Making Flags and Standards.

Hello There! As mentioned earlier I am painting the forces for the Battle of Maida. Part of the French forces includes the 42nd Line Infantry. I have used figures from a bargain purchase of Wargames Foundry mixed with the odd Perrys Miniature and Front Rank. All of these figures are well detailed and 'compatable' with each other.

The completed battalion will be putting in an appearance in a later blog but here is the flag from GMB going on the standard.

Here are the tools I use to fit the flag. I have already taken a Front Rank Eagle and used epoxy adhesive to glue it to the end of a length of brass wire. The wire is cut to a length that allows the completed base of figures to be kept safely in the 'Really Useful Boxes'. Hence some may say that the standard is not the right length.

Here I have painted the edges and the inside of the flag to stop any white edges showing up when the flag is glued together. Although it is difficult to see in this photograph the right hand side of the open flag has a small square of cooking foil glued to the surface. This is to provide some rigidity to the flag when folded and is held in place so that when the PVA glue is dry the flag can be bent into place, hopefully preventing any creases into the flag.

 

Here is the completed flag for the 42nd Line and another flag I have completed for the 1st Light. Both present at the battle of Maida and these illustrations show how the flags can be curved and bent to represent the wind filling them.

Maverick Models

Hello There! Among the many projects I have been working on is a Spanish force in 28mm to refight the Battle of Medina de Rioseco.

One of the problems with this project is that the flags available for the Spanish Army of the Peninsuar War is limited. While there are a few suppliers that supply some flags, (Flags of War and GMB). The scope of units covered is small. Many cavalry units are not covered and many of the 'Provisional Militias' are not covered at all.

This situation is not helped by the fact that many of these flags have not survived from the Napoleonic Wars and we are reliant on many accounts to vague eye witness accounts which are often unclear or 'best guesses' which are hypothetical.  

After some searching on the internet I came across Maverick models who had a small list of examples but I saw a comment saying that if he did not have what I was looking for I should contact him.

The owner of Maverick Models, Stuart, was very helpful and kept in e mail contact often. I supplied sources and pictures for the flags I required and after a few weeks they flags arrived.

Here is the order and a copy, bottom right, of a similar item I obtained from another supplier. The flags were printed on a high quality paper and there was the option of what size I required and a choice of paper or cloth. Also if I wanted a 'plain' or a  'effect' print which has a 'ripple' effect on the finished print.

The units are the La Reina Dragoons, Guardias du Corps and Queens Carabiniers. These are not supplied anywhere that I could find. These are a print and not a photograph of an existing picture or illustration and include a surrounding fringe which I can cut into strips for realism. 

I was very impressed with the service and communication from Stuart and the prices were very reasonable. I also sent some extra money due to the amount of Stuart put in to this project.

Here is the flag fitted to the figure.

Apologies for the white background not covering by painting table. These are Eagle Miniatures Spanish Dragoons painted as the La Reina Regiment. These are also the figures which will be appearing in issue 111 in the painting 'Red and Yellow' feature.

Dismounted Confederate Cavalry

Hello There! The lock down goes on and the weather has taken a turn for the worse as grey clouds and rain have turned up.

I have completed the latest American Civil War recruits for the skirmish project and here are the newest finished models.

This is the last figure from the Confederate infantry figures that I had shown in a recent post. He was missed out during the painting and is now shown here. I like to show the completed figures close up as a photo of a group of figures from a distance shows very little detail. It is also handy because you can see any mistakes or pieces of flock that need to be trimmed! 

After having a shortage of flag bearers and buglers I turned to Redoubt to fill the gap. Typically after I purchased these Perry Miniatures released a further set of command figures for their range! Oh well not to worry .

As it has been an overcast day I had to use a light box and internal lighting for the photography but it came out to an acceptable level. Here is one of the flag bearers. I have used the GMB flags sheet. These supply a number of variations of cavalry flag and I have used all that were available so there are three different types.

I have used a number of various shades of grey and brown to break up any monotony of the same colour. I have used a number of paint triads to provide shading and highlights.

Some of the flag bearers poses are quite dynamic and a few are charging forward as seen here. 

I have replaced used either brass wire or cut down metal pikes for the flag poles. These already have a point at the top which also acts as a reminder to be careful when moving figures!

It  is useful to have some figures with clear corporal or sergeant stripes for a skirmish games as the more figures that are used in the game the easier it is to confuse which figure is which as different figures have different characteristics on their respective stats.

This is the only bugler in this set. I used Vallejo 856 ochre brown as an undercoat and then a brass on to of that.

This last flag bearer is charging forward with  great elan! It was actually the last torso and legs left after I had paired up all the other figures.

After doing so many greys and browns I took a look at a different colour to finish off this guy. It also helps to identify different figures again as well.

Maverick Models Flags

Hello again! As I am painting some Spanish Napoleonics at the moment I needed some flags for the units involved in the battle of Medine de Rioseco. After looking around the internet I could not really find what I required.

I went to the Partizan show earlier this year and the owner of Eagle Figures, here, recommended Maverick Models Flags.

I found their website, here, and set about looking into their range, which is extensive.

One of the unique things about this range is that you can chose the size of flag that you require. As the flags used by the Spanish were much smaller than those used by the French and British I required something in between the offered sizes. This was no problem and after a couple of e mails it was all sorted.

Here is an example compared to my usual supplier for flags, GMB, here, the paper is a little thinner but the detail is just as good. Surprisingly the size I asked for came in close to these Confederate infantry flags.

The closer photographs show the wealth of detail and the clear printing. I will fit these to flag poles  sandwiching a piece of aluminium foil between each side glued into place by PVA glue. 

More Union Cavalry Recruits for the ACW Project

Hello There! As I now need to start painting Spanish Napoleonics for a forth coming feature I need the space on my painting table. The closest items to finishing were these dismounted Union cavalry.

The first two are mounted Union cavalry. I have started to base my cavalry singularly as a set of skirmish rules would require it but they can still be used for larger tabletop games as well. These are Perry 28mm figures with the darker horse painted in oil paints and 'wiped' and the white horse is a new paint recipe from here.

I ended up doing three dismounted standard bearers. I was short of these from the Perrys range, (yes I know they have now released another load of dismounted Confederate and Union cavalry figures), so decided to give Redoubt a go. I purchased my first lot before they went over to Grubby Tanks and they have sat in a dark corner ever since. Here are the first two completed and while it is a bit of a pain to glue them together they do look good and if painted with the same colours and to the same standard you cannot tell they are any different on a wargames table. The flags are from GMB. 

Next up some officers and an NCO. The middle man is a Wargames Foundry officer and the other two are Redoubt. I have no idea what the officer on the left is doing and can only guess this is a result of  making a flat casting as he appears to be sharpening his sword with his revolver.

Continuing with the idea of completing a casualty marker with each group of figures I complete I have added a Confederate infantryman. The casualty marker is based on a dial from Warbases.I did not realise that the bugler appears to be leaning back and saying 'OK! The Oscars don't get invented for another 50 years!'

Here are the troops then. All Perrys. I have used tufts from Great Escape Games whom I have used for a number of years.

Wargames, Soldier & Strategy Magazine Feature

I have just seen the advert for issue 101 of Wargames, Soldier & Strategy Magazine. It contains my feature on making flags for wargaming units.

The advert can be viewed here