Russian hussar officer

I am slightly unsure about the uniform on this figure, please let me know if you notice any inaccuracies. This certainly is a lovely figure by Perry, although some details are very small so that it was a bit tricky to paint. This will work both as a leader for my Mariupol hussars and as a general (rather a colonel perhaps) of a Russian cavalry brigade, when playing Black Powder or something similar. Whenever I finish one or two more cavalry units, that is (some cuirassiers are on their way).

Paint scheme

The paint scheme was as described below. It is very similar to that used on the troopers, with a few additional highlights here and there:

Uniform, sabretache and shabraque: Coat d’arms Royal Blue, successive highlights with Coat d’arms Marine Blue

Collar, cuffs, lace and shabraque ornaments: Vallejo Gold Brown, successive highlights with white

Collar and cuff edges, braided belt, shako lace: Coat d’arms Gun Metal highlighted with Coat d’arms Enchanted Silver (some orange was added to the belt, but this is hardly visible)

Leather straps for sabretache, edges of sash: Vallejo Hull Red, highlight Coat d’arms Blood Red

Sabre hilt, chin straps, sash ornaments, etc: Vallejo Glorious Gold, highlight with Coat d’arms Enchanted Silver mixed in

Sabre: black base, mix of Coat d’arms Gun Metal and black, highlighted with Gun Metal and successively added Enchanted Silver

Boots, shako, reins, etc: black, successively highlighted with Vallejo Black Grey and Vallejo Dark Rubber

Human skin: Coat d’arms Tanned Flesh with Coat d’arms Flesh highlights, final highlight with Vallejo Pale sand

Horse coat: Vallejo Light Grey, shaded with Vallejo London Grey and Black Grey and successively highlighted to pure white

Horse mane and tail, and shako plume: Vallejo Dark Sand highlighted with Vallejo Pale Sand

All colors except metal and boots were also shaded with AP Quickshade Strong Tone.

Early World War 2 British

These miniatures were some of the first ww2 figures I ever painted, only a few years ago. Most of them were made by Warlord Games, with a few being Gorgon Studios (with greatcoats and leather jackets). I have now managed to take some decent pictures of these figures and so I removed the old post.

I did make some mistakes with these. I placed the bipod for one of the Bren gunners slightly to far forward. I also remember I was a bit unsure of how to use Army Painter’s Quickshade at that time. But they came out pretty good anyway.

Both the Warlord and the Gorgon miniatures are of the best quality. And it is great to have your whole platoon in metal! With the Gorgon figures there are some problems with historical accuracy in the details. The figures have bayonet scabbards, but there are no bayonets in them or on the rifles. The rifles themselves look more like the no 4 than the mk III (which the Warlord minis are clearly carrying), although I must admit, the difference is not enormous. But all of them have a lot of character and really well made faces and details making them easy to paint.

The paint scheme was as follows:

Helmet: Vallejo Brown Violet

Uniform: Vallejo British Uniform

Webbing: Vallejo Green Grey

Rifle wood: Army Painter Oak Brown

Metal: black with Coat d’arms Gun Metal and Enchanting Silver highlights

Boots: black

Water bottle: Army Painter Leather Brown

Skin: Coat d’arms Tanned Flesh with Coat d’arms Flesh highlights

Tea cup: Vallejo Pale Sand (If I remember correctly…) with rim Coat d’arms Marine Blue

All colors except metal and boots were shaded with AP Quickshade and highlighted with the original color and then a mix of that color and Vallejo Dark Sand.

Finnish army of 1808

Perry miniatures Swedish (Finnish) infantry, firing line poses

Perry miniatures have released a very nice range of Swedish/Finnish miniatures for the 1808-1809 war with Russia relatively recently. The figures are very nice and the campaign seems perfect for small scale skirmish wargaming, such as Sharp Practice or other systems.

Of course I ordered some of these soon after they were released. So far, two sets of line infantry (marching/firing line) have been released, as well as three different sets of jägers and some dragoons. However, I have been slow to paint the few figures I have, as some critical pieces are still missing. There are few alternatives to Perry when it comes to Swedes for 1808. Those that do exist are not quite of the high standard that Perry set for themselves, which means one is reluctant to use figures from other manufacturers together with these excellent miniatures.

Perry have now announced that they will soon be releasing sets of Swedish artillery. These are of course crucial. Even in the small scale skirmishes, often involving just a few companies or a couple of battalions of troops, artillery were still very often dragged along. The final missing piece will be mounted officers and generals. Let’s hope Perry have these in the pipeline as well, as they would round the whole thing off nicely.

Colors or the Finnish Björneborg regiment, which was based in the Satakunta region in Western Finland

But the main problem is flags. For my Russians I have used the excellent GMB flags. The range is comprehensive and the flags look great. Unfortunately, there is nothing comparable for the Swedish/Finnish army. Until GMB release a Swedish range, I will have to try making my own flags. I have tried but have yet to make one that looks good enough. We will see how it goes; for Sharp Practice I suppose you only really need one or two, maybe I can do really weathered and tattered ones to cover up my lack of skill in free-hand painting.