Just a quick post to update on what I’ve been up to lately both miniature wise and with life in general as one often impacts the other. Over the last year I’ve been quite involved (working my ass off!) in fixing up and remodeling my house prior to listing it for sale and a possible move out of state. This has led to me sorting through a lead pile of enormous proportions and list things as KEEP, SELL, or GIVE AWAY! Much of the “KEEP” section has already been packed but there are still quite a few projects half-finished on the shelf that I’m endeavoring to finish before I move.
Projects that are awaiting completion, some of these figures are growing beards they’ve waited so long!
Some of the projects are also commissions or projects promised to others that have already appeared as post (Carthaginian Archers) and many are just victims of the “oooh shiny let’s paint some of these instead” where we start another project before finishing the current one, we nearly all do it….
A quick search on YouTube will take you to this gem of a historical movie.
One of my ongoing projects is 15mm Napoleonic’s and I have not only a fair-sized collection of fully painted / based figures, French, Russians, Saxons, and Bavarian’s but an almost embarrassing amount of yet to be painted Napoleonic miniatures. One of the partially finished projects was a group of late war period French Line infantry and as I had just watched Napoleon the 2002 mini-series “again” I was in the mood!
I would recommend the show to any history buff and while there are a few small mistakes or “stretches” it is overall superb, well written, photographed, and well cast. At just over 6 hours I still felt I could have used more and never felt it to drag on. I put this show on a par with Shogun, Horatio Hornblower series, or Vikings, as it gives one a true feel for the period while not boring the viewer and still maintaining some historical accuracy!
Sorry for the poor quality of some pictures but I fooled with the settings and couldn’t remember exactly what they were to reset them! Having packed my notes on camera settings it will take a few sessions to get them right again! Being that I’m from the “analog age” where each function had its own button or dial sifting through endless “menus” to adjust things is painful!
Quite a few of my wargaming buddies have shed their 15mm collections over the years and moved to 25-28mm figures for a variety of reasons, “I don’t use them any more”, “I like painting larger figures” or the often “I can’t see them!” I have kept mine and continue to paint, play and enjoy the scale as I think it has many attributes not found in the larger scales. Savings in figure cost, time in painting, storage, and room needed to play are often plus marks on the side of 15mm. I like the visual aspects of large masses of figures covering the table much more easily done in 15mm. It’s also sometimes easier to hook new players into the miniatures hobby because of these attributes than with their larger cousins. There are pro’s and con’s to all scales and frankly I love them all!
Enough with the scale debate! I really just meant to show the figures I just finished as part of getting things off the “half-finished” shelf! This unit is late period French Line infantry and are composed entirely of 19th Century miniatures that most of us know as the original “Old Glory 15’s. The unit it is based for the Age of Eagles rules by Bill Grey and what I consider one of the best for the Napoleonic period.
These guys are happy to finally march off the shelf and into the “active duty” case! Figures are from the “Old Glory 15’s” line produced by 19th Century Miniatures
I’m also going to start trying to document my entire collection of miniatures in pictures here on the site so I will be slowly adding pictures via post but ultimately, they will be organized on the “painted pile” page according to period and scale.
More soon!
Great looking miniatures Bill. Thanks for sharing. As for photographing all your painted lead I can’t wait to see it all.
Well as for seeing it all you certainly will have to “wait” lol! there’s a lot! PS are we going to try RONIN Saturday?
I think since it looks like another mega SAGA game with Mr. Daun in attendance we should push it. How about September 11th. My son’s 2nd birthday is the 5th so we’ll be doing a birthday on the 4th.
Bill great article.
How much of the Napoleonics do you have?
Well Ed with out taking the time to count exactly (I will later) between 800-1000 is a fair estimate. Five shelves in the box and about 300 per shelf but some are cavalry and artillery as we as there’s still a bit of room in some drawers. I have at least that much unpainted as well! 95% is “Old Glory 15’s”
When I started my blog, documenting new units as well as my existing collection was one of my several objectives. That was 10 years ago, and by the end of this year I think almost everything will finally be documented. 🙂
I prefer 28’s myself (8,000 Napoleonics alone), but your 15’s look great and I certainly can see the advantages. If I were to do a smaller scale, (in a different period!) I might choose 10mm. It matters little, what matters is if it works for *you*.
Hi Peter, I just updated the link to your excellent “Blunders on the Danube” site and wow you have been busy! I got into Napy’s and particularly 15mm because my best friend and war-gaming buddy hooked me by giving me about 100 nicely painted French and a a bag full of unpainted ESSEX lead. That was over 25 years ago and I have been slowly adding to it ever since. Napoleonic’s fascinates and bewilders me with its endless array of troops and uniforms! Love painting them but never sure if I got them right, but as you say “it matters little if it works for me”