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Borodino Project (Napoleonics 20mm)


b20f08

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  • 4 weeks later...

Gotta love the 1805 Russian uniform (far better than the french at this stage of the war) especially the shako. Grenadiers are very cool in this period and that big plume is the business for sure! .

Its all coming along nicely mate. You must be well chuffed with your progress

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3 hours ago, Gus said:

Gotta love the 1805 Russian uniform (far better than the french at this stage of the war) especially the shako. Grenadiers are very cool in this period and that big plume is the business for sure! .

Its all coming along nicely mate. You must be well chuffed with your progress

Both versions of Russian uniforms (1805 and 1812) were sharp for sure although the French were no less impressive, and for me the 1807-1810 period is a personal favourite for uniforms. But my utmost favourite has to be the nation that had one of the most simplest yet elegant of all uniforms - the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Painting and assembly-wise progress has been slow due to so many outside distractions at the moment. Plans change all the time. So, rather than foist monotonic WIPs, I will save it for completed formations and armies.

Thanks for commenting.


 

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I was first inspired (aka obsessed) with Napoleonic's from a certain Antony Brett-James Waterloo - the hundred days book, that I stumbled across from the local library many, many moons ago. So I was first spoilt with all the glorious later war uniforms esp all the fancy-pants Hussars but also Scots grey and even a soft spot for the Prussian Landwehr! So I learnt Napoleonic history in reverse chronological order hence the earlier uniforms looked a little less fancy (think about what you wore 20 years ago compared to now) after all those later war uniforms. But that is all personal preference though. Never really got into the late 1700 French revolution miniatures much although the history is quite amazing. Like the Time Napoleon nearly got caught by some Austrians (I think) and had to jump over a fence to escape. Afterwards I believe he created (what became) the Chasseur a' Cheval of the guard.  

 

I have a fair few Austrians and love the old helmets with the black/yellow top (sorry can't think of the technical term) but for ease of painting the Shakos are a bit easier to paint. Still learning about painting white or off-white. Love to paint Campaign dress figures as less fluff to paint.

Thanks again for the pictures and progress. Take your time and enjoy yourself and stay safe.

 

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Lol. The fluffy uniforms are quite dazzling but certainly not practicable on campaign. It's like wearing your No.1s (parade uniforms) for a twenty mile hike in FSMO (Field Service Marching Order)! But they certainly look snazzy tabletop-wise. There's a certain grittiness to the old moustaches of the late Revolutionary period in their attire before the period became a full-on fashion parade.

I enjoy both versions of the Austrian headwear for the infantry although the Revolutionary period is one I never engaged in because of lack of suitable models at the time and I wasn't really smart with my conversions until much later into my hobby life (trying to convert American Revolutionary War figures into French Revolutionary period was a bit of a stretch ability-wise). But these minor failings never deterred my love for the era. 

Many manufacturers these day now provide figures in campaign dress. And the abilities of modellers these days to present adaptations/conversions adds to the colour is astonishing. I game primarily in 1/72 or 20mm. There's a bloke in Europe who produces 20mm white metal figures (Franznap) which an artist (whose name I forget) has helped to produce some stunning visuals of this favoured period.

See the source image

 

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ooh they are pretty figures aren't they. I think the braided Hussar hairstyle from earlier in the war was pretty cool and every day was Movember for them too! Imagine those officers wearing white pants on campaign too. Trackies is what they needed - can't beat a good pair of elastic waist pants!

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Been nearly a month since I last posted anything. Progress slowed considerably but has picked up again lately. WIP shots of work done on Baggovut's infantry corps. Found that much touching up was required due to inconsistencies in the pre-existing painting quality of the assembly. Still need to flock the Jagers but thereafter it's mostly done with the exception of no commanders and artillery. Those I will do later: priority to get all the infantry and cavalry the same consistency in presentation. Cheers.

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Group shot. Nearly there.

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Jagers were sadly underdone so spent a fair amount of time bringing them "up to speed", so to speak.

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Drilled holes in these thinner bases (waste by-product from 3D printing) to "plant" the flags. Doing it this way to later reuse the stands without too much hassle regarding flags. Jouineau presents an excellent series of those Russian flags present at Borodino. I've cross-referenced against Pendlebury's flags and where the two don't match, I've gone with Pendlebury. Probably incorrect but I prefer the colour palette used by Pendlebury. 

