"Do you ever get it wrong...on purpose?" Topic

For historical periods do you ever do it wrong on purpose? For example, my Colonial British are all in red jackets, even for campaigns where they should be in khaki. Becasue I like the look.

Do you ever get it wrong…on purpose?

AWI-I prefer my British to be in Cocked Hats/Tricornes, even though it isn't accurate for much of the war. Also, Grenadiers in Bearskins.

ACW-- having mounted cavalry on the battlefield, even though they'd usually be off fighting each other for control of the flanks.

Yeah, red jackets are a must. Besides, I've seen Zulu. Don't tell me Michael Caine could be wrong.

Yes, I too painted red jackets on my NW Frontier British, as well as flags for my Napoleonic cavalry units even though most didn't carry them in the field, and flags for all my Prussian Landwehr units. There are probably other examples that escape me right now.

Yes, because in many cases the majority or people will not know the difference nor care.

Just the opposite, Extra Crispy. I grew up watching 77th Lancers, Gunga Din, and Lives of a Bengal Lancer All good Brits wear khaki! Even if it is earlier than is historically correct.

Grelber

I also like the look of red coats. I do plan to raise another British Colonial force in khaki uniforms, however. Otherwise, I try to paint my historical forces in appropriate colored uniforms. That having been said, some armies changed their uniforms during a war. So one has to make a decision as to whether to paint up two forces for a given war, or just do up one and deal with it.

Emphatically no.

The closest I ever come is "willful ignorance". For example, as much as I enjoy ACW gaming, I carefully avoid finding out too much about uniform specifics for individual regiments. I do want to know their strength, morale/quality, and if possible their weapons. But please don't let me find out that the 98th Illinois wore Schuylkill Arsenal blouses at Chickamauga, because most of my guys have four button sack coats and I'm fine with that as long as I don't know any better.

I am not a well man.

Never

All my Sudan British are in Red coats. They look good and and i can play Zulu wars with them. At least that's what i tell myself so i can sleep well at night.

I don't DELIBERATELY get it wring but I'm not about to go back and fix things.
For instance I researched desperately what flags my Guards in the AWI should have. I even bought a book with Guards flags from the Napoleonic wars. It turns out they should not have any flags at all. damned if I am going to take their flags away!
I also guessed wrong on flags for von Bose and Erbprinz Hessian regiments. In all three cases the flags are hand painted, so that could explain my stubbornness.

I make everything as "accurate" as I am aware but once a unit has been blooded they are immune to changes.

I never build a units incorrectly by intention.

But I *will* proxy pretty freely for a scenario. Is that unit 1812 Americans or Peninsular Spanish? Meh, they've got blue coats and shakos, on the table they go. Hunting shirts and slouch hats? They'll do for F&IW, AWI, Creek War, etc. Sometimes I'll paint up extra command stands with different flags to facilitate the fraud. But the units are painted right for what they're really supposed to be. They're just misused.

Yep, I usually paint brass bands on rifles even
when they should be iron, because they look nicer.

^^ This

My Spanish American War US ships are white with buff upper works and black gun barrels. I know they were all repainted gray for the war but the peacetime livery just looks too darn cool.

I am facing such a question now.

After reading about Flammpanzer B2 in Arnhem, I want to build one for our Arnhem campaign, but I don't like the correct camouflage pattern for the ones that were used in Arnhem.

Should I paint the tank the correct camouflage? Or should I just pick a generic German camouflage pattern which looks better?

My late war WWII Germans have decals on their helmets even though they were retired fairly early in the war because I like the way they look

If I play Boridino some of the Russians are still in their 1805 uniforms, just the way it is!

Tally Ho!

My Sudan British are all in khaki because I think it looks really good with the white/buff webbing. The Sudanese infantry are in a slightly eccentric mixture of early/late and winter/summer uniform items so they can get used for the entire period. Neither right nor wrong.

I often do my WW2 German infantry in feldgrau jackets and steingrau trousers, even when it is way out of period, because it looks cool.

One of my AK47 merc types has a chrome plated SLR, even though irl I've only seen that on display pieces.

