25mm Portuguese Cavalry and Hittite Chariots

 This was a bit of a fun project.  I purchased a lot of eBay that consisted of around 20 Les Higgins/PMD British light cavalry horses and a similar number of early Lamming RHA outriders.  My initial plan was to keep the horses for future projects as and when the correct riders turned up.  However, it struck me that a simple bit of conversion work could turn the RHA chaps into Portuguese cavalry.  I had enough for three six figure units.  My research determined that Portuguese cavalry were constantly undermanned (short staffed PC) and usually could only muster around 200, due to corruption, desertion and inefficiency.

The Portuguese dragoons wore differing facing colours so the three units make quite a colourful display:

Also, Count Goya recently sent me two spare Atlantic Egyptian chariot parts.  Using some figures from the Caesar  Hittite infantry set, I converted the very small 20mm Atlantic chariot into a larger vehicle using card, that can just about hold a crew of three.  For horses, I used some examples from the Airfix Roman chariot.  Not brilliant, but a useful addition to my ancinet armies:

More Les Higgins figures

 During the last week, I managed to finish off two more French line battalions and a Swiss unit. The Swiss are not my work.  They were beautifully painted and donated to me by a friend.  I touched them up, added the colours, varnished and based them:

The Les Higgins Project

 Having played most of my recent Napoleonic battles using the Command and Colors (C&C) rules, I have decided to try something new.  I like C&C a lot and my brother, nephew and I have spent a great deal of time over the years adjusting the rules to suit our needs. However, I wanted to play some games not using a hex based mat.  I think my aim is to try and relive some of the simple games that I played in my youth.  To that end, I have taken a look at the rules by Neil Thomas, which offer up small fast moving games that do not need a great deal of troops.

To fully adopt these rules requires some adjustment to force levels.  I did not want to start rebasing my existing armies, so, over the past few months I have been accumulating 25mm figures by Les Higgins.  Units consist of 16 foot figures, eight light and 12 cavalry. I am going for British and a French armies (as they are the only figures produced by Les Higgins).  Most of the figures have come from a collection sold on eBay, but I have also had some very generous donations from friends.

I started working on the French army, which for a bit of colour will include some German units.  I would like to stick to Les Higgins figures, but some figures seem hard to find, especially French cavalry, although I now have lots of lancers. As an interim I have used some plastic figures to make up numbers.

Here are the first of the French coalition army:

Grenadiers:

French light infantry

Saxon line infantry

Saxon light infantry

French Guard Lancers

There are more French on the way, as well as a number of British units.