Yet more WSS French Infantry

Next two units are Bourbonnais and Foix, that formed together with Agenois the Nangi brigade at Blenheim.
Foix is in front with Boubonais behind.
Strictly Bourbonais should have 2 battalions to match the exact order of battle for Blenheim

Next WSS French Infantry

Another two regiments showing a difference in the shade of white/grey used in line with the Gilles Boue illustrations
Agenois, this has a different flag from that used in later years
Poitou

Starting on the WSS French

Just finished my first two War of Spanish Succession French units Royal Italien and Saintonge. I've a soft spot for Saintainge as I already have it in my French army for the AWI, I just picked the option of a lighter blue
As for Royal Italien, it is a unusual brown coated unit so it adds a nice contrast to the mass of the French army.
I'm not working to any particular order of battle but I certainly want a number of units to have participated in the classic 4 battles of the WSS, namely Blenheim, Ramilles, Oudenarde and Malplaquet. Saintonge was at all four and Royal Italien at three.

Some terrain at last - Vines

After my failure to make hardly any of the terrain I intended last year I thought I had better start with my long planned extra vines.
I made three according to my original design copied from a ZTT original (on the left) but changed over to using plant prunings for the rest.
The difference is more apparent in the work in progress picture, the JTT copies use thin twisted copper wire.
The originals were made for the Sicily game back in 2015 (link) and these double the amount I have.

2021Q1 Progress against plan

A good start to the year, I caught up a lot during March and painted a total of 769 items

• Ancients 334
• WW2 140
• Modern 132
• Napoleonic 67
• Colonial 64
• AWI 26
• Terrain 6

Compared to plan
I’ve decided to concentrate on five main painting/modelling themes this year, quite a bit is based on new and forthcoming releases:

• Complete rework of my Vietnam War collection by integrating the new figures from Orion - started with the newly released figures from orion and waiting for more
• War of Spanish Succession - French infantry and cavalry plus British cavalry, plus more as Strelets release them - just about to start work on these
• WW2 Japanese for Battlegroup Pacific - not started, nothing purchased yet
• Rebase my Early Imperial Romans - these are the last ancients that I haven't upgraded - Completed
• Napoleonics, Prussian cavalry, reworking old artillery limbers, Russian peasants for skirmish scenarios, more Spanish cavalry, potentially upgrade British infantry? - completed the Prussian cavalry and Russian peasants

Then a host of minor themes in order of preference rather than importance:

• WW2 SAS & LRDG. - Completed
• More "Three Musketeers", especially once the new Redbox mounted figures are available. - not started
• Colonials - Boer Artillery and French Foreign Legion in camp and 37mm. - Completed
• TYW Imperial Croatians/Polish Pancerni/Cossack horse archers/Russian hussars. - not started
• More British and Jacobite for the 45, WAS and SYW, when Redbox release more figures. - not started
• Medievals - Scottish shiltron, Revolting Peasants (Zvezda), other odd units for Montgisard. - not started
• SYW Austrian infantry (Roth - Wurtzberg) - not started
• Revolution Cisialpine Infantry - three or four 12 figure units. - not started
• The terrain I have failed to make for the last two years. - started work on the vines

Then if time permits:

• More WW2 German cold weather infantry - 2 platoons. - not started
• Rework/Rebase Zulu War forces. - not started

I’m not making any plans for gaming, but once the show circuit starts I’ll try to get to as many as possible. Plus Crisis Point in April and a possible 2021 Big Game. Crisis in Antwerp would be a big attraction if it goes ahead - still waiting to see what will happen - hoping to get to Barrage in July

Finally, an army review reveals that I have passed the 32,000 20mm figures mark. partly becuse I haven't sold any of my replaced units since lockdown started.

On the workbench - April 2021

Well that was a tremendous month's work. I cleared all the backlog so it's a clean start for April. In fact I started already with work on extra vines. Here's a picture of the work in progress. The main task is the War of Spanish Succession French Infantry, I've sorted out 8 units of 24 figures to work on.
and then I've commited to start some kits through to assembly but not painting for the challence on the Wargames Forum. I'll have to pace myself on this one. The challenge requires them to be completed in May! a longer timespan than I usually work to.