French Gardes du Corps, 3me Compagnie, sculpted by Steve Barber

Finally, after more than one year, I could find the time to paint this fantastic sculpts by Steve Barber, which I commissioned at his studio. I painted them as the Garden du Corps du Roe with the yellow flags, so it's the third Compagnie. A fantastic experience having his own commissioned figures and to paint them then. The figures come with separate arms, so you can paint them easily and in short phases, which is quite comfortable, if you don't have the time to paint 5-6 hours without a break. I confess, that I invested the last day 6 hours to finish the paint job, base them and making the grass, pigments and dust .. It's a great joy to have them and I plan already a new commission at Steve.. 

Winter battle as a test game

After so long time without occupying with my hobby, this winter came and made a change to this dormancy.. just prepared some regiments, gluing broken helmets, guns or bases and we met for our first winter game. It was the only sunny day in February here and we immediately went to the garden to build the tabletop, placed the former and the buildings, trees and hedgerows.
Topic was to prove the game rules which we had discussed just before.
But once you have placed your army, you are in this war-gaming fever and we fought a nice battle between Prussian army and the Russian invaders.

Aggressive Prussian advance from the left against the Russian center...

Prussian reserve troops on the outer left wing

The Cuirassiers of the KR10 Berlin Gensdarmes..

And KR5 Cuirassiers as second rank..

The Russian center awaiting the attack from behind the forest

A combined army group

other perspective

Prussian hussars en garde..

Moldawien and Slobodski hussars on the Russian side intercepting this attack..

terrible skirmish between Prussian yellow hussars and the Russian lancers and hussars

Now, heavy cavalry intervenes.. the Leibdragoons...

Russian artillery behind the hill tries to support their own cavalry by heavy fire

the other Russian flank moves now..

..leaded by General Shuvalov

Ryazanski horse grenadiers in charge

and the Russian infantry 

Prussian battery

Prussian fusiliers f the 42nd regiment behind a hedgerow

Anselm and Matthias, the Prussian Generals, suffered in the cold weather after 2 hours of war-game....