Once done, I will move on to Tuchkov's 3rd Infantry Corps (part of Bagration's 2nd Western Army). Cheers.

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Got excited. Some further WIP works done earlier today. Mostly securing figures to bases, flocking, and flagging. Will touch up parts I've missed. I'm pleased with the flagging idea. Should be a spectacle indeed.

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Baggovut's command. Line infantry from both divisions (4th and 17th) now flocked and flagged.

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Still excited. Tuchkov's command (both divisions - 1st Grenadier and 3rd Divs) now flagged. Will spend tonight (am night owl) flocking and touching up.

If there be time, I will commence detailing work on Osterman-Tolstoy's command (4th Infantry Corps). And possibly look at what's needed with Uvarov's 1st Reserve Cav Corps before calling it quits for the night. Cheers.

Edit: A more updated view of both corps flocked and flagged.

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Edited by b20f08
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Those new blokes are coming up  a treat too. Cav are great - love the lancers! I remember a time i used to know all the uniform variations, unit names and dispositions for Waterloo and some other battles that I read about. I used to be quite a stickler when painting my units as accurately as possible but with age I am less fussy. Heck its harder to see all the detail and after painting things like 28mm goblins or even perrry 28mm ACW figures all the lace, even on 15mm AB minis, can be quite daunting.

Glad you got to catch up with the grandson. Maybe he will be interested in the gaming and painting with you when he grows up. My dad is a train set guy which I repurposed, as a kid, after watching Von Ryan's express with some airfix german paratroop as part of my lack of interest in train set and lots of interest in 'little men', as my kiddies called them. Sadly none of my lot are interested at all despite my best efforts.

Take care and enjoy your hobby. I all looks great and must be satisfying to see the force grow and basing consistent etc. I fo\ind the basing and flags a bit of a drain but defn well worth it in the end.

 

cheers

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Youngest grandson is more into online gaming and hoping to go professional and make some money before he settles into a "proper" career. Lol. Other grandson is into baseball/softball and is playing at junior national rep level (has played for both Oz and Enzed). Not sure if he'll go professional which is the quicker route to fortune and fame. A third grandson is a simple "runner" easily diverted by the opposite sex and therefore forever lost. Another grandson is the most practical and sensible of my grandsons and buying into the workforce dream but he dreams of flying. Maybe when he's older he'll achieve his dream. The wargaming hobby dream dies with me which is probably a good thing as this hobby can take so much from you just as it can give some of the best hobby pleasures ever.

Wow, I haven't heard mention of Von Ryan's Express in forever. Enjoyed it as a movie. I've also enjoyed a bit of the trains set but as you pointed out, placing minis and making shooting noises was much more fun. Make it a point, whenever I can, to visit model train exhibitions so I can marvel at the displays. 

Thanks for your comment on the project. Yep, detailing is quite laborious these days and I'm happy to cheat for the most part in order to achieve the presentable spectacle I'm after. Hence the focus on flagging. Flocking has its own rhythm to it that can make a lonely night pleasant, especially when tuning out to music for accompaniment. Take care and have a safe Christmas break.

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Osterman-Tolstoy's 4th Infantry Corps. Gone with the historical white summer leggings for this formation, as opposed to the black leggings (winter) for the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Corps for an experiment. Lots of whitening though. Integrated the 2nd Combined Grenadier Bde from the historical OOB with the 2nd Bde, 23rd Div to make one large unit (FoGN terminology) which is the front centre unit in the image below. The three units therefore are the 2nd Combined Grenadiers, Koporski IR, and the 18th Jagers. The standard norm for Russian infantry divisions in 1812 was 2 musketeers bdes and 1 jager (light infantry) bde comprising two regiments of two battalions apiece (usually 1st and 3rd battalions; the 2nd battalion was usually the cadre unit supplying reinforcements). Grenadiers from the infantry regiments were often combined into "elite" ad hoc formations (the Austrians also did this). The Russians also had uniquely grenadier infantry regiments that were distinct from the generic infantry/musketeer regiments. Good example in this project is the 1st Grenadier Division (Stroganov) of Tuchkov's Corps which consisted entirely of three grenadiers brigades!

