More Austrian & Prussian cavalry

Happy New Year to everyone!

Over the festive break I have managed to finish off a few units which have been sitting on the painting table for some months  (they kept being put back as I indulge in my current fads). Excuse the photo quality, they are just taken on an old compact camera under a desk lamp.

Austrian Horse Grenadiers

This is my take on the grenadiers from DR#2 Liechtenstein, as usual I have simplified detail, as I prefer to have them 'neat' rather than 'accurate' (I can't do both), the flag is as usual from Maverick Models.

The horse grenadiers are based on the recent dragoon mould, but with a few modifications:

• The sword arm has been replaced by that from the cuirassiers, as I really do feel this is a better pose - it is a bit oversize but I think looks fine.
• The head is from the earlier infantry moulds, as the the castings I get from the dragoon mould seem very small/flat (I have suggested to PA that they remake the head mould).
• Horse grenadier squadrons had trumpeters rather than the drummers in the rest of the dragoons. I made one using the dragoon officer with the cuirassier trumpeter's arm, it took a bit of filing/bending, and again is a bit big - but I think looks fine.

• To finish off, I added sword hilts to the empty scabbards on the trumpeter and standard bearer (from from the French infantry).

This swapping of parts is what I always wanted for this range, although there are some issues with fit and sizing I must admit I enjoy using the various parts to come up with as close an approximation as I can to the units I want.

Prussian Dragoons

I have also painted up Prussian DR#5, again with a simplified paint job.

I could not resist making a few of modifications:

• The sword arm is again from the cuirassier.
• The heads are all 'Prussian officers' from the infantry moulds, as again I wanted heads which were 'fuller' than those in the dragoon mould.
• A sword hilt was added to the drummer, as it is missing on the casting.

Austrian Cuirassiers

Although the recent PA cuirassiers are very nice figures they really are too big, and having used them on the table a few times I simply cannot live withe the size difference relative to the rest of the army (I'm an engineer).  I have sugegsted to PA that they reprint the cavalry (possibly with torso/horse combined) at the correct scale, however in the meantime I have decided to cast and paint up some cuirassiers based on the Karoliners, with a head 'upgrade' using the Russian Infantry officer's head.

As always comments welcome?

Christmas 2019 - Light Infantry Update

As its that time of year again, I thought it worth logging on and wishing you all the best for Christmas and New Year, letting you know I am still here, and also giving you a bit of an update.........

I've not been doing s lot with the 40mm figures recently, however I have almost finished a couple of cavalry units, one of Prussian dragoons and the other Austrian horse  grenadiers, they just need the flags (ordered from Maverick) - I will post some photos when they are finished.

Future Releases

Although releases are few and far between, PA are still working on the range, and hopefully there should be some new releases in the not too distant future?

Grenz/Pandours

Sculpting is ongoing for some skirmishing Grenz/Pandour troops, and the plan is to have four poses, as discussed back in September 2014 (no point rushing is there):
Light Infantry (2) - Grenz & Pandours - Sept 2014

So far I have only seen images of the standing and kneeling figures, below is a sample of what I have been sent (these are computer images).

The kneeling figure looks to be almost there, as discussed back in 2014 the figures will have the 'Type F2' coat (the lacing on the coat was deliberately simplified so that it can be moulded and drop cast better) and is combined with 'Type K'  footwear.

As with the rest of the SYW range there will be separate heads. The main heads will be the fur hat for the Croats (on figure above), and a tapered shako to allow a close approximation to a Russian pandour (not shown).

The standing figure is also well advanced, but note that the head is an early option which will probably not be used - so visualise him wearing the same fur hat as the kneeling figure.

If there is space the plan is to fit in a head with a mirliton, not strictly correct for this figure, but useful to make Freikorps von Kleist in conjunction with either these moulds or the Hungarian ones (see post back in Feb 2019):
 Freikorps von Kleist - March 2019

Hopefully there will also be a figure advancing in the 'standard' pose so they can be ranked up, plus a loading figure.

Hungarian figures can be used for the command.

Other Light Troops

PA are also working on the troops for use as skirmishing Freikorps types, these should have kit similar to the Prussian line infantry, but with the firing and loading poses.

Heads for these will include a 'casket' to make up Austrian jager or similar (but they will have to be modelled with gaiters rather than boots).

As always feedback would be appreciated.

I hope Santa brings you plenty of lead - and not too much of that horrid plastic 😉

Wild Geese Wargames & Future Plans

I thought I had better just let you know that I am still here😀

Wild Geese Wargames Weekend (22-23rd June)

When I last wrote I was frantically casting and painting the new dragoons for a gaming weekend over the weekend 22-23 June - I managed to get just the two units finished.

The weekend went pretty well, and the 40mm semi flats were generally well received. Unfortunately I somehow managed to pretty much forget to take photos, and those which I did were out of focus! Below are a few I have lifted from other blogs.

