Napoleonic Russian Hussars

Hello again,

Today I finished my first two bases of Russian Hussars. I'm painting every base as a different regiment for Blucher. This will probably look a little strange in squadron to a base games in ESR, so I might pick up some more hussars in the future to do that. These are fantastic models from Baccus that have heaps of detail. I've decided to paint the red Lifeguard (Лейб-гвардия) and blue Mariupol (Мариуполь) Hussars, unsure what the third base I have will be. I hope everybody likes them.

The Mariupol Hussars

Lifeguard Hussars

Rearshot showing the varying cloak trims (white for officers/trumpeters)

6mm Bridges

Hi again,

Just a quick post today. I've painted up the bridges I've received in my latest Baccus order. They're too small for my main river but are perfectly sized for my homemade creeks. Previously any 6mm games were bogged down by water as I only owned one bridge, so besides looking good they should really help gameplay on my tables!

All three bridges with a Napoleonic Russian battalion for scale.

Creeks and the mat are homemade. The buildings are Battlescale

Picoarmor 3mm Moderns

Hi again.

This project was a bit of a one-off and is now completed. 3mm moderns for Fistful of Tows 3. In the game bases represent platoons, so two vehicles to a base seems a bit off, however value wise 3x picoarmor vehicles was equal in cost to 1x Heroics and Ros 6mm vehicle. This project was in essence intended to be a cheap and easily transportable two player wargame of FFT3 that I could carry on my motorcycle. The aim then was achieved!

The forces consist of a NATO force split between British and Germans. The British have a Challenger 1 armoured regiment and a FV401 mounted mechanised infantry regiment. There is also support in the form of Lynx helicopters and Rapier anti-air vehicles. The German component is slightly larger, with a panzer (Leopard 2A4) battalion, mixed-panzer battalion, mechanised battalion (Marder 1A2s mounted) and a reconnaissance battalion with Leopard 1s, Fuchs and Luchs.

The Soviet force consists of two armoured regiments (one CAT 1 with T-80s and one CAT II with T-72s - all infantry in BMP-2s), with an independent battalion of T-80s and two Hind stands in support.

Picoarmor is a bit of a polarising thing I've found. I'm a big fan but certainly acknowledge that at this scale infantry are basically pointless. I personally wouldn't try doing 3mm in infantry-only eras like the Napoleonic Wars though I know there are those who do. As a way to put down a tonne of tanks on a table though it's a cool way to do it. The painting is incredibly quick - all of these vehicles were sprayed green, had a camo colour painted on (two for the Germans), washed and drybrushed. That's it. This whole project took maybe three weeks at most.

The whole lot laid out

NATO - British left, West Germans on the right

Challenger 1s

FV401s with infantry. In the background Spartans, Scorpions, FV mortars, Lynx helicopters and Rapier SAMs

Marder 1A2s and infantry

Leopard 2A4s

Luchs and Fuchs

The Soviets

T-72Bs

T-80UDs. The T-80s in this force are a mix of U and UD variants.

BMP-2s and infantry

The integral regimental support. Truck mounted mortars, recon BMP-2s and BRDMs, SA-13 Gopher SAMs and Tunguskas.

Great War Russians (in progress)

Hello there!

Following a request on the Baccus forum that I put up some photos of my Russians for Great War Spearhead, here they are. Please keep in mind this is nowhere near the full force - I currently have 3 infantry regiments painted as well as some extra artillery and support stands. I am working towards a full two-division corps, however this project is on the backburner while I focus on the Napoleonic Wars. Differentiation between regiments is by epaulette colour - so far my three infantry regiments have red, yellow and blue epaulettes respectively. Headquarters bases are marked by a subtle X (XX for Division) on their back of the base to keep it out of the way.

One of the hardest things about this period is the drab uniforms. My Great War French in their blue uniforms stand out on their brown, muddy Western Front basing. When I started the Russians I decided the focus of the project would be a basing scheme that was foliage heavy to portray the untamed wilderness of Eastern Europe. Combined with the drab green uniform, this makes these figures really hard to photograph. I've had comments to the effect that I overdid the basing, however I think the effect en mass looks quite good and am happy with it overall. Until next time!

Division HQ

122mm howitzers. I also have three bases of 76mm field guns painted.

Divisional cavalry

Infantry

Machine gun

Machine gun

All up this is about a third of what I've painted for this army so far

Napoleonic 6mm Russians - Progress

Just a quick progress update on my 6mm Russians. I've finished all the infantry from the Baccus army pack along with the Cossacks and artillery. Hussars, dragoons and commanders to go.

Manufacturer Review: Baccus6mm

Hello again!

This post will be a review of the figures produced by Baccus6mm from the UK. As will no doubt become clear as this blog progresses, Baccus is my primary source of figures. This is for a number of good reasons. In an attempt to keep my reviews consistent I'll cover a number of things. I don't intend on giving a score for figures as I think preference for difference styles may render that irrellevant anyway.

