tasselitious ....

Well tassels for flags that is. 

I noticed that the silver thread from a Xmas present tag would make a great material for doing my own flag tassels, a visit to a local emporium today yielded some gold and silver thread (about 1mm thick) - shown below with the tag thread in the middle...

 The trick is to tie two knots at the right point on a length, so used an simple reference measure see below

 it is a bit fiddly getting the knots correctly positioned but after doing a few I'm getting the hang of it. To affix to the flag pole requires another tie loop knot at the top of the flag - with a touch of super glue to hold. A couple of examples of my home made tassels applied to infantry and cavalry standards...

Happy Xmas...

With the first snow having fallen in Wittenberg the King and Queen take a sleigh ride (with one of the Queen's cats having a ride too) through the palace grounds out to the old lodge where there is a small winter feast in progress ....

 the little winter feast starts outdoors while there is still light, they will all go into the old lodge for the evening ...

 

A Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to All

40mm: Wittenberg - Garrison troops for Vanderhof

General Waldebeck inspects the newly raised garrison troops for the city of Vanderhof.....

[Garrison troops: Uniform based on that of the Waldheim invalid company of the Duchy of Saxony; Figs: are from Front Rank 40mm Hessian AWI range, with the standard bearer a converted Creartec homecast]

Monrovian Army - Hussars

The last of the reworked units for the Monrovian army, these hussars sport a unifrom in the style of the Hesse Kassel SYW Hussaren-korps uniform.

Wittenberg - Royal Sleigh - work in progress

had a quick bash with some cardboard and wire yesterday to make a sleigh for the King and Queen, seen below with a spare driver and horse

still needs work doing to it to provide some more detail etc then it can be painted ready for a run on the snow (I'm building up some winter scenics - white blanket and some fir trees with a dusting of snow).

Monrovian Army - Second Kurassier brigade and Jagers

Three more units reworked for the Monrovian army, basically complete re-paints apart from the horses, these all sporting Hesse Kassel SYW style uniforms.

The second heavy cavalry brigade (Kurassier)

• K1 Prinz Wilhelm (at the back)
• K4 Pruschenk

The Jagers on manouvers......

---oXo---

Nearing the end of my work on the Monrovian army, with two units left to do; a hussar unit to re-paint and a brand new lead for the Garde de Corps.

Wittenberg - the King has a brief discussion and partakes in a musical soiree ....

The King is in discussion with Count Hermann and the Field Marshal....

The latest information on the Monrovian army's re-organisation is discussed;  the situation in the south-west in the Hoflandt although now stable warrants further troops to bolster General Waldebeck's command - it was agreed to send two more regiments of infantry to the region. The King approves new uniforms for the Leib-Garde, Kurprinzessen grenadiers and the Wittenland fusiliers

---oXo---

A little later the King joins the Queen, accompanied by Herr Beiderbecke on the harpsichord, to sing some of their favourite duets for the enjoyment of the members of the court....

Monrovian Army - 3rd Infantry Brigade and Artillery

The last of the Monrovian infantry, three units in WSS style uniforms, some work done on each. Also the artillery has been done as well....

3rd Infantry brigade:

• von Wartensleben -cuffs to dark blue, trouser red and new flags
• von Stuckrad - cuffs to yellow ochre and new flags
• Grenadier Regiment - complete repaint and new flags

Artillery - complete repaint of crew and cannon.

---oXo---

Well on with the review,  Monrovian staff check all is ready for inspection ...

Grenadier Regiment and heavy artillery battery

Infantry regiments von Wartensleben (at back) and von Stuckrad (middle) with field battery in front

Monrovian Army - 2nd Infantry Brigade

More Monrovian infantry, three units in WSS style uniforms, some work done on each

• Prinz Wilhelm (at the back), cuffs changed to white and new flags.
• Leib Regiment (in the middle), lapels painted over; general touch in and new flags
• Erbprinz (at the front), coats repainted dark blue, new mounted officer and new flags

 (Source of HK WSS uniform info taken from Wilkes Brigade at Blenheim and d'Herleville's Brigade at Blenheim ).

