Thursday, November 24, 2022

First Austrians Done!


After a bunch of delays and faffing about I have finished the first 16 figure batch of Austrians for my 1809 Sharp Practice force.

Very tired and depressed looking test figure

The head down is a result of the back of his helmet hitting the top of his pack

As the old Benjamin Moore commercial says: "White is a very difficult colour, Leonard."

For these fellows I went with a tan base coat, instead of my usual burnt umber, and then dry brushed white over top. I then blocked in the burnt umber on skin and black on helmets, gaiters and cartridge box. Then it was paint all the skin, equipment and facings before finally highlighting the uniform and belting with white again.

"Meh, close enough!" My very scientific way of making sure the paint I just bought was right.

For this formation I choose light green facings for IR 54 Froon. Simply because I liked the name. Although with every Austrian regiment having different coloured facings, my previous tactic of just bunging in command stands to make 4 stand battalions for General d'Armee will require a bit more planning. Fortunately, the Austrians did tend to keep both battalions of a regiment together in the same brigade, which will help.

Wait, I said this would just be a small force for Sharp Practice, didn't I?





Tried to get cute with this fellow. The right hand is holding a cartridge for a loading pose, but I figured he could be munching on a biscuit or something while he marches along.



Easier than I thought they'd be. Pants, jackets and belting all being white does reduce the steps. The hardest part is keeping the helmets tidy.

2 comments:

  1. To be honest, if I was an Austrian soldier in 1809, I'd be depressed too.

    They look fantastic though, especially as a group.

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  2. Beautiful. He did not need to 'froon' as his uniform looks marvellous!
    I love the serendipity of a moulding problem leading to a unique figure.
    Regards, James

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