25mm Portuguese Cavalry and Hittite Chariots

 This was a bit of a fun project.  I purchased a lot of eBay that consisted of around 20 Les Higgins/PMD British light cavalry horses and a similar number of early Lamming RHA outriders.  My initial plan was to keep the horses for future projects as and when the correct riders turned up.  However, it struck me that a simple bit of conversion work could turn the RHA chaps into Portuguese cavalry.  I had enough for three six figure units.  My research determined that Portuguese cavalry were constantly undermanned (short staffed PC) and usually could only muster around 200, due to corruption, desertion and inefficiency.

The Portuguese dragoons wore differing facing colours so the three units make quite a colourful display:

Also, Count Goya recently sent me two spare Atlantic Egyptian chariot parts.  Using some figures from the Caesar  Hittite infantry set, I converted the very small 20mm Atlantic chariot into a larger vehicle using card, that can just about hold a crew of three.  For horses, I used some examples from the Airfix Roman chariot.  Not brilliant, but a useful addition to my ancinet armies:

Austrian Army Review - The Infantry

 Over the weekend I completed reorganising the first tranche of the Austrian infantry.  

So far, I have rebased 10 battalions and they provide a colourful mix of shako and helmet line infantry, Grenzers and Jaegers.  All of the figures are by Warrior Miniatures and have been beautifully painted by Jeffers:

I have taken a look in the spares box and I have found sufficient command figures to provide the right structure for the odds and ends left from the rebasing exercise. There could be quite a few extra battalions.

My next tranche will be the combined grenadier battalions.

Austrian Army Review

 In what I think was a moment of madness, Jeffers handed over many box files of Austrian and French troops to me.  The deed took place in the carpark of the Warfare show a couple of years ago.  Since then the armies have made an appearance on the table, but there are probably too many to have them all deployed at once.  Whilst the bases are lovely, the units are a bit too big for my hex based games.  

After a lot of thought, I have decided to restructure the armies and,where necessary, rebase them to conform with my other armies and the terrain.

All of the figures are by Warrior Miniatures and the painting is exquisite. They really show how Warrior figures can be turned into little gems in skilled hands.

To start off with, I have sorted out the cavalry.  They are pretty much as Jef painted and based them.  I have just changed to colour of the base and organised them into two divisions, a heavy and a light.  They look splendid on the table:

There is a general figure and each division has a battery of horse artillery.  I plan to add two more commanders in due course, one for each division.  The light cavalry are nearest the camera.

Here is a view from the other side with the heavies nearest:

Here are some closer shots of these lovely little figures:

I have started on the infantry, but that is going to be a more lengthy process.  I will do a brigade at a time - there are a lot of brigades!