Monrovian Army - Freikorps Von Kladni

After looking through my Monrovian army storage boxes I found three units which were suitable to form into a Freikorps with a small amount of work, the units are:

• Grenadiers - I repainted a unit (only cuffs, waistcoat & turnbacks) and put the whole lot on new bases, adding a small flag. The uniform is based on that of Freikorps Schony's grenadiers.
• Hussars - a touch in job only
• Jagers - uniform in the French style, no work done on this unit
• Artillery - a spare gun and a couple of crew painted up in a made up uniform.

The grenadier battalion...

 A couple of views of the whole Friekrops ...

Monrovian Army - 1st Infantry Brigade

Still going - have now run out of flags - will have to print some more :) ....

I had three units of infantry already in SYW Hesse-Kassel uniforms, so these have been provided with new flags,

• No 3: Füsilier-Regiment v. Gilsa (at the back)
• No.6  Grenadier-Regiment (in the middle)
• von Wurmb, historically a militia unit (at the front), The figures used  have also had the cuffs and pom-pom changed from red to yellow ochre.

This is the last of the initial group of posts on the Monrovian Army - more to follow but I have quite a bit of rework/repainting to do on the rest of the units. Next post will be the Friekorps.

Monrovian Army: Cavalry - Kurassiers and Dragoons

Onto the cavalry, four regiments upgraded with new flags; a little touch-in also needed for some figures. These were already painted as Hesse-Kassel units. By the time of the SYW the Kurassiers no longer wore the cuirass .

First heavy cavalry brigade

• K2  Leib-Regiment (at the back)
• K3  Miltitz

brigade of Dragoons

• D6 Prinz Friedrich-Dragoner (at the back)
• D7 Leib-Dragoner

I have two regiments of cavalry to re-paint as Kuriassier and a new regiment to paint as the Garde De Corps .

Monrovian Army: allies and foreign volunteers

As the work on the Monrovian army has begun (see the previous post)  - so the first of the posts on the Monrovian Army, this one is for allied contingents and foreign volunteers.

Shown above are:
1. Artillery Battery - from Hesse-Limburger
2. Infantry from back to the front :

• Volontaires de Noverre (white coats)
• Wilde Geese Irish (red coats)
• Principality of Munkasse (blue coats)

All units are unchanged apart from the battalion from Munkasse which has had some headgear swaps (half the battlion - new tricorne heads to replace grenadier heads) and new flags (using some for a Wurtemburg infantry regiment).

Monrovia - Army re-organisation - work begins

The work has started on the Monrovian army re-organisation, first job I've done is to swap some grenadier heads for tricorne ones (a battalion with half gren/half tricorne didn't look right), so
....

I'll swap some figures around on bases to mix the swapped head chaps amongst the rest.

So what will the King of Monrovia get for the money he is spending on his army, being parsimonious he has set a tight budget; amongst the changes to the army

• new standards for all main line infantry and cavalry regiments
• new uniforms issued to most infantry regiments (cuff/lapel colours etc)
• disbandment of some units
• raising a Friekorps
• a new Garde De Corps cavalry regiment

I'm going to try and get back to my original plan for the Monrovian Army - it will be based on that of Hesse-Kassel. The cavalry will be to SYW pattern unform,  with the infantry a mix of SYW pattern uniforms and WSS uniforms (so I'll be re-using as many of my current figures as possible).

So a number of posts to follow to show the newly re-organized Monrovian army, each post to indicate what has been done to the units etc

Monrovia: army to be re-organised and re-equipped....

King Francis I of Monrovia has been reviewing proposals for the re-structuring and re-equipping of the army; after some deliberation ...

King: Count Malpurgo Belladona, I have reviewed your proposals and find them satisfactory, you may proceeed with the necessary expenditure on the army
Count: Yes sire ...

The King receives a new book ...

The King is wearing his new swivel gun hat today, the members of the court had politely commented how marvellous it was.

