AWI: The Last Commands and Collection Done

 

Its finally completed. After 16 years, the last command units, for this Black Powder American War of Independence collection, have been completed and the collection (as I'd planned) is finished.

In the end there are: 14 command units, 47 standard infantry units, 24 small light infantry and infantry units, 14 small light horse units, 19 artillery and 47 artillery crew, split over both sides.

The last lot to come off the painting table were the final brigade commands for both sides.

Final British and German Commands

(Left) I made up a drum major with a head swap and used the final drummers to create a foot command from the IMEX British Redcoats set. Then used a couple of left over Italeri 17th Light Dragoons and a commander from the Italeri French Infantry set for a mounted command (Centre). Finally, I needed another German command so used the command figures from a leftover sprew of the HaT 7YW Prussian Infantry Command set.

I'd bought two lots of command packs from B and B Minatures, for both sides. So as to avoid painting the same figures up on each side twice, I swapped the packs around and used the Americans for Brits and V. V. - can't tell the difference at this scale. (Edit: Looks like B and B don't exist any more as their site has been down for over 6 months now.)

And I found these already prepped and undercoated in a box when sorting out commands, so painted another small infantry unit up just for shits and giggles.

Final American and French Commands

Some more B and B miniatures from the command set and extra standard bearers from other foot sets (Left), for another American command, flags fluttering towards their freedom. Then a whole raft of figures from the IMEX George Washington's Army set, plus another Brit painted as American command holding the '76 flag (Centre). Finally for the rebels, I needed another French brigade command so used the B and B Miniatures command leftovers (Right).

Also, having increased the Brits by an additional small infantry, it wouldn't to have been right to leave the Americans wanting. I used some remaining figures from Hat's new AWI American Infantry set for another small infantry. Returning to where I started, I finished these off as Rhode Island State infantry, after the first American unit I painted  - and the circle of life was complete.

Feels a bit strange to have actually climbed the mountain of shame and conquered an entire peak. In the end I've got a massive AWI collection which I'm grateful for. Admittedly its at a scale and quality of manufacture which often don't stand up to close scrutiny, but which are good for an 'arms length' finish on the wargames table.

I think I achieved my goal of getting colour on the table after painting the endless sandy khaki/grey of the Sudan uniforms. Having moved on to 28mm painting, I'm glad this is finished - no more tiny white straps!!!!! 😆

Thanks to Paul for taking the leftovers from all the years of collecting.

AWI: Last British Units

 

After 13 years, I have finally finished painting all the units I had planned for Black Powder AWI, including these Brits.

Light Infantry

A couple of 'light bob' units were left to do including making a small unit up from the A Call To Arms, Set 65, British Infantry 1775 above. And also another small unit from the Strelets, Set M071, British Light Infantry in Egypt below.

17th Light Horse

The second unit of the 17th Light Horse, to round out the cavalry for the Brits. Like the first unit done, there is a dismounted option from B and B Miniatures range, which I can't find on the internet any longer.

The guidon, I think, is of first squadron and the previous unit is 2nd squadron, taken from a general Google search and resized.

Tavington's Horse from 'The Patriot'

The last unit of British light horse from the Revell Set, 02573, Austrian Dragoons, from their Seven Years War range. 

Having searched for a decent color scheme for some loyalist horse - that's wasn't Tarleton's legion horse - I've settled on the only completely unhistorical unit for the entire collection.

Based on Colonel William Tavington's horse from the movie 'The Patriot', I've gone for red coats and green facings. But that's it, no more British unit updates as this part of the collection is complete. What an effort 😀

AWI: Queen's and Butler's Rangers, 16th Light Dragoons, Artillery Crew

Back in the dark depths of 2013 or 2014, I sent a batch of AWI figures off to Shri Lanka to get painted. Then I started collecting more and more boxes of AWI, discovered Black Powder and started painting up an army for each side myself. There's been a few more commissions since then, and even a spread sheet to cope with colours and units.

More recently, a crazy thing happened. 

Because I'm a total geek, I colour-coded units in the sheet to show whether they were painted or not.

I'd been doing a fair effort of getting units done over the years and a couple of weeks back I opened the sheet and realised there was hardly anything left to paint (about 12 standard BP units).

Never one to shy away from a challenge I started a serious effort to finish the collection of about 6 BP brigades a side (of approx. 4-6 standard infantry, and supporting cavalry, light infantry, and cannon). I now only have about 9 units left to do of the entire mountain of AWI shame. Here's one of the first batches done recently.

