Franco Prussian War Skirmish

Just some staged shots before a play test tomorrow.

Prussians assaulting a French occupied village.

Prussian artillery supporting the assault.

Prussian hussars and French chasseurs a cheval charging into the fray.

An heroic French officer leads an attack against Bavarian infantry

Stoic French Zouaves holding a key piece of terrain.

Pardon the indulgence, but I wanted to get some decent photos of the terrain and figures before the actual game. I invariably forget to take pictures during the game; and the ones that I do are usually blurry and out of focus. I will, however, post the game play and results afterwards. Until then, thanks for stopping by and best wishes to you all.

I Need A Hero

"He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast,"...okay, enough with the 80's big hair throwback. This is a Franco Prussian War "French Hussar Hero" that Soren from Eagles of Empire sent me as a freebie figure along with my recent order.

He's wearing the uniform of the 1st Hussars as he would've appeared at the Battle of Sedan.

Another fine sculpt from Eagles of Empire. The horses by Ebob are among the finest around.

I'll have to see how he'll be used, but I'm assuming some kind of leadership "plus" kind of stuff for the minions.

Again, as with the other Eagles of Empire figures, the uniform and equipment details are most-impressive.

I also painted up some nice resin terrain from War World Gaming. I happened upon them while using my free 30-day Prime trial with Amazon. They were basecoated black and then quickly dry-brushed with browns and tans.

I now should have more than enough figures for a Bolt Action game - hopefully this coming Friday if players can make it. I'm also thinking of adding a few more units - like North Star Prussian Cuirassiers and Eagles of Empire French Cuirassiers as well. Thanks for stopping by by and wishing you all good gaming and painting.

2nd Empire Chasseurs a Cheval - Eagles of Empire

These are Eagles of Empire French Hussars painted up as Chasseurs a Cheval.

Another set of nicely sculpted and finely detailed 2nd Empire figures.

Again, I'm very impressed with the research that went into the details of these figures. For instance, the fascine on the saddles are a nice historical touch.

They are all in more charging poses than the North Star Prussian Hussars, but still match up with them nicely.

This set comes with extra sword arms in different poses.

Again, only 6 figures as they'll be used in small skirmish games.

All of the units for a play test are ready; which should be soon as I plan to host this at next month's Fix Bayonet game day at Fort Steilacoom.

Wishing you all the best, and happy gaming and painting!

Zieten Hussars - North Star 1866 Prussian Range

Just six figures, but enough for supporting infantry squads in Bolt Action skirmish games.

Nice, sturdy figures with good sculpting details to assist painting.

I found the flag on the web while searching for Zieten Hussars. It was only one-sided, so one side has the eagle upside down, but I curved the flag to minimize seeing this.

They're on Litko 60mm plywood round bases. This way the players won't be able to line them up in close formation, as I find they instinctively like to do.

Although these figures include a command pack, I couldn't distinguish the officer. All of the figures, except the flag bearer and musician, have carbines. I figured a "real" officer wouldn't have one.

Lately, my photos seemed to be washed out. Not sure if it's because of the lighting in my new place. I didn't seem to have this problem at my old place.

Next up are the Eagles of Empire French Hussars; which I may paint up as Chasseurs a Cheval. Then it'll be time for a play test to see if Bolt Action will feel okay for the period. Eventually, I may get some French and Prussian Cuirassiers. Until then, best wishes to you all and happy gaming and painting!

North Star 1866 Prussian 12pdr and Crew

Very nicely detailed and cleanly sculpted figures from North Star's 1866 Austro-Prussian War range.

These will provide fire support for the Prussians and Bavarians in Bolt Action games.

I'm not sure if this type of cannon was used in the Franco-Prussian War, but it'll have to do for now.

The plywood base is from Hobby Lobby; a nice fit for the cannon and crew.

I was thinking of painting them up as Saxons with green coats, but didn't want to waste the nicely sculpted Prussian eagle on the helmet as the Saxons had a sunburst crest.

Thanks for stopping by and hope you like this latest piece for the Franco-Prussian War Bolt Action project. Plan to start on the Prussian or French Hussars next. Until then, best wishes and happy painting and good gaming!

Eagles of Empire French Line Infantry - Completed

Here they are with a nice flag downloaded from Warflags on a spare Perry 1st Empire eagle standard.

These are the last of the infantry figures from my Empire of Eagles order. I may get a box of their French light infantry later, but for now I need to start on a North Star Prussian artillery set.

As mentioned in the previous post, these figures are detailed with great accuracy to uniform and equipment.

Again, they are based as the earlier figures on 50mm Litko rounds.

Wonderful figures which were a joy to paint. Looking forward to painting up the French Hussars - after the Prussian artillery.

And a gratuitous shot with a toy "French" poodle. Until next time, happy painting and good gaming!

Eagles of Empire French Line Infantry - WIP

Just a quick blog post showing the WIP of the French Line Infantry. Waiting on the Minwax stain to dry.

Prior to the staining - block paint job. Lots of firing and reloading poses.

So much for now. Happy painting and good gaming to you all!

Eagles of Empire Bavarian Line Infantry

Here are two 8-man squads of Bavarian Line Infantry - one with dark green facings and the other with orange facings.

I used Vallejo Ultramarine Blue for the base uniform color and highlighted with Vallejo Deep Sky Blue. Maybe a little lighter than the actual uniform color, but this helps distinguish them from the darker blue coated Prussians and French.

The nice flag was downloaded from Warflags. Osprey says most flag staffs had a "sitting lion" as a finial, but a few units did have the spear point.

As with the Prussians, it appears no two figures are posed exactly alike - very impressive.

This is what they looked like after staining with Minwax Tudor Satin stain.

And with the basic block painting prior to the staining.

I must say, I kind of like the Ultramarine Blue look, before the highlighting. Next up are the French Line Infantry. Until then, happy painting and good gaming to you all!

Eagles of Empire Prussian Line Infantry - Completed

Here they are based on Litko 50mm rounds. They're very well-detailed, uniform and equipment-wise. 

They appear a bit slender when compared to the North Star Jagers, but "flesh out" well after highlighting.

They'll be in two 8-man squads;one with yellow shoulder straps and the other with light blue.

Next up are the Bavarians, which are similarly equipped and uniformed.

Thanks for stopping by and happy painting and good gaming!

Eagles of Empire Prussian Line Infantry - WIP

Managed to block paint them and brush on some Minwax Tudor Satin stain. They are fairly simple to paint as many of the more difficult details are hidden by the blanket/coat roll and also by the way they're posed.

Once the Minwax is completely dry - at least 24 hours - they'll get sprayed with Dullcote and then highlights applied.

As with the earlier units, these will be in two 8-man squads for Bolt Action.

With basic block painting prior to staining. Thanks for stopping by and happy painting and good gaming to you all!

North Star 1866 Prussian Jagers - Completed

Based on 50mm Litko plywood rounds. They'll be in two 8-man squads for Bolt Action - maybe..most-likely. After the Minwax stain was dried (no thanks to the cloudy weather), they were sprayed with Testors Dullcote; followed by some highlighting.

At a glance, they look like Napoleonic British 5/60th Rifles.

I should be starting on an order of Eagles of Empires figures - which should be at my local post office for pick up. A box each of French, Prussian and Bavarian Infantry, and a box of French Hussars as well.

Until the next post, happy painting and gaming to you all!