Regular visitors will know that one of my favourite games at the moment is the ECW expansion to The Strongest called For King & Parliament. I’ve built up quite a collection of pike and shot figures as a result, and have been looking around for more ways to use them.

Friend and regular opponent Bevan suggested we could look at Eastern Europe and the conflicts between Poland, the Cossacks and Tartars etc. He also mentioned that he had some winged hussars already on the painting table.

Two things immediately sprung to mind.

First, I want winged hussars too! I mean, you can’t get more iconically cool than a few squadrons of winged hussars. Very cheeky to baggsy them before me!

Secondly, did you mention Cossacks? As I have some of them as part of my Crimean Russian army. The only problem is that they are based in singles and pairs: a bit of a pain for an element game like FK&P.

Well, you say problem, I say opportunity! A quick call to those nice people at Warbases and a couple of days later some custom movement trays arrived (Warbases are highly recommended btw: always my basing and movement tray supplier of choice). A quick bit of painting and flocking later, a re-base of the Cossacks with some matching flock, and I now have an FK&P brigade’s worth ready to hit the tabletop.

I was a little concerned that each unit is only seven figures strong, but they look fine compared to my ECW Swedish horse…and I can always double up the units so that rather than four 7’s I have two 14’s.

So that’s the Cossack horse sorted, now onto the foot…