Queen's Rangers

I've based these as two small units of light infantry in skirmish formation, which can be lined up to represent them going into line.

Bases compressed into line so that the BP frontage is correct.

The figures are Queen's Rangers from B and B Miniatures (which I couldn't link to at the time of writing as their website was down) and are some of my favorites from the manufacturer.

I'd started off the collection by individually mounting skirmishers but after a couple of games, it really hasn't mattered that they were on individual bases and it was a pain moving them round the table.

The flags were from warflag.com but that seems to have disappeared now as well.

Butler's Rangers

More B and B Miniatures, this time Butler's Rangers in hunting shirts. Suffice to say that their blue tassels over green hunting shirts didn't take an hour to highlight... 😡

But there's some good detail on these figs, like the Queen's Rangers above.

As per those QRs, I went for a regiment made up of two small BP units in skirmish formation.

Also as per QRs, they've been based some that they can also be compressed into line, producing the right frontage for a BP small line unit.

16th Light Dragoons

Another small unit of cavalry for the support of a BP brigade, the famous 16th Light Dragoons. These are from Strelets Set 119 British Cavalry (Egypt) and a dismounted, light infantry option from Set M071 British Light Infantry in Egypt.

Like other units painted previously, at this scale, using early Napoleonic sets as proxies works well and you'd have to look close to see the differences in uniforms. 

Artillery Crew

Finally for the Brits, another round of artillerymen from the IMEX, Set 554 American Artillery. I've used American because for some reason the American and British sets were swapped around during conversation from 1/32 to 1/72 scale, and the water bottles are a closer match for the Brits. 

Also, a big shout out Monty my stepson for helping light the figures and for providing some of the Gaslands photos on a previous post👍.

AWI: Grenadiers

A quick post for the last unit of British grenadiers for the Black Powder collection.

These are from BnB Miniatures and rank up nicely next to other manufacturers covering the period. Like the last unit, painted as combined grenadiers from different units in the field - hence different coloured facings and cuffs.

Also a small unit of (using what's left in the box) of French, Bourbonnais grenadiers from the Revell, Set 02574, Austrian Infantry. Another unit who were allowed to ware their Bearskins on campaign, despite the 1779 uniform ordonnance requiring grenadiers to wear tricorns.

AWI: 5th/14th Continental, Green Mountain Boys, Grenadier Guards

 
After a 12 month hiatus due to a chronic illness that kicked my arse, a few more units for Black Powder AWI. Can't believe its been 12 years since I started the collection, now with over 46 standard infantry units completed. I reckon I've got another 12 or so units to go plus a few bits and (light) bobs.

Uniforms are again from multiple references, mostly the Black Powder: Rebellion supplement, Osprey references, and internet searches.

5th/14th Continental

Another continental unit from the Italeri Set 6060 American Infantry set. Brown/tan jackets with red facings, tan breeches and waistcoats, and a generic flag.

Still love the command and musicians, have reversed the museos coat just for giggles.

Warner's - Green Mountain Boys

Another iconic unit of renown, this time made up of the slightly smaller IMEX Set 511, George Washington's Army (and a redcoat thrown in from their British set for a standard bearer).

Have done a mix of green hunting shirts, and shirts, with green coats and red facings for the officers. Also a number of hat swaps so that most are wearing the tricorn... with varying success.

Combined British Grenadiers - Guards

A small unit of grenadiers from BnB Miniatures, painted as if units of guards and blue facings have combined during a battle.

Go to admit after 12 years, I'm kinda over painting these guys, especially with the fantastic 28mm ranges now available. But think I'll persist, with a standard unit of combined grenadiers up next, along with a small unit of French, Bourbonnais, grenadiers to boot.

AWI: Combined Grenadiers, Regiments 4th Connecticut & 3rd New Jersey

 

With things available and readily at hand in our new place, I've been able to crank out some more units for the AWI collection, and snap some shots of the grenadiers I finished months ago.

3rd New Jersey

A suitably heroic unit rushing towards their freedom, 1776 pattern star spangled banner fluttering in the breeze.

These are from the Italeri set 6060, American Infantry box of awesomeness, one of four units left to do using these figures. I used the Uniforms of the American Revolution as a reference and it matched the Rebellion! supplement, so I though why not. The flag is once again from Warflag.com but printed at the local printer with better results than my home printer.

I've even used the single 'overly heroic' pose in the box (which you get three of in each box), even though I swore I'd never use it.

