1809 Napoleonic Austrians

These are Front Rank miniatures

1809 Austrian and Hungarian Grenadier battalions. Formed from the companies of the line regiments into grenadier battalions. These fellows are destined for the East coast of Australia.

Four Battalions of Austrian Grenadiers

 Grenadiers of the 24th(Dark Blue),30th(Grey),and 41st(yellow) battalions combined together into the Brzeczinski Battalion

Grenadiers of the 14th (Black) 45th (Crimson) and 59th (Orange) Battalions were formed together into the Puteani Battalion 

German and Hungarian Grenadiers

Elements of the Scovaud Brigade

Rear View of the Puteani Battalion

Hungarian Grenadiers of the 32nd (Light Blue)and 51st (Dark Blue) Hungarian battalions combined with the German Grenadiers of the 31st (Yellow) Battalion to form the Scharlach Battalion

A Hungarian officer steadies the Line

1809 Wurttemburgers

Fresh off the painting table are these 1809 Wurttemburgers. These 28mm figures are from Front Rank Miniatures and have been painted using Vallejo and foundry acrylics and then washed and matt varnished. We have been painting a lot of Front Rank figures recently and have found the quality excellent

Pictured are a number of line battalions and a light infantry battalion plus the 1st Regiment of Chevaulegers.

Painting sources and uniforms have been from empire/histofig.com and warflag.com both of which provide excellent information on the period.

Each Regiment had two battalions and the Regiments shown in these pictures are the 6th Kronprinz, the 2nd  Herzog Wilhelm and the 1st Von Phull as well as the 1st light infantry battalion commanded by Von Wolff.

1st Light Infantry battalion

1st Regiment Herzog Heinrich

1st Battalion von Phull

rear view Herzog Wilhelm

rear view Kronprinz battalion

Rear view 1st Light Battalion

Skirmish stand Kronprinz regiment (white facings,red piping and yellow buttons)

More pics to follow shortly.
If you want figures painted either visit our website at www.abrushtoofar.com  or email us at brushtoofar@aol.com

Rorkes Drift 28mm Figures

As promised some more pictures of the latest commission of British Zulu War Infantry. Featured are Lt's Bromhead and Chard, Corporal Scheiss ,commissioner Dalton and Surgeon Reynolds as well as a selection of rank and file.

Warlord have along with Empress miniatures released a line of Anglo Zulu War figures. I have painted these using Acrylics with a Matt varnish. The helmets are dyed khaki brown and have no badges rather than being white as they are often seen  in films as Lord Chelmsford had issued orders that all troops should do so.

Lieutenant Chard and his bugler. you'll note that as Chard was not an infantry officer his jacket is different to that of Lieutenant Bromhead. The blue highlight on the trousers has been emphasised by the flash on the camera. and is not as bright under normal light.

The Lieutenant Bromhead Figure. Armed with a rifle and no doubt ready to lead his flying squad into any Zulu break through.

Lieutenant Chard revolver in hand stands ready to repel the Zulu hordes 

Commissary Dalton. During the film Zulu the this character plays very little part in the action but historically he was awarded the Victoria Cross and is named by many testimonies as a true leader and inspiration on the day of the battle. Indeed Henry Hook VC (also wrongly portrayed as a drunken miscreant) called the ex RSM the bravest man he had ever met in his written testimony.

 Corporal Scheiss of Royal Natal Police Force

Surgeon Reynolds of the Army Hospital Corps. I couldn't find any pictures of this chap so used the film Zulu and the dead paper hanger scene as inspiration hence the sweaty blood smear across his forehead and blooded apron, hands and shirt.

 An infantry Sergeant. The manufacturer has sculpted the sergeant stripes onto the figures as do the Perry brothers. Its a nice touch and makes painting rank insignia that much easier. Its a pity that not all the figure manufacturers do this.

A closer look at the bugler. If you like these figures and want your own set you can find them in the on line store at www.abrushtoofar.com

Zulus (Thousands of Them)

With the success of our painted British Anglo Zulu Infantry we have now added the Married and Unmarried Zulus to our range of painted figures. These figures are from the Warlord stables. Each unit is painted and based on laser cut ply

The Zulu army was a formidable foe. Well-trained, well-led, and well-equipped for campaigns, the Zulu regiments were the terror of Africa. Created by the great Shaka, founder of the nation, each regiment was composed of small companies who trained together, and a regiment could be 1,000 men strong.They were then brigaded together to form divisions that could move at great speed and with drilled precision, forming the classic Zulu attack formation of the Horns of the Buffalo.

