Saxon's Generals.

I'm diving into another round of miniatures! With some free time, I've decided to take on a one-day challenge, this time focused on brigade generals. I've often found myself short on these figures during games and had to borrow from teammates, so I'm rectifying that. All the miniatures are from Eureka Miniatures, and I'm using Renedra bases for the generals. The base of the officer holding the flag is from Warbases.

Let’s start with the officer holding the flag. He is painted in the colors of the Leibgrenadiergarde. Although I won’t be painting this unit just yet, I wanted to give it a try because the red uniform sets it apart from the rest of the Saxon army. It is more similar to the units of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which I already plan to create—perhaps not this year, but it will happen eventually. The officer is holding a miniature version of the Leibfahne. This time, I used the pattern from Kronoskaf. For now, I chose to leave the head bare, as I plan to replace it with something more appropriate in the future.

The following images feature generals. This time, I put in some effort to take clear pictures, and you can finally see the details. I used the Pro mode on my phone instead of relying on automatic settings. Sometimes, it's important to put in the extra effort!

My next challenge will be more demanding, and I doubt I'll finish it in one day. There will be many more figurines, but more on that later. Now, it's time to focus on the British in Sudan.

Missing Saxon Uhlans.

I'm unsure if you remember, but while I was painting my Uhlans for the Saxon army during the Seven Years' War, I ordered too few figures. Instead of having six bases, I only had enough for five. I decided to order the missing models but set that task aside for later. The idea lingered for quite some time. 

At the beginning of this year, I finally decided to expand my Saxon army. I placed two orders with Eureka Miniatures UK: the first was a small order to fill in the gaps in my collection and to see what the other figures looked like. After that, I made a large order.

In my initial order, I included the missing Uhlans. Additionally, I ordered a horse for the Uhlans from Front Rank, sourced through Crann Tary Miniatures, since their horses were of inferior quality. Now that I have everything, I painted the figures, and here they are!

I apologize for the quality of the photos; I haven't been able to achieve a good focus lately, and I've switched to a new graphics program for editing. I think I may need to revert to my previous editing methods or consider replacing my phone with a new one.

Here are both completed units displayed at their maximum capacity.

Hail Caesar!: When ships are worth more than some book.

Some figures in our collections are used more frequently than others. This time, I chose models from the less frequently used category: my Vikings and Normans. Out of curiosity, I checked and realized that the last time these figures were on the table was over two years ago! This fact motivated me to finally get them out of the cupboard and give them some fresh air. The second reason for showcasing them was that Michael had finished painting his three drakkars. They were ready for their debut on the table, initially as scenery but soon to be used as full-fledged models in the game. However, we'll have to wait a bit longer for that. Returning to the game, we combined our collections and played a game using the Hail Caesar rules.

SCENARIO: Bartek Żynda
UMPIRING: Bartek Żynda

SCENERY: Michael Schneider, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda

1. Forces.

NORMANS OF THE COAST

(Bartek, David)

1st Cavalry Brigade

1 x Guard Knights with Spears

2 x Heavy Knights with Spears

1 x Bretonian Knights

2nd Cavalry Brigade

4 x Heavy Knights with Spears

1st Infantry Brigade

2 x Heavy Infantry with Spears

1 x Light Archers

2nd Infantry Brigade

1 x Heavy Infantry with Spears

1 x Medium Infantry with Spears

1 x Small Crossbows

3rd Infantry Brigade

2 x Heavy Infantry with Speras

2 x Light Archers

4th Infantry Brigade

1 x Heavy Infantry with Spears

1 x Medium Infantry with Spears

1 x Small Crossbows

1 x Light Archers

NORMANS & VIKINGS

(Michael, Mike, Tim)

1st Cavalry Brigade

1 x Guard Knights with Spears

3 x Heavy Knights with Spears

2nd Cavalry Brigade

1 x Heavy Knights with Spears

1 x Bretonian Knights

1st Infantry Brigade

3 x Heavy Infantry with Spears

1 x Medium Infantry with Spears

2nd Infantry Brigade

2 x Heavy Infantry with Spears

1 x Medium Crossbows

1 x Light Archers

Viking Brigade

1 x Hearthgurad

1 x Berserkers

1 x Bondi

2 x Light Archers

2. The Game.

In our game, the main objective was to capture the tower where the monk with the holy book was located. The player who possesses the book at the end of the game wins. David and I defended the tower while Tim and Michael commanded the hostile Normans—Tim led the cavalry, and Michael led the infantry. On the opposing side, the Vikings landed from the sea to support them, led by Mike.

