Before getting stuck into my plans to build some armies for a bit of ancients wargaming, I decided I really needed to get this unit of British Napoleonic figures finished off. They've been sitting half done on the shelf for longer than I could remember, and I had no excuse other than a lack of focus and general hobby ennui. Once I sat down to finish the job, they were done in no time. Silly really, to have left them unfinished for so long when such little effort was needed to get them over the line.
I gave the unit the flags and facings of facings of the 32nd Cornwall regiment, which adds another battalion to the collection for the 5th Division at Waterloo, this one being part of the 8th brigade commanded by Kempt.
When it came to basing, I didn't have enough of my usual mdf base sizes to hand, so ended up resorting to my old style of using 6 smaller bases instead of 4 larger ones. I decided to split the flags onto separate bases to allow them to be positioned more centrally in the line, and I think it does look better.
I used a couple of coats of varnish on the figures this time, which does mean the finish isn't as matt as I normally like, but I think it has made the colours a bit more saturated looking, which should help them to stand out more on the wargaming table. More importantly, I hope it will mean fewer paint chips and required touch-ups.
Although the idea is to spend the greater balance of my free time on my new ancients project in the coming months, my Napoleonic collection is still very much ongoing, even though it's been neglected for a while. The next British unit will most likely be either the 28th North Gloucestershire or another highlander regiment, and I'm planning another game soon with Neil Thomas' Napoleonic rules to try out some modifications I made to add interest for solo play. More on that - and my ancients project - in future posts.
