ALY MORRISON'S "BUTTERFLY" ADVENTURES IN THE WORLD OF WARGAMES AND TOY SOLDIERS

Thursday, 19 January 2023

Something Shiny… and an interesting book.

Greetings…

I think it is time for some Shiny Napoleonics… 

So here we have a few Eclaireurs De La Guard Imperiale… The 2nd Regiment to be precise.


I found myself with four S Range castings… So I decided to do one ‘Tiny unit’ as group of Vidette’s and a single figure to act as an escort for my command figures… he is also known as Billy No Mates… 😁


The 2nd Eclaireurs did not carry carbines… They carried pistols.
So some scalpel work work was undertaken…

And here they are…




I think that they worked out rather well…If more turn up I will add to the unit.

The Tunic and other green bits are… Foundry… Forest Green 26B.
The Facings are… Citadel… Wazdaka Red.
The Shako is… Citadel… Evil Sunz Scarlet.

I am afraid the rest of the colours are lost in the mists of time.

The paints are Wargames Foundry and Citadel...

The bases are as always…

I picked this book up the other day…
It piqued my interest…’ Napoleon and Gardens/Gardening’.
I know he gardened in his ‘retirement ‘ on St Helena but not much else…

Curious and curiouser… I will give it a read.



All the best.  Aly



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39 comments:

  1. Phil Robinson19 January 2023 at 23:32

    Splendidly shiny, a small but perfectly formed little unit and chap.

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    1. Aly Morrison19 January 2023 at 23:33

      Thank you Phil…
      A bit like me then 🤣😂🤣… not!

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  2. Ed M20 January 2023 at 01:56

    Always found the Eclaireurs a splendid bit of eye candy, but given their employment, they never fit into any of the game systems I was using. Good to see that they have a place among your shiny Nappies! (I seriously doubt that anyone would have noticed the carbines...but I get it!).

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    1. Aly Morrison20 January 2023 at 08:17

      I’ve always liked this unit…The first time I saw it was when I was given the Historex kit when I was a lad.
      As there are only four figures changing the carbines was an easy task…

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  3. Pan Janek20 January 2023 at 05:59

    Lovely little unit Aly! The book seems pretty interesting, and please write more about it once you read it. I will have to look it up. To be honest when I was a kid, I felt as if it was a punishment when I had to do any gardening. Now, having my own garden I find it more and more interesting and fun. It must be the age thing ;-)

    Best wishes,
    Jan

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    1. Aly Morrison20 January 2023 at 08:19

      Thank you Jan…
      I imagine Napoleon planting his flowerbeds like regiments on manoeuvres…

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
    2. Pan Janek21 January 2023 at 08:35

      Now as you say it I imagined Napoleon planting rows of blue flowers with the red ones on the other side of the field, and then mowing the red ones with the scythe and mad laughing ;-)

      Delete
  4. The Jolly Broom Man20 January 2023 at 08:05

    Nice chunky bases on those cavalry lads - no fiddling around trying to pick them up for you eh. Obviously the models themselves are gorgeous. Nice to think old Napoleon got up to something useful in his « retirement » I’ve always pictured him staring moodily out of a window all day rather than brushing the dirt off his spuds (which sounds a bit like a rude metaphor). Suppose he wasn’t allowed to do any wargaming in his spare time, lol.

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    1. Aly Morrison20 January 2023 at 08:27

      Thank you JBM…
      I do like a chunky base 😁.
      I did read somewhere that the governor of St Helena monitored what Napoleon could plant… In case he was sending Republican signals… I am not sure who would have been reading them though 😁.
      I am sure I will find out the truth when I read the book.

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  5. Duke of Baylen20 January 2023 at 08:33

    Well that's made my morning, Napoleonic splendour - what more could anyone ask for. Thanks, Stephen

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    1. Aly Morrison21 January 2023 at 18:27

      Thank you very much Stephen…

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  6. David20 January 2023 at 09:10

    Nice new additions to the shiny collection! An odd book choice though. What's next, 'Monty Don, My Part in his Victory'?

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    1. Aly Morrison21 January 2023 at 18:30

      Thank you David…
      I’m hoping for Hougoumont Garden Rescue…

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  7. rross20 January 2023 at 11:00

    Nice shiny cavalry Aly but I can't pretend much enthusiasm for a book about gardening, even if Napoleon is the gardener.. unlike Jan, I still view any form of gardening as unwelcome manual labour that steals my weekend free time!