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Next formation to tackle and a good change of pace is Uvarov's 1st Reserve Cavalry Corps. Uvarov went on a giddyup with his pal Platov around the French left flank and had a fun blat in the flanks and rear of Eugene's command. Some say their ploy delayed the French attack on the Grand Redoubt by a few crucial hours. If someone was playing a Cossack two-step on my back and head, it'd be a considerable discomfort and probably force my unplanned immediate retaliation. Russians! Sheesh!

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Scale for this project is 1/72, or 20mm simply because I began in 20mm and have stayed loyal with it ever since. Loyalty is a big big thing with me (when it suits me - lol).

Please note though that currently the two most popular scales in this period are 28mm and 15mm (sometimes lumped in with the "newer" 18mm). If I were to recommend a scale for those interested in this period, go with either. It depends on what level of gaming you're interested. If you're like me and interested in higher command, then 15mm is the go-to. But if you like the battalion-level type game (which most start out in anyway), then 28mm is the preferred. 6mm is also popular and really suits the epic games like Borodino, Leipzig, Waterloo and such. And I would say it is now on a parity and even competes with both 15/18mm and 28mm for the wargamer's attention. But there are other scales (either side of the two sizes I've suggested) also creeping in and expanding what's available for the interested historical player. And if you have a bottomless purse, pick at your leisure. Some of the better model makers are overseas-based but you have a few locally produced Nap figurines. If you are lucky to have the original Prince August moulds (25mm), you are set for life, mate, because you can churn out your own white metals forever. But 3D printing also enables extension into an area of model producing that can happily bypass the manufacturer. Nowadays all you need are the print files and Bob's in business!

The range is constantly expanding these days which means all the basic figure types are available. Specialist figures are also available at a pinch but the basic cavalry, infantry and artillery types (and supports) are now offered without too much fuss. So, you won't have any problems acquiring a Russian cuirassier from either 1805 or 1812 (different helmets) because the major nations are all covered. Even the lesser known historical Ottoman Turks and those colonials across the Atlantic are readily available for your vacant Nap tabletop!

As for rulesets -- ROFL and LMFAO.

Excuse my laughter, but the Napoleonic scene nowadays is a literal endless minefield (or morass depending on your viewpoint) of rulesets that will blow people away by its extent. If you're a solo gamer like me, however, it's not much of a problem. But if you're with others, it might prove a bit of a head scratcher. I recall seeing recently a Facebook poll asking which was the favoured Nap ruleset. The first seven replies I read gave seven different answers. I had to have a quick chuckle. It highlighted the fate that Nap gaming is stuck in and will never progress from its niche origins within a community that is constantly evolving and growing. Which may not be a bad thing to be honest because historical is dealing with what's been and cannot really be altered too much without destroying that essence which defined it in the first place. 

Popular rulesets, and what's available for the interested newcomer, are not my forte and all I can suggest to you is do your own research. I have heard that Black Powder (never played - 28mm) is quite popular. A recently released local set that has been received well is Grand Battles (also never played - unsure of scale but I believe it might be both 15mm and 28mm). My playing of other rulesets is barren; I tend to pick one set and if it has enough positives, I will stay with it and play it to death. I do notice that Nap rules do tend to go out of favour but the dearth replacing these discards means any loss is soon forgotten. 

In all seriousness, shop around. Decide what level you want to play the game at. There are rules catering to skirmish-level right up to corps-level and beyond. Most players tend to settle for the battalion-level brand because it generally has all the elements demanded - historical accuracy, playability, and enjoyment factor. Take your time with your search though; where possible have a select group of favourite ruleset for those levels of play that appeal to you.

If historical accuracy is what you're after (it is after all historical gaming that caught your eye in the first place), it will probably prove the most elusive of ideal because generally-speaking most everyone will have an opinion on this subject; what I recommend though is to settle for playability - compromise is a familiar wargaming fundamental we are all comfortable with. Complexity varies between individual rulesets and it can seem quite a lot at first but as your experience and understanding of the intricacies and nuances of Nap gaming sets in, those variances will diminish into minor differences. Again, take your time digesting. Discard and pick up another set if you get many negatives from your experiences with one set. Cheers.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Nice Christmas with family and friends. Now to get back into the painting. Resumed work on the first Russian cavalry formation - Uvarov's 1st Reserve Cavalry Corps. Stationed on the right of the Russian line, his formation took part in Platov's bold "raid" (so I understand the story).

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What I had assembled to start with. Listing for this formation is shown beneath the assemblage.