- Quality and design of product
- How they are purchased/packed
- Service/Cost

Quality and design
Baccus figures are in my opinion a high quality product. There is minimal flash and few miscasts. Some figures have thin legs, particularly in the WW1 range. My French division had 3 figures broken in transit, however given there was around 400 that's not a huge issue... The figures are white metal and produced in strips in a couple of different styles. As you can see below the Napoleonic figures are a bit "blobbier" than the WW1 figures.Supposedly this style carries over to other rank and file eras such as the American Civil War. Detail is good, particularly on the Napoleonic figures were many uniform details are replicated wonderfully. The WW1 figures are more realistic in their proportions. In terms of height and compatibility with other figures, Baccus figures are usually slightly taller than the nominal 6mm - about 6.5mm. I have some Heroics and Ros figures for Moderns however and I think they could mix fine (I can't comment on Irregular, Adler or other manufacturers).

WW1 Russian Cavalry. My painting style on these green figures renders them fairly dark, I found it too difficult to get a good photo of the infantry.

Napoleonic Russian infantry. The uniform detail is stunning and figures have eyes and noses!

Napoleonic Cossacks. Again some amazing detail that I couldn't quite capture. Some figures have glorious cossack moustaches!

Napoleonic Russian artillery. These figures have tonnes of character and detail.

How They are Purchased/Packed
Baccus figures come in "strips", typically four to a strip for infantry and three to a strip for cavalry. Artillery is usually single piece so no fiddling with gluing tiny wheels or barrels. For purchasing, a typical pack of a single type of figure would contain 20 "line" strips and 4 "command" strips (96 figures). A pack of cavalry tends to have 10 line and 5 command strips for 45 models. Alternatively, there are also "starter armies" designed around specific games systems as well as even larger forces. Large purchases of a single type, such as infantry, may be possible in "booster packs". Figures do not come with bases unless you are purchasing a two-player starter for a specific system, allowing you to buy mdf bases either from Baccus or elsewhere, or purchase your own.

WW1 figures. This style of strip is typical for open-order style infantry. The base is cut to base the individual figures. On the right is a heavy machine gun team. There's plenty of detail but this camera angle is terrible for it.

Napoleonic figures. This cavalry strip is typical, and cut up much like open order infantry. Close-order infantry can be based with their strips intact which makes life easy.

Service/Cost
Baccus rates highly here. Peter answers emails promptly and is active on Facebook and the Baccus forum. The company always posts when there are production delays expected due to them attending conventions and shows. Turnaround on an order can take a while as figures are cast to order -  expect around two weeks for a large order, less for a small one. Figures are sent via Royal Mail and separated into easy to sort bags. Pricing is very reasonable in my opinion.

Prices (as of 20/10/2019)
Infantry pack (96 figures) - 6 pounds (11AUD)
Cavalry pack (45 figures) - 7 pounds (13AUD)
Napoleonic starter army (381 figures + 4 guns) - 35.83 pounds (68AUD)

Expect a flat 25% shipping rate for overseas purchases. Seems a lot but when the figures are cheap, I find it reasonable. I have had entire armies delivered for around 100AUD - the price of a single unit of Games Workshop figures in Australia.

Conclusion
Baccus offers excellent figures at reasonable cost. Their starter armies are particularly excellent value and despite the "starter" label, can often get you what amounts to an entire army for some games for barely the cost of a unit from Games Workshop. Peter Berry is running a great company.

Welcome

Hi and Welcome!

This blog is going to be the place where I explore historical wargaming, particularly in the smaller scales (as small as 3mm!). I intend on starting the blog with detailing some of my recent projects, before moving onto my current project and some broader thoughts on the hobby and small scale in general. So, what have I done and what am I doing?

Completed Projects (Game system being used, army, scale, period)
 - By Fire and Sword, Holy Roman Empire, 15mm, 17th century
 - Great War Spearhead, French, 6mm, WW1
 - Fistful of TOWs 3, Sweden, 6mm, Moderns
 - Fistful of TOWs 3, Soviet Union and NATO, 3mm, Moderns

In-Progress
 - Great War Spearhead, Russians, 6mm, WW1
 - Blucher / Et Sans Resultat (ESR), Russians and Austrians, 6mm, Napoleonics
 - By Fire and Sword, Tatars, 15mm, 17th Century

My main focus at the moment is the Napoleonic Wars, the period being the one I've always wanted to start but been too intimidated to do. This is a fairly long term project as even in 6mm it takes a while to complete (24 figures to a base looks fantastic but is a lot of models to paint!). I intend on periodically chipping away at my Great War Russians and BFaS Tatars so expect a post every now and then as I complete a unit or something else interesting. Finally, a couple of extra photos for interest. :)

A recent game of By Fire and Sword, my HRE vs a friend's Ottomans

A HRE pike and shot battalion from the same game

6mm Napoleonic Russians

6mm mass effect is awesome. This is only eight base of infantry

Another Napoleonics photo