd never paint another such casting. 

Clearly, Young and Lawford's "madness" has taken a firmer hold in the time since.

Now, I organize my cavalry in squadrons of 14, slightly larger than that outlined in Charge! Or How to Play War Games (1967), so if my mathematics is correct (and it may not be), that's four squadrons plus a superior officer. Sounds simple enough, right? 

And who among us has not secretly aspired to paint a massive cavalry regiment similar to Peter Gilder's French Napoleonic hussars charging across the rear cover of Miniature Wargames #6 from 1983?  I know I have, and the time has come after amassing the necessary figures across three or four years, taking full advantage of Jim Purky's Black Friday sales to spread out the financial strain on the ol' war chest somewhat.

So, that's the goal for 2026.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Painting proper will probably begin in April or May this year and take five or six months (he says) since life and work seem to have the unpleasant habit of encroaching upon hobby time at the least convenient times possible.  We'll see how things progress. I'll revisit the hussar project to discuss painting progress in more detail 'round about mid-July or early August rather than more routine painting updates as has so often been the case in the past.

So, wish me luck with all of this and feel free to ask questions, or remind me of my goal should I falter.  Butterflies are not usually a serious problem for yours truly, but never say say never.  Right?  Time now to sort all of the various hussars and horses into their squadron-sized batches and get 'em into a single cardboard box for ease of access.  

Maybe I'll do that in the next few days when I need a break from the many brass buttons on the current 20 Anhalt-Zerbst figures. Yet again. I'm putting the cart before the horse however.  Time to focus on finishing that task before moving to the final 20 miniatures, which include a few NCOs and standard bearers whose hands need careful drilling before gluing their various staves and flagpoles into place ahead of base-coating, etc., etc.

Ok.  Enough  holding forth about things yet to happen.  Let's get the current Anhalt-Zerbst project finished, flagged, glossed, and based first, shall we?  Only then can I dive into the pile of awaiting hussars and horses with a clear conscience.

-- Stokes