Here at last

I lobbied Strelets to produce proper old school Austrian cuirassiers for the War of Spanish Succession to be fair, not just me). Well, they obliged and produced two sets, called "Austrian" and "Bavarian" but honestly they've got the same kit, just different poses. I ordered a load before Christmas, together with some French Dragoons I'm also going to use as Hungarian Hussars. 


After doing some Ottoman units, and finishing off some Battlefield Society work, I have at last found time to paint a few.


They are magnificent sculpts, and my painting doesn't do them justice. The detail on the figures is well defined, with lovely animation. There is one major problem. For whatever reason  - possibly due to pressures from the War in Ukraine - they are boxed with horses sculpted for an earlier set of figures. This means, not to be unkind, that straight off the sprue the men simply don't fit on the horses. The saddle roll, for example, is where the skirts of the buff coat needs to be.

Because the horses are soft plastic this is an easy problem to fix. A few minutes with a Stanley knife removed the saddle rolls, and slimmed the sides of the horses. In terms of preparing the figures for painting a lot less time than sticking a box of hard plastics together. 

It may also be the case that they have had slight issues with production for the same reason, and there was a little bit more flash than I've been accustomed to seeing from the recent Strelets production. But, like whatever. They're working in a city that is being bombed and shelled, and I'm complaining about a small amount of plastic I can easily remove with a X-acto #1 blade.

Anyway, back to the figures I actually painted. I've been selective from the boxes to put together a troop that is charging whilst waving swords. I've avoided using the flag bearers, drummers and trumpeters as they have more exotic uniforms, that are definitely WSS. I had the mad thought that these chaps might do double duty and end up in a plastic 30 years war army as well. The middle figure is an officer, and he has a classic 18th century curly wig protruding from the back of his helmet, but whose to know?


I like the figure in the middle, leaning back slightly to control his horse.


The varnish seems to have collected on the sword blades more than normal when you look at them on the photograph.


According to Kronoskaf.com all cuirassier regiments had the same flag. Which is handy, as I've printed out a sheet of them.

I am really pleased with these figures. Just need an excuse to get them out on the table. Perhaps if I can get another coupe of units done I can give them a run in with my sipahis.




Comments

  1. Those look quite nice. As far as the "starboard lean" goes, perhaps a strong pinned connection would sort it out? With my RedBox 1/72 plastic cavalry, I cut up paper clips into pegs about 1.25 inches long, heat the tips on a flame an make the metal "one with the rider." I Dremel holes into the tops of the saddles. When it comes time to assemble the things, I cut the pegs to about 1/4 or 3/8 of a inch, put a drop of superglue on the peg and there you go - an upright, solidly attached horse and rider.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They didn't look like they were leaning, until the glue set. The problem is with the horse mostly. I shall use boiling water on the next batch to keep them upright. I have pinned figures in the past, but found it to much bother. Then again, I do have mini-drill now...

      Delete
  2. I like them a lot, they look really very decent indeed. You have painted them up nicely and they should look the business when all done.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good looking figures and units. By the number of boxes you have it looks like you have cornered the market in WSS cavalry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I did go a bit all in. There's more boxes, including British Cavalry, on the right. I ordered as many as I thought I needed plus a few more for two reasons. Firstly to support a company providing work and foreign exchange to Ukraine and secondly because there's a chance that Russian activity may mean the company isn't there anymore in a year or so.

      Delete
  4. Great job Gramm! Have you bothered about replacing metal helmets with WSS? Or will you use them in the eastern theater of operations?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, I won't be replacing the helmets. I shall use these for the early campaigns like Blenheim and for the East.

      Delete
  5. Graham, I like the patina that the varnish leaves on the sword flat. Hmm. I thought I saw you mention leaning cavalry in this post. I must have dreamt it. Anyway, if starboard listing cavalry is a known issue, how about mounting the cavalry at an slight angle pointing right on the base so that they look like they are making a hard wheel to the right and leaning into it? That might look good an provide an interesting sense of motion.

    How much do you pay for a box of these figures? Here in the USA, the best price I see is about USD $9 each.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The leaning discussion is in the comments. With soft plastic horses the answer is to put them in boiling water, then straighten them until then cool. The other problem, which Ski discusses by implication, is when riders won't sit straight, and end up leaning over.

      Theses figures were £8.99 a box, so your prices are a bargain.

      Delete

Post a Comment