Trying some mud effects from Vallejo

 As these ECW bases are very large and very flat, I thought it a good idea to add some contours to the  ground. This mud from Vallejo is a new product for me but it does the job of texturing the ground nicely. Also details like wheel tracks and hoof prints can be added easily.

  I started off with the dark wet mud, then mixed in some of the lighter European mud. The two mix well together when wet and even blend into each other.

 The field is looking pretty churned up after squadrons of heavy horse have Been thundering over it all day. I made the hoof prints with the tiny sculpting palette tool I had spread the mud on with. Once grass and various flocks have been added they should look good.

1st Corps light gun (Falconet)

 I based this small gun on a 60mm x 100mm base. These guys have loaded the gun then backed right off while it is fired. This is very different to later eras. I like this as these guys look a little scared of this new unpredictable war machine.

 I’ve added a lot of black powder stains to these gunners’ clothes, it’s a very dirty business.

These 1st Corps figures are a great match for Bicorne and Renegade figures. These being the larger two ranges in the market.

Plastic Gabions from Renedra

 These went together well and were fun to do. I used some wood glue spread around on the discs to sprinkle the sand on. After the sand was added I watered down the wood glue and washed it over the grit. This will just add some strength to the sand when dry.

There are slight gaps on the sides, but I imagine these will be easy to fill when I base the model latter.

The large canon was bought from eBay some years ago. It’s from Essex miniatures and came with some Essex gunners too. However, I will be swopping these out for some artillery men from 1st Corps.

Finished off with some simple dry brushing and washes.

Painting Table 2020, Lock Down special Addition.

Another Squadron on its way.

 I’ve overlooked these Dixon figures for many years, but they paint up very nicely. They have the classic buff cross belts that look great on the back of the figure. They match up very well with the Essex miniatures as they are all true 28mm.

For the armour I used ‘pig iron’ by P3 paints. Over this I painted a coat of ‘smoke’ by Tamiya. The results were good but I might go a little darker on the armour next time. In many cases the armour would have been painted black to protect it against rust, this is a striking look and it would be great to capture it.

 This time around I went for a very yellow buff, which the Dip seemed to shade very well. The yellow used was GW Zamesi Dessert. This matched lovely with Zandri Dust that I used on the gloves. These two colours match the Osprey illustrations exactly.
The commander below is from Foundry, I’m not sure purple sleeves says Roundhead to me, I might tweak that later.

 Buff is still my favourite thing to paint.

Below is an example of the real article from the Royal Armouries. That buff is a real yellow in colour and contrasts nicely with the blackened helmet.

Sir Spencer Redmond’s Regiment of Foote

 Almost there with this lot, just a bit of basing. This is the made up Parliamentarian regiment based on my old school friend. I have done a few of these ‘generic’ regiments based on friends and family, it really keeps it interesting and fun. Having just finished two squadrons of cavaliers, the newly formed regiment found itself hard pressing almost straight away.

 The regiment has sent forward a unit of Commanded shotte. This is handy having these big units as they can be split into two.

 In ‘Victory without Quarter’, Commanded Shotte only have two bases, so I could use this split away group as a full strength unit if push came to shove.

 Here he is...the man himself, Sir Spencer. A wealthy, well to do MP. Sir Spencer’s regiment is well uniformed and maintained.

 Say what you like about Army Painter Dip... it gets figures on bases.

 On the March to reinforce the garrison at the village of Bucky.

 Those bloody handed cavaliers see their chance and charge the column of march.

 A strike of luck really and not worked out, but having the extra command base, means the regiment can form a perfect square when attacked by horse. I couldn’t of planned it better. Simple things please simple minds...

 The standards were made up ones ordered from Flags of war, they have a clever program that allows to to create your own personal colours. This also adds to the fun of the made up regiments.

 You can see here the broom bristle pikes look good. I have already been saved from injury today as I messed around setting up these pictures. I also like the fact they have defined spear heads, a detail that is often lacking in shop bought metal pikes.

Raising another Troop.

 The bug took me tonight to raise another regiment of horse for Parliament. Basing up those Cavaliers got me in the mood again for some ECW horse action.

 To make this unit a little different I’m going to cross the beams and use two different manufacturers. This came when I compared the two makes and found them to be very close in scale and look. The helmets are a good match and the horses too match up well.

 This really is a mix of figures being made from Dixon and Essex, lead by a captain from Foundry. All seem to match up well and should add some variety on the field.
Like my earlier units, I have cut free and bent the arms up on the Essex figures so they can hold a pistol. These were bought from Essex as well from there weapon packs.

Once this squadron is finished, there is another made the same way to bring the regiment up to strength.