Chosen Men - 95th Rifleman (Nick)

Finally my first British rifleman of the the infamous 95th Rifles, as featured in the Sharpe novels and TV series as well as the cover of the Chosen Men rules by Osprey Publishing - figure is again from Warlord Games, a metal sample this time from the 95th Rifles - Chosen Men box set.

Unlike the bright colours of the previous redcoat, I chose to paint over a black primer this time as nearly everything is black or black/green (at the time of starting some time ago I also wanted a more traditional style of painting as I was struggling to get satisfactory results using the Contrast paints).

In the end it is a brighter green than is 'realistic' but very dark green just looks black at a distance on the tabletop and I really wanted to be able to distinguish those green jackets - the same would apply to the dark blue of any French Voltigeurs (much like the WFR light infantry officer I painted last year)

Hopefully now I've got the first test figures done for both light infantry and rifles it should be much quicker painting the rest of each unit ready for some small games of either Chosen Men or Sharp Practice - possibly even the forthcoming Shakos and Bayonets supplement for Muskets & Tomahawks by Studio Tomahawk.

Chosen Men - British Light Infantryman (Nick)

Not the 95th rifles suggested last time, but a light infantryman of the 45th Nottinghamshire Regiment of Foot instead and my first ever British Redcoat - figure is Warlord Games plastic British Line Infantry with alternative metal head.

Mostly painted with Citadel Contrast paints over white, with additional highlights in normal acrylics - starting with the white details in Apothecary White (later highlighted/tidied up with Vallejo 'Off White'), then carefully pre-colour/flood the scarlet jacket areas with Blood Angels Red, shade the creases with Flesh Tearers Red and highlight with Green Stuff World 'Ember Orange' - other colours following a similar pattern as appropriate.

The separate backpack and attached equipment was started from a black primer as that seemed more sensible given the final colours, but would probably work just as well in the same technique as the main figure over white.

I'm not sure if the Flank Company/Light Infantry shako is strictly correct but the alternative metal heads mean I can use a handful of mixed sprues I picked up over the years, some with covered Belgic shakos for Waterloo/100 Days campaign, some with Stovepipe shakos for the Peninsula campaign and even some with stiffened caps for Hanoverian regiments.

The covered Belgic shakos I do have will be used later for some Line Infantry and should make them really easy to distinguish from one another on the table top.

I don't even know if the 45th were issued with Belgic shakos at all, as they were returned to barracks in 1814 and were not present for the 100 Days campaign/Waterloo - so a bit of artistic license anyway.

Despite these shortcomings or maybe oversights from a historical point of view, I chose the 45th Nottinghamshire Regiment for the same reasons as some of my previous projects to inject some local flavour - this seems to be the most local regiment during the Napoleonic conflict and later joined with the 95th Derbyshire Regiment of Foot to become the infamous Sherwood Foresters, so the most 'Derby' link I could find... the fact that their colours are also green means they tie in again with my favoured green/yellow (orange) theme that seems to be running through these projects too.

Hopefully he passes muster and I can knock up a few more to complete my first unit for Chosen Men and possibly Sharp Practice too.

Chosen Men - Objective Marker (Nick)

Firstly welcome back to Carl, it's been a while!

...and for me at long last I have my first finished piece of 2021, a lot later than anticipated, and certainly not what I expected to be up first!

However, I have managed to keep up the 'paint on brush' for 84 days straight now which must be an all time record for me, so there are quite a few things that are very nearly completed.

This is an objective marker I have been wanting to make for ages since I first picked up a spare French finial, and I'm sure it's nothing to do with watching Sharpe's Eagle & Sharpe's Regiment again recently on DVD?

Quite a simple piece, it is just a French Napoleonic 'Eagle' from Warlord Games attached to a suitable brass wire flagpole, which is then inserted into an mdf base and given some extra stability by adding a small pile of rocks.  The remnants of the Tricolor are made from ordinary printer paper wrapped around the pole, secured and hardened with thinned PVA and then cut into a ragged edge with plastic cutters - the metal ribbons of the finial were then made to look battle worn too with various tools.

Although intended as an objective marker for the Chosen Men rules from the 'blue cover' Osprey Wargames series, it could easily see use in Sharpe Practice or any other 28mm Napoleonic games - this should give Carl's 'Frenchies' something worth fighting for, I just need to get cracking on some of my 95th Rifles to contest it!

Sharp Practice - WFR Russian Jager Officer (Nick)

Another one finished courtesy of the new 'paint on brush' every day routine mentioned last time, it's definitely working (and I hear Carl's still on track too, with some Roman archers no less).

This time a Russian Jager officer as a counterpart to the French officer in the last post, and another 'rescued' Contrast Paints experiment - again, figure from the Wars of the French Revolution range by Eureka Miniatures:

This one actually took longer to finish than anticipated as the finer details took some complex, cross-referenced research but I now feel a lot more confident going forward although NCO's and troops are different again!

I guess the good news is that in the meantime paint has been thrown at other random models so there might be more finished before year end.

Sharp Practice - WFR French Chasseurs Officer (Nick)

Time to hang out the bunting and ignite the fireworks? ...maybe not, but another miniature has been completed as the nights draw in at the end of the year.

Yet another departure from anything I've done before, and my first proper Napoleonic(ish) figure since those Airfix plastics of my youth - I say Napoleonic(ish) as it's a French Light Infantry officer from Eureka Miniatures and their 'Wars of the French Revolution' range, a completely new period for me just before what is generally accepted as the Napoleonic era and quite fascinating.

Starting as another experiment with Games Workshop's range of Contrast Paints this one didn't quite go to plan originally and so was put to one side in shame!

This last week he has been 'rescued' with the application of some highlights and detail using more usual acrylic paints and techniques, and I'm beginning to see how useful the Contrast Paints can be when used in conjunction with other mediums as a basecoat & wash all in one - something my good friend James Morris suggested when I was looking at buying into the Contrast Paints.

This week has also been a revelation for both myself and Carl's painting regime, as we had both stalled due to other commitments and finding it very hard to find time and/or motivation for a 'painting session' - then YouTube suggested I watch a video by the always excellent Zumikito Miniatures on how to get/keep yourself motivated to paint on a regular basis: 6 tips to paint more miniatures when MOTIVATION is low

Now we already know about being set up ready to go, and removing other distractions etc. but the one thing that stood out for me, and then Carl when I shared it, was his #4: set an easy daily target ie. put some paint on your brush even if you don't paint anything - silly as it may sound it was just what we needed, and a real game changer that hit home with both of us... the above is just one on the results for me, and Carl has finished at least one figure too so one week into painting rehab and we're both doing good and getting to our paint station at least once every day because of it.

Onwards and upwards, I can hear my paint station calling and a brush with no paint on it... Vive la France!