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First two brigades - Imperial Guard lights mainly with a few regulars. Spent today repainting the uniform coats and saddlecloths, and touched up a few mounts. Will start detailing shortly. 

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3rd Brigade. Transferred the Black Sea Guard Cossacks into this formation to bring it up to large unit status. 

Once detailed done, will flock before moving on to the 2nd and 3rd Cav Corps. Looking to complete this cavalry group by the end of next week. If there is time will add another two cavalry corps to work on. Cheers.

Have a safe and merry New Year's Eve, everyone. Thanks for this site.

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No, sorry.

Hopefully a group shot of what's assembled thus far will be made available by the end of this month. That group will include the as-yet assembled and repainted 5th (Russian Imperial Guard), 6th, 7th, 8th Infantry corps; the 4th Cav Corps, the 2nd Western Army cav, both Irregular forces for both 1st & 2nd Western armies (both Cossacks and Opelchenye). And some artillery.  

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  • b20f08 changed the title to Napoleonics 20mm & OzTg 2021

For this 2021 challenge I am just extending the year-long project I'm currently doing by adding the terrain pieces, namely the Grand Redoubt and four Bagration Fleches plus the villages of Semenovskaya and Gorki. Nothing spectacular but they are essential to the battle.

I managed to reassign my present playing FoGN list that I created last year and I have grouped them with the cavalry completed these past few days to create this partial completed listing. No close ups because I don't know how to and the amount of minis involved.

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Currently working on the missing half of the 2nd Cuirassier division tonight and then will start work on the 5th (Russian Imperial Guard) and 6th Inf Corps over the next day or so before ending work on the militia/irregulars. As the photo above shows, the 7th and 8th Inf Corps are now "done", which also include some artillery and command stands. Cheers.

EDIT 5 Jan

A better group shot of work completed so far on the Russian forces. Cheers.

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Tabled so far. Either completed or just waiting for flocking. Minor correction: Raevski's corps is short of its jager brigade, something I'll fix up shortly.

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Other end of the table.

Shortfall: 5th (Imperial Guard) & 6th Infantry Corps, the Cossacks and the Opelchenye.

EDIT POST: 10 Jan

A more up-to-date progress group shot of the assembled Russians. 

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Finished the Imperial Guard (above). Found more flocking so been updating those completed stands. Will paint the sidewalls of the bases in the next few days. 

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Added a few stands of Karpov's Cossacks. Found more artillery.

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Full table "dress rehearsal" shot (above). Just missing 6th Inf. Corps and the remaining irregulars (Cossacks and opelcheyne). Like I've said all along, I am leaving the artillery and commanders for last while first assembling the foot and cavalry. And this will apply when I start work on the French/Allies next month. I am finding some artillery (proxied from other FoGN 2 lists I have) though and therefore adding these to the project like the 3 x 2-gun stands from my hypothetical Danzing Corps for example. I may even "proxy"  artillery from the other nations I own. But the priority is, and will be, to assemble the teeth arms first - infantry and cavalry before working on the support and command elements.

The OzTG project I am committing to are the terrain items mentioned at the start of this post so I have nothing to report so far while working on the Borodino Project. The Borodino Project, however, is NOT part of that OzTG 2021 Hobby competition; it's still a continuation of the painting diary started last September. I am just uniting all my painting tasks into the one diary post for ease of reference. Hope to finish the Russian side by end of this month.

Then I will make a concrete start on the OzTG project for February.

At the same time, I will continue the Borodino Project by making a start on the French/Allies side of things, probably the large I Corps of Davout or the IV Corps of Ney. I don't have much of Napoleon's minions because I was more interested in Napoleon's enemies. I will have to see what I do possess. Cheers.

EDIT: 12 JAN

Hi again. Spent a few late night hours painting the bases sides and catching up on the flocking (found some hidden away in my studio). Miscalculated on missing figures for the 7th and 8th Inf. Corps so had to fiddle with the display layout (the blank stands are place holders, some with the newly created flags needing figures). Had to make another bunch of scratch-build flag staves for those "missing" units. These included removing those that belong to my current playing list and therefore not in this project build.

