229 : More Austrian Infantry?

It may seem contrary for someone who has only just announced an end to painting white-coated Austrian line infantry – at least for the foreseeable future – to immediately paint up just that: an Austrian line infantryman. However, there was some reason for this. I’ve never featured any Old Glory 10mm marching figures in the 1809 Journal up to this point. These figures come in strips of five infantrymen, with some slightly joined at the elbows. The strips measure about an inch wide and fit perfectly on my chosen 25mm-wide bases. It proves that you can fit five 10mm infantrymen in line on a base on which I have just a rank of three figures. However, there’s no way to accomplish this sardine-like feat with Pendraken infantry. Therefore, a 10mm army of this compact nature would have to be an Old Glory-only affair. However, it’s not a problem as the strips can be snipped easily and the figures painted up singly for whatever basing method is preferred.

A while back, I completed a couple of bases of Old Glory Austrian Landwehr figures – sneaking in a Pendraken figure as well, perhaps as an NCO. It demonstrated that the Old Glory figures were mounted on a thicker plinth than the Pendraken. A reason for this might be because of necessity – the metal being somewhat softer – but, perhaps, also because of the strip basing design. As mentioned, I painted up just one Old Glory Austrian line infantryman. This may have been simply to satisfy my curiosity at how easily they painted rather than to ignite an urge to paint more Austrian infantry. But it was also good to be able to imagine what an Old Glory unit might look like alongside the Pendraken masses. The Old Glory muskets have a character of their own and are rather bendy. As I said, the metal is pretty soft.