I'd swear, even after being wounded in the head, he's yelling "For freedom!" but then that would be mixing up Mel Gibson movies. But another standard unit for Black Powder: Rebellion! down.

4th Connecticut

Next up a small unit (16-odd figures) to bolster the numbers of the rebel ranks. Technically painted as the 4th Connecticut but the 2nd's flag. Not sure where the flag came from. I did a Google search on flags AWI, found it and shrunk it down to 1/72 size. I think its was someone's store... but printed at the local printer... 😨

These are actually from the IMEX set 512, British Redcoats, but having finished all the redcoats I wanted, with some snipping of bayonets, they've come up well. Again the uniform is from Uniforms of the American Revolution.

Combined Grenadiers

Finished these guys ages ago but they got stuffed in a box ready for moving. They're B n B Miniatures grenadiers and really like how they've turned out. Painted up as companies of grenadiers combined from other units, to make one big (standard) grenadier unit.

I um'd and ahh'd about which grenadiers to use and even bought Irregular Miniatures ones to begin with, but, although they were awesome figures, they were also awesomely accurate to scale - so way smaller than even the IMEX figures.

So I bought the B n B ones and they stack up well against everything else in the collection.

Next up, Tarleton's light horse is on the painting table (now I actually have a painting table again) - and my mate Spiro is finishing off Lot 4 of the commission he took on last year.

AWI: British Command and Completed British Brigade

Finally, enough troops painted up to host a game of Black Powder: Rebellion! Roughly 12 units a side - still counting small units as 'half', after almost a year since the Hesse-Cassel Brigade was finished, and just enough for two brigades and a command reserve.


So with the 17th Light Dragoons and Artillerymen completed this week, the British commands are also now done-idly-un. So lets start with no other than General Howe himself - How do you do, indeed? Aha hahahaha. (Figures look a little shiny as its been too wet to spray varnish for the last few days.)


More B and B Miniatures for this high command stand, AR21 British Staff Mounted - with heaps of character. One of the figures looked like General Howe (probably intentionally) so, I mean, you just gotta, eh? Which moves us to the first brigade command.


These are the equivalent command figures as the American command painted last week but this time from the IMEX 512 British Redcoats set. Similar reservations as the American figures painted last week - comments can be found in that post - but same good results.

Here's a few shots of the finished British Brigade ready for a game of Black Powder: Rebellion!

Nice stream of Brits rushing forwards in brigade.


Not quite a sea of red yet as the other brigade is Hessian, but definitely on its way.

Which brings me to the next thing to do.

Yes, there's still four brigades to do, for each side for the AWI, but the white smallclothes and plethora of white strapping, plumes, and buttons has done my head in after a year of painting. Time for a change and here's what's on my painting list at present:

• the mess of figures that have been in the nooks and crannys of my painting desk for over two years
• finishing a 20mm US WII American mechanised and tank platoon, started in 2007 (yes, 2007 - its not a typo), which I forgot to take to the bring and buy a couple of weeks back. Its painted but awaiting stowage conversions... and painting new infantry, since I sold my very old Matchbox mech platoon at the same bring and buy - I've got the figures, the stowage, the Vallejo paints and a copy of Bolt Action and Crossfire - so what's stopping me?
• start the recently acquired Perry's French Ordonannce army - the figures are beautiful - but they give me 'the fear'. I've never painted 28mm before, they'll need a better finish than 20mm, that's for sure.

... or maybe another British AWI brigade and some French... :)

AWI: 17th Light Dragoons: 2nd Squadron

Another one down. This time its the 17th Light Dragoons mounted and dismounted, to bolster the ranks of the now completed British brigade. Resplendent in their red coats, white facings, cuffs, and smallclothes.


The cavalry are from the Italeri 6044 British Light Cavalry Set and are superb figures, despite the inaccuracy's noted in the PSR review, and which inspired a better finish because the detail was there.


Painting chevrons in 20mm - OMG!


But this brings us to the dismounted troops and these are from the  B and B Miniatures  AR17 Light Dragoons Dismounted set. They are a very different style from the plastics and are essentially the same posed figure with different head and arm/musket positions.


Having had doubts before they were painted because of the style, I like them. You get 12 in a pack which is perfect for a small Black Powder unit of dismounted troops, and they are they only dismounted 17th dragoons of this period you can get in 20mm. So, good stuff BnB!

The guidon (flag) is a MS Word conversion from a Google search and am reasonably sure its the guidon for the second squadron, but that's pretty much it for getting a game together, just a couple of British command bases to go, which are already half finished, and its all ready.