Crimean War Expansion

Regular readers will be aware that my focus for this years is to be the Crimean War. I have a significant game planned for later this year and need to get the armies built. I already have a small British infantry division (the Guards and the Highland Brigades), part of a French infantry division (a zouave regiment and a Chasseur á pied battalion), a Russian infantry Regiment, and part of a Sardinian force.

The plan is to use Great War Miniatures where possible and pad them out with Foundry for items they don’t do. Fortuitously the Foundry had a Christmas deal of 25% discount with no postage for orders above £80. This enabled me to complete the French cavalry (a regiment of Chasseurs d’Afrique that I posted an image of a week or two ago), the remainder of the Sardinian infantry regiment and three batteries of French artillery (one horse and two field).

 

Careful observers will note that the uniform of the Sardinians is incorrect. The infantry should not have epaulettes, as cast on the Foundry figures, but rather should have wings on the shoulders. However, because I didn’t fancy carving the epaulettes off and then fitting Green Stuff wings, I am going to live with the error.

 

All I need to finish for the Sardinians is the command stand. Nobody makes command  figures for the Sardinians so I have had to make one. For this I have used an 1866 Austrian cuirassier officer I made some years ago. I swapped his head for a bicorne one, added some epaulettes and a sash. I put him on a Foundry Franco-Prussian hussar horse, with the houndstooth edging covered. I think he looks just the part!

Next on the Crimean painting table will be another regiment of Russian infantry, four mounted officers and a Russian battery. The order has been placed and its arrival is eagerly awaited.