The Minden Regiments

The other day I got a shift on and started painting the new H&R delivery. I undercoated enough figures for over a dozen brigades, and did faces and coats on the British. Tonight I ploughed on and finished two bases of line infantry (a brigade) and two bases of grenadiers. One base of grenadiers I did as the 23rd Foot or Royal Welch Fusileers, who wore grenadier style mitres. I based the line infantry on the 12th Foot (later the Suffolk Regiment). Both the 23rd and 12th were at Minden and Fontenoy, so that's handy and I have nostalgic reasons for doing these regiments. Many years ago, my late sister had a holiday in Wales with her husband and brought me back a guidebook from the regimental museum of the Royal Welch Fusileers. Round about the same time I found some old Look and Learn magazines, one of which featured the 23rd and the other the 12th, referencing the Battle of Minden. The full page colour pictures were of the SYW uniforms.

So here they are based, and with a coating of sand, ready for painting and flocking when the PVA has dried. Whilst there were six British foot regiments at Minden (each 1 battalion strong),  four of them, including the 12th, had yellow facings, cuffs and turnbacks. Easily enough to be a whole brigade. The base of grenadiers also have yellow facings etc, notionally being the detached companies from the foot regiments.

I've also included some pictures below of some H&R infantry almost fresh out of the packet. The only thing I'd done at that stage was to file off the flash on the bottom of their bases. I thought these might be of interest for those not familiar with these models. I think you get a good idea of the quality of these tiny models.

These are 6 packs of Austrian infantry marching. In each pack you get 9 ‘stands’ of 5 marching infantrymen, two ensigns, 2 drummers, 2 NCOs, 2 officers on foot, 1 mounted officer and 1 pioneer (in grenadier bearskin). Prussian infantry are the same but the pioneer has a mitre. 

These models in marching are easier to prepare and base than other poses (advancing with bayonets forward, firing and all cavalry) because they come in rows side by side. the other types come in stands of 5 but one behind the other. Much more fiddly! Naturally I forgot this when I made my order. Of course most of the Brits that I’m painting are the firing pose. 

If you are going down this route learn from my mistakes!