Painting

In just under a week I have painted two battalions of Danish infantry, one of Foot Guards and one of line. It is some time since I painted 10mm 19th century troops and I had forgotten how finicky they are: facings, collar patches, turn-backs, cross-belts, cockades, pom-poms. I need a pair of magnifying lunettes attached to my reading glasses and a very strong halogen light to even see the detail plus excellent brushes and a very steady hand. The results are not quite ready to be photographed as I have to work on the bases on which the miniatures are mounted but once that is done you can have a gander. I have to exercise real patience here as the desire to complete the lot ASAP is strong; after all, they are to be played with on the eponymous kitchen table. However, I really do want these chaps to look their splendid best so I will be going slowly and carefully with the paintwork.

Casus Belli

The causes of the war? Lord Palmerston's remark is pertinent: "Only three people have understood the Schleswig-Holstein question--the Prince Consort, who is dead; a German professor who has gone mad; and myself--and I have forgotten all about it."

The Reason Why

Why, of all the many wars, European, Colonial, American and other, of the 19th century, did I opt for the First Schleswig Holstein War?

1. It was a shortish, smallish war and I wouldn't need to buy shedloads of miniatures as for, say, the American Civil War or the Franco-Prussian War.

2. It combined the weapons and tactics of the Napoleonic Wars with some technical advances, not just rifled muzzle-loaders but a few examples of the early versions of the breech-loading Dreyse needle gun and a bizarre Danish type of early machine gun.

3. The little guy, Denmark, up against not only Schleswig Holstein but also the German Confederation and Prussia, won.

4. The uniforms are, generally speaking, spiffing.

Now, back to the painting table.

Shiny!

This is just half of the consignment of figures that arrived today from the totally admirable Pendraken Miniatures. They are 10mm scale, chosen because you get large armies for a relatively small outlay and because the sculpts are so good. Pendraken's customer service is also second to none and their on line forum is conducted by witty and gentlemanly types, quite unlike the sometimes unpleasant atmosphere you find on others.

My main area of interest in wargaming is a very short 19th century, the years between 1815 and 1870, and my activities are confined to Europe (I began with Airfix American Civil War figures in 1964 but have lost interest in the period). This new project is the First Schleswig Holstein War 1848-50 and I hope that the reasons behind my choice will become clear as the project unfolds. Now to start!

A New Project

It is about three years since I got back to wargaming and as I'm about to start a new project I thought I would begin a blog to follow its fortunes. It might be of interest to others, and will be to me, of course, to record its progress here. So, we start with the small tax rebate and smaller Premium Bond win that enabled me to purchase almost all I need from the excellent Pendraken Miniatures. Soon a small pile of perfectly-formed 10 mm miniatures will come through my letter-box and the fun will begin.