We played 3 games over the weekend using the 'Gentleman's War' rules which worked well with these figures. For those of you with the rules - we used 2 packs of cards, one for each half of the table - this speeded up play nicely.

Clearly we were playing a game - not putting on a display, so there is all sorts of mess on the table, however the plain cloth did show the figures off nicely.

Since then I have not touched the 40mm figures, and have mainly been playing Commands and Colors Napoleonic using 15mm figures.

This is not the place to discuss these small chaps - if you are interested here is a link to a write up of our last game.
http://scrivsland.blogspot.com/2019/08/battle-of-vimeiro-1808-using-command.html


Future Releases

I am told that PA are planning to release some new moulds in the (near) future. I have asked that the next releases are some Austrian grenz (Russian pandours) and a general officer.

For the light troops I pointed Chris to the posts back in September 2014 (no rushed job this) - I will keep you informed.

Austrian Sachsen-Gotha Dragoons

Another unit of the new dragoons completed - this time with a little modification.

With arm from cuirassier mould

As mentioned my previous post I am not all that keen on the pose with the sword low down alongside the horse (see below). For this unit I have the sword on the shoulder, using the arm from the cuirassiers. The arm is a little on the large size, but not really noticeable, it also requires a bit of work modifying  the cuff, as the cuirassier has heavy gloves and the dragoon are bare handed.

With arm from dragoon mould

I think I prefer the sword on the shoulder - any thoughts?

Austrian Erzherzog Joseph Dragoons

I have just completed my first 8 man unit of dragoons. These are new figures, so as a change from my usual practice of photographing the assembled unit I thought it worthwhile showing the individual figures.

I have painted them up based on Erzherzog Joseph Dragoons, but with some simplification (for example my hand is not steady enough for multiple lines on the saddle cloth). The figures are mostly as in the mould, but with one main change - I have replaced the heads with  older infantry officers heads, with mustache just painted on where appropriate. I did this primarily because I think the older, hand sculpted heads have better definition on the facial features - and also to maintain continuity with the cavalry I have already converted from the Karoliner range.

Trooper

Apart from the Russian officer's head the only other minor change I have made is to fix the carbine a bit lower than the lug/hole suggested.

I think he is a very fine chap, and the mould will get a lot of use (I have cast 30 so far).

Officer

This time with an Austrian officer's head - another nice figure, who is also going to act as 'Brigadiers' in my army proudly taking command of 3 or 4 units.

(I appreciate the officers saddle cloth should be a different colour - however I had already painted it before I remembered and did not feel inclined to change it.)

Drummer

Dragoons had drummers rather than trumpeters, apart from the head (and sword hilt) this is the standard figure.

I'm sure it would look better if I could paint an eagle on the drum - but these are wargames toys not display figures! Also there should be a sword hilt showing which was forgotten by sculptor, I could have easily corrected it using the hilt of of a sword from elsewhere - but I missed it until too late!

Standard Bearer

And finally the standard bearer. There is no actual figure for the standard bearer (we did not think it warranted an additional mould) - instead an extra arm has been provided to convert either the officer or trooper - I chose the trooper as he has a carbine cross belt which looks very similar to the one to carry a standard (there is also a cartridge box on the back).

The trooper and officer both have drawn swords, whereas for the standard bearer it should still be in the scabbard - I just glued on the hilt of a French sword.

Finished Unit

I have now based them up, so here is the completed unit.

Size Comparison

As discussed previously, the cuirassiers are too big, and do not fit in well with the rest of the SYW figures. To bring the dragoons into scale with the rest of the SYW range they have been plotted 7% smaller than the cuirassiers - I have taken some shots as size comparison.

First of all a comparison with the Austrian infantry. Both the infantryman and dragoon measure about 42mm from heel to top of hat - so that looks fine.

Next a comparison with my converted Karoliners. The Karoliner appears marginally larger, although again the men's heights are about the same - I suspect the difference is the larger head on the Karoliners horse. I think they will look fine together, particularly with the same heads on both figures.

And finally the cuirassiers - I checked it, that really is only 7%!

And as requested by Ross - a couple of shots against the old HE with musketoon.

The new figure is a bit larger and bulkier than the old HE, which is in line with the whole of the  SYW range. Note that I have used the Russian officer's head as I like the look of an almost full round head on the semi-flats (just personal taste), however the heads in the moulds are not quite as wide.

Overall Conclusions

The dragoons are really nice figures, I would have preferred something with a bit more energy, but will still be using them for the bulk of my Austrian and Prussian dragoons.

I have a unit part finished which have the sword arm replaced by the one on the shoulder taken from the cuirassiers - it will be interesting to see if the larger arm really shows up?

As always comments would be appreciated.

Prussian Hussars No.8

I have also had a play, and made a unit based on Prussian Hussar regiment No 8 using the Rossbach moulds.

In the past I have not used these moulds due to the lack of a trumpeter and carbine, however I decided  to buy a pair (in the recent half price sale) to give them a go and add the missing parts from SYW cuirassiers. I cut a bit off of the end of the cuirassiers carbine - but I think it is still a bit too long.

