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Monday, May 28, 2018

Militia Honrados de Lorca, 1808


Another unit of Spanish local civic Militia. Although the multitude of Spanish Militia units wore a variety of colors for their uniforms, I have used only units wearing brown for simplicity of identification.


Lorca is a city in the Province of Murcia, and extends to the Mediterranean coast. Settlements at that location pre date the Roman era by many cetnuries. 


Like the previous Militia unit, these are Eagle figures.


Most of these figures wear a blanket over their Right shoulder, which makes them both distinctive and fun to paint. 


Properly, the red facings should be piped in white. That seemed a bit much for me for a Militi un it, so I eft out the piping.




Light brown coat and pants, red collar, cuffs, and lapels, brown turnbacks, all piped white.
Pewter buttons. Silver plaque on the front of the top hat. Hmm, I need to add the plaques!

18 comments:

  1. The Urban Militia were truly the worst units in the Spanish military. The Provincial Militia, wearing white trimmed red, were much better and as good as the regulars of the Royal Army, they had been mustered in 1804 and never stood down so by 1808 they were properly trained and drilled.

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  2. Another good militia unit, Peter! The recruitment centers across Spain may have to work overtime to get the "quality vs quantity" equation to near parity.

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  3. I do like the addition of the colourful blankets. Just add a that little something to the unit

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    1. Thanks, Ray. Not much mistaking them for anything other than Spanish!

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  4. Enough with the Iberians ! :-)
    Another unique and eye catching unit

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    1. We are approaching the end of the Spanish, Garry. :-)
      I think there is one more unit in progress, and then just some officers and odds and ends to go!

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  5. Great looking unit,there really is a lot of variety in the Spanish forces and aren't we lucky that we have manufacturers who cater for almost everything!
    Best Iain

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    1. There has been a big increase in available Spaniards in 28 mm in the past year or so, with Three Armies, Parry, and especially Brigade Games entering their own line ups.

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  6. I always enjoy look at militia troops, and these ones are superb!

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    1. Thank you kindly, Phil! Militia are a bit off the beaten path... although they usually beat a path to the rear pretty quickly!

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  7. Another interesting unit. I find the tophats make for a strange appearance on the battlefields of the era. (I found the same thing with my US Militia for the war of 1812.) Perhaps you can replace your Murcia regiment with a 'murica unit and give them cutoff tees and beer hats?

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    1. Thanks, Jake. I don't find the top hats that odd, although usual;ly more of an "early" period thing than later. I suspect the militia more likely wore about the "then and there" equivalent to T shirts and Beer Hats than the finery I have painted them in, LOL!

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  8. A fine addition. I find brown as a Napoleonic uniform very unrewarding to paint, but those blankets certainly liven things up. Given that they are militia, can't you just assume that the silver plaques have fallen off due to shoddy manufacturing?

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    1. I don't mind brown uniforms. They are relatively few - Grenzer, Austrian Artillerists and some Militia/EHK Legion, Cacadores of course, Portuguese Legion, Spanish Militia, French Chasseurs de la Montagne, and a few Hussar regiments of various countries.

      As for the plates, more likely they were a fantasy of the regulations, and they never actually commissioned them to be manufactured...

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