Waiting in the Wings. . .

Various recently arrived Minden figures along with a lone Eureka Saxon grenadier in the back plus some odds and ends added to provide visual interest.  I'm not sure whether the fellow kneeling over the deceased musketeer is cocking his musket, or pausing to rifle the body for plunder before continuing on his way.

Any available free time today (the Grand Duchess is away at a conference, so it is just the Young Master and myself all weekend) shall be devoted to adding the groundwork to the various bases beneath those frolicking aristocrats, their servants, and their picnic table and crates.  However, there is little time to waste to and much to be done before my current obsession with small tableauxs is cured.

From left to right, Hives and the Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus looking over the shoulders of two engineer officers, along with aunts Irmgard and Waltraud.  These two scenes in miniature are intended to go along with the larger frolicking aristocrats scene although they can certainly stand on their own too.

Minden Austrian officers debating some point or other.  These are destined to become a small group of opinionated, though woefully uninformed and ill-advised, engineer officers.  If the stars line up properly, I should be able to paint them quickly: basically just basecoat of acrylic gesso, tan undercoat, white highlights, with red small clothes and facings.  Plus faces and the horse. . .  of course.

And here are the Minden and RSM95 figures destined to become a reinforced company of pioneers/sappers/miners/what-have-you.  Again, they SHOULD be fairly quick and easy to paint, but we'll see how things actually transpire in the coming weeks.  Gotta love those Austrian uniforms!

And besides the figures pictured above, I've made the decision to tack down all of those previously painted RSM and Minden general and ADC figures -- save for a few who will remain singly based to function as ADCs -- to bases, in twos and threes, over the next month and apply some scenic ground materials, to add yet more visual interest for my tabletop.  Can full terrain ala the Wargames Holiday Centre be far off?  Mmmm. . . .  Nah!  I like my old school bright green table.  It's just got that certain indefinable something about it, but having a number of interesting little scenes spread around -- besides the large units of figures and scenery of course -- really adds to the overall visual impact of the thing.  Hmmm.  That's starting to sound like something Charles Grant Sr. once wrote.