Napoleonic British - Project Complete

FINALLY! PROGRESS!

Napoleonics.............wonderful, but by god its a long road to paint and get them done. I don't think I can face painting any more white (well, except on the French), so a good blocker for any project urges that involve painting more white (18th Century, I'm looking at you!)

I bought the first box of these in 2014, so a good 7 1/2 years of on and off working on these, but finally can call them done. All my Napoleonic stuff has been a real monkey on the back, as no matter how much progress I made on other projects, there was always that call of "yes, but the Napoleonics isn't done, is it? and theres a fuckload of those in that box over there!"

So, at least I can relax on that account......................although in truth, I do still have some odds and ends kicking about, but nothing really major.

Does seem as though these are one that my group has been waiting for, as now everyones started putting in orders for their own brigades of French and British stuff. Although, why not do that a year ago and get painting, so its finishing around the same time for them, I don't know?

On to the pictures!

First up, the cavalry. We're looking at a Light Dragoon, Hussar, Scots Greys, Household (I think, its been so long that my memory of the Household/Life Guard uniforms has blanked)

Artillery. Nice line of cannon, with a supporting howitzer and some rockets. Plus the limbers to get them shifting about.

Finally, the infantry. Plenty of them! I've used a simple code to aid the gaming on the table top. Grey trousers for all the line regiments who aren't in a kilt, and white trousers for Guard regiments. A simple idea which hugely helps in the middle of the game and seeing who is what and where. 

Think theres 9 x units of 24 models, plus some 95th Rifles dotted about the place.

The whole lot all in one shot.

..............and some nice close ups of the ranks.

God, I even hand painted the banners. I never want to paint a union jack again. QUIET, Zulu British! You'll get one in time!

I feel tired now, just looking at all that work.

So whats next? Oh, yes................the French

The Sudan - Anglo-Egyptian

 The Anglo-Egyptian army for Mahdist Wars, all done and finished..........although I'm not claiming that I might buy some more Egyptians, as that uniform - white with the red fez is just superb

So, the count here is (I think)

5 units British foot

1 unit Highlanders

2 units Egyptian foot

1 unit Sudanese foot

1 unit Jack Tars

1 unit Royal Marine Light Infantry

1 unit Camel Corps (Mounted)

1 unit Camel Corps (Dismounted)

1 Camel Corps Holder

2 Cannon

1 Gatling Gun

1 Gardner Gun

1 unit Mounted Gendarmerie

Assorted characters on camel/horse/foot

Variety of Royal Engineers/Heliographs etc

PICS!

95th Rifles

The shame of my gaming cupboard is my Napoleonic armies, which are both:

1 - Massive
2 - Unpainted

Real monkey on the back, especially the masses and masses of cavalry I have. Its built at least, but part of the "no painted no tabletop" rule I've put in for myself is ensuring that these aren't getting played.

They take ages though, don't they, Napoleonic? Bloody ages with the straps and facings and all that. So when I do get the itch to paint some of it, I need to take advantage of that and get working!

Started with something nice and easy - especially now I'm a bit more sufficient with planning for painting en masse and getting armies cranked out.

95th it is to start then. Mainly because they take about an hour to hammer out a small unit of 9. Took the opportunity to rebase these onto 40mm multiple rounds as well, because I'd originally put them on 20mm squares and it didn't look quite right.

First unit below. I've another, but they can wait until I've done a few line regiments to break up the endless red.

Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)

Best line: YOU DRINK IT!! YOU DRINK THE FILTH!!!


Taste. TASTE! Classic Friday night fare and one of my early Hammers that I remember watching. This and Death Line in quick order, if I remember rightly. Not sure - I was ten, after all.


Have to say, this is probably my favourite of the "in period" Draculas plus its got gothic trappings up the kazoo, lovely autumnal leaves sweeping everywhere, a kind of "coy testing" of the waters for nudity where Hammer are concerned (theres a bit of T&A in this, but they went more full on with Vampire Lovers soon afterwards).


So, Dracs found impaled on a giant cross by Roy Kinnear mugging to camera in horror, following directly and dollying in from the end of Risen From The Grave. We cut to families leaving church in good ol' London and get an introduction to each over the credits rolling - very nicely done.


Later, the three patriarchs gather for their monthly "charity work" in the East End, really a front for whoring, drinking, debauching and generally worshipping at the altar of Dionysus.


The sight of a coked up Peter Sallis being ridden on all fours by a scantily clad whore occurs in this sequence - buyer beware!


A young dandy enters, steals one of the women, ruins the party and then sweeps out. Turns out he's a wrong un who is known in society for his SCANDAL. The old boys decide to join him for a black mass. Enter Roy with Draculas powdered blood, a great ruined church, young heaving bosomed daughters unhappy with home life and we've got ourselves a great recipe.

As Lord Courtley (the dandy) is getting busy with the black mass, imploring the gents to Drink. Drink!!, they chickenshit out, kick the crap out of him, leave him for dead and leg it.


Except, of course, he'd drank the blood..........so who comes back? The Big Man, of course.

Cue Drac lurking about being all predatory, young women under his spell, doom for all and a bloody good time for the viewer




METHOD OF DISPATCH


An odd one, this. Even by Draculas rather low standards. He's spent the whole film lurking in a ruined church, right? Enter young hero, who drapes a table cloth on the altar and puts a cross on it. Drac's riled up and flinging bits of furniture and pipe organ about when he spots the stained glass and susses "hang on? I'm in a fuckin' church?!?!?", falls off balcony and dies, crumbling to dust.


Yeah, not good. Not his worst, but pretty bloody silly all the same.




Never get tired of this one, oh no. Especially the bit when the three gentleman (Three Imposters? They are faking their reasons for being and about after all, and a Machen pun is always worth attempting) are walking up to the churchyard in expectation of a black mass and clutching their pearls.

Filmed in Highgate, I believe.