Pandemic Projects: Ten Years in the Making...

Around a decade ago my friend Jonathan Holmes and I started doing an eastern renaissance skirmish project. I bought a whole host of Polish From The Assault Group.  Jon was going to do Zaporski cossacks, but he sustained an injury that made it hard to paint, so the project was shelved. Some time later the infantry component was repurposed for my Polish themed ImagiNation.

In my attempt to find something to paint this week(Still lots of Napoleonic to go, but waiting on a shipment of bases), while searching through boxes I found my not unsubstantial Renaissance polish cavalry contingent. I have 32 hussars, 16 Pancerni, and 11 Rieters.  8 of the Pancerni were painted, and about 12 of the Hussars were half painted.  I pulled out the hussars and had at them.

 

32 TAG Polish Winged Hussars

 

TAG hussars done in the traditional red and white.

Winged Hussars in less traditional blue and yellow

As always TAG miniatures are lovely models and fantastic to paint. I have 2 renaissance armies, and I've painted dozens of modern british and iraqis(which i then sold), so i have a great deal of experience with TAG. 

I snipped off the white metal lances above the ball guard and drilled out the balls to replace it with music wire. I shaped the tip using a dremel with a grinding wheel.as with all my flags, the pennons are printed off, folded around the lances and glue together using carpenters glue.  I wrap the pennons around the shaft of a narrow paint brush immediately after I've glued together the pennon, so when dry it takes the wavy shape.  The carpenters glue makes them surprisingly resilient.

 

Finally, my mother made me this:

Bunka interpretation.

This is Japanese embroidery called Bunka. we took the reasonably famous picture by Angus McBride(below)  and my mother recreated it in this rather unique form. I have yet to frame it, but when I do it will grace the wall of my game room!

Original picture by Angus McBride

Commonwealth of Polhynov Guard Haiduks

Gwardia Hajduk Regiment with command in the fore.

Last night I finished off the Guard Haiduk regiment that has been sitting on my desk  for a few weeks.  these are for my imagination the Commonwealth of Polhynov(or Rzechczypospolita na Polhynow in Polish). the figures are, as with all my other eastern renaissance, TAG miniatures.

Gwardia Hajduk command close up.

The Guard Haiduks use heavy Bardische axes, and as such are treated as a pike unit in Maurice. we have not used any pike units yet, so it should be an interesting change.


TAG figures are always fun to paint. I made the flags my self, and here is a look at them unfurled:

Regimental standard on top, Hetman's Standard on the bottom.

the flags symbols are historical.  The golden eagle is from a standard from a 16th century 'Przemysl district" standard.  the white eagle is Jan Sobieski's crest (1680s) which I have co-opted as the Mielczewski Family/Commonwealth Crest.  the coloured fields are of my own concoction.

the Polhynov standard system is similar to the British napoleonic system, each regiment has a Hetnman's Standard(kings colours) and a regimental standard(regimental colours).

i do plan 2 regiments of 24 cavalry ultimately, for anyone wondering why a polish-based army is so cavalry-light.  the regiment of Husaria(heavy cavalry) will be Front Rank French WSS horse grenadiers, and the light cavalry regiment will use Eureka Polish Uhlans from the 28mm SYW Saxon

Now that these are done, the Polhynov forces can take to the field this Friday, when i get together with friends Martin, Dave, Dan and Jon to play a big game of imaginations Maurice.

Onikszta Haiduk Regiment

or Hajducy Muszkieterzy na Onikszta in polish.   Onikszta is the Powiat(country) in which the regiment is raised, and quartered in times of peace. most counties are responsible for the raising of at least 1 Haiduk Regiment.

