My SYW Brunswick & Hesse-Cassel Infantry part II

Below find a few images of my latest paint-jobs.
I have somewhat remastered the Hesse-Cassel Malsburg, IR 10 (left), and the Brunswick regt. Zastrow, by giving them new flags and a new issue of black gaiters. The Hessian Malsburg men are seen with their white linen summer dress breeches, instead of the regular yellow dye wool breeches. Ever since I saw that Hessian Garde officer illustrated in John Mollow / Malcom McGregor Uniforms of the Seven Years' War  way back in the 1970's, I was hooked to this yellow vests and white breeches idea being distinctive Hessian, learning only much later that white breeches for summer dress were rather universal, really.

Next comes my newly painted Hesse-Cassel regt Wutginau (IR 5), in 1759 "Leib-Regiment", but changed its name when Frédéric II became the new Landgrave in 1760. He now promoted his own Erbprinz regiment (IR 7) to the new "Leib-Regiment", which I have also added as a new unit to my SYW Allied Army.

Malsburg as well as Wutginau both have the old flags of the period of William VIII (1751-1760). This design was carried all through the 7YW, despite the devolution of the crown in 1760. But there have been exceptions, it is believed. An alternative newly introduced flag design can be seen with my latest paint-job, the 1760 new Leib-Regiment (IR 7) below.

I have decided to paint this unit in the dress, that is believed to have been introduced only at around May-June 1761. Rather late during the war. Before the facing colours were light yellow instead of rosé. I just love this rosé facing colour, and at the risk of entering the realm of imaginary nations here, I just wanted to have those lads look just this way. I love 'em. The flag design is similar as that of Frédéric's 1760 newly raised "Leib-Garde" (IR 14).

My SYW Brunswick & Hesse-Cassel Infantry

After a long pause from March to July, I finally started to add a few more units to My SYW Allied Army. The Brunswick infantry is the first to recive attention. My former units all had wrong flag designs and my old regiment Imhoff I had in doublle strength. Below see my latest paint job: the Brunswick Leib-Regiment.

I prefer my custom old French entitlement Bronsvic Régt. Du Corps. As can be seen, I opted for the old flag design documentsd to around 1754. I like it so much more then the "prussianized" design introduced after 1754 (see kronoskaf). However, the oldest illustration of the new design seems to date no earlier then post SYW, I believe. The smoking gun proving the new design was around by the SYW is missing, really. It is just speculation based on the reorganization from 1 battalion to Prussian style 2 battalion footing, which also demanded for new sets of flags. It is generally believed that also the new flags were introduced at the same time. A very just assumption, but I so much prefer this rather classic "Protestant German" flag design. It matches so well with that of the Hessians, as well of my last year's raised Saxons in 7YW French service.

Detail of the centre command post section of a poster sized 
original Rangier-Rolle [Engl: Size-Roll ?] 
headlined: Rangier-Rolle von des Hochfürstlichen Leib-Regiments 
ersten Bataillon, im Monat May 1752 [sic.]
The blue regimental flag also bears duke Charles I. lat. devise: 
Nunquam Retrorsum  in Roman Capitals, which I ignored with my painted flags.

Earlier, I did the regiment von Behr (red flag), and I gave one stand of my old regiment von Imhoff a new flag (green) and black gaitors.

The unit seen in the upper left background is my second stand of Imhoff that I will convert to regiment von Zastrow with yellow facings and a yellow flag. 
And while I was engaged converting some Brunswickers, I also took the effort to repaint 2 of my Hesse-Cassel infantry flags.

Its the regiments Prinz Wilhelm, later Erbprinz, IR12 (light blue flag) and the Grenadier Regiment later Zweite Garde, (yellow flag).
More new painted as well as remastered Hessians are to follow within soon.

My SYW Workbench – British, Hannoverians, & Saxons

This initially 1 June published article has been updated 1 October.
I have added 3 more Saxon units newly painted below.

This years paintwork is becoming rather productive. After having done the French Aquitaine infantry, I did a composite battalion of Hannoverian Grenadiers. They are a set of really great looking figures. The miniatures are by Friedrich Schirmer, I believe, and nowadays available at Zinnfiguren aus Königswusterhausen foundry – link: www.zinnfiguren-kw.de

The units I've chosen to represent this composite battalion are the grenadiers from the regiments of Spörcken (2-A) and jeunne Zastrow (9-B).

A Hannoverian Grenadier battalion was made up of average 7 or 8 regimental grenadier corps all through 1761, but limiting it to two different painted uniform at my units strength of 16 figures has proven to be just fine, to my taste. Did that with Prussian and Austrian units before.
Along with them, I also did 3 command figures. His Royal Highness – or in French abbreviations: S.A.R. monseigneur le comte de Lusace et son entourage. I entitle him Prince Xavier or simply Lusace. All 3 miniatures are from Kieler Zinnfiguren – link: www.kieler-zinnfiguren.de

Voilà. Lusace (centre) is seen dressed as a French lieutenant-général, as per his French generals patent dating to 12 August 1758. The uniform is based on a pastels portrait by the French court painter Quentin de-la-Tour which should be dated at around 1758.

