Getting started - Black Powder

[Mushroom Kid]

I'm seriously considering getting into Black Powder, now I realise I can fulfill all those beautiful battle formations I could never do in Warhammer Fantasy battle.

Thinking of building both a British and French army over time so I'll always have a game ready to go.

Just noticed you can get one infantry box free with the rulebook which certainly helps.

Any advice? Feedback on which makers you prefer? Do they mix and match well enough in an army (like the multipart Victrix Kits and the warlord ones?)

Also, eras seems to make a difference, especially with the French. Leaning towards Peninsular War but a lot of the French stuff seems late. Guess it's my choice but any input would be appreciated!

[job]

Good choice in games. I'll be brief because I am on the cellphone and I don't have much time.

Collecting French and British is a great idea. Both have a fine selection of makers and lots of plastic kits.

Personally I have a French army of 11 regiments of infantry and 4 regiments of Calvary. I also possess 2 regiments of Polish infantry I'll be adding.

These are my comments on the French plastic sets.

Warlord sets vary. Their poses tend to be simple. I've had Prussian Landwehr (very simple and bit cartoonish) and Polish Vistula legion (nice head swap for the French models). Their recent late war French sets look nice.

Victrix: Best value for number of models. Nice poses, especially the guys firing and loading. Lots of sets and except for the Middle guard box, they come with nice banners. Also they have plastic artillery for Brits and French. But be warned: the plastic bayonets are brittle and tend to bend or break in time.

Perry: my personal choice for plastics. I have hussars, cuirassier and French infantry. Good poses and nice detail. Great variety of plastic Calvary. The plastic quality seems very good. Good luck so far with them. Also they have a prompt customer service on their website.

Also there is one other maker of Plastic 28mm Napoleonic models but the name escapes me and their detail is fairly limited looking.

I'll add more about metal models when I get home.

[Primarch]

Victrix, Warlord and Perrys all scale well together. The Warlord minis are pretty much single pose jobs and also the most expensive per unit. Perrys and Victrix give you a lot more for your money.
The main differences between British uniforms is mainly in the hats. A lot of British regiments (but not all of them), wore different styles of Shakos in the 100 days campaign compared to the Peninsular campaign. Some of the British cavalry regiments went through half a dozen changes in hats. Victrix and Warlord do separate boxes whilst the Perry set has enough hats of all types.
The French uniforms are a lot more involved, there are hundreds of books on the subject. Victrix tends to make Peninsular campaign uniforms, whereas Perrys make the later styles. Warlord specify on the box which is which.
You should probably choose one period and stick with it though. That way all your minis will match up. Personally, I went for 100 Days British.

While the cost isn't so bad compared to certain grim dark games, painting upwards of 200 models a side is quite a chunk of time to spend. You may want to get a game or two in with a borrowed army before jumping in.

[The Other Dave]

If you want to get *really* grognardy, you could join Mike the Pike and me over here in 6mm land!

We're even planning to play soon after buying our models two or three years ago!

[job]

HAT is the other company that makes plastic naps that I know of. But most of their collection are Prussians and they seem to scaled up 1/72 miniatures.

Yes,and you can find a great range of 6mm stuff.

For metals 28mm:
Perry Miniatures (always dynamic and characterful)
Warlord Games: small collection (fine, some interesting models, but not the best poses in my opinion)
Eureka Miniatures
Foundry Miniatures
Front Rank Miniatures: tons of variety and factions!
Murawski Miniatures: Polish and Baden (nice models, Great details)
Calpe Miniatures: French Prussians and Saxons!

There are many others out there, but those are the ones off the top of my mind.

And yeah, like Primarch says, it will take a lot of your time. All the webbing, collars, cuffs, lapels, mustaches and such take a lot of time up. But if you enjoy the research and painting up units bit by bit, it is a great hobby.

[Mushroom Kid]

Thanks for the responses. Some cautioning. It is appreciated!

@The Other Dave, I know what you're saying about 6mm, you can really get a full size battle but as someone said before, without the larger units it loses something for me. Unless of course I can field an Imperator titan flying the Union Jack... (sacre bleu!)

I gather the 28mm's probably a large investment of time but I kinda feel like it's a long-burning hobby. I've just started collecting 40K Orks but don't want to rush them (lots of conversions etc). Sometimes I just want methodical repetitive painting so I figure this'll give me my formation fix and a sense of order where the boyz are a bit more of an art project.

Still pretty much sold and will probably jump the gun before I watch a game. Starter army is tempting for the rounded nature but should really, really get the rulebook first which leaves enough money for a victrix box and a little something else. The $96/sixty pound order is reasonable enough for a punt. I might find I hate painting them. I somehow doubt it though.

Settled on British to start, Peninsular War hats. Farewell and adieu, you fair Spanish ladies. Looks like the stovepipe shako might just stretch into the war of 1812. Now, if I can only find a 28mm scale White House...

[Mushroom Kid]

Well, I've taken the plunge. Plumped for the rulebook with a free unit of British Peninsular Line, a box of Perry's and the Albion Triumphant 1. A modest start to what I feel could be a long relationship!

[komura]

@Mashroom kid
I'm happy to hear that you'll start Napoleonic black powder game.
I've been played this game with Job, Mike & Prim.
My army is Austrian. This is composed mostly Infantry & few artillary.
The cavalry haven't arrived yet.
I hope gaming with you soon.

[Mushroom Kid]

@komura
Thanks, I look forward to having a game. I will have a lot of red to paint. I must be patient until they arrive!