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Post by Chris Dodson on Oct 30, 2017 18:44:23 GMT
Die Schlacht von Ligny 16th Juni 1815 Timeline 9.00PM Grenadiers and Chasseurs a Pied of the Guard Imperial are engaged with Prussian Kurmark Landwehr in the Bois du Loop. Their advance is remorseless.  The Prussian rearguard at Brye has collapsed. Feldmarschall Gebhard Lebrecht, Furst Blucher von Wahlstadt orders the 1st Korps reserve cavalry, Generallieutenenant Friedrich Ehard von Roeder to attack the advancing Guard infantry. Forever the cavalryman, Marschall Vorwarts, leads the attack personally.      However, the Heavy Cavalry Division of the Guard, Lieutenant-general Claude-Etienne, Comte Guyot, has begun to deploy on the outskirts of Ligny. The Grenadiers a Cheval supported by cuirassiers of the 14th Division, Lieutenant-general Baron Jacques-AntoineDelort immediately counter attack.   There are no reserves, the die are cast, night is approaching, avant mes braves, Vorwarts meine kinder!
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Post by Edwardian on Oct 30, 2017 22:07:49 GMT
Epic!
In my mind's eye, this is the effect my humble wargames units have, but your battle recreations are the real thing.
I don't think I have seen better evocations of a Napoleonic battle than your dioramas.
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Post by Graeme on Oct 31, 2017 3:47:44 GMT
Wonderful stuff Chris. I've commented on the first pic before, it's good to see the new HaT Landwehr in action. The cavalry pics are fabulous, a real sense of action. The third shot with the two forces about to come together is magnificent, I was imagining the terrible impact when they met. Then, when I got to the last shot I saw it happening before my eyes. Incredible! As Edwardian says, your refights are the real thing. I don't know how you can sleep with the racket they must be making.  |
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Post by Ironsides on Oct 31, 2017 6:50:46 GMT
Chris, Fantastic! you have excellent eye for detail in the Grand Manner....  |
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Post by steve on Oct 31, 2017 7:28:48 GMT
I agree with all the above posts what else is there left to say the amount of work that has gone into these pictures must be enormous you are in a class of your own Chris we are not worthy.
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Post by gerd on Nov 1, 2017 11:36:06 GMT
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Post by Chris Dodson on Nov 1, 2017 14:11:16 GMT
Thank you to everyone for their kind comments.
In answer to Gerds question every item has its own base and has to be individually positioned. This is time consuming but allows a far better flexibility when it comes to arranging scenes. Conversions are numerous to add an authentic 'feel' to the proceedings. Bases are camouflaged with the sandtable and flocks to order.
Finally, this is not a diorama, it is a refight. A wargame with a difference in that every thirty minutes or so a photographic record of events is taken but in a presentational way.
Thank you Gerd for the pictures of Bluchers plight.
I am now preparing the last series of pictures as the refight closes. It has been great fun and I have learned a lot from mistakes, the help of fellow modellers, more recently HAT and my research department, Der Feldmarschall, my long suffering wife!
Best wishes
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Post by Edwardian on Nov 1, 2017 15:13:49 GMT
Apologies for using the "d" word, I realise that you re-arrange them. Above all, I think it is a talent for composition that makes the scenes so successful; like the very best battle paintings made flesh.
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Post by Chris Dodson on Nov 1, 2017 18:35:55 GMT
Hi Edwardian. No need to apologise for anything.
Your kind comments are deeply appreciated.
I have been playing with my friend fire this afternoon and hope to have some new and final pictures shortly.
Best wishes,
Chris
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Post by gerd on Nov 2, 2017 14:46:28 GMT
Hello Chris, now i understand why you always say, this is not a diorama. You arrange typical scenes of the battle....and so you rearrange and chance the positions of the figures after some days. Thats the same thing, i was handling in my "20-days-dioramas"....after this period i take them to pieces and put the figures back to their boxes. But i never find a good way to cover the bases of the figures. Using sand as cover-medium is an interersting idea and i will try it in my next project. Great job !! Gerd |
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Post by gerd on Nov 2, 2017 15:07:42 GMT
Hello Chris, to honour your wonderful Ligny-Pictures i like to show you some pictures from the real Ligny-Battlefield from 2012. It was a wonderfull time-journey...  "Nailing" the french canons.....the artillery-men "love" us for those jokes...   But is better to nail their canons, before they try to fire to us...  Before we could finish this job, they hasty evacuated their guns.  Have no sense for humor, this guys....    This final picture is from the Waterloo-Battle 2015. I have made it in the middle of the fighting...see the gun powder smoke over the ground.. A scene like one of your pictures..  |
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Post by Chris DODSON on Nov 2, 2017 15:33:52 GMT
Hi Gerd.
Thank you for your kind comments. I built a sand table which is easily mounded to form the terrain on which to fight your battles. The figures are placed in the sand and dressings covering the bases.
Your pictures are lovely and the Landwehr square is very evocative. I was at Waterloo 2015 and saw virtually nothing because of where we were told to go and the volumes of smoke.
Best wishes,
Chris
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Post by gerd on Nov 2, 2017 15:52:31 GMT
Hi Chris,
do you take part in Waterloo 2015-Event as reenactor or as a visitor ??
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Post by Chris Dodson on Nov 2, 2017 18:17:44 GMT
Hi Gerd.
A visitor.
Chris
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Post by steve on Nov 2, 2017 21:14:24 GMT
I too was at the 2015 re-enactment & also saw little of the battle after the first 15 minutes the smoke descended & we could see nothing it was a bit of an anti climax the best memories for me were visiting the reenactors camps & the new underground museum.
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Post by Graeme on Nov 3, 2017 14:03:00 GMT
I wasn't at Waterloo 2015, which is why I really like it when people who were there post their pictures. Thanks Gerd. |
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Post by Edwardian on Nov 5, 2017 11:02:26 GMT
Hello Chris, to honour your wonderful Ligny-Pictures i like to show you some pictures from the real Ligny-Battlefield from 2012. It was a wonderfull time-journey... "Nailing" the french canons.....the artillery-men "love" us for those jokes... But is better to nail their canons, before they try to fire to us... Before we could finish this job, they hasty evacuated their guns. Have no sense for humor, this guys.... This final picture is from the Waterloo-Battle 2015. I have made it in the middle of the fighting...see the gun powder smoke over the ground.. A scene like one of your pictures.. Gerd,
Great pictures and I envy your re-enactment exploits!
I learnt pretty early on in research that re-enactors are the people who really know their stuff!
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Post by bellealliance on Nov 8, 2017 15:53:10 GMT
Chris,
Your recreations of the Waterloo campaign are just spectacular! I have been a fan all along.
Thanks for sharing your hard work.
Kay
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Post by richard on Nov 9, 2017 10:18:51 GMT
Chris, pictures look great. How long does every 'scene change' take? And what's your plans for all the photos at the end of it?
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Post by Chris Dodson on Nov 15, 2017 14:53:59 GMT
Hi Richard and apologies for not spotting your questions earlier.
The 'set' is basically the terrain which my re fight takes place over. Time scale is varied as some scenes such as inside a building have to be built first with a view to camera angles, light etc. Some overviews are essentially what is going on anyway.
With respect to the pictures I would like to build a web site showing the reference work, links, modelling tips, the story with background etc.
Time always time is the arbitratior.
I am lucky that my wonderful wife, Der Feldmarschall is so tolerant and a great researcher.
Best wishes,
Chris
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