Progress on Swedish Napoleonics, a whole regiment, a better organized army
Well, after painting the Elfsborg Regiment, thought I could tie together a few ideas together.
When the silliness started, and how it morphed:
Back in the early '80's, I started a Swedish Napoleonic army because it is in my ethnic background and it would be unique locally. Then Minifigs suspended 25mm production. So I painted up what units I had, and moved on.
Fast forward several decades, I was wrapping up my Quatre Bras Anglo-Dutch and 'lo and behold' the Perry brothers started up a set of packs for the Swedes, so onto a new -old project.
The Swedes are an 'interesting' army to model, with only a few sources available for uniform info. Like, three major uniform changes from 1800 to 1813, with various regiments not changing for years, or maybe ever. Colonels had more leeway, if they wanted and paid for, light unit and musician differences from the rank and file. I did the same, some regiments in grey coats, some in dark blue, some in light blue, one in white!
Did I mention they lost Finland to Russia partway through the Napoleonic period? And a good part of their army dissolved? In regards to that I decided the 1813 campaign would be my focus, collecting towards that O.O.B.
The early, minifig component of the army was originally organized and painted in eight figure battalions (say what you want about the Empire series of rules, a 1:60 figure ratio was good for meglomaniacs!)
Switching to an 18 casting standard for battalions reduced most of my forces to single battalion strength, with some repainting to get from 16 to 18 figures. Hmm, what to do? Well, buy a couple of orders of Perry packs and start painting. Now the fun begins...what units to keep, which to start over?
Did I mention that most of the Army served under Bernadotte in the Army of the North in the Leipzig campaign, but that some units (some of the ones I painted) served with Walmoden in the Hamburg area?
Armed with an 1813 OOB, I found a way to stay sane tracking what to paint and what needs to be ordered next, Really Useful Boxes to the rescue. Turns out, the Swedes were grouped into multi-regiment brigades, numbered 1 through 5, the first four with The Army of the North, the fifth with Walmoden's Corps. A really useful 8 liter box can accommodate the figures in each brigade.
Ok, not impressive, yet. But note the clever use of pressure sensitive adhesive label to denote what units should be in the box. And index cards on how to paint the absent units as purchased.
The Elfsborg Regt and Westmandland Jagers. Sodermanland Regt will complete the box's (brigades) units.
I will catch up the project at a later date.
Comments
It looks like you're doing all FIVE brigades? :-)
That will be one heck of a big Swedish army!