My first test bases of 2mm Napoleonics have been completed:
The large round base on the left is a Corps Commander with the smaller round base being Divisional. The Brigade command is amongst his troops on the Brigade base.
I agonised over the appropriate basing method including what colour to paint the base edge. Given the small scale I was conscious that it would be all too easy to overwhelm the figures whereas they needed to 'pop'. I have ordered a lighter shade of Woodland Scenics fine turf green to blend in more with the textured part and to further enhance the figures. Or at least that is what I hope it will do!
I also plan to vary the number and size of units on a brigade base to represent the various numerical strengths. The 10 skirmishers on this base represent SK2 value in Grande Armee and future bases will have 5 representing SK1 and obviously none for SK0. I settled on a 50mm x 30mm base (2/3 of a standard Grande Armee base) with artillery being based on 25mm x 25mm. The bases are 2mm thick mdf from Warbases.
So the verdict of 2mm! It certainly requires a rethink on painting styles, even from 6mm. I initially painted these what I thought was a light shade of blue only to discover that they looked dark from any distance! A 2nd coat with a touch of white added to the blue made a big difference. While for me it will never replace 6mm, as a means of creating large armies cheaply and quickly, they do the job for me.
To see the true potential of 2mm I invite you to take a look at the 'Roundwood's World' blog (a link is on my blog list). His ECW siege of Portsmouth game is a work of art and beyond my capabilities!
To see the true potential of 2mm I invite you to take a look at the 'Roundwood's World' blog (a link is on my blog list). His ECW siege of Portsmouth game is a work of art and beyond my capabilities!
Great paint job, though as useful as the scale is, it just doesn’t make my heart skip a beat :-)
ReplyDeleteI could well understand Norm that 2mm will not be for everyone.
DeleteFascinating. You could certainly field massive armies in this scale.
ReplyDeleteThat is what is attracting me to the scale. I will hopefully make a large army look attractive and more realistic making up, at least partially, for what the scale loses on an individual figure level.
DeleteI did Trebbia once, many years ago in 2mm, in a 3 x 2 space. Though for Punic Wars it becomes much easier to do each base differently to reflect troop type.
DeleteI also did Napoleonic Austrian and Napoleonic Quatre Bras on 18" x 18", but the 2mm blocks were not based,rather I did rules based upon the Irregular Miniatures Battle in a Box rules. So an Austrian infantry brigade had 8 battalion pieces in two columns of 4. They actually looked better unbased, but were harder to handle (tweezers).
They certainly appear versatile and look forward to getting them on the tabletop.
DeleteGreat work Jon and very effective. I did my bases with black edges which just seemed to work and in fact I do this with all of my minis. The brighter blue really works well and the flags make these obviously French, even from a distance. Looking forward to more examples:).
ReplyDeleteI did toy with 2mm for use with 'The Portable Wargame' but discounted it given my already large leadpile. I may reconsider as your pics reminded me how effective 2mm can be.
As a sideline I feel that 2mm fills that gap of the ability to play large wargames without spending a fortune buying the figures, spending years painting them up and then needing a very large table to accommodate them. And as you say they are ideal for portable wargames.
DeleteWell I succumbed in the end, getting two forces for some 1860's type games, all for just under £10. Perfect for those quick and easy games to set up, yet will give the feel of a big battle.
DeleteExcellent Steve. Will be interesting to hear how you get on with them. You really can't beat that price!
DeleteHi Jon,
ReplyDeleteThey look good, the basing especially though admittedly it did take me a second to workout which way they were facing but maybe that’s just me looking at them with tired eyes late last night. I think with this scale you want a focus on the overall look of the battlefield rather than worrying too much about how individual bases look. You’ve probably seen this but I thought this chaps game captured the overall look very well http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=115509.0;topicseen.
Cheers
Richard
Thanks Richard. Pleased to see that you have been able to post on the blog ok. Yes I have seen the game in the link and it was what inspired me initially to forsake bases, and also for that matter try 2mm in the first place. It does look superb and how a game should look. It is only when the figures arrived that I realised I was going to have difficulty handing individual strips of figures so small. But yes it was very tempting having seen that game in progress. Also gives me ideas of how to lay out the battlefield.
DeleteThey most assuredly don't do it for me, but I appreciate the potential they represent for a different style and scope of game!
ReplyDeleteSmaller than the shoe of one of your 28's!
DeleteThere is that, LOL!
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