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Left to go before I can call this phase of the project done for now: (1) paint the sides of the bases of the 3rd Inf. Corps; (2) assemble and repaint the 6th Inf. Corps; (3) assemble and paint up a quantity of Irregulars, mostly the Cossacks; (4) replete out the missing figures for both 7th and 8th Inf. Corps. Not sure about the opelcheyne though as I figure not all were involved in the fighting much like the huge Russian reserve artillery. Once again, I am grateful to my long-suffering wife who abides my hijacking the formal dining table with good humour. Am a very lucky man. 

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Example of some of the flags created the other day. 

EDIT: 13 JAN

Separated the terrain thread (Project 2021) from the figures thread (Borodino Project) and renamed this one. The terrain thread is on its own. Apologies for any confusion caused.

Edited by b20f08
Latest update: 13 January 2021
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  • b20f08 changed the title to Borodino Project (Napoleonics 20mm)

Happy new year b20f08! Yes sir you are a very lucky man with such an understanding wife and big table.

Out of interest where did you get your flags from- warflags (Pendlebury)? Flags are definitely not fun for me but a necessity for sure. I think I got some 15mm from GMB and they are great. I ended up with 1 eagle/flag per regiment - 1st battalion for my frenchies. 2nd and other battalions just get a command base with officer, drummer, sapper/sergeant and a ordinary chap to make 4 figures on a 3/4 x 1" base (Naps battle basing).

You have inspired me to look at my Napoleonic lead pile and am currently painting (nearly finished) 2 x 15mm AB Brit Lifeguard regiments @ 8 figs a piece. Got the blues regiment still to do still for Somerset's heavy brigade at Waterloo.

Got to love this hobby. Sadly I am back at work from this week after a few weeks off. Hoping for a big lotto win to be able to quit and focus on other things including my hobby lol. Retired full time mini painter sounds like a good title!

cheers

 

 

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Happy New Year indeed to you and yours.

Yes, Pendlebury for certain; downloaded the relevant files. Created .txt files for use in identifying each of the various stages of flag developments (1797, 1800, and 1803). Printed out to paper. I also use Jouineau for cross reference. Where there is a discrepancy I either refer to a third source or resolve with a simple choice. It's a win-win situation all told. I understand that the art of mini flags has advanced considerably since Pendlebury first happened on the scene back in the 90s but he still remains a pertinent and important source for me. And because he still remains free to download. Which remains a big plus for me personally. 

Quote

I ended up with 1 eagle/flag per regiment - 1st battalion for my frenchies. 2nd and other battalions just get a command base with officer, drummer, sapper/sergeant and a ordinary chap to make 4 figures on a 3/4 x 1" base (Naps battle basing).

Command stands have always caused me grief because standard bearers are extremely lacking or limited in 20mm range (in the past for sure) unless one is resourceful enough at conversion. But since starting this Borodino Project I've changed my approach and simply focused on creating the flags and pushing them in to the base (I use foam backing board bases so it's easy enough to do) as identifying the unit seems more important in this large battle than acknowledging there is a command stand; besides, that's why divisional and corps commanders are accorded more importance and relevance in FoGN 2. So the command stand is irrelevant with this project.

Individually speaking, though, command stands do look great in 15mm and 28mm, and manufacturers are smart enough to cater to this demand. But not so 20mm plastics where they tend to be more an afterthought or lacking in quantity. Franznap (20mm metal), however, seem to be remedying this shortcoming. 

Your description of how you've created your French command stand is probably another reason why I've always fobbed off doing Napoleonic French because I remembered long ago learning that the eagle was more important that the flag, much like it was with the ancient Roman eagle. Unlike the other European nations of the Napoleonic period where the flag still retained its significance and glorious importance as the unique symbolic identity of a unit. As you can tell, I'm a big fan of flags. 

Quote

You have inspired me to look at my Napoleonic lead pile and am currently painting (nearly finished) 2 x 15mm AB Brit Lifeguard regiments @ 8 figs a piece. Got the blues regiment still to do still for Somerset's heavy brigade at Waterloo.

Have fond memories of playing Waterloo multiple times as a Commodore Amiga game. And Austerlitz. Always played both battles as the overdog French and Russian respectively and invariably won! Historical hindsight is always a godsend. 

I have created a Waterloo Union brigade for an English FoGN 2 list that has not really taken off; I liked the symbolic significance of the various English, Scottish and Irish contingent elements.

I tended to favour the Highland regiments more than the English back in the day, and still do, because they were my favourite Airfix British Napoleonic figures. The Rifle Brigade and the King's German Legion were another two formations I liked as favourites. Ooh, getting excited again...nah, sorry, was just a fleeting moment. 🙂

Quote

Retired full time mini painter sounds like a good title!