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    1. Aly Morrison21 January 2023 at 18:33

      Thank you Keith…
      Like you I am of the opinion that napalm is a useful gardening tool…
      But it’s interesting to see how the other half lives.

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  8. Rob Young20 January 2023 at 12:08

    Yes, they worked out rather well.

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  9. Rodor20 January 2023 at 16:49

    Another Napoleonic unit that we obviously didn't know at all... Great job, you made it brand new! They were secondhand toy soldiers, right? Which manufacturer are they?
    As for Napoleon the gardener, we knew about his gardens on the Island of Elba (we don't know how many were cultivated directly by his hands) and about his attempts to plant new vines on the same island: but those were different times than those of St. Helena, n'est-ce pas?

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    1. Aly Morrison21 January 2023 at 18:36

      Thank you …
      Yes they are second hand… Minifigs S Range.
      I was aware of Napoleon gardening on St Helena but it is nice to dig deeper.

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  10. Wellington Man20 January 2023 at 18:13

    Lovely!

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  11. StuartInsch20 January 2023 at 18:51

    A lovely unit deserving of the shiny treatment.

    As for the other...didn't he say it is with such begonias that men are led?

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    1. Aly Morrison21 January 2023 at 18:39

      Thank you Stuart…
      Yes…😁
      And wasn’t Wellington famous for planting on the reverse of the hill…

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  12. Rob20 January 2023 at 19:28

    The red and orange edging on the shabraques really make them 'pop'. The colouring isn't bad either as you managed to keep it within the lines... ;o)

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    1. Aly Morrison21 January 2023 at 18:40

      Thank you Rob…
      I’m using smaller crayons these days 😁

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  13. Matt20 January 2023 at 21:44

    Very nice indeed. Let us know how the book goes-it is intriguing already.

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    1. Aly Morrison21 January 2023 at 18:41

      Thank you Matt…
      The book is fairly interesting so far…

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  14. David21 January 2023 at 13:27

    The red/orange/green colour palette is simply stunning, as is the brushwork of course. Here's hoping you will find some more of these lads down the road. I hate to talk about bases after you've posted such beautiful paintwork, but I am only just now realizing the extent of the size offering of rounded corner bases. Are yours the MDF variety? I may have to try a sample batch as making them from plastic cardstock is a painstaking process.

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    1. Aly Morrison21 January 2023 at 18:43

      Thank you David…
      My bases are indeed MDF and are certainly much easier than carving them out of plastic card.

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  15. Matt Crump21 January 2023 at 17:50

    So beautiful Aly I hope you can get a few more to build the unit 👍

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    1. Aly Morrison21 January 2023 at 18:44

      Thank you Matt…
      Another three would give me a nice small unit.

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  16. Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.com22 January 2023 at 12:04

    Chaming and attractive but also looking efficient and dangerous as usual for Minifigs of this era when as well painted as these.

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  17. caveadsum147123 January 2023 at 17:52

    Splendid looking shiny guardsmen! The book sounds interesting too but I thought you had lots ahead of it !
    Best Iain

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    1. Aly Morrison23 January 2023 at 20:48

      Thank you Iain…
      I have a fair amount of books in the to read pile… but I jumped this one up the queue because it looked bonkers and a bit interesting…
      I usually have more than one book on the go anyway…

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  18. Unlucky General24 January 2023 at 02:11

    There's something exquisite about those shinies of yours - they look like candy or something. The effects your are getting remind me of enamel baking - just gorgeous. Beautiful toys to behold.

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    1. Aly Morrison25 January 2023 at 18:51

      Thank you Greg…
      Some of my early painting inspirations were porcelain and enamelled figures…

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  19. Mark Strachan24 January 2023 at 23:48

    Nice toys Aly. Another interesting book on Napoleon last years is “The Emperor’s Last Island: A Journey to St Helena ” by Julia Blackburn - it’s on Kindle for next to nothing.

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    1. Aly Morrison25 January 2023 at 18:52

      Thank you Mark…

      I shall give that book a look…

      All the best. Aly

      Delete

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