The enemy Normans began by changing their formation. Initially, both cavalry units were positioned opposite each other, but later, Tim altered his formation, relying on an early version of the Schlieffen Plan. He must have forgotten that the one from World War I had been somewhat of a failure. Nevertheless, he attempted to move his forces, but his orders were repeatedly ignored by his subordinates. Eventually, he managed to reach the hill occupied by David, but by that time, it was too late; the outcome of the battle had already been determined elsewhere.

The most intense battle occurred between my cavalry and Michael's infantry. After his initial, unexpectedly effective barrage, I launched my charge. My knights nearly annihilated Michael's infantry. Following this attack, Tim commanded a retreat. The battle concluded.

As you read this report, you might be curious about what happened to the Vikings. They chose to disregard Mike's orders once again. Aside from his archers, who executed a fairly successful flanking maneuver against my troops, the main forces decided to remain with their ships. They felt that their newly built ships were not worth the risk of being lost over a book.

The battle concluded with a victory for the defenders, primarily due to Tim and Mike's failed orders. Nonetheless, the game was quite enjoyable, particularly because we had the opportunity to take the figures out of their boxes. This was especially satisfying since some of the figures had never participated in the game before. Below is a picture of the losses suffered by both sides: our losses are on the left, while the enemy's losses are on the right.

3. Links.

MICHAEL:

https://meneken.blogspot.com/2025/03/989-ad-when-vikings-werent-paid.html

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/Seswc.co.uk/posts/1052354696921861

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720324341248

Third battalions for the 3rd and 5th Infantry Regiments of the Duchy of Warsaw.

The project to expand the existing regiments of the Duchy of Warsaw to three battalions has just been completed, specifically for the 3rd and 5th regiments. The core of the battalions was created using figures from Perry Miniatures, known for their excellent set representing Napoleonic Poles. The bases are made by Warbases.

When it comes to the voltigeurs and battalion commanders, the situation is a bit different. As you may recall, I initially placed the voltigeurs on the collective bases. However, I decided to change that, and now, each battalion has two bases with two figures each. Consequently, I disassembled the collective bases, and the figures obtained now serve as voltigeurs for these battalions. Unfortunately, while I was reassembling them, some of the paint on the figures was damaged (I used acetone for this), so I had to repaint most of them. I also had to modify some details to better match these specific battalions.

Here is what my old Voltigeur bases looked like.

While painting the figures, I experimented with white. I applied a white base coat to the figures, followed by a wash, a white dry brush, and then speed paint. However, I'm not entirely happy with the result; they turned out too gray. I decided to leave them that way, considering the constant shortages faced by the Polish army at that time. Instead of using a pure white for the trousers, I opted for a more grayish tone. The battalion chiefs found such material...

Regarding the officers, I used figures that underwent a similar transformation. I decided to keep them as voltigeur officers, and they now lead their respective units in these uniforms. All the figures are from Front Rank, and the bases are from Renedra. Now that all my battalions have a consistent appearance, I can begin creating new units, and I think it's time to focus on the 4th Regiment.

As for the flags, both designs are my interpretations, as the original ideas and flags of these regiments have not survived to this day. In the 5th Regiment, you will find a grenadier sergeant on the command base holding a pennant with the number 5 on it. I added a decal from the Plastic Soldier Company to represent this.

Regarding the eagles, the third has received theirs from Front Rank, but unfortunately, they were no longer available for the fifth. I used the eagle from the Perry Brothers set for this unit. This time, I chose not to replace the plastic spars with metal ones. If they hold up well, I plan to use them for future units as well.

Here are the photos of the new battalions:

Pułk 3. Piechoty (The 3rd Regiment):

Pułk 5. Piechoty (the 5th Regiment):