Looky-look post: Strelets Austrian and Bavarian Cuirassiers

Strelets have released two boxes of WSS cuirassiers from the early period when they probably wore kit that looks like it came out of the 30 Years War. They are labelled as Austrian and Bavarian, but in truth they are wearing the same kit, more or less. The main difference is you get slightly more active poses in the Austrians than the Bavarians, and despite what the picture shows on the back of the box, the Austrians have charging horses, and the Bavarians have more static poses for both man and horse.

They are nicely sculpted and detailed figures, with real character. The Austrians come with a sword waving officer, guidon bearer and a drummer.

The pistol holding figures aren't actively shooting. The lack of an attempt to make the figures look like they are firing their weapons is to be applauded. Normally for soft plastic figures they end up pistoling each other in the temple, so this is refreshing. 

The sword bearing figures certainly look like they heading into action.

The figures are nicely posed. The Bavarian batch (painted as Austrians) includes a couple of figures with their carbines in a rest position too, which make for some nice variety. 

The figures had a bit of flash but no unsightly lumps of plastic to be carved away. They were also a pretty good fit on the the horses too, so minimal carving of plastic needed to make them sit comfortably. This batch includes the trumpeter, who is a nice sculpt as well.

The static nature of the Bavarian box horses is much more obvious here, with the heads down, grazing.

The big issues is with the Austrian figures, and their fit on the horses. As I said, the poses given aren't those on the back of the box. You can understand why. The men are clearly charging, and the horses aren't. Consequently the standing horses have been swapped out for charging horses from the British cavalry set. Those figures don't sit on the horses well, and the fit for the Austrians is worse. I solved it mostly by carving off the saddle rolls to accommodate the skirts of the buff coats.

The Bavarians mostly fit just fine. I had a slight issue with one, quickly fixed with some simple surgery.

In conclusion, some really nice looking figures, that will be gracing the table a lot, especially once I get the Ottoman project up and running properly. I'm considering doing a Blenheim homage in a month or two, and these will certainly be involved.