What size for an 'essential' ACW collection - a "final" plan?

[syrinx0]

Your thread has been really useful in keeping my plans more modest. I have been dithering over getting into ACW in 15mm lately myself.  Not quite to your level but I am planning on buying the 'Epic' Gettysburg set from Warlord Games to start. If I finish all of that I will look at additional fluff.

[FifteensAway]

Getting closer to 'finalizing' my go-smaller goal.  And decided I'll probably keep the units at 18 figures and use the two additional stand's figures to create individually based figures based on 1/2" round steel bases (an oops on an order where I was planning on ordering 3/4" bases but must have hit the 1/2" instead - and it worked out, most figures fit just fine on the 1/2" base and it gives the needed stability and I rather like the smaller sized bases - for 15 mm, of course.).  Since I won't need to paint these figures, for the price of the effort of gluing and texturing the bases, I gain a second ACW collection for skirmish gaming for either my own use or selling off.  Doing that would come close to 200 figures so I could split that in half and sell one 'unit' and keep the other even.

And glad others are finding the thread useful. 

[FifteensAway]

Went out and looked through the fully painted units and the fully (almost) painted cavalry regiments.  For the cavalry, all I need to do is paint four horses and two holders and I'd have my three regiments per side with matching dismounts. 

At 21 USA and 20 CSA infantry regiments good to go and including a mounted officer with a foot figure with each regiment. 

Artillery, I have 30 and 30 guns, 66 and 64 gunners, USA and CSA - more than enough. 

At 4 wagons with 16 horse and 4+ men and 5 horse, 1 man pack train for USA and CSA each, all painted. 

9 or 7 (CSA) brigadiers, 4 division generals, and 1 corps commander already painted (division is 2 mounted men, corps is 3 mounted men), per side (or as noted).

And on the 27 (not 47!) partially painted units, those already at 20 figures can readily become 18 figures and, maybe, some of the 15 figure units can gain some of those 'left overs' to rise to 17 and just need to paint one more figure to match - or possibly find some 'extra' painted figures to bring those regiments up to 18 figures.  All I have to do is figure out where I put those 27 units!  Not where I thought they were but too late to keep looking.  Around somewhere.

With those partials completed and getting to 68 regiments, I still won't be done.  As stated, will have to paint some more infantry regiments to get the mix I'll want to keep, for the moment call it 10 more.  That would yield 78 regiments - 36 to keep, leaves 42 to sell for infantry, probably be able to complete around 7 more cavalry regiments without too much effort to improve the 'for sale' army.  Artillery I may be good - that is a lot of guns.  Might paint some more generals - and the casualties and medical staff and contraband, I'd guess, at most, around 300 figures to have what I want to keep and a nice collection to sell.

Off to bed time for this 'old dude'.     

[FifteensAway]

So, I think I've settled on a 'final' plan.  Go from 108 infantry regiments total down to 48 total.  Go from 25 cavalry regiments total down to 8.  Stay at 36 total tubes for artillery with 144 crew, 60 tubes and 130 crew already painted.  Have 20 total brigadiers, 8 total division commanders, and 2 corps commanders (and maybe 4 extra corps commanders for command variety), most of which are already painted. 

Will work out like this:

USA
Corps Commander
1st Infantry Division
  1st Brigade
     DB/LB (dark blue over light blue)
     DB/LB
     DB/LB
  2nd Brigade
     Bucktails *
     Bucktails *
     Red cuffs, lining &
  3rd Brigade
     Zouaves
     Zouaves
     Zouaves &
2nd Infantry Dvision
  1st Brigade
     DB/LB
     DB/LB
     DB/LB
  2nd Brigade
     Iron Brigade regiment *
     Iron Brigade regiment *
     Iron Brigade regiment *
  3rd Brigade
     Naval unit &
     Marine unit *
     Berdan's sharpshooters
3rd Infantry Division
  1st Brigade
     US Regulars *
     US Regulars *
     US Regulars *
  2nd Brigade
     United States Colored Troops &
     USCT *
     USCT *
Cavalry Division
  1st Cavalry Brigade
     US Cavalry regiment
     US Cavalry regiment
  2nd Cavalry Brigade
     State Cavalry regiment
     State Cavalry regiment *

Artillery: Two tubes per infantry brigade, one tube per cavalry brigade (already painted, 30 tubes, 66 crew)

CSA
Corps Commander
1st Infantry Division
  1st Infantry Brigade
     Gray/Blue
     Gray/Blue
     Gray/Blue
  2nd Infantry Brigade
     Gray/mixed
     Gray/mixed
     Gray/mixed
  3rd Infantry Brigade
     Zouaves
     Zouaves
     Zouaves &
2nd Infantry Division
 1st Infantry Brigade
     Gray/Blue
     Gray/Blue
     Gray/Blue
  2nd Infantry Brigade
     Butternut &
     Butternut &
     Butternut &
  3rd Infantry Brigade
     Naval unit *
     Marine unit *
     Red cuffs, striping &
3rd Infantry Division
  1st Infantry Brigade
     Stonewall brigade regiment
     Stonewall brigade regiment
     Stonewall brigade regiment
  2nd Infantry Brigade
     Ragged rebs *
     Ragged rebs
     Ragged rebs
Cavalry Division
  1st Cavalry Brigade
     "Regular" cavalry regiment
     "Regular" cavalry regiment
  2nd Cavalry Brigade
     Raider cavalry &
     Raider cavalry *

Artillery: Two tubes per infantry brigade, one tube per cavalry brigade (already painted, 30 tubes, 64 crew)

* = unit needs to be painted (three USCT regiments already primed and ready, all else needs full preparation process)
& = unit that just needs as few as 3 or as many as 10 figures to be 'match painted' to be a full unit.
If not marked then the unit is already game ready.

All of the above, plus painting one more regiment, will yield an additional painted 32 infantry regiments that would leave me a nice collection to sell, half Union, half Confederate.  And still have 28 unpainted infantry units to sell. 

Would need to paint a modest number of additional crew for keeping - and probably more crew to go with the 'for sale' lot to enhance its marketable value.  Will paint up at least some of the limbers and caissons I possess for my own collection.  Anything left over would go with the unpainted figures.

Unlikely I would paint the additional cavalry units for sale - diminishing return on time investment. 

Would only need to paint a few more brigadiers and then the 'extra' corps commander sets.

I will probably paint two additional wagons - and maybe the pontoon wagon I have.  That would give me the visual element though also useful for some scenarios where wagons are being raided.  And on the visual element, paint the "contraband" figures, a small group of escaped slaves.

Likely to also paint at least the medical crews and the stretcher bearer parties, undecided on how many (if any) of the casualty figures I will paint.  Will be lots of left over casualty figures for the unpainted portion.

I think that will yield a versatile and playable collection without needing an excessive amount of additional painting and can cut down to 1/3 or less of the current storage space.  Painting wise, maybe around 500 total figures - unless adding in casualty figures but still less than 600 figures or so.  That's two good months of painting going at full tilt.
   
And, obviously, the listing above is pretty generic as far as unit identifications go, more to guide how to paint what still needs to be painted and have a visually appealing set up.

Any thoughts or suggestions to improve the listing?

edit: realized shortly after posting - and heading out the door for 'real life' stuff - that I left out the Irish Brigade, need to incorporate them for sure.