Tax Collector

Another entry in the AHPC Chambers of Challenge, this time my "The Snow Lord’s Treasury" submission.

The treasury needs constant replenishment, these huge armies and palaces don't pay for themselves so this tax collector has been sent out to ensure that the peasantry contribute their Écu to the cause.
 

The tax collector is a "Government Representative on Mission" from Eureka Miniatures his stern gaze and pot-metal sword should be enough to convince the Third Estate to contribute their measly tithe. 

The size of his chest represents the low expectations of the haul. I had planned to use a bigger chest, but I think they must already be packed away for the move, so this small one from the Cantiniere will have to suffice.

Scientists and Savants

 

With the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge drawing to a close, I wanted to finish off a last few locations to help complete my adventures in the chambers.

Brigade games do a pack of French Scientists for their Napoleon in Egypt range and I thought they both fitted into my main theme of painting 28mm Napoleonics and would be perfect for the Laboratory location.

The final pair of fellows are examining artifacts at the workbench, dragged out of some tavern to the site of their investigations. 

The bench and tools are from the aptly named Workbench and Tools from Wizkids, as the figures are quite small and the bench quite large I chopped down the legs a little.

The chap in the green coat seems to be holding a very early model gold Nokia 3300 while the chap in the grey coat has arrived with a satchel of new finds.

This gentleman is probably my favourite of the set. He sits writing down his thoughts, so I thought the telescope from the Wizkids navigation set would be a useful addition.

The legs of the scope had to be broken off and reattached as they were at so steep an angle the thing looked awkward and would likely have easily broken.

For the lens I use the same 'non-glassy-glass" technique that I used in truck windows for my 20th century stuff. I really like how this figure came out.

The large area of the notebook he holds is really suitable for even my iffy motor skills to map out some text and diagrams as he records his findings.

The first fellow of the society has rather a military bearing with the sash and cut of his jacket, maybe he is a retired military gentleman who is now pursuing his interest in natural philosophy. He has appointed himself leader of this expedition.

These will make some great characters for our Sharpe Practice games.

More 2nd Battalion, Kings German Legion Light Infantry

 

With packing for the move back to the UK, my output has been severely curtailed this past week or two, but I have been steadily plodding along and this week completed the remainder of the 2nd Battalion, Kings German Legion Light Infantry that I have on hand.

The first three figures are mounted up in light order to make up a sixth stand of the unit I did a few weeks ago.

My usual photography rig is packed for shipping and I think I need to work to get some better shots a lot of these are quite badly out of focus, maybe the textured cardboard stand was not such a great idea.

Here they are added to that initial group of five bases:

I then started doing a few bases in skirmish order, firstly a group of six with muskets.

Next a group of six skirmishing with rifles. To be fair, and checking different sources I'm not entirely sure if during the Hundred Days if the 2/KGL Light were entirely equipped with rifles at that time or not.

The last trio of figures are an Officer, Sergeant with rifle and another leader with rifle to use in our Sharpe Practice games.

Hicksy has certainly sculpted bags of character into all these figures.

I initially planned to do just a unit of 2/KGL Light for our General de Brigade games, but combining the troops done in the last post with these I can now field a very reasonable starting force for Sharp Practice of four leaders, three light infantry groups with muskets and two light infantry groups with rifles, so quite a bonus result!

Recent AHPC Miscellany

First of the smaller AHPC entries is this Afghani Imam from Badger Games that was included in the give-away bag at a show (remember them?) a couple of years ago.

One day I may paint up those Empress Miniatures long languishing in the lower strata of the lead mountain.

I've painted up a pair of Vivandière from the pack I picked up from Brigade Games, they are really lovely sculpt by Paul Hicks.

Vivandière/Cantinière is an synonymous term for the ladies who accompanied the French regiments with their barrels of wine or brandy to sell to the troops.

I'd recommend this Wikipedia article for more information on their history and role.

When I was last in the UK in 2019 I picked up some of the lovely new Crusader Miniatures Senegalese and got them painted up for Chain of Command. Some pics here, here and here. I decided that they needed some armoured support and the Chain of Command list allows them a Renault R-35 so I ordered one from JTFM last year and it's sat in the box since.

The crewman is rather fancy with his droopy Gallic moustaches and silk scarf.

I don't have any appropriate decals so the blue ace of spades is a free-hand bodge. I also did quite a bit of weathering but it does not show up that well in the photos.

I needed something to represent a Tomb, so a trawl of the local games stores turned up this Wizkids "Heroic Statue" a few times, and the plinth could hold some remains, so, on Saturday I pulled the trigger and bought one.

It's quite a simple paint job, the statue was done in VMC Bronze with a couple of washes of AP Green Tone to give a verdigris effect, while the plinth is from a basecoat of VMC Basalt Grey with some staining and lichen patches stippled on.

Finally for now a pair of Aides de Camp, from Brigade Games. 

This vignette will be especially useful for our General d'Armee games to represent two ADC assigned to a brigade.

Victoria picked me up some more troops from Brigade Games for my birthday back in January and included in the presents was this pair of French Aide De Camp transferring orders.

2nd Battalion, Kings German Legion Light Infantry

 

Back onto dry land for my latest update with a unit of Kings German Legion Light Infantry for the Hundred Days Campaign.

The figures are all from the Brigade Games range and although a little slight are lovely models and really do take paint well.

I've got a load more of these in the backlog and think that I ought to add another base with muskets to the group to bring them up to six stands.

The unit has mixed musket and rifle armed composition two of the five bases are armed with Baker rifles.

One of the rifle bases also has a bugler.

Originally I planned to put the Officers and NCO's on the same stands as the infantry, but instead took the option of mounting them separately as I think that the KGL Lights will make a great force for Sharpe Practice.

I've got another sergeant and officer on deck along with the three figures to make up a sixth base and a group each armed with rifles and muskets in looser order of two to a base.