After receiving ambassadors in the throne room he had returned to the library to have a look at a book he had been waiting for which had just been delivered...

 He looked at the book with anticipation ...

Just as he was about to open it, Count Hermann entered the library. The King turned quickly (the barrel of his hat gun swivelled jauntily to the rear).

 King: Hello Count, what do you want ?
Count: We're due for a meeting with the Field Marshall to discuss the Villa Rondiso incident
King: Ah of course, I must have a look at this book for a while.

The King and the Count perused the book and agreed it was excellent, beautifully illustrated with many plates and line drawings.  After a short while they left the library to go and see the Field Marshall.

40mm: Prince August website sell semi-flats 40mm cast figs

Just visited the Prince August website - cast 40mm semi-flats (spun cast) only from Irish Wild Geese and Karoliner series are for sale

see http://shop.princeaugust.ie/40mm-military-semi-flat-figures/

~£2.50 foot , ~£5.00 cav, gun ~£4.00 with discounts for multiple purchase of same figures: example advancing infantry - Buy 11 or above and pay only £1.53 each

the Irregulars get some muskets..

Mlle Givenchy after a chat with Captain Scharfe has managed to obtain some muskets for her irregulars.

Conversions done using some spare plastic figure parts and a couple of Front Rank muskets - some painting to do though....

we'll see how they get on the next time they are on a 'mission'.

After Rondiso ...

After the incident at Villa Rondiso....

---oXo---

Following a lengthy chase Captain Scharfe and his jagers caught up with a group of Serrani's Marauders down the by the river Oudear; after a brief skirmish most of them were captured. The Grey Rider and some of the mounted jager corps assist with handling of the prisoners......

---oXo---

After the prisoners were put in the jail at Kirkhof, Captain Scharfe went to the St Barnabas's abbey hospital to see Mademoiselle Givenchy...

Cptn Scharfe: Nice to see you up and about
Mlle Givenchy: Yes, I'm much better today. We hope to go the capital tommorow, just waiting to see if my cousin will be able to travel.
Cptn Scharfe: I sure she will be fine
Mlle Givenchy: there are things we need to discuss, come walk with me in the cloisters .......

Trouble at Villa Rondiso....

Continued from the previous post

Monrovians under the guise of brigands, led by Captain Sennari of the monrovian army (who calls his motley crew Sennari's Marauders) have tracked down Count Balderdash who is under guard at Villa Rondiso, near Kirkhof in Wittenberg, they are intent on capturing him and returning him for trial in Monrovia.

---oXo---

Sennari's Marauders approach the villa from the back and the side ....

They open fire on the guard (Madame Givenchy's Irregulars), downing one of them ....

The roof comes off so the defenders can be moved about (rather bare interior at the moment - more work to do on the villa model)......

The Marauders rush the side door - but fail to get in ....

another group of Marauders move down the side of the villa, exchanging fire with the defenders ...

Madame Givenchy sizes up the situation, where is Captain Scharfe and his jagers she wonders

At Kirkhof , hearing the sound of gun fire from the direction of the villa, Captain Scharfe rouses his men and sets off at the run down the road...

The Marauders still trying to get in the side door, as more of them move forward....

Madame Givenchy and her Irregulars have fallen back and are using the colonnade at the front of the villa for cover .......

Captain Scharfe and his jagers come under fire from a group of Marauders behind the hedges....

The Marauders move up, increasing the pressure on the villa's defenders; Captain Sennari comes up on horse back with a couple of others ....

Captain Scharfe tries to move down towards the villa under the cover of the hedge but is pinned down ...

The Marauders rush the colonnade - all hangs in the balance ....

They succeed, many of the Irregulars are wounded and the rest surrender; the Marauders find Count Balderdash and lead him out ...

---oXo---

Captain Sennari and his Marauders took Count Balderdash with them and made it back across the border into Monrovia. 

Two of the Madame Givenchy's Irregulars were killed and the wounded were taken to Kirkhof where they were tended to, the waters from the healing spring near the church of St Barnabas were used to speed their recovery.