Lusace is seen with the badge and blue cordon of the Polish order of the White Eagle. His entourage are a staff officer of the Leibgrenadiergarde and a hussar officer of Lusace's raised Hussar Corps that seems to have served for staff duty's, only, rather then having been a regular combat force. Lusace was the vanguard of my first Saxon infantry units that were to follow.

Its the Saxon regiments Kurprinzessin – or French: Princesse Electeur Royale, as I chosed to lable all my units in French. I should note that I aimed to arrive at a neat looking band à la figurines of the famous Meissen porcelain series, giving the lads those neat rosé tan cheeks. It didn't work out really. My Princesse Electeur Royale lads look like alcoholics recruted from the Dresden butchers lane. Fine enough. It might give them an additional punch during game. Next is the regiment Frédéric-Auguste. 

Princesse Electeur Royale I have done in their 1756 uniform when it was a grenadier battalion. My figures are seen with their distinctive grenadier mitres, which they didn't have when serving with the French from 1758 on. The heck. This way they look so much better. Also mitres with white metal instead of my yellow are documented. My yellow is based on a contemporary manuscript that is now part of the Berlin Deutsches Historisches Museum Collection – The former Zeughaus / Arsenal.

My latest paint job are the Royal Welsh Fusiliers (IR 23) of which WIP images are to follow within short.

Voilà, my selected group of miniatures that will become the 23rd Foot Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

Started painting them. In the background, you see my Hannoverian Foot Guards, that serve as my colour sample, just to get the red and blue shades adjusted to some degree. The colours should have been about the same, to my understanding. After all, its all king George's II. regts. 

Here see the progress, despite following the Football World Championships. I opted for a different flag bearer. The Welsh Fusiliers being honored with having a very rare Prussian grenadier flag bearer miniature from a mould that is no more. A very old design dating from the 1930's, I believe. A great figure, with its fluttering silk so much better suited then this dead calm wind situation flag of my initial choice. Once he is painted, You won't be able to tell he isn't real English or Welsh at all. 

 Nearly done now 19 June. Just a few bits here and there yet to do. They look great while at the same time England vs Uruguay isn't doing all that well.

Here they are all painted and based – ready for battle, so to say.

I'm not entirely sure whether I've got the uniform the right way. My Welch Fusiliers come with red breeches - they could have been blue, though. Also I did them with white gaiters besides black would have been right, for no white set was used by the British in Germany. But I do all my regular line units in white, throughout, except for my white coated Austrians and now also the Saxons. I think it looks better this way. Just grenadiers, Lights, and artillery I moreoften paint with black gaiters.

Later during summer I did 3 more Saxon units. I did a composite battalion of grenadiers. I've choosen the grenadier companies of Leibgrenadiergarde and Graf Brühl to represent them. The other regiments are the Gardes and Prince Antoine. All miniatures are old casts of Prussian Musketeers by Kieler Zinnfiguren. The mounted staff officer of the grenadiers is an Austrian character as well as the cheering officer of the Guard regiment. The Leibgrenadiergarde drummer is actually a French character, but serves well as a Saxon. I sart to become increasingly easy with bothering on cuff sizes and other fussy detail. God knows what tailors these men contracted. He should be just fine. He is from another foundry.

Below see my entire Saxon Corps completed.

My Way to paint 30 mm ‘Flat’ Miniatures – Might serve as a Tutorial

Having been asked so often how I arrive at my painting results, I thought of putting the below tutorial together. I'll invite you to follow me painting a set of 15 SYW French infantry miniatures. I have chosen to turn them into the roughnecks of Aquitaine (template seen in the right background). As my late reading implies, it was one of Frances more formidable fighting units. In fact, it was considered among the finest line regiments of the army, as noted in the history of the Hannoverian Army by Sichart. It had its day of Glory at Wilhemsthal June 1762, where it saved the army with its resolute and determined fight alongside the grenadiers as part of Stainville's corps. A true must have. Can't believe I set my eye on this regiment only recently. The flag design will be a challenge, and I'm already getting quite excited as to how it will turn out.
While thinking on how to present my method of painting miniatures, I realised I don't have much of what would deserve to be entitled a ‘deliberate technique’. I guess I'm a loose gun sort of bloke - talented - possibly - but rather instinctively painting away at random. 
That's why I decided to let the pics speak for themselves with only a minimum of supporting information. Besides, as I'm no native English speaker, I'm missing most of the needed technical terms anyway.

The priming I do with a white universal paint - that's what the label says, at least.

