Last figures for the Matamoros Regiment started.

I'm still suffering a bit of post-Salute shell shock but I did sit down and do a little bit more on the Matamoros regiment today.  I recently ordered the final figures I needed to complete the unit from Boot Hill Miniatures for one more unit of fusileros and a unit each of granaderos and cazadores. Boot Hill don't make granaderos but all you really need to do is cut off their cuff flaps and paint on the three yellow stripes Mexican granaderos had on their sleeves.  They do make cazadores armed with baker rifles, however, and these include shako cords so will look splendid when painted.

There were eight companies in a Mexican regiment of the time: one of granaderos, one of cazadores and six of fusileros.  I am using four figure companies which gives 32 figures.  The Matamoros regiment consisted of about 280 men so we have a ratio of about 1:10.  Using this ratio we have about 18 figures for the defenders which is probably not going to work in gaming terms.  The Alamo is like Thermopylae as regards getting something approaching a balanced game.  Impossible!  We will see. 

I've got 14 figures about 2/3 completed and the new 12 just started.  I'll see how I go over Easter but it would be nice if I could get them done over the next ten days or so.

Wargaming in the Americas

For no real reason I can fathom I bought a few of Boot Hill Miniatures excellent Mexicans back in 2011.  The range originally started off with Zorro and other appropriate figures for Spanish California but over time more and more Texan Revolution figures have appeared.  I painted half a dozen as the Matamoros regiment who were at both the Alamo and San Jacinto (where their standard was captured and now resides in the Texas State Archives).  Recently I have got more underway and now have enough to do the Matamoros regiment at about 1/10 ratio.

I have quite big plans for the Mexicans and really enjoy painting them because they are Napoleonic types but are easier to paint than the Perry Brothers figures, superb though they are.

I downloaded the flags that Boot Hill produced but they seemed huge.  An enquiry on TMP revealed that they had deliberately produced them oversize.  Why?  I can't understand why anyone wants out of scale flags.  As printed from their pdf they worked out about 6'x9' scale size.  A bit of research revealed the fact that Mexicans standards were in fact about 1 metre on a side and were square rather than oblong.  A bit of fiddling on the computer got the correct eagle for the Matamoros regiment off the surviving flag in Texas.  I added the Boothill flag text and re-sized and re-proportioned the standard.

At the same time that I am painting the Mexicans I have a unit of the Orinoco Miniatures British Legion underway from the Latin American Wars of Independence.  My interest in this period is due to my regular visits to Colombia on business and a visit I made to the Colombian Military Museum not long ago.  I also have some Spanish and Gran Colombian army figures to start work on.

This blog will also cover anything I do on the American Civil War, The French and Indian War and any conquistadores actions.