The military system formed units into married and unmarried units, so a cadre of young men would be forced to remain unmarried on the King's orders until they had “washed their spears” in the blood of their enemies. They are armed with throwing spears, smooth bore muskets and the deadly stabbing short spear whilst their patterned ox-hide shields help identify their parent regiment.

Once they were blooded, and only then, would they sew in the characteristic head ring which is the symbol of a mature and married warrior, showing his much enhanced status in society.

These then are the finest warriors of a fierce and proud army of 40,000 men, eager to preserve Zululand from all invaders, Swazi, Boer or British!

Usuthu! The feared Zulu war cry of 'Kill!' shouted by hundreds of brave, fierce warriors would put fear into the hearts of most men. The men shouting this battle-cry  have a lot to prove as they are the unmarried warriors of the Zulu impi's. Zulu tradition held that until they 'washed their spears' in the blood of an enemy of the King they could not choose a girl to marry, so closing and killing an enemy ensured a bride and a greatly enhanced status.

These young bloods moved swiftly in extended order, sniping with their selection of antique firearms or hurling long spears some 30 yards with great accuracy.

Although generally stripping down for close quarter fighting, a Zulu dressed in full regalia was an awe-inspiring sight, with monkey tails, otter fur, cow tails and crane feathers creating a look that might overwhelm a foe by looks alone.

Update

Well were still busy. There is a lot of demand for painted figures out there. Still on the painting table is an army of 15mm Neapolitans (hundreds of the buggers) which will hopefully be going out in the next couple of weeks and a lovely set of British Infantry from the Anglo Zulu war (pictures to follow) will be going in the post soon. Also on the painting table is a large 28mm Austrian and Wurttemburg contingent which we are ploughing our way through. We have reopened the on line shop and have assigned a painter just to deal with the orders that come through that.

Pics and further updates to follow this weekend when I have time to spend typing rather than painting.

Cheers

Jono

   

The OnLine Store

Its been a while since our last post and that's because we are so busy.  We took a lot of business during the Christmas season and in the weeks running up to it and are now furiously painting late into the night to get every ones figures to  them whilst keeping to the standards our figures require.

Mary was wondering why Jono had stopped painting

To that end we have temporarily closed the on line store to prevent overload but if you want figures doing please drop us an email at brushtoofar@aol.com and we will give you a quote and time scale for delivery.

Currently on the painting table are 28mm British Cavalry, 15mm Neapolitan Infantry ,28mm Zulu war British Infantry and a unit of 28mm Highlanders. These figures will all hopefully be winging their way to their respective Generals within the next couple of weeks.

We hope all our customers had a Merry Christmas and are like us looking forward to the end of this awful  weather.

cheers

Jono

3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment of Foot The Royal Scots

17th century

The regiment was first raised in 1633 as the Royal Regiment of Foot by Sir John Hepburn, under a royal warrant from Charles I, on the Scottish establishment for service in France. It was formed from a nucleus of Hepburn's previous regiment, formerly in Swedish service, which had been in existence since 1625. When in France it absorbed the remnants of a number of other Scottish mercenary units which had fought in Swedish service, and by 1635 had swelled to some 8,000 men. Sir John Hepburn, was killed at the siege of Saverne in 1636; it was then taken over by his nephew, Sir John Hepburn who was killed in action the following year. Lord James Douglas was appointed the new colonel, and the name of the corps was altered to the Régiment de Douglas, numbering some 1200 Scotsmen. The regiment fought with distinction, under Douglas, until he was killed in a skirmish near Douai in 1645, in attempt to take the city from the Habsburgs. His elder brother Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus was appointed in his place. In all the regiment served in France from 1633 to 1661, when it was recalled to England.

Because the regiment had been formed by Royal Warrant, it was legally part of the Crown's armed forces, even though it had been out of the country for three decades. As such, it was recalled to help secure the coronation of Charles II, and helped provide a model for the other regiments founded after the collapse of the New Model Army. The regiment returned to France from 1662–66 and 1667–78, seeing English service again during the Second Anglo-Dutch War; soldiers of the regiment responded to the Raid on the Medway, when Pepys recorded that Here in the streets, I did hear the Scotch march beat by the drums before the soldiers, which is very odd.

1678 marked the final end of French service, with the regiment placed permanently on the English establishment. It was posted to Ireland in 1679, and in 1680 the regiment was sent to Tangier, where it won its first battle honour In 1684, the regiment was titled His Majesty's Royal Regiment of Foot, and withdrawn to England .In 1685 they fought for James II in the Monmouth Rebellion, at the Battle of Sedgemoor, and the following year a second battalion was raised. In 1688, they were the only regiment of the army to remain loyal to James in the Glorious Revolution; both battalions of the regiment mutinied and were disarmed.

