Tuesday 28 April 2015

Portuguese 1st Lippe Regiment

It is nice to start a new project, even when it is just a larger version of the previous one. I am quite happy to get back to 28mm, but it took me the best part of a week to adjust to picking up the 28mm Front Rank figures which look and feel massive compared to the 15mm Essex Portuguese I have spent the best part of the last eight months painting.

I intend to follow roughly the same track with these, especially as the uniform details are still somewhat fresh in my mind. To this end, I managed to complete the two battalions of the 1st Lippe Regiment over the previous weekend.

Portuguese line regiments typically consisted of two battalions which were deployed alongside each other in the same brigade, with the brigade usually comprised of four battalions from two regiments (occasionally with a Cacadore battalion included to make five battalions in all, such as Spry's brigade at Fuentes de Onoro), or one regiment and a Cacadore battalion. Here is the first battalion of 1st Lippe carrying the King's Colour:


















And the second with the Regimental Colour, which is white in this case in line with the regiment's white piping and turnbacks, indicating a unit of the Center Division:


















Portuguese flags typically had a brass finial with a cravat or ribbon, but I have used the Front Rank flag staff finial with a tassel and painted it in line with the unit's division. I have seen a few conflicting images, with some suggesting the cravat should be red, white and blue and others that it should be white and blue, but I went with the divisional colour as any other combination would to my mind have looked a bit odd with the rope and tassels. I managed to find a couple of images to substantiate this, so that is good enough for me:


















I have done the majority of the figures in the white summer trousers on the basis that this was when most of the campaigning was done but threw in a few, such as the grenadiers below, with the regulation blue issue:


















These battalions are possibly overly large given the returns I have read in Oman and the rough 1:30/1:40 ratio I am ostensibly working to, but possibly it is better to paint too many figures and take a few away in any potential future games, rather than not having enough.

Now on to the 2nd Lagos, with the red piping and turnbacks of the Southern Division which I suspect I will have to again go over twice with two different shades to obtain a visible contrast against the blue jackets.

I find piping the most tedious but at the same time most satisfying aspect of Napoleonic figures, but am definitely not looking forward to the yellow of the Northern Division.




8 comments:

  1. lovely painting and basing - marvelous work!

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    1. Thanks Phil. I am still tempted to delve into ACW as a result of your recent posts, by the way.

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    2. Hey there Lawrence, It would be cool and awesome to see your painted ACW units if you decide to do so.... actually, I'm currently basing and flocking my 280 so - 25mm Sash and Sabre Union figures. So some time next week the units should ready for their photo shoot and post the pictures at my blog...

      I will say it again, love your painting style and work on your miniatures..

      cheers,

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    3. I'll look forward to that Phil, and am in wonderment that you can take on 280 (even the basing) in the one batch. I find that around forty 28mm or eighty 15mm figures in a single group is around my limit to work with, otherwise I find myself either overly rushing or becoming bored and letting things stagnate.

      It doesn't appear to affect the quality of your output the least bit, however.

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  2. These are lovely especially in the large numbers shown here - right up my street! I still mourn the demise of Victrix or Warlord's metal range of Cacadores, they looked lovely! keep them coming, warpaintjj

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    1. Thanks Jeremy. Victrix is one of the few brands that I haven't looked into as yet, but their stuff does look very nice and I must do so one day. I especially like their growing range of 28mm British Napoleonic transfers.

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  3. Going from 15mm to about 35mm (in the case of FR) is quite a jump, but these look superb!

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    1. Thanks Peter, and there is no doubt that you get your money's worth with Front Rank, and they look massive next to my Essex figures.

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