A good old German brand. The multi lingual text on its label indicates you can buy it basically anywhere across the globe.
I tried priming with black - once, but that was no good for my way of painting. I stay with white. Its so much better. Actually when applied to the metal, it'll turn light grey, really.
I should note, that I use artists fine oils with the required additives and also modeller's matt enamels.

Both can also be mixed quite well. Such a mix I often use as initial base coating, as it dries more quickly and allows for a more speedy progress. If you aren't in a hurry, you don't need them.
Given the slow drying of oil colours, they are best prepared in a little box that can be closed to keep annoying dust off.

The first step is simply to apply a base cover to every part of the figure. I'll cover the coat, vest, breeches, and gaiters, etc. The faces and hands, I do in a flipped manner. I start off dark with a red-brown – ‘English Red’, I find best here – and then work in the lights with white.

I add white onto the forehead, nose, the cheeks, and the chin. This works best while the initial red coating hasn't dried yet. Unfortunately, here I was too slow, so that the white didn't mix with the red so well. I have done this better before. No worries. I'm only starting. Plenty of opportunities to correct later if you happen to have your brush loaded with the right shade of colour at a later stage.  Really, seeing the figures at this vastly increased scale, my paint work looks terribly inaccurate. A lot more then it actually is. The real figure, seen from about a foot distant, looks perfectly fine.

Initial coating of the figures is continued. I also do the cartridge bags, the rucksacks, etc. Do you notice the flag. It looks awesome. Must be a design by Yves Saint-Laurent or Missoni. How stylish it is. That's what I love with the French army.  Prussian ones manufactured by this obscure Bunzelockwitz Silk Painters Ltd. located at Berlin Hackische Höfe will never be a match. 
I also started the first shading with the drum. Before you engage into the shading part of the paint work, you'll have to decide at what level of 3D appeal you want to arrive. The below sketch will illustrate the issue with an odd cylinder (Fig. I) – Yes, that is a cylinder. 

It will be more obvious if you illustrate it as Fig. II and even more so as with Fig. III. I usually seek to arrive at Fig. III. This sketch also serves as a good eye-ball calibrator if you do it for yourself before starting to paint. That said you can now see how I do it when sculpting the coats, to begin with. I dash off rather boldly and line out the dark parts in a rather sketchy manner. 

Right after that I use the coats initial base colour again and mix it into the dark creating gradients from darker to lighter where I want it.
This way works better then painting the dark parts into the cover while it is still wet in order to arrive at the gradients. You have better control of what you are doing. Too much dark can be easily removed with a brush stroke of cleaner instead of colour. You can't do that when painting into the wet cover.

The result is seen below.

With pretty much the same method, I did the shading and lightening of the two tambours blue coats. Different to the white coats, I started off with applying the light parts first. Not too much to avoid arriving at a light blue coat. The dark parts are applied only after. Less detail is needed here since both coats will receive a lot of lace later.
Next, I place some light onto the rucksack and cartridge bags. Again this is done rather sketchy with its initial step. 

Thereafter I paint in the gradients much the same way as it was done with the coats. The same way, I model the tricornes. I add the lightening with a light blue, and by using a dark brown, I also took the time to give the sabers including the hilts a dark brown cover. The same colour I also used to outline the muskets as well as the cartridge bags. 

I also gave the red parts of the tambours some further treatment by adding lights as well as the darker parts. Muskets as well as the flag bar and officers esponton do also receive a light lining.
Now also the gaiters will receive more attention. Again, the dark parts are added as seen below. 

Thereafter meleed into the white as done before.

As next major step, the rucksacks are added the dark parts and the white coats and gaiters will receice a highlight cover. This is oncemore an opportunity to increase the 3D appearance of the figures. 

Not sure if you can see it on the photo, but I aimed at arriving at two different shades of white - or better an off-white. More yellowish for the coats, and more cool greyish for the gaiters. I have tried this several times before, but with poor outcome. You could hardly tell in the end. This time, it has worked quite well. After this step, the job is nearly done. Last comes the buttons and lace. As can be seen, I have already started here. Also the belts will receive more light and darker shading as well as outlining. Below see an image of the entire unit in its present nearly finished state.

Indeed, the God of Battle watching seems to be pleased – and – I guess he is seriously reconsidering the flag design of his Garde Impériale.

Aquitaine paint job completed. I'm pleased. To the right we see the Hannoverian regiment Hardenberg. It can hardly await the moment of first contact to exchange fire with Aquitaine. 

Aquitaine based and in company of Frances most tested SYW fighting units in Germany. Left 2 are Auvergne, the other is Belzunce (one stand missing with the photo). Auvergne is formally La Reine. I overpainted la Reine and turned it into this regiment, as la Reine belongs to Americas annals, not so much to the war in Germany. I need Auvergne for Minden as well as for my 1760 campaign project.