One bonus of having to work from home three days this week - and the family being out of the house for a few hours - was that I was finally able to get all the Great Northern War Swedes painted in the first half of this year, out of their boxes and let them have a mass parade together for the very first time!
The full collection, arrayed for battle - seven regiments (or fourteen squadrons) of cavalry with twelve regiments of infantry, supported by three guns.
A multitude of shots follow from various angles - its just eye candy really, not a lot to say about them that has not already been said at the time they were painted!
The Senior Leadership Team, figures by Ebor, as are virtually all the others, bar two boxes of Warlord plastic cavalry.
I quite liked the rear aerial shot above
The parade of flags!
The last shot was taken for my mate Nick, to indicate that I really do have room for three more battalions of infantry in this collection.
He has already accused me of being a megalomaniac for suggesting I need more cavalry! As he variously claims the opponents need a 2:1 or 3:1 advantage to have any chance of winning using Barry Hiltons Beneath Lilly Banners rules, he has a LOT of painting to do :)
WOW! Great parade! The army looks fabulous. You just need someone for them to beat!
ReplyDeleteThanks John - yes thats exactly what I need!
DeleteA fantastic culmination to all your hard work.
ReplyDeleteCheers Norm, it does give a different perspective, seeing them all together like this - I even quite impress myself!
DeleteGrand. Marvelous set of units. Of course you need more!
ReplyDeleteThank you Joe! I think you may be right.....
DeleteSuperb looking army. You could also start in some opponents to help out Nick
ReplyDeleteHmmmm...yes, Nick has suggested that too - but the whole thing was his idea in the first place! At the moment, he is painting ACW!
DeleteVery impressive, Keith! A great looking and huge army completed in such a short time.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dean - I had not really realised how many of them there were till I got them out on parade!
DeleteMmmm delicious! Fantastic looking army sir!
ReplyDeleteThank you sir!
DeleteI love a parade! Always rewarding to pull all of your efforts out into one display. Great job and an impressive collection.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jon - yes, its the next best thing to an actual game I guess - hopefully we can get one of those in the not too distant future! We are creeping closer to the magic number of 90% vaccinated....
DeleteYou take COVID more serious than some. 90% may be unattainable in these parts.
DeleteIt may be a step too far here too Jon - although two of the three Auckland District Health Boards are in the low 90's for first jab - the third is lower and other parts of the country are lagging a bit...we will see how we go - I think the Govt will have to relax it a bit at some stage as we have about 10% recalcitrant anti vaxxers here unfortunately - we need to open up and just let them take their chance with getting sick and dying - with near 90% vaccinated, we should not swamp the health system with them...
DeleteWhat a sight for sore eyes! They look superb on parade and I hadn't realised how many units you had actually painted. The flags as always really stand out and are one of the attractions for this period. I have yet to have a game with the rules (the latest iteration) but I've liked what I've read so far. Keep up the good work:)
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve, surprisingly, Nick and I actually had a couple of games at the very start of the year - but no Swedes were #involved, so I have yet to witness their supposed omnipotence on the battlefield!
DeleteMarvelous effort Keith. I always think a parade is worth the effort as a chance to remind oneself how much has been achieved, especially as with some projects it is unlikely that they will all be assembled together in any one game. We have settled on an 80% fully vaccinated target here in Queensland and thankfully still dodging lockdowns in the meantime. The State Government have basically said they'll be opening the borders on 17th December no matter what on the basis that everyone who wants to be vaccinated has had ample opportunity, which is a decision I agree with.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lawrence, yes its nice to see the full collection in all its glory! I thin the vast majority of NZers would agree with a similar policy here - set a date and open up - as you say, everyone who wants the vaccine has had plenty time to get it - if you dont want it thats fine, but dont complain if you get sick!
DeleteGrand looking parade! You've built a sizable army in a relatively short time,of course there's always room for more!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thanks Iain - yes, it is silly to pretend otherwise, isnt it?
DeleteI love a parade! Nice pics! How many figures is that exactly? They definitely need a battle now where they all can be fielded. 😀
ReplyDeleteThanks Stew - EXACTLY how many figures - bloody hell - I have just been on a 90 min Zoom call for our national sales awards, drinking beer on an empty stomach in the middle of the day - and you ask me THAT!? OK so - 7 x 12 cavalry plus 3 mounted officers = 87 mounted - 3 x 4 gun crews - 12 - 12 x 18 infantry - 216 infantry - so total of 315 figures and 87 horses (the guns are are on loan from my WSS collection)
DeleteThat’s a very impressive total. Well done!
DeleteThanks Stew :)
DeleteCracking collection Keith. The colours really pop. I like the SLT. Really nice vignette.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nundanket - I tried to buy a one off King Charles XII form Wee Wolf in the US but it was going to cost about $50 incl postage so I decided not to bother!
DeleteA thing of beauty Keith we know what kind of effort goes into creating a well painted and coordinated army 👍 but we need to see it fighting please 🤨
ReplyDeleteI know, I know Matt - Maybe I will have to paint some Russians myself....!
DeleteFabulous stuff Keith!
ReplyDeleteCheers Mark - I remember you talking about doing the GNW years ago - I didnt even know what it was back then! maybe you can help Nick paint some Russkies for the Swedes to butcher?!
DeleteImpressive and beautiful parade of troops...and flags!
ReplyDeleteThank you Phil
ReplyDeleteHi KIETH,
ReplyDeleteYour Swedish Army certainly shows you've been very buzzy indeed - a great collection for sure and one to be cherished. Well done! Cheers. KEV.
Thank you Kev! Still buzzy, just on different projects!
DeleteWonderful stuff, nice to see the army on parade... That is quite the collection Keith.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Stu
Thanks Stu, it does look quite impressive all laid out on the table, doesnt it? Now, they just need someone to kill!
DeleteA sight for sore eyes, indeed, to see such a splendid GNW force on parade! Looking forward to the day they are in battle array in a game.
ReplyDeleteHahaha - thanks Ed - that may be a long wait....!
DeleteA gorgeous army, Keith. A box hates empty slots, so I am sure they will be filled at some point. Perhaps a few Allied units (which will then, of course, become an army...)?
ReplyDeleteThanks Peter - this is the problem you see - EVERYONE is suggesting I start building up the opposition too - that was never my intention, I prefer combined ops to solo efforts!
DeleteGosh… I nearly missed this…
ReplyDeleteThat’s a splendid looking force Keith…
Of course if you don’t want to paint up Russians… there is always Saxons or even Brandenburgers …
All the best. Aly
Thanks Aly - a friend is already doing Saxons and another considering joining in too - I really dont want to do both sides for a period we will probably play once or twice a year - mind you, I have boxes of figures who have only ever had one or two outings so I dont know why I am hesitant this time - the 1812 collection I am currently adding to has only seen the table two or three times in as many years!
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ReplyDeleteMarvelous parade Keith. I love this period.
Thanks Nate - and welcome back to the blogosphere mate!
ReplyDeletethought this might interest you.
ReplyDeletehttp://abcwargamers.blogspot.com/2020/04/bobs-petrine-army.html#comment-form
Painting doesn't match yours and we use a different number of figures based on King of the Battlefield rules.
Sadly my long term (40+ years) wargames partner has succumbed to cancer, so the impetus to complete has gone, although I am still adding units.
Playing a small game tommorow with a firend who has a small Swedish army, and sent me your post
best wishes
Bob Black
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment Bob, I had a look at your blog, some nice stuff going on there. Sorry to hear about your gaming partner...We have lost a couple from our group although they were twenty plus years senior to me, so not completely unexpected. I guess we will all gradually fade away.....
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