Painting them separate from the bases and backpacks is a new thing for me, still working out what works for me. Originally I had them on paint sticks akin to what I used to do with Napoleonics, but they proved too unwieldy at this scale. So the long pins were repurposed as handles, and I'm using a foam block to hold them upright as I work through the group. Got the reds and pewters down, on to all the fiddly detail work!