Hauverstover 2nd Infantry

The second Hauverstover Infantry regiment is ready. This is a quick post to show the figs. These are 10 mm Old Glory. They are based on 50 MM Litko bases. Here is the full line.

Here is a close-up showing a little more detail. It actually pained me to paint the cords on the flag over the owl, but it had to be complete. There will be a change to the flag design coming for the 3rd infantry, and maybe others. I like them on paper, but this one was a challenge to paint. I need a simpler design.

I have experimented with several backgrounds for taking pictures, this one was a medium gray. Not sure that I am satisfied yet. I guess that is part of the fun.

Next up will be my 28mm Norman Saga army. Wow, something in a larger scale for a while. I am currently blocking colors on my cavalry. I will post some shots when they are farther along. Right now they are pretty messy.

Hauverstover - 2nd Infantry - Flags

The Old Glory 10mm Marlburian range has cast flags as part of their sculpts. Working in larger scales, I have always used paper flags. This allowed either a purchase of a ready made flag or producing my own using a vector graphics program. When creating a vector based image, I can draw as large as I like, and then shrink the image down to the final size without loss of clarity. Hand painting these little 10mm flags has been a challenge. I have enjoyed it and the learning process as well.

In a previous post, I showed the flags for the Hauverstover 1st Infantry unit. This post is about the 2nd Infantry unit. Their flag is more complex. I think the flag came out pretty good, so it deserved a posting. This is what I was trying to represent in a flag that is less than a centimeter square.

The best I could do was to break the flag down into basic shapes. Then it was time to determine the level of detail to be added. At this scale the flag becomes impressionistic. The following image shows the basic striped flag and then the addition of the moon. The figs sat for a week or so at this point. Trepidation kicked in big time.

Next came the basic shape of the owl in flight. I just tried to get the head, ears, wings and tail onto the flag in the appropriate positions. It was really rough at this point.

Next were the lighter brown shapes for the face, wings and tail feathers. I began to realize that the ears were too big. I would have to trim them down later.

The final steps were adding a little lighter color to indicate the legs and eyes. Then three small black dots for the eyes and beak.

The figures still need to be finished, but I am pretty happy with the flags. A fun project all in all. Happy gaming!

An Argument in Hauverstover

At a distant point in time years past, the duchy of Hauverstover was ruled by the Duke and Duchess Steinmauer. Gerhard Steinmauer had met a dark haired, blue eyed hellion named Elke Osterwald and had been totally smitten. Their courtship was a tempestuous one. Elke had led Gerhard on a merry chase before accepting a proposal of marriage.

When it became time to form an army for the defense of Hauverstover, the topic of uniform coloring had risen. Gerhard liked a white coat with blue pants, while Elke preferred a gray coat with dark red trousers. In a moment of compromise, a blend of blue and red was suggested for the trousers and a dark purple was adopted. Both Gerhard and Elke claimed this compromise as their own idea and had great fun over the years arguing about it. However, when it came to the coat coloring, neither would budge a bit.

Duke Gerhard was very close to making a proclamation that the Infantry dress would be white coats with purple trousers. He was in his study, drafting the order, when a quick tap on his shoulder redirected his attention. He turned to see Elke looking at him with a particularly mischievous glint in her eye.

"I have interesting news my dear stuffy old Duke!"

Gerhard just quirked an eyebrow, and awaited the announcement. The last time had been about gophers eating the tulip bulbs in the gardens and how a cute little rat-terrier would solve the problem. The dratted dog was constantly getting muddy paws on his boots.

"My love, you are going to be a father. I hope you are pleased."

The Duke was overwhelmed with emotion, and grabbed his wife for an embrace. They laughed and kissed and stared at each other, both delighted with the news.

"Elke my dear, this is so wonderful. May I grant you anything? The Moon? Just say the word! "

By this time, Elke had noticed the draft of the order. With a quick smile, "Gray Coats?"

The Duke smiled and wrote the following order. "On all odd numbered infantry regiments the standard dress will be a white coat with dark purple trousers. In honor to the duchess, the even numbered regiments will have gray jackets and dark purple trousers."

Over time the gray-coated regiments became known as The Duchess' Guard. That general order stands to this day.

Hauverstover First Infantry - Ready for Orders!

The First is ready for play! Here are a few photos of the unit on their bases. I believe this shows the importance of having some room to add some scenery. It makes the unit pop.

These are 10 MM Old Glory Marlburian figures on Litko 50x50MM bases.

The complete line Right Center Left Center - Lower Camera Angle

Painting is starting on the 2nd unit. There is not much to show yet, I am just blocking colors. Happy gaming!

Flags waving in the breeze

The painting of my Hauverstoverian 1st Infantry unit is done. Complete with hand painted flags. These are not too bad, if I do say so myself. Now only 7 more units to go.

A few of the things I decided during this process:

• At 10MM, think impressionism.
• The cords on the flags are going to be the units facing colors.
• The drums will be a yellow body with light purple cords and rims. This will be standard on all units.
• If one breaks down the flag shapes to basic geometry, then it is easier to realize.
• For me, beer and painting do not mix! Fine motor control goes away too quickly.

Front and Back view of the flags

How they will look in a bunch.

Note - As I was test fitting the strips on the basing, I realized that the 50x25mm bases will not provide enough depth to comfortably fit two ranks of soldiers. They will fit, but there is not enough room left to add any scenic flair. At this scale, the bases have to look good. They represent the first impression of the unit. I am going to use the 50mm square bases after all. I am still going to base these for a combination of M&R and Maurice.

Hauverstover First Infantry

Work continues on the 10MM Hauverstoverian army for Maurice and Might and Reason. These little guys are almost done. All the colors have been blocked in, now I have to do some touch up and paint the flags.

I have been trying to paint an hour a day as Baron Von J has suggested. I am not able to do that every day, but four or five hours a week is definitely making progress.

I must admit a little trepidation about the flags. That is going to take an evening and a beer to get me over the hump. Happy gaming!

Hauverstover Grenadiers in the House

I am working on completing the first infantry unit for my 10MM Hauverstover Army. This required some Grenadiers to complete. Jaye was kind enough to loan me a couple of strips until my order arrives.

Macro photography might be a bit too close for these little guys. These are painted for the table top, and I think they look pretty good for that expectation. The top picture is a little further away, so squint a bit!

Hauverstover Infantry - A beginning

Work has started on the Hauverstoverian Infantry. Old Glory 10 MM Infantry Marching in Tricorn figures are the basis for the infantry strips. I am painting one strip as a test to get used to the brush strokes. So far the painting has been a breeze, however I need to find a better way to separate the legs on the back of the figure.

For the faces I used a medium light flesh tone and then washed it with Citadel's Reikland Fleshshade. Quick and easy, my kind of painting. Only 100 strips to go, and I still haven't tried a hand painted flag.

I am going to try Jaye's mantra of "paint an hour a day". We shall see if that can be maintained.

Here is the test strip finished. I think these are going to be okay once they get based.

Hauverstover Uniforms

Baron Von J supplied the base image for defining uniform colors. Using a photo tool, I modified it to show my uniform colors of the impending Maurice campaign. Impending needs to be interpreted loosely. A glacier may move faster. Any way, at some point, I will be painting my 10 MM Marlburians in the color shown below.

The flags are out of my imagination, with the help of some clip-art found by scouring the interwebs. I think my favorite flag is with the 1st Infantry unit. I don't know if I can hand paint it on a 10 MM scale metal flag, but I will give it a go.

Introducing - The Grand Duchy of Hauverstover

The duchy of Hauverstover was founded by Sir Norman of Crosby from lands bequeathed by the Emperor. Generations of Hauverstoverians have descended from his lineage. They are a loquacious bunch. It is said they can talk for hours, enjoying the effective use of malapropism to confuse and bewilder the listener. They have raised this technique to a fine art. On many occasions casual listeners have been dazed and confused when leaving a conversation. Because of this inherent ability, Hauverstoverians are known world-wide as shrewd hagglers.

Hauverstover is a cold, rocky and gritty place. Its main exports are lumber and iron ore. To the east, foothills quickly march toward a high mountain range. The peaks remain covered in snow all year long. Streams flow out of the mountains, across the foothills and into dense forests. There is a large population of Snowy Owls that breed in these areas of permafrost. This bird has become the symbol of the duchy. As one travels westward, the land becomes just a trifle more gentle. However, it is filled with rocks and boulders. Farming is not an easy occupation for Hauverstoverians. Much of their sustenance is from hunting, and this required skill has fostered a proficiency with archery.

The last two winters have been extremely harsh and game is scarce. Scratching at the rocky soil for a bare existence is the lot of many Hauverstoverians. Currently, great quantities of grain are imported from the neighboring duchies. Foreign merchants have recognized a weakness in Hauverstover’s bargaining position and are exploiting that situation. Distrust, anger and discontent are growing.

Hauverstover looks down from the heights and dreams of fertile bottom land to ease the burden of feeding a hungry and restless population.

Hey Maurice!

The Basement Generals had a play-test of Sam Mustafa's Maurice last night. See the complete report on the Baron Von J's blog. This rule set was a lot of fun. I especially like the card system that drove the action. This rule set is going to take repeated play to become proficient.

As a group we decided that our heraldry would be based on barn yard animals and a color. I chose the mighty Duck first, but had a change of heart. I wanted to me more of a hunter than a food source! I switched to an Owl as the mascot, with the color purple.

Jaye sent out these nifty worksheets, where with a little color fill, we could create our uniforms coloring. My OOB is six regular infantry, 2 elite infantry, 3 cavalry and 4 artillery units. I haven't decided on the color scheme for Cav and Arty yet, however there will be some purple on each unit.

Presenting Barnard "Hoot" Owsley's infantry :

Now to get to painting!