Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Awkward Squad

These lads have just been recruited into the First Provincial Regiment of Rosmark. Unlike the Household Regiments which are largely recruited from abroad, the Provincial regiments are raised in each province and provide garrisons for its fortresses and towns as well as providing troops to assist Customs Officers and Magistrates. They even provide a service battalion for the King's field army if called upon in time of war but traditionally only for service in Rosmark.
Rosmark First Provincial Regiment in training.

Every now and then a new unit just seems to struggle into existence.  The trouble with these lads