Maurice 6mm Basing ideas…

I’ve decided I want to recreate my ImagiNation forces in 6mm. I’ve come to the conclusions that although I love the look of them in 28mm there is no way I’ll ever paint enough to game with them myself so although I will be adding to them it will only be for use in Henry Hyde’s Ayton/Byzarbia games. At least in 6mm I can try and do both sides, expand and maybe even game. And on which note…

Maurice. New rules by Sam Mustafa. I really like Grande Armee and Lasalle and everything I have seen/read about this rule makes me think they will be ideal for ImagiNation games. So I’ll be doing my forces for these rules. And there, as ever, lies the problem. Basing.

I had intended doing them on on 40×20 bases. Four Baccus strips per bases for infantry and a single row for cavalry. And two guns. I have some 1806 French I can use as a starting opposition as well. However, when in column of march the 40x20s don’t really look right. I could turn them end on but that looks wrong as well. So I’ve been looking at options. Below you will see the possibilities.

 

1. 40 x 20. This allows me two ranks, some officers etc. but leads to the problems above.

2. 40 x 20 showing a bit more of the start of my Savage Swans in 6mm

3. 40 x 30. Gives a bit more depth to allow a mounted officer and lessens the column to line issue. And maintains the 40mm BW of my existing French

4.  30 x 30. Square base. 30mm BW. No columns and line issues but I think the bases look a small

5. 30 x 30. Four base unit. Looks OK I think. But the drummers etc. look cramped.

6. 40 x 20. Four base unit. French 1806 but to me it LOOKS like a unit in line…

So why the drummers and officers?

The main reason is I want a unit in line to LOOK right. Now whether this is just my perception of what I think an C18th regiment looks like in line I don’t know. I’ve been looking through my copy of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough and I thought for a single company an officer out front and NCS and drummer at rear left and right gave the right feel. Now I know I’ve really only got four companies/bases but it gives the effect! I’m open to comments though!

Now I think this works on the 40x20s as there are enough line figures to space out the singles. The 30×30 I’m less sure about. I could only put them (NCOs etc) on the outer bases and have the middle two for mounted colonel and standard bearers but then the base order would always have to be the same. And four 30x30s just doesn’t seem to look long enough… If you look at the 1806 chaps here, then four 40x20s LOOKS RIGHT to me.

I thought of doing 40×40 as this would allow more scenic/diorama type stuff. More a case of if I can live with the quite big gaps in ranks when in column of march? The other advantage of 40×40 or 40×30 is that I can get two ranks of cavalry on a base which again looks good.

Decisions…decisions…

Picture 2 shows the first few Baccus I tried for my Savage Swans. The figure is the Austrians SYW German Musketeer. There has been a nice thread recently on the Baccus forums extolling the virtues of a grey undercoat and a black wash as a base for painting. I’ve always used a black undercoat, especially for 6mm, but wanted to give this a try. And I must admit I think it works. I’ll add a caveat that these are the first 6mm non-Modern Microarmour I’ve painted for well over a year (maybe even two) and my eyesight has got worse (so I used the new visor) so they are not perfect. When I first looked at the unpainted Baccus I just could not see the detail. Black undercoat doesn’t help this but grey with a black wash? What a difference! The detail just seems to pop out. And it made me realise just how nice the Baccus figures are. The trick is getting the wash right. Too little and you don’t get the benefit of the auto-shading (and have more to paint!) and too much and you don’t get the details showing through as well. I know that guys on the forum who tried this used Halfords Grey Primer but I just used Vallejo Sky Grey. I figured the wash would tone it down if too light. I also didn’t really bother with a highlight stage for the uniform. I did rush these a little so there are bits I’m not happy with but they have come out OK. I may just do the rest and put these in the second rank!

I have a quite basic force planned:

• 1 x Savage Swans
• 3 x Altefritzenburgers in green coats
• 1 x Neufritzenburgers (still need to add this to my ImagiNation!
• 1 x Combined Grenadiers for the above
• 1 x Legion Uhlans
• 1 x Altefritzenburg Cuirassiers
• 1 x Grenzers
• 1 x Injuns
• 2 x artillery

And then a similar opposing force…probably French based.

I’ve a feeling that yet again I’m taking too much on!

Next post will hopefully be my Partizan report from Sunday…