I also made a trumpeter - this was a bit more radical -  I cut/filed off the whole of the arm from the hussar with the raised sword, then glued on a cuirassier trumpet arm (after filing off the swallows nests). The arm is actually on the large size, but close enough.

I suspect there will be a deaf horse if he blows the trumpet, however I tried raising it but it ended poking him in the eye - which looked worse.

Frei Corps Loudon

In order to provide the Austrians with some light troops I have painted up a unit of Frei Corps Grun Loudon. (I know they probably did not fight in open order - but until the Grenz moulds are available I wanted something).

For the figures I used the following:

• Officer - Prussian with Russian officers head (I do like that head)
• Standard bearer - Prussian with Russian musketeer head (I did not want a pom-pom)
• Drummer - Prussian (with no arm chevrons (I filed them off of the model I have))
• NCO - Prussian with Russian head and musket.
• Rank and file - Prussian musketeer, as I wanted troops with a sword - plus a Russian musketeers head.

The figures above are in my standard 16 man unit, and are shown in close order. However for skirmishing they are all individually based, and I decided that in that role they should lose the  standard and drummer, so I have replaced them with another NCO, and an officer with musket, using a Russian officer (with the gorget and lapel buttons removed).

Dragoons released

(Updated 01/06/19)

In case you are not on PA's mailing list - they have just announced that the dragoon moulds are (finally) been released - see their newsletter:                 

Hi Steve, The June Bank Holiday weekend is upon us, combined with Fathers Day on the 16th and the new release of our super Dragoons Mould set inspired us to offer some discounts that will determine how your hobby develops this summer. First and foremost, we have a brand new set of FOUR moulds that offers you the biggest opportunity yet to customise your castings for the armies in the Seven Years War. Dragoons were fielded by most countries and our mould have interchangeable heads to reflect that versatility. Painting /Assembly guides are still in development. There is an early discount of 10% off this new set that expires at noon on Tuesday. The other discounts are part of the June Weekend Sale and include the following: ·     SYW Artillery crew moulds PA3118 and PA3119. ·     SYW Russian Bundle further discounted. ·     PA1240 Napoleonic Starter Kit (54mm). ·     PSK-L Advanced Paint Pack. ·     Solder Melting Pot. ·     Flexi-neck Magnifying Glass. ·     AC-PA2073 Tool Set (Brass Brush, Files and Super Snipper). Sale expires at noon on Tuesday June 4th 2019 GMT+1. No coupons are required. Sale prices are on product pages (strikethrough of older prices can be seen). No minimum order requirements. Go to Prince August's Website ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

I received a set of 4 moulds today (so no sneak peak this time), which comprises:

1. Officer with Austrian head (as shown)
2. Drummer with Austrian head (as shown)
3. Trooper with Austrian head (not shown - see below)
4. A set of 8 different heads to make other nations & horse grenadiers,  plus an arm for a standard bearer.

The horse/torso are one piece castings, with separate arms, heads and carbine.

The picture is confusing (in fact wrong), the rear figure is the previously released cuirassier, the dragoon is on a similar horse, however the sword is pointing rather than on the shoulder.

As the weather has been fine I have done some casting over the last couple of days, and have cast up enough figure for about 5 units (so that is 30 of the trooper). Initially using my 'scrap metal' I struggled casting the heads, swords and carbine (which are near the top of the mould). However after some venting, and playing around with the elastic bands and clamps I ended up with something like a 90% success rate. (They cast much easier with the Model Metal).

The heads Austrian heads in with the tops of the moulds with the horses and riders, and although they cast pretty much every time, the detail was a little smooth. For the Austrians I have decided to use the officer head from the Russians, which I think is one of the nicest in the range, and is the one I have used on the Karoliner conversions, so there will be some continuity between the two sets of cavalry.

I have a couple of units cleaned up and undercoated and will try and get one painted in the next week or so - the dragoon officer is also going to act as 'brigadiers' until some general staff are available.

Freikorps von Kleist

Prussian Light Troops

I decided to make some light troops for a project I am planning. Hopefully PA will bring out some dedicated moulds in the near future, however in the meantime I had a play with what I currently have available.

The bodies for the troops are the Hungarian infantry, with a few changes:

• Mirliton heads have been used on the NCO and rank and file. These were kindly donated by Aly Morrison (see post 20 March 2017), hopefully something similar will be made available by PA in the not too distant future? (Kronoskaf states that a tricorns was also worn.)
• The tricorns for the officers and drummer are from the Prussian guard infantry (rank ans file), I chose this as it has the scalloped edge - I cut the mustache off using a sharp knife.
• The NCO has a musket from the Russian officer.

I appreciate the lace is all wrong, however they do what I always wanted from this range - look the part even if not 100% correct.

The figures are singly based as I am planning to use thenm with the recently published 'A Gentleman's War' rules.

Next up some Austrian Light troops. I fancy painting up 'Grun Loudon'............what figures to use???