And worst of all, my Austrians always wear white jackets, even if they should be wrapped up in greatcoats, as in 1866.

I regularly do the most appalling troop substitutions, I think my Bavarians have been used more as other German states than as Bavarians.

All good Brits wear khaki!

And I bet they're all the same shade of khaki, too. If I learned anything by experience it is that there is no such thing as two uniform parts being the same shade of khaki. :)

To the OP, I'm not sure that's so much intentionally getting it wrong as much as deciding where to draw the line. You always get part of it wrong.

Yes, of course it was intentional…

otherwise some wise ass ruins your day, explaining that … the ploughed field must have had access to a future ploughing system, since in the period of Matilda the plough would have left a field looking like this…

or..

That unit at the end didn't serve in Spain until 1707..

or..

the square that your infantry forms is the wrong shape? (its a fezzin square.. how can it be the wrong shape..)

All messages from punters whilst putting on demo games over the last 17 years.. – mainly participation..

Yes, I gleefully get it wrong on purpose. It's toy soldiers.

My Sudan British proudly wear red coats!

i used medium grey for my FPW Prussians trousers rather than black.
going back to the illustrations in my old Classics Illustrated comic book, the Downfall by Emile Zola. got my first interest in the period when i was in elementary school.

I paint all my pre-dreadnought warships in their peacetime livery.

Whenever possible.

Redcoats and red shirts for the Romans , both just look better in rank n file.
Khaki is much better at hiding tea stains of course.

I do Imagi-Nations so this is a meaningless concept.

For example.

In the Army of Princess Trixie of Saxe-Burlap und Schleswig Beerstein, the Reters of Roi-Tan and the Knyppentuck Cuirassiers all have 30 years war 3/4 armor even though it is the Seven Years War.

Lord Donefore's Horse has as it's officer command figure a wooden cross on a grave, symbol that though old Donefore is done for, his spirit lives on.

While the Turkish-like Empire of Ikea has a Mehter band for the Sultan, the three regiments of Benenjerries (Jannisaries) all are dressed in colors of sherbert, and have a one-man band in the front of each unit and an enormous regimental pan as token from the Sultan.

The Personal Guard of the Princess Trixie are all the Madame Fours-Bellitot figure from Suren riding "en Hussar" with converted Pelisse and plumes. The color is white with gold braid, and the name of the Unit is "Hells Belles." The Second personal guard unit is "The Winged Hussars." Each one has instead of a plume on the Mirliton, a small stand with a perch on it for the parrot that rides into combat with each of the Hussars.

The Colors of the Army of the Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Gorgonzola are quits.

So red for Kakhi doesn't even register.

Of the Infantry Regiments, the key are the colors. all of the Registered Regiments are allowed a "portrait" standard, which has in the inner roundel a portrait of the princess in some significant way. Now remembering that the army is from the 7 Years War the Regiment Anakronism has the portrait of the Princess in front of the Stars and Bars, and with a Union Kepi on.

Ah… Imagi-Nations… wonderful.

A lot of this stuff I just plain don't care about. No harm to those who do, just not my thing.

I have a bunch of old Soviets I based for Crossfire many years ago. For some reason, I decided to paint their helmets in a fairly bright green colour. Probably was the only green I had.
Looks very striking though and makes them stand out on the table, so I never went back and "fixed it".

+1

"AWI-I prefer my British to be in Cocked Hats/Tricornes, even though it isn't accurate for much of the war. Also, Grenadiers in Bearskins."

Occasionally. My Napoleonic Austrian Cheveauxlegers all wear green coats. Even the regiments that actually wore white. This is due to me not doing enough research when I painted my first regiment! I've kept it that way because the green coat is the only thing that makes them different from the Dragoons. And in 6mm….

I have the Post Office Rifles in my Sudan army. Probably only a few detachments served in Egypt where they operated telegraphs and not in the Sudan.

I think a suitable verb for this would be 'to Hollywood' one's armies. As in 'Why are those British in red when they should be in khaki?' 'Well, obviously they've been Hollywooded, old man.'

Tony Richardson would be proud.

Could your PO Rifles close order volleys be said to constitute the first express post delivery service, Doc?