Lol. Sounds awesome indeed. Good luck.

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6th Infantry Corps (Dokhturov) painted, based and flocked. Gone with winter leggings even though it's not correct historically.

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And flagged. Just got a few stands to do to finish off the 7th and 8th Inf. Corps. Then it's just the Cossacks to do. Not doing the militia now: read up on the battle and according to the story the militia did not take an active part in the battle other than to ferry the wounded and act as a backstop for those wanting to flee. 

 

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Thanks. 🙂

 

EDIT: 17 JAN

Hurrying to finish off the infantry and Cossacks now, hence the busy activity right now. Want to concentrate on the kriegsspiel game kicking off at the moment. Some more completions: Neverovsky's 27th Inf. Div painted up, based and flocked, completed half of the 2nd Combined Grenadier Div. (Voronstov); just have five more bases to finish. Forgot to go with my plan to use less figures for grenadiers on this build but it's no matter; and completed the missing stands for Paskevich's 26th Inf. Div. 

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8th Corps, 27th Inf. Div commanded by Neverovsky.

 

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Managed half of Voronstov's 2nd Combined grenadier division. Five more stands to go.

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Above: the missing stands for Paskevich's 26th Inf. Div wearing the white summer leggings (three stands). Below: A grand review of what's been accomplished thus far since begun last September. Actual painting time I estimate at roughly two and a half months with last month and this month being the busiest. Cheers.

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EDIT: 19 JAN

Finishing off the last of the Russian foot and cavalry today. Surprised to find some Cossack artillery personnel so have painted them up as well. Every little bit helps.

Figured to continue painting while still enthused. Cleared the dining table of the Russians and merrily returned it to the wife...for all of half an hour before hijacking again for the French/Allies. She just laughed and returned into her working-from-home bubble. Lovely lady.

Anyway, starting with the cavalry as I think I have enough to fill those out (judging from the stacks already painted and in my inventory bitz box which I went through last night looking for some more Russian Cossacks). Formations under the spotlight will be Murat's and Pajol's command.

There will be a lot of refining and tweaking as I try to make this project work, so don't be too surprised if you notice formations chop and change mid-stream, multiple times. For instance, I noticed a few gaffes in the two supposedly complete lists - Junot's 8th Corps and Grouchy's 3rd Reserve Cav. Corps as I was bringing them into the house from the studio. As such, I will amend those over the coming week or two.

Cheers.

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EDIT: 19 JAN (late)

Managed to finish the last of the Russians. Ran out of Cossacks so Platov is short a couple of units. No worries: will make it up mid-year. Did discover some Cossack artillerists though so have added them to the painting/assembling mix.

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Started flocking some of the units from Pajol's cavalry command. French Carabiniers and Chasseurs plus an arty battery (2 guns). 

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EDIT: 23 JAN

Been busy drafting an assembly guide for the French/Allied side while twiddling with bits of painting (as seen above in last edit). Finally finished it as it required some tweaking and drafting up. So, nothing new to report: I expect the next real report will be the start of the terrain build for the project next month. Looking forward to that. Here a few more closer shots of the assembled Russians (now transferred to their display table in my studio). Cheers.

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Edited by b20f08
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  • 3 weeks later...

One month down already. Eight more to go. Better get a move on.

While the terrain build has made its tentative start, the assembly of the French & Allied armies won't resume until mid-month. The delay is due to the extensive time required to find the models, gather them, and then start. As many know, the playing part is just the icing on the cake; it's the preparation beforehand which consumes the most time and energy. Anyway, stay safe and catch up with you shortly on this post.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Howdy. Glad to see the Cossacks made it to the fray. Seems you can't have a Russian nappy army without them and you can never really have enough. You coudl use those guysin the crimea too if you wanted.

I remember reading somewhere about some russian cavalry guys (not cossacks -  Bashkirs?)  that used bows and arrows. Sounds like they weren't particularly effective but I would have thought they would have been against non-armoured french forces - Ala mongol. Not sure if there were any Bashkir at Borodino but a fun unti to paint and add even if not quite historical.

Frenchies are starting nicely mate with the cavalry. I reckon the Carabiniers had one of the prettiest uniforms in all the period. 

