ECW Progress Report

Well here we are, a couple of weeks into the Dip method and I have to say the troops are starting to pile up. I’m impressed with the output and the amount of fun it is to just paint base coats. The OCD purist in me is quelled by the amount of good looking units being produced. My goal is to finish the red regiment before my butterfly Wargaming mind throws me into another era. So far I’m good though and this regiment shouldn’t be a problem. I’m itching to try this Dip method on my on going ACW project, but I’m forcing myself to wait for that one.

Forlorn Hope Bases

 It took a lot of messing around swapping figures from base to base but finally I settled on these arrangements. I’m glad I managed to fit six figures on the base as it fits better with a lot of rule systems and looks more like a tight knot of men.

I did mess up the matte varnish as there is a slight frosting effect on some of the figures. It turns out the hair dryer technique isn’t fool proof after all. It all part of the learning progress.

 One of the bases is a skirmish line advancing with a officer directing fire. The other base is more dynamic, a group of men, who, running low on shotte have been ordered to fall on with swords and club musket. There are a few little touches still to be done but I think they worked out okay.

Run away! A group of die hards get caught in the open and break for cover.

Fuss and Feathers

Forlorn Hope

 Putting together a couple of bases of Forlorn Hope. These Perry miniatures are great if not a little short compared to the larger makes. This Forlorn Hope pack has a nice selection of different poses, it seemed like the obvious choice. I undercoated these figures around two years ago and now finally got around to put some paint on them. I have also picked out some nice old Foundry figures to lead them.

 I varied the coats on these guys to make it look like they were picked from different regiments. Hand picked that is...

Bohemian Miniatures Thirty Years War Range

 Well what can I say... just look at these beautiful figures. I followed a link a few days ago on the ‘Pike and Shotte’ Facebook site and found Bohemian Miniatures. I had never heard of them before so I think they must be quite a new company. They are sculpted by the master Paul Hicks and are all researched thoroughly.
At first I thought they looked a little small, but on comparing them with Renegade and Bicorne miniatures they scaled very nicely. They are a very good match for Bicorne in particular.
Below; Bicorne in the middle of an officer and a Sargent.

 Dismounted Dragoons. The beauty of this site is that you can order figures separately so can cherry pick what you want. I picked a load of Forlorn Hope looking gents in skirmishing poses. The figures are very reasonably priced too, coming in at £1.40 each. They also come with swords that need to be glued on (not pictured).

 My only slight gripe is that the cavalrymen have quite small heads and you have to buy horses from Front Rank to complete the figure. This isn’t too bad as I do have some in the lead pile. The cavalrymen though apart from their fine features are very nice indeed. Although these are Thirty Years War that will fit in nicely to my units.

 Bicorne pikemen surrounding by Bohemian Command.

 A Bicorne musketeer sneaks into a group of skirmishing Dragoons.

 This two pistoled officer above is the flag ship of the collection and is a beautiful thing to behold. I may have to order another so the Royalists don’t get jealous. He is standing next too one of the largest ECW figures ever created by Renegade. They work well together and they would make a good duelling diorama.

 Here we have the ‘big’ line up. Bicorne then Renegade, then Bohemian miniatures. The height works well along the line to which I am very relieved.

 This is my work in progress on Forlorn Hope bases for Victory without Quarter. I have gone for a mix of armoured Dragoon types.

The range covers just about everything you can wish for concerning the Thirty Years War. They truly are lovely figures and well worth a visit, although be careful it may get you into another era you weren’t counting on. However, the single purchase option is ideal for a ECW gamer with a taste for some characterful command figures.

https://www.horcata.eu/category/infantry/

1st Corps ECW Ensigns

 I took a gamble the other day and ordered some ECW Ensigns from 1st Corps, this was to see if they could be used with the large Bicorne and giant Renegade figures. Well I’ve just opened the parcel and I have to say I’m really impressed. Not only were they a good large size but the main thing was they came with Flag poles and spear tops for the standards. I was just planning to place another order to Bicorne for some more standard tops, now I won’t need too. £5 for standards and four different figures I think is pretty damn good value.

 They match the Bicorne figures very well and this is good news because I’ve been looking at their pikemen for some time. I’m really pleased with these two packs and will definitely be using them for my regiments going forward. It’s a good time to be doing ECW that is for sure, there is so much to chose from now.

In the world of ECW figures there are two distinct groups, the mid size like Warlord, Foundry, Essex, Dixon, Assault group etc and then the large figures of Bicorne and Renegade. These figures cleverly fit somewhere in the middle with maybe a slant towards the larger side of things. Very clever thinking from 1st Corps, no matter if your army is Warlord plastic or Bicorne lead, these miniatures will merge in nicely with your existing forces.

Another Squadron Completed

 Using Dip you seem to wait and wait then all of a sudden you are swamped with units to base up. Here is another unit of Trotters for the cause. Quite a busy night of basing tonight time to go to bed.

Sir Herbert Jackson’s Regiment of Foote

 This regiment is based on my wife’s old surname. Diamonds had to be the emblem on the standard of course... what else, a woman’s best friend and all that.

This regiment was started ages ago and finished recently with the help of Army Painter Dip. Some of the results with the Dip I actually prefer.

My ECW regiments are made up of a single base of pike flanked by four smaller bases of shotte. I have done this to allow more flexibility in the unit. It allows some of the regiment to be stripped away to form commanded shotte using the front two bases.

GW spray stick

 Finally got around to using this spraying stick thingy from GW. I have to say it does make life a lot easier. No more black fingers or matte varnished digits.

THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN! Sorry I couldn't resist it...

Thoughts on a Train

An idea for small Forlorn hope units in Victory without Quarter. Just very rough idea but I like the option of annoying little pockets of troops holding bridges and buildings etc. A Forlorn hope card could be added to the deck and when drawn both sides get to use their Forlorn units.

The units are armed with fire locks so get an extra dice to shoot with. They cannot engage in melee and must evade if charged, however, If they are in cover they can stand and fire. This is risky though because if contacted by enemy they are scattered and destroyed.
As they are effectively skirmishers they are classed as always being in open order and have a save of 5+ against musket and 4+ against artillery . This 5+ save is the same as artillery crew which I think is fair. These guys will be using cover and dashing around like classic skirmishers, as such they can also fire in any direction, hence the round base.
 Once they are in cover, they will be quite hard to shift as the modifiers will add up, +1 for soft cover, +1 for open order etc. You'll have to send troops in to flush them out. I imagine they will be a real pain for cavalry who can't assault fortifications and buildings.


 Food for thought and maybe a nice chance to make some dynamic scenic bases.

 Bohemian miniatures new range of aThirty years war will fit the bill nicely for these bases.