18mm Napoleonics - Command Vignettes

I ordered a mixture of French command packs and a few others in order to begin the creation of something I've wanted to do for a long time - Napoleon himself.  It'll take the form of a very large command base, normally anything larger than a division commander's base gets a slight diorama treatment, but this one will be an all singing all dancing diorama.  Unfortunately, the base I ordered for it hasn't arrived, so here are a few of the other personalities in the meantime; ending with a teaser for the main event. 

Lannes

Ney

Davout 

 Lasalle

Generic Corps Commander

 Austrian 'Battle Mad'/Breakthrough marker and a couple more casualty markers

 Dorsenne and some Guard Sappers

Baden casualty markers 

 French Cuirassier and Dragoon casualty markers

French infantry 'Battle Mad'/Breakthrough marker and casualty markers

l'Empereur!  Not all the places are quite finalised yet, and won't be until they're arranged on the base.  The pickets are slightly out of shot.  There will be a supporting vignette to the rear composed of Guard Chasseurs a Pied (as you can just about make out).  Then out of shot to one side, there will be another…

…and I'm fairly pleased with this arrangement, will hopefully be alright when it's done (in 2017)

18mm Napoleonic - Franco-Allied Cavalry

First post of 2016, more cavalry.  This time some Franco-Allied cavalry from Marulaz' IV Corps Cavalry Division, the Baden Light Dragoons and Hesse-Darmstadt Chevaulegers.  Alongside are the 8th Hussars from Lasalle's 2nd Brigade (Pire) and some assorted French infantry colonels. 

Franco-Allied Light Cavalry.

 French 8th Hussars.

Baden Light Dragoons.  

Hesse-Darmstadt Chevaulegers. 

18mm Napoleonic Basing Spree

Bowing to the requests for me to base a few things and acknowledging that I haven't based a single AB figure in the 5+ years I've been painting them, I went a bit crazy.  Lessons learned though; less is more. I knew this, but went a bit berserk and used everything in my collection of basing materials and had to tone a few back.  But actually some that I thought were too much have since grown on me.  The only major delay was discovering the number of horses that I couldn't be bothered to paint at the time.  Painting dozens of varied horses in retrospect is not all that fun!  So I've got a bit lazy with highlights, it should be fairly evident which.  Hope everyone is enjoying a relaxed Christmas and New Year.

Various command bases, a few skirmishers, and foot & horse artillery.

French and Saxon infantry casualties, and French cavalry casualties. 

Corps commander and three divisional commanders.

Two of the divisional commanders.

Heavy and light cavalry commanders. 

Horse artillery battery.

Foot artillery batteries. 

French cavalry casualties. 

Saxon infantry casualties. 

French infantry casualties. 

1809 - Pick and Mix

I've had a little bit of time, so I have powered through three Austrian gun batteries, some French cuirassiers, and a variety of brigade and regimental personalities.  On the workbench are the Austrian overall command base, a division command, and a variety of other bits and pieces.  I may also lose interest and/or skip around to some French line infantry or Austrian Jaegers.  Increasingly I find I don't have the patience and am conscious of time ticking on to paint intricate highlights on every last miniature, so I have simplified the way I go about my business.  It's a shame, but I'll never get through them all otherwise.  A quick comparison between miniatures painted (intermittently) in the last 18 months and those painted way back when I began painting AB Napoleonics makes it pretty obvious.

At the back an Austrian 6pdr Brigade Battery, front left (from this perspective) a 12pdr Position Battery, and a 6pdr Position Battery next to it.  I will go back and highlight the guns and gun carriages at some point, the yellow here is very garish.

12pdr Position Battery 

6pdr Position Battery 

 6pdr Brigade Battery

French Light Infantry Colonel and heavy cavalry General de Brigade.

Detail on the cavalry officer.  Leopard print was pretty taxing on my eyes. 

Austrian officers of varying rank and uniform.   

Same again.  I enjoy the variety that you get with AB personality figures. 

French 5e Cuirassier Regiment.  There are another two figures to this unit, but those were painted up separately some time back and I couldn't be bothered to dig them out. 

Same again.