Good luck with all the acquiring and sorting out of the frenchies. Like all things its worth the effort to get it right up front but not very glamorous stuff. 

Look forward to the addition to your ever growing collection. I got some Prussians AB mini's out from my shed-lead pile and moved them to my house-lead pile and that is about it. So I appreciate your productivity and sharing of it to. Thanks for the eye candy.

take care and I will have a squiz at the terrain section you started.

 

 

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On 2/10/2021 at 7:50 PM, Gus said:

Howdy. Glad to see the Cossacks made it to the fray. Seems you can't have a Russian nappy army without them and you can never really have enough. You coudl use those guysin the crimea too if you wanted.

I remember reading somewhere about some russian cavalry guys (not cossacks -  Bashkirs?)  that used bows and arrows. Sounds like they weren't particularly effective but I would have thought they would have been against non-armoured french forces - Ala mongol. Not sure if there were any Bashkir at Borodino but a fun unti to paint and add even if not quite historical.

Frenchies are starting nicely mate with the cavalry. I reckon the Carabiniers had one of the prettiest uniforms in all the period. 

Good luck with all the acquiring and sorting out of the frenchies. Like all things its worth the effort to get it right up front but not very glamorous stuff. 

Look forward to the addition to your ever growing collection. I got some Prussians AB mini's out from my shed-lead pile and moved them to my house-lead pile and that is about it. So I appreciate your productivity and sharing of it to. Thanks for the eye candy.

take care and I will have a squiz at the terrain section you started.

 

 

Lol. Hope the Prussians get painted, but I do understand if they don't get the brush over treatment very soon. If you do need an incentive though, you should consider starting a diary here. 😉 

Agree with you on the Cossacks - one can never have too many. And they're cheap as chips. Yes, there were bow and arrow guys at Borodino, they were part of Platov's command - Bashkirs and Tartars. Wasn't going to paint them as bows and arrows though so gave them lances and called them Cossacks. Your mention of them though reminds me how WWI soon made horse-mounted cavalry obsolete although in 1939 the Poles seemed to have forgotten the memo. 

I have a small 28mm Nap army and have indeed used British Crimean cavalry as Russian Guard Cossacks. But there's nothing in 20mm that I've been able to source so far.

 

***************************************************

EDIT: 21 FEB (early Sunday morning)

Howdy. Just an update. Finishing off the last of my Lion Rampant campaign games today - see Historical for more details. The project I mentioned in previous posts that was going to interrupt my Nap armies assembled was completed on time which is a good thing for me as I tend to be slack on following through promises. Anyway, I am just going to take it casual returning to painting the French/Allies  - the second part of this Borodino Project. Firstly, going to flock and base all those units and figures already completed which should only take as long as it takes to apply the flock and glue. Then I will make a start on a pile I've located from storage. I am repeating the completing one corps at a time method successfully achieved with the Russians. Once they're done (giving myself till end of April), I can work on the shortfall of command and artillery stands (May to June).

During this break from doing Napoleonics, I engaged in some thinking about how to fully tackle the OZTGG project...well, more on the table that's going to accommodate these terrain builds, something I overlooked. The terrain items are sorted out in my head and aren't the concern. But the real big project is the gaming table, and it's not your standard 6' x 4' table (although you can compress it by ignoring those sectors of the battleground that were not directly involved like the far north - near the Moscow river). I am trying to come to some decision on whether to go proper gaming table mode or just stay with the terrain builds on a plain unadorned table. Sighting this inspirational scene (image below) got me thinking towards something similar for my Borodino refight. But I am weighing up how committed I would be doing something like. Timeline-wise is not an issue once I commit; I just don't know if I can do similar justice to something as inspirational as the scene below. Or might want to for a one-off event.

May be an image of one or more people, people standing and outdoors

Image by Wolfgang Meyer. From a diorama that's part of a collection on display in their new museum. 20mm Napoleonic Austrians. Ratio is 1:1. That's right, 1 figure equal 1 soldier!

Let me know your thoughts as I am open to feedback and decent suggestions. I won't be making any serious start on the terrain build of the OZTGG event until March as I want to get started back on the painting minis first and get that rhythm flow going again before commencing another major task. 

Harping back to the Lion Rampant gaming, it's been a real blast and chore at the same time. Hope to present a compilation of the gaming method I've devised to play this fun game without minis. Cheers. 

Edited by b20f08
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