1/72 Pegasus Hobbies - Russian Farm Houses

 Along with the Hovels and the Old Glory Russian buildings I also have some from Pegasus Hobbies, the two model kits seen here as well as the pre-painted Russian and Ukranian houses. They're a tad small but perfectly representative. These had been mostly finished for a few years now but doing the recent Rendra Timvbered Outbuildings made me want to revisit the thatched roof which was quite dark and lighten them up to be more in accord with the Renedra ones. After futzing with that, it was a small step to finish the chimneys, doors, windows and some weathering and la! Complete.  

A very angry Perry Peasant seen here for scale. The life of a serf is hard enough, but especially so with these one room dwellings you have to stoop to enter!

Front or back door?

 Sometime my "Hey Squirrel" approach can pay off. As I said, these were 80% done, and had been for many years, so just needed a little push to take them over the line. Had I to start them from assembly I likely wouldn't have bothered in 2024. Like this one, I have countless projects in varying levels of completion for when my motivation is something less than peak, I can reap the benefit of finishing a project without having to also start it in the same session. I'm sure I'm not alone here. 

The Renedra ones are in the same shape as these were a few weeks ago so it'll be nice to do the apertures, roofs, and chimneys and be done with them. For 2025! 

As always, thanks for looking - questions, comments and followers are welcome and encouraged! I'm doing more and more on Facebook so follow my page there too! https://www.facebook.com/One-of-My-Men-Became-Restless-100659928063858

L'Empereur et Jean Baptiste Eblé à Berezina

Eureka Miniatures has a number of miniatures that are hidden in plain sight at conventions, but never seem to be on their website. These are a good example and are sold together.

I s'pose the uniform could give him away, but a scenario, where he is hidden among the men, might be a fun one.

Illustrator Michael Chappell in his book with Haythornthwaite, show the Emperor in a red cap with this ensemble which is originally what I had done. Further research turned up this portrait so I had to make a change near the end. There's another of him in this gear questioning a serf that Google has now hidden from me.

Building by Pegasus

Back to wizards and witches for a bit.

Thanks for looking - questions, comments and followers are welcome and encouraged!

28mm French Artillery for 1812 Retreat from Moscow Game

Finished sixteen artillerymen this week - the total of my French 1812 retreat crews. Two Perry crews "priming" and two from what was the "old" Westfalia Miniatures - now Black Hussar Miniatures from Berlin. (The guns are from Old Glory [painted some months ago], fences from 4Ground, and the buildings from Pegasus Hobbies.)

I'm really getting backed up on my painting table - and I have a hundred other cavalry and this and that primed on the prepping table that has no place to go, until I finish up some things in the painting side. Here's a shot of the paint station from just last week.

I painted these Perry's thinking they were from Wargames Foundry the entire time. Same sculptors of course ... First Perry Miniatures I've ever painted I think. Lovely models.

I also decided NOT to add any tufts to the artillerymen. It's on the guns so didn't want to over do it. I believe those are 8lbers. I did decline to get limbers for them, which I may rectify at a later date. I envision this as sort of a 1:1 man to figure ratio project so something to move the guns with would be a necessity. 

The howitzers. Um, even in overcoats, there's no "whipping out some French real quick." that thought occurred to me as I was highlighting the cork stoppers in their water gourds.

The Black Hussar "French Gun Crew in Winter Dress" #1 ...

... and crew #2 - these guys on the ends have some dodgy faces on them. I also was screwing around with my tried and true skin recipe and left a failed experiment in place for these guys. Still, they came out fine.

What every Russian wants to see: French backs.

So how do they compare side by side, Perry and Black Hussar? Pretty good with the latter being only slightly taller - perfectly within the range of human variability. Gear is comparable in size as well.

The non-regulation coats came out nicely on the middle pair. Fun to paint.

Why round bases for the Perrys and square for the Black Hussar? Partly they were bought and prepped separately and I forgot to check. Also the Perrys all fit neatly on a U.S. penny and the Black Hussar miniature (at right below) didn't so I, not paying close attention, went with what was going to work right in front of me. On the plus side, I can assign different moral classes or some other characteristic with ease now and have a visual distinction to help remember it.

The overhead shot ...

and the closing one.

Thanks for looking - questions, comments and followers are welcome and encouraged. More Napoleonic goodness on its way.