I thought by now I would have made good progress on applying the paper flags that I'd bought for the French SYW army. Two problems scuppered my plan.
(1) The heads on most of the standard bearers are moulded to the flags. Even if I were to cut away the flags here would be no room to fix the whole flag to the pole. I tried cutting away part of a flag, to fit around the head, only to hit issue:
(2) The things are just too flaming fiddly.
Ah, a cynic might add, that's a clever way to knock one of the items off the list! I'm not above clutching at such expedients, however, the French army's flags would still be bare. A clever person (I think it might have been Neil) said some while back that I could leave the flags white and say they are the colonel's colour - a lot of French regiments had colonel's colours with white crosses on white backgrounds*. Maybe all. I kid you not.
That's a clever idea, and I might have done that (painting as thin a line as I can manage to hint at the shape of the cross). But that is not very satisfying. Where there's two flags on a unit that is what I shall do, but otherwise I'll look for some relatively easily paintable flag types. I rarely deploy regiments as their 'proper selves' as I can't readily identify what is what.
That plan will be put on hold for a while as Real Life is preventing that this week. In the meantime, I'll leave you with this picture of the Regiment d'Eu during a winter campaign high in the Hunsrück mountains, led by the colonel's colour party.
While many French colonels’ flags were, indeed, white on white, I suggest giving a try at hand-painting some of the flags in the regimental colors. In 6mm, an impressionist style will do.
ReplyDeleteMost of my SYW armies have painted flags. It’s just the French one being so big I as hoping for a better solution. But Impressionism it is - quite appropriate given it’s the French!
DeleteNot forgetting their Saxon allies who also need doing.
Chris
Hope real life allows some forward momentum time soon. Last picture is terrific. I believe there is another one in the series, it depicts the same unit in the same situation but this time the unit is surrendering…
ReplyDeleteAlan Tradgardland
I haven’t seen that one Alan.
DeleteChris
Looks 'allwite' to me...😀
ReplyDeleteB-dum tish! 😆
DeleteChris
Haha - made me chuckle - the image, not your flag predicament!
ReplyDeleteIt was hard to find Keith.
DeleteBy the way, what about Scotland eh! What a way to win it.
Chris
Chris, maybe the solution to the flags is not to try and wrap them around the pole; instead, stick the two side together but leave the centre part unglued and cut down the middle. Where it meets the flag pole, it can be cut down to a size that fits with the spearhead, like a tab. It may not go all the way around the pole, but should give enough to attach the flag. The rest can be disguised with paint.
ReplyDeleteNeil
That’s a good suggestion. I’ll try that. Thanks Neil.
DeleteChris
It all sounds damned fiddly diddly mate - however im sure that love will find a way. I thought one of the guys in the picture was incorrectly dressed, but it turns out it was just a biscuit crumb on my iPad screen.
ReplyDeleteWhat’s the point of having a beard if it doesn’t catch the crumbs for you?
DeleteChris
It took me a while to figure out why I couldn't see an image!!! Obviously not the sharpest tool in the box today;). Neil's suggestion sounds a good idea and well worth trying. Or go the impressionist route as once on the table, you really want and need big bold blobs of colour for them to stand out.
ReplyDeleteI’m sure I’ll find a way as JBM says.
DeleteChris
Steve you are not alone 😂
DeleteI am sure you will work something out Chris.
To be honest, the way that Blogger can be glitchy, it could have just dropped the picture off.
DeleteChris
I was going to suggest what Neil said, theres another image in the series which is the regiment at night I think?
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Ah, that’ll be the van Reusch Hussars (Prussian Hr R#5).
DeleteNeil's suggestion is something I've had to do in the past. Could be the way to go.
ReplyDeleteI’ll give it a try Richard.
DeleteChris