"Austrian Grenzregiment n. 8 Nova Gradiska" Topic

Just finished these 18mm troop. Any and all feedback appreciated so that I can up my game.

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Look fine to me. Better than I would be able to paint that size figure!

Jim

Agreed.

Very nice. Like the mixed colours – including red – on the rolled greatcoats. Was this just mixing it up, or did they wear red overcoats? Regardless, very nice.

Marvelous work. But since you did ask for constructive criticism – maybe touch up the edges of the flag? Yellow where the bases of the yellow triangles form the border, and paint over the thin black line at the bottom?

Good Hungarian knots.
Agree with edges of flag.
Well done.

Huzzah!

They look super! Third about the flag edges, and yes, the Grenzer often retained their red cloaks in place of greatcoats.

Thanks for the kind comments.

Austrian flag edges always cause me problems; I can edge my French flags with gold paint, but that won't work with the Austrians. Poor scissor and glueing work on this one.

Regarding the cloaks/overcoats, I found multiple images supporting either the red cloaks (including Gonsalvo's excellent site) or the standard grey overcoats so I mixed and matched with my first battalion (the second is grey).

I am still struggling to resist the urge of breaking up the uniformity of Napoleonic troops. For troops in the field, were the small manufacturers and logistic chains really able to deliver identical replacement uniforms to the field two months into a campaign? Wouldn't logistics be focused most on the priorities of ammunition, food, and fodder to the detriment of replacement regimental specific uniforms getting to the front?

It may have been that the regiments themselves made the clothes (cut cloth and stitched together).

The Prussians dyed the collars, cuffs, and turnbacks (or the cloth used for these) together "regimentally".

Wool coats were meant to last at least a year – before being turned inside-out and used for waistcoats.

The biggest problem was probably cobbling.

Thanks for the feedback, Gonsalvo and Wunsche!!

Yes, my understanding is that there was an attempt in the late 19th century to get the Grenzer to wear the standard infantry coat but it was met with resistance. Throughout the Napoleonic era the regulations provided for red cloth for the cloaks. The Siebenburgen regiments had the hooded black capuchin coat instead.

So most troops of Grenz Regts 1 – 13 should have red cloaks rather than standard issue 'salt and pepper' grey coats. Of course in 1809 they should mostly be in white Feldmontur jackets too, but that's a lost cause I suspect :~}

Cheers,
John

You may want to consider black lining the edge of Austrian flags. This is what I do and it works for me.

More great info, Johann and 1809. Thanks so much.

The good news is that I doubt this is my last Grenzer unit (though it is for a while) so I can do more red cloaks and add the white jackets with the next batch. I was relying primarily on Acerbi's article on the Napoleon Series website ("In 1809 few units had assumed the new ordinance uniform and among them coexisted regiments dressed in different way.") as well as Hourtoulle's Wagram 1809. In other words, my Grenzers were following the new ordnance for the brown jackets.

I'm a tortuously slow painter but when I finally do my Grenzer, they'll be mostly in white, but with a couple in the old brown Hausmontur on the basis that supply was poor, the Grenzer were the worst supplied, and any lately arrived replacements were highly likely to have had only that uniform. I ran that by Dave Hollins and he seemed to approve :~) For them, I think (unless someone corrects me) I'll use figures from the OG15s Revolutionary wars range, as the cut of the coat is slightly different and I think might be better for that purpose. At 15mm it probably isn't that different anyway, but the later brown coat is, I think, cut to the standard infantry pattern.

I doubt the issue of when the uniform was standardised on brown will ever be completely settled and most people go for brown because of course, otherwise they look pretty similar to Hungarians.

They look great btw