S Range Prussian Pioneers - Conversions

Whilst fiddling about making the casualties for my Ambulance service, I came across a couple of conversions that I had started with the idea of making a small unit of Prussian Pioneers.  I wasn't wild about these but thought I should just go ahead and painted them up.

The figures are based on the 2 Prussian Artillerymen and one Prussian infantryman.  The conversions are fairly obvious.  

Given the figures I used,  you can do exactly the same conversions to create Bavarian or Wurttemberg Pioneers although I have struggled to find any pictures or uniform details for either.  The only uniform I did come across was a Saxon Pioneer which is the same uniform as the Prussians but in green. 

The 'shovels' are from Irregular Miniatures SW20 Farm Implements.  Gripping Beast also make a set of tools SC62  12 tools for £2.00, as do Essex Miniatures X52 which includes Hammers, shovels and picks 8 tools for £2.50. Prices exclude p&p.  I am sure there are others out there, but these I have used in the past.  One set of tools allows you to make up a number of 'pioneers'.

My latest messing about is to make a third gunner for the Prussians, Bavarians and Wurttembergers artillery crews. I always think they look a bit odd with only 2 gunners/poses.  This one will be holding a rammer and will be a conversion of the gunner with the shell.

'Can You See What I See?'

Some time ago I made some conversions to create a mounted Prussian and French Officer with binoculars - well what I was prepared to accept looked a bit like them.

I always fancied an infantry officer with binoculars.  Before I got my recent diagnosis, I had started hacking a figure about to try to make one.  For some time now the various bits - arms and bodies have sat on my desk waiting to be put together.  To be honest I couldn't be bothered to complete it.  But in one of my brighter moments I thought 'why not'.

So I set about joining the arms to the body.  Needless to say they broke, fell on the floor and I was left crawling around trying to find the two parts of the arms.  I eventually found them more by luck that judgement.  My big problem now is that I have a cataract in my left eye.  This is the eye I use for close up work.  I do not mention this to solicit yet more sympathy but to explain what happened next.

I set about fixing the arms in place with superglue and green stuff.  Having completed this task which I thought seemed more difficult to line up the arms than before and leaving everything to dry off. I picked up my finished creation only to discover that I had stuck the arms on upside down!  I blame this entirely on my eye! 

Having got this far I really couldn't be bothered to try to undo the fixing or start again so I just proceeded to paint what I had done.  Again painting is a real problem the brush seems to have turned into a broom!  Anyway this is the 'finished article' which just goes to show how wrong you can get it!

'Can You See What I See'

 

Needless to say, I won't be making anymore versions of this particular conversion!

Best Guns for FPW Period - follow up

Following on from my blog 'Best Guns for the FPW Period', I decided to buy the Foundry 15cm Krupp Siege Gun FPPG003 to see what it looked like and to get an idea of its scale.  Not because I need any more Prussian artillery!

It has a platform behind the gun which suggests that a gunner or gunners could stand on it at some point in the loading; siting or firing process. To take advantage of this, I cut the the base of one of the Prussian gunners I had converted and struck him on. It also gives an idea of the scale of the gun. I am not convinced this would work with a 28mm figure. It also looks as if the is firing the gun rather like a machine gun!

Surround by a full crew.  I suspect the horse would do a 'runner' rather than wait for the big bang!

Update: Gun size.  The wheels are 20mm high.  the Gun carriage is 50mm.  Including the barrel the overall length of the gun is 60mm.  The height from ground to barrel is 30mm.

The gun itself looks very like the picture from the Minifigs catalogue which shows an S range FPW artillery FPA1 Prussian Siege Gun.

Thanks to the Lone S Ranger blogspot.com for the use of this picture.

1866 Austrians and Allies take on Prussians and their Allies

Finally got around to having the game with Jack and Bob that I threatened.  Way too many figures but an opportunity to show them to Jack who hadn’t seen them before, despite making a number of the moulds for me.

It started as a game using Black Powder but quickly degenerated into more of a chatting match.  After Jack had his second glass of Shiraz and a bacon sandwich and we discussed which of us was going to get to the pearly gates first this just turned into a photo shoot opportunity.  So lots of pictures not much text but we enjoyed ourselves which was all that mattered.

On the Prussian left flank is a brigade of light and heavy cavalry consisting of Hussars, Uhlans and Cuirassiers

 

The next to them a brigade of Allied troops from Oldenburg, Mecklenburg, Lippe and Saxe Coburg

 The centre is made up of Prussian infantry supported by artillery

On the right is another allied brigade of troops from Brunswick, Bremen and Waldeck

On the extreme right is another Brigade of cavalry consisting of 2 regiments of Prussian Dragoons and Dragoons from Mecklenburg and Oldenburg. 

  

 The Austrians had a mixed force of Austrian. Bavarians, and Wurtemburgers supported by troops from Nassau, Saxony, Scheswig Menningan, Baden and Hesse Kessel.  On the right was a mixed brigade of cavalry with Austrain Uhlans, Bavarian Cuirassiers and Light dragoons and Hesse Kessel Hussars.

 

Supported by Wurtettemburgers and Bavarians  in the centre and the Austrians on the left flank.

 Jack and Bob plot the Prussian strategy. Which quickly goes to pot as Jack never seeing the opportunity to wait with his cavalry launches a frontal assault on the Austrian artillery and Jagers on the hills to his front.

  

The Mecklenburgh Hussars charge the Austrian artillery.  Needless to say they are driven away.

 The same is true for the first regiment of dragoons who are charging up hill into the Austrian Jagers.

A lot of head scratching about what to do next.  Withdraw the remaining cavalry or plough on!   This is of course Jack and retiring isn't part of his vocabulary so they charge on!

 In the centre the Prussian infantry brigades advance

The Prussian artillery enjoy some success routing an Austrian regiment

 Poor Austrian artillery allows the Oldenburg Hussars to charge home routing the gunners but at the same time running into the Austrian cavalry brigade who drive them back.

 The second regiment of Prussian Dragoons also enjoy success with some pitiful rifle fire failing to stop them they rout the Jagers.

Jack celebrates this brief cavalry victories.

In the centre the Bavarians close on their Prussian enemy.

 The Prussian regiments form a formidable firing line 

The second glass of Shiraz slows the thought process!

The Bavarians quickly try to counter the Prussian firing line.

The combined allied cavalry of the right finally get moving and charge the Prussian Hussars who are put to flight

 

 The Austrian allies and Prussians firing line grows in length.  Unfortunately, the actual firing ranges from feeble to pathetic and even the extra boost given to the Prussians fails to have any effect.

Another Prussian Hussar Regiment is put to flight.

 Even at close range the firing is hopeless

 The Brunswickers and Bremen infantry rush to join the fray.

 Still the deadlock goes on.   The Austrians throw the last of their allied reserves into the firing line but still both sides remain locked in a series of hopeless firing throws and good saving dice

At this point and with 2 glasses of Shiraz and a bacon sandwich having an effect we decided to call it a day.