Olaf Meys

IMPERIALIST ARMY

Being a true gamer, and seeing the advert on TMP for free figures, I simply could not resist. I sent off an e-mail to Peter at Baccus, and was extremely pleased to be told I was one of the recipients of a free pack. To be honest, I'd not had much of an interest in the War of the Spanish Succession other than owning the old WRG book on the period, more to complete the set than as a serious interest, so I felt obliged to actually read through. Quite surprisingly, I found that the period has its merits, and because of the rather haphazard way in which units were uniformed, it should even be possible to field the same unit (with a different flag) as part of almost any nation that participated. I also found myself drawn to the rather colourful uniforms and flags. I'd also given up on 6mm due to some bad experiences in the past- more later... Score 1 for Baccus. Peter's offer got me interested in the period.

While waiting for the figures, I did a little (note, I said LITTLE) research on the Austrians (which is what I was told I'd be getting) and 6mm figures in general. I must admit that I've only once previously painted 6mm figures- two simultaneously begun projects that never finished. One was H&R WW2 (not bad, but I did find the figures a little delicate; the other was a mix of H&R and Irregular Dark Ages figures. I must have gotten a bad batch or something, but after these two failures I swore off 6mm. I was willing to play with 6mm provided the opponent supplied both armies, and I never had to paint them. Anyway, I looked up the Austrians, and discovered that they were dressed mainly in grey, and could be used in Italy and the Low Countries equally well. That meant that I had a pretty wide selection of opponents! Then, when the figures finally arrived, I was astonished at the amount of detail Peter has on the figures- FAR better than I recall on my previous attempt at 6mm. Scores 2 and 3 for Baccus. Good-looking figures and an interesting period and army.

Being a die-hard 28mm painter (OK, I admit that I used to paint lots of 15mm before I lost my rag with DBx), I decided to stick to the methods I know. Anyway, when I opened the pack, the figures were extremely well done. There was minimal flash (actually, just a few vent holes and the sprue under the bases on some of the strips). I sorted the strips out to match the instruction leaflet's quantities, and stuck them on pieces of spare card as handles for painting.

The Army undercoated in white and prepared for painting

I DID read through the "How to" on the website, but because I developed a dislike for the black undercoat method, I stayed with a white undercoat. I tend to use a white spray-paint as undercoat (GW), so I did that for these figures too. Normally I would have painted skin and then the various layers of clothes, working from deepest to outermost. Because of the size of 6mm figures, I decided to follow Peter's advice in one respect- I painted the main colour first, followed by the facings/ cuffs, the belts, the cravats and hats with their edging. The final step was to paint the skin tones. On the cavalry I finished off by painting the horses and the final step was to paint the bases. I found the instructions on the leaflet adequate for a beginner, although the two things that were missing is instruction on the rolled valise behind the riders, and the flags of the cavalry. No problem- I fired off an e-mail to Peter and got an answer within minutes. Score 1 more for Baccus- reasonable instructions for painting, and beautiful flags to go with the figures.

Moving from first coats of paint to completion.

Overall, I have to admit that it was tough- not because painting the figures is tough, but because I'm used to a certain level of painted detail. I had to continually remind myself that these figures are so much smaller and rely on a huge quantity of figures to stand out, so I was able to cut back on what I painted. I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience though. It was faster than 28mm by a long shot, and... I will definitely give 6mm another chance. I will be going back to Peter's website with a long shopping list- I've discovered a hidden interest in Marlburian warfare I didn't know existed previously. I've decided that the nice, colourful armies definitely deserve a place in my collection.

Completed Cavalry and Infantry awaiting final basing

I'm quite pleased with the end result of my first attempt at painting 6mm in more than 6 years. I have to agree- the sheer number of figures will definitely make an army look like an army. I will be buying more figures to round out my Austrians to a full-size army using a set of rules that Peter will be releasing in the future, as well as some opponents- probably a nice little French army.

Peter, I take my hat off to you- good quality, simple instructions that work well, and you've managed to make me appreciate 6mm figures... I'm sold.

Olaf Meys.