One of the big three blocks of units I need for Silver Bayonet are bandits.  According to the worst-case scenario I need a total of 13 of these scallywags to handle any of the scenarios in the core rule book. With the addition of Silver Bayonet: Canada and Egypt, I decided to go outside of the box and select some banditos that would work in multiple theaters of conflicts.

Northstar makes a great set of bandits, but I opted to instead pick up their deserter pack. The models have a more regimental look to them, but I felt the models looked great and characterful. It would be too easy to end up using these models as part of a normal warband as their quasi-uniformed appearance is probably what I ‘real’ Silver Bayonet warband would look like it was trekking across Europe. To help tie into the Egypt setting I picked up some Albanians from Brigade Games. My rational is that Albania is part of Europe, so they tie into the core game, and their relationship to the Ottoman Empire can also see them in Egypt. 

Once again, the Northstar models where on point with the perfect amount of details and character to make for an enjoyable painting experience. I tried to paint some of the clothing in non-military colors to highlight these ruffians have long since given up being in the Army and are just trying to survive. With the field blankets wrapped around them I tried to once again paint some texture into the fabric. 

I did refer to some online resources for the uniform parts to make sure I wasn’t completely off the mark.  It’s possible in the future these soldiers may get drafted into full warband, so I wanted to keep a hint of former professionalism. The Albanians on the other hand I tried to go with some brighter colors to get them to stand out from their peers.  From the pictures I found they were portrayed with mostly bright clothing with a lot of patterns.  I wasn’t about to free hand that but I could handle some more catchy colors. 

For the Spaniard I opted for a nice white jacket as it was something new to try out for a Napoleonic uniform. I actually like the look of the Northstar Spanish warband so its always possible that I might pick it up in the future. The Frenchman I opted to make him more rugged by giving him a nice five o’clock shadow. After basing these with some plants it was over the halfway point of my project. 

To tie into Silver Bayonet: Canada I picked up some French Canadians from the War of 1812. These rugged mountain men would be playing the part in the Frozen North, but I think their overall ruggedness could work in Europe too. The models do suffer a bit from their similar poses, but I think mixed in with the deserters and Albanians that will work fine. 

I have a hard time sticking with painting large batches of troops. Yes, six isn’t considered a large amount but for me that really stretches my patience.  I generally prefer painting 1-3 at a time and doing a conveyer belt on six really numbed my brain.  These models also had a lot of belts and attachments that made painting them less enjoyable that the previous Northstar models.  They are good models though, and with some stubble and varying colors I was finally able to get them done. 

The end of this project dragged a bit, but once it was finished I was happy to have them done. Bandits are one of the most common advesaries in the game so having these guys finished means I am a good chunk closer to getting this game complete. Two more big chunks are left in wolves and zombies. I am not sure if I will immediately hop into those or knock out some of the one-off creatures. I have all the models for the zombies, but some recent zombie releases has me questioning if I am going to keep the ones I have or ditch them for the new hotness. While I debate that here are some glamor shots of the final products.  Take Care!