Saturday, May 8, 2010

Supply Wagon & Pioneers


Artillery & crew (left), matross stand (center) and supply wagon (right) will make up my artillery batteries in my Minden Project.

I have been working on some Front Rank ammunition wagons from their 18th Century equipment range and the picture above gives you some idea as to how I will eventually organize my artillery batteries for the Minden Project armies. A battery will consist of two gun models, a small stand of matrosses to drag the guns back into place, and finally, a supply wagon that will set on the table perpendicular to the gun models. This will provide the necessary depth to depict all of the equipment that is placed behind the battery in the field. There will also be limber teams.

The picture above provides a general impression of how it all might look, although I haven't painted any extra matrosses for the middle stands yet. The actual artillery pieces will be Berlin Zinnfiguren 12 pounders with Minden Prussian artillery crewmen in blue coats.


A picture of the Front Rank wagon. Minden drover, artillery crewman carrying a round, and a Minden horse holder walking alongside the wagon. A stack of powder bags completes the vignette.


Minden pioneers painted as IR49 Prussian pioneers. I really like their orange waistcoats and breeches, although the pioneers actually wore fusilier mitre hats. Still, they look very nifty.

I like the way the pioneer figures turned out in the above picture. My plan is to base them two per stand and have approximately ten or twenty figures for pioneer work. Thus a few stands could be working on constructing gun emplacements, filling gabions or working on pontoon bridges.

This has inspired me to paint a unit of Minden Prussian fusiliers next, as IR49, the pioneer regiment. This was eventually turned into a regular fusilier regiment for battlefield use when Frederick needed the extra manpower to fight on the field.

At some point on Sunday morning, the 200,000th visitor will have visited the Der Alte Fritz Journal. We were about 170 visits short of that milestone as I entered this posting this evening. Thank you everyone for your support. It is much appreciated.

7 comments:

  1. Hi Alter Fritz,
    PULVER not PÜLVER - I am pretty sure. Stuff looks great as always.

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  2. It is 23:07 PDT and I am visitor # 199,835 . . . so you only have 165 to go to hit the big one.

    Another nice vignette piece too.


    -- Jeff

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  3. Although I really like your artillery, I was not the 200,000th visitor. I have used the same figures for my Beerstein Pioneers, but never thought to use them as artillerists. The Minden artillery guys come with some extra artillery equipment that cound also be used with the pioneers. I look forward to your final photos...

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  4. I really admire people who create all the ancillary parts for their armies. I've yet to finish mine but this has given me more inspriation to get them done.

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  5. 40 more to go uncle jim, cheers!

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  6. "Go to the mattrosses"...
    Sorry about that!
    Another excellent addition to your army! I never cease to be amazed by the quantity and quality of your output, and lately, by all the wonderful vignettes and and other bits and bobs not always seen in our little armies.

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  7. What Fitz said . . ..

    You have a beautiful table Mr Purky sir! Congratulations.

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