During the War of the Grand Alliance, the regiment fought at the Battle of Walcourt (1689), the Battle of Steenkerque (1692), the Battle of Landen (1693) and the Siege of Namur (1695).They spent the late 1690s on garrison duty in Ireland.


18th century

During the War of the Spanish Succession, the regiment fought at the Battles of Schellenberg and Blenheim (1704), the Battle of Ramillies (1706), the Battle of Oudenarde (1708) and the Battle of Malplaquet (1709). Both battalions spent 1715 to 1742 on service in Ireland, but after this point the battalions were normally separated; the 1st went to Flanders, with the 2nd being sent to the Caribbean as a garrison for Puerto Bello. The 1st saw service in the War of the Austrian Succession at the Battle of Fontenoy (1745), whilst the 2nd was engaged in the Second Jacobite Rising, fighting at the Battle of Falkirk and the infamous Battle of Culloden (1746),after which it returned to Ireland.

In 1751, the regiment was titled the 1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot,ranked as the most senior of the line regiments of infantry. The 2nd Battalion was sent to Nova Scotia in 1757,and saw service in the Seven Years' War, capturing Louisburg in 1758, Guadeloupe in 1762 and Havana in 1763, returning home in 1764.Both then served as garrisons in the Mediterranean, the 1st in Gibraltar from 1768–75, and the 2nd in Minorca from 1771-75.

The 1st Battalion was sent to the West Indies in 1781, fought in the capture of Sint Eustatius that year, and was itself captured at St. Kitts in January 1782 but exchanged later in the year.
French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars

The 1st Battalion had returned to the West Indies as a garrison in 1790, and served there until 1797,with a brief period of combat in the Haïtian Revolution. The West Indies were hotbeds of disease, and the battalion lost more than half its strength to disease in this period. It was reformed from militia volunteers in Ireland in 1798: This year saw a major rebellion erupt in Ireland after years of simmering tension. The Lothian Fencibles fought with distinction at the Battle of Vinegar Hill, one of the more important engagements of the rebellion. Subsequently, the regiment gained a new regimental song:
Ye croppies of Wexford, I'd have ye be wise and go not to meddle with Mid-Lothian BoysFor the Mid-Lothian Boys they vow and declareThey'll crop off your head as well as your hairderry, down, down.Remember at Ross and at Vinegar HillHow your heads flew about like chaff in a millFor the Mid-Lothian Boys when a croppy they see they blow out his daylights and tip him cut three derry, down, down.

After the rebellion was over in Ireland they were used in minor raids on the coast of Spain in 1800.Meanwhile, from 1793 to 1801, the 2nd Battalion was based in the Mediterranean. It fought at the Siege of Toulon (1793) and the capture of Corsica(1794), returning briefly to Northern Europe for the Battle of Egmont op Zee in the 1799 Helder Campaign, before fighting in the 1801 Egyptian campaign at the Battle of Aboukir and the Battle of Alexandria.

Both battalions were subsequently dispatched to the West Indies, the 1st from 1801 to 1812, and the 2nd from 1803 to 1806. The 1st fought at the capture of Saint Lucia, as well as of Demerara and Essequibo in 1803, and the capture of Guadeloupe in 1810. The 2nd then moved to India, where it would remain until 1826, , whilst the 1st was sent to Quebec with the outbreak of the War of 1812.It fought in the battles of Sackett's Harbor and Buffalo & Black Rock, as well as the capture of Fort Niagara (1813), the battles of Longwoods, Chippawa, and Lundy's Lane, along with the Siege of Fort Erie and the battle of Cook's Mills (1814). In February 1812, the regiment was retitled as the 1st Regiment of Foot (Royal Scots), the first official appearance of the popular name.


Raised in late 1804, at Hamilton, the 3rd Battalion served in the Peninsular War from 1808 to 1809, fighting at the Battle of Corunna in 1809 before being withdrawn by sea and sent to the Walcheren Campaignwith the 1st Division. It returned to Portugal in 1810 with the 5th Division, fighting at the Battle of Buçaco (1810), the Battle of Fuentes de Onoro (1811), the battles of Badajoz, Salamanca and Burgos (1812), the Battle of Vitoria, capture of San Sebastián, Battle of Nivelle, and the Battle of Nive (1813), before advancing into France in 1814. It was sent to Belgium during the Hundred Days, and fought in Picton's Division (the 5th) at the Battle of Waterloo (1815). After two years in the Army of Occupation, it was disbanded at Canterbury in 1817.

The 3rd Battalion is available in both its Peninsular and Hundred Days (Waterloo) Campaign uniforms on the website www.abrushtoofar.com