Hajducy Muszkieterzy na Onikszta with command.
figures are of course The Assault Group

 the Commonwealth of Polhynov is coming out of a period of reorganisation of  it's military into a more modern fighting force.   Although they keep their more traditional style dress, the colours have been made uniform for each district and the colours are of  the voivodeship that each country belongs to.

they have been trained very similarly to other western infantry. the one concession was the use of the light bardische axes.  the veteran haiduks refused to give them up, and units have been training in their use anyway, so the king decided to include them in the new military system.  they do have the added impact of making the polish infantry hard hitting in a charge. the guard retain their heavy bardische axes, making them formidible against cavalry as well. they do sacrifice a great deal of firepower in doing so(in Maurice they count as pike units)

Next is the army command stand, Hetman Wielki(grand hetman) Wlodzislaw Mielczewski.    Mieczewski grew up in a Koenigsreich occupied county. he was joined the a konigsreich infantry regiment on the far side of the empire and learned their trade.  but his heart always belonged to polhynov.  when the current kings father pulled together the voivodes and  reclaimed conquered counties, Mielczewski abandoned his post in the Konigsreich and returned to Polhynov to aid his country. he quickly rose through the ranks wand was an invaluable advisor and general when fighting the more western style armies. 

the  banner was a new  attempt at making my own wavy-flag texture. it turned out quite nice.  this is battlestandard of the Rzechczypospolita na Polhynow.  the crest is actually

the Battle standard of Polhynov, without being all wrinkled and wave and crap.

Jan Sobieski's, but the red and blue fields are of my own design. It turned out quite nice.

this was was pretty productive, I've painted 45 infantry and 2 cavalry. i plan before the weekend is out to paint my mounted pandours as well.

Haiduks galore!

Well, not really.

 however during a bout of insomnia Sunday night, I painted 16 polish haiduks.  I've had TAG renaissance polish for 3 or 4 years now. i haven't really done a whole lot with them.  however I was considering turning them into a 3rd imagination,  Rzechczypospolita na Polhynow (formerly Vojvodstwo na Polhynov).  the republic of Polhynov is obviously of polish origin. the infantry tradition comes from the eastern haiduks. the heavy cavalry will be using something like WSS french horse grenadiers, or dragoons. the light cavalry will be Polish Uhlans from Eureka. the artilelry will be haiduk artillerists and guns from Old glory.  I have 24 more haiduks with musktest ready to be painted, as well as 24 haiduks with bardische axes for the Rzechczypospolita Gwardia.

Hajducy Muszkieterzy na Brodnica. figures are TAG haiduks.

and while I was doing some terrain for my friend martin last week(pics will be forthcoming), I  painted up a Grand Manner renaissance cottage that he gave me.  this is a nice addition to my  terrain collection. It's also the first look i have ever gotten in person at a Grand manner building.   tehy are very nice.

Polhynov Hajducy marching past a local cottage.

 the other great thing about the grand manner building is the detailed interior.  the walls have wattle showing through, the floor is stone, and the fireplace is well represented.  the casting is also top notch.  I will be getting this on a base like my other buildings, i just need to get myself some suitable stone walls to go with it. i don't think wattle fencing will do it justice..

I will have some pics posted of the culmination of last week's terrain blitz. it was an ACW game at my friend martins.  we took pictures on his camera, so I am just awaiting an email with them attached(nudge nudge wink wink hint hint...).

Polish Delight

In February, if you had told me I'd own and be painting a Renaissance polish army, I'd have thought you were nuts. In fact i only got into the period because of my friend, Jonathan Holmes.

Back in the first week of march, I introduced him to Sharp Practice(by TooFatLardies). He was immediately enamored with the rules. He saw in them the potential to final game Zaporosian Cossacks in an enjoyable skirmish game. I've known Jon for a little over half his life,he has been obsessed with Cossacks, Being a direct descendent of that region of the Ukraine himself. but he has never been able to find a skirmish set of rules that he liked.

 So i set about helping him locate some good and/or cheap figures. In the process I happened to stumble upon The Assault Group Website, and their beautiful Eastern renaissance range. I immediately decided i would be forced to buy some polish to fight Jon's cossacks. Lucky for me, I discovered at a Local convention that North Bay Games and Hobbies still had some TAG polish on clearance for $12.00 CDN.

I have put this project on Hold while i teach my friend Jon how to paint like I do (IE fast) Once he has caught up a bit i will continue to paint. I have another 27 Winged hussars, 9 Pancerni, 12 Reiters, 8 Guard Haiduks, 24 regular haiduks, and 24 more German style musketeers to paint.