Russian Mounted Field Officers for 1812

This is just a small entry of four officers from me this week. My excuse for not getting more done; Three days of gaming instead of painting. After completing the Opolchenie last week, hot on the heels of the Cossacks the week before I was feeling a little ‘painted out’ so I took a day off before starting to prep my next big entry (a unit of Dragoons). Then the game invites began to come in and before I knew it I had ‘lost’ half a week's painting time. That’s not a complaint, I’ve had some great games over the last week, and focusing on a couple of models has enabled me to gather my strength for the next lot of cavalry. It’s also presenting Ray with a golden opportunity to overtake me in the rankings… let's see if he takes it!

The two mounted officers are from Perry Miniatures and are cast as a single model. These two are not wearing greatcoats unlike pretty much all of the rest of my army. Maybe they are just harder than their men, or maybe they are foolhardy? I did consider copying Ray and adding a greenstuff scarf or cloak, but I decided against that because I knew I didn’t have much time but also because I didn’t want to obscure the details on their uniforms. So for the first (and possibly last) time in this project, I have had a chance to paint dark green jackets, brass buttons and silver braid. I’m rather happy with how these came out. 

Next are a couple of officers on foot. I think these are Foundry figures. One is wrapped in a long greatcoat while the other wears only a frock coat. I think I may have made a mistake with this guy. I copied a picture I had so the whole figure is in grey, but now I think I’ve boo-booed and his frock coat should have been dark green. It’s too late now, he’ll have to do as is. I have a few more officers to paint so I will have plenty of choice when Ray and I finally play a game. 

 

I’ve started on the Dragoons and hopefully, I’ll have them done for next week… crossed my fingers and a following wind permitting. 

The Battle of El-Qa - A Biblical clash of arms near Kadesh

Over the weekend a handful of the Rejects gathered at the Shed-o-War for a rare Biblical/Ancients game. Stuart got his collection of Egyptians and Hittites out of storage and three of us had a very entertaining set-to on Sunday. Colin took command of the Egyptians, with a slightly smaller but better quality army than the Hittites commanded by Surjit and me. The resulting game was an interesting tussle where first one, then the other side, had the advantage. 

After deployment, the Hittites (closest) put all their Chariots on the right wing against a deep formation of mostly bow-armed light troops.

Meanwhile, Colin deployed most of his archers on a small hill and had his smaller chariot force on his right wind facing spearmen on the Hittite left (my command)

Ready for the game to commence, neither side is sure their deployment is wise...only time will tell.

We placed all the Hittite Chariots on our right wind and Surjit's job was to break and turn the Egyptian flank. 

On our left flank, I had several units of good quality spearmen which I hoped would be enough to deal with the smaller Egyptian chariot force facing me. 

The Hittite centre was mostly medium infantry with spears and a line of bow-armed open-order units. 

The Egyptian chariots were smaller but one of those units are elite nobles. 

The Egyptian archers were leathal, but were grouped together rather than spread out so for much of the game they couldn't all fire at the same time. 

The Egyptian chariots rout my javelin men and smash into a unit of spearmen.

Fortunately the Spearmint held firm and won the melee, sending the Chariots back. 

Behind this I had formed a string line of spearmen, many armed with shields. They were able to repel a similar charge by the second Egyptian chariot regiment. 

IN the Egyptian centre, Colin was having a few command and control problems, with some units not moving because they were out of command range. 

Surjit's chariots start to engage with the light infantry screen, running down any units foolhardy enough to try and stand their ground. 

The centre looks pretty evenly matched, but the flanks are where this game will be won or lost. 

With the Egyptian chariots repelled my infantry began to advance. I still had to be wary of the remaining chariots, they could always come back and hit a flank, so I was cautious. 

By now Surjit's chariots have started to get behind the Egyptian flank. There is still heavy fighting to be done, but it looks like the Hittites have the upper hand at last. 

My spearmen start to take heavy casualties from the Egyptian Archers. Fortunately, the archers have decided to advance, closing the gap and presenting an opportunity for my men to charge in. 

The centre spearmen units are being decimated by archery fire, but either side of them are other units, including one which has not taken any casualties. It charges and reaches the flank of the Egyptian archer units. Payback time!

More Hittite Spearmen are rushing towards the front, but the battle is nearly over. My attack on the spearmen routs them and the follow-up charge routes another unit....

Meanwhile (in a blurry picture, sorry) Surjit has completely turned the Egyptian flank and is just one quick dash away from capturing their camp.

Colin wisely decided enough was enough at this point and conceded defeat. A great game that challenged everyone and made us all work hard for victory. 

The Lead Mountain of Shame and how to conquer it

Are you drowning in a lead mountain of unpainted miniatures? Do you keep adding new wargaming models to your collection without finishing the ones you already have? In this video, we’ll tackle how to reduce your pile of shame, stay motivated, and finally get those wargaming miniatures painted!

Whether you're into historical wargaming, tabletop wargaming, Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, Bolt Action, Flames of War, or any other miniature-based game, we all face the same struggle—too many unpainted models and not enough time! I’ll share practical tips, productivity hacks, and painting strategies to help you overcome hobby burnout and start making real progress on your miniature backlog.

 

Moscow & St Petersburg Opolchenie

More units for my collaboration project with Ray are getting finished as part of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. Our joint Napoleon's Retreat from Moscow in the winter of 1812 project is coming together and both of us have been getting lots of units completed.  

In addition to the regular Russian army, the Tsar could call upon a huge number of volunteers to provide reserves and garrisons, and even fight alongside regular infantry. The Opolchenie militia enrolled over 220,000 men in 1812 and became a vital element in Russia’s defence. During the French retreat from Moscow, the Opolchenie were increasingly used to pursue the French and in front-line roles alongside regular units, which were by this time tired and depleted. The training was rudimentary at best with an emphasis on musketry and the charge. 

These two units are Front Rank figures and represent some of the better-armed “Jager” Opolchenien equipped with a rudimentary uniform and a Musket. There were also some mounted units armed with lances and other foot units armed only with a Pike and an axe. These would often follow up the Jager units and some sources refer to these troops as ‘foot cossacks’. Although initially used only for reserve roles they were increasingly used to fill gaps in regular troops. What they lacked in training they often made up for in bravery and ferocity in melee. 

Both units have a Kaftan-style jacket and trousers, and a backpack with black belts which wouldn’t be out of place in a regular Jager unit. The Moscow Opolcheine are dressed in brown with a tall fur hat, while the St Petersberg militia are in green with a soft cap similar to the infantry forage cap. In both cases, they display a brass cross symbol on their headgear, a symbol of their loyalty to the Tsar. 

I think I am going to buy more Opolochenie although I think my next lot will be the pike-armed variety plus some cavalry… yet again I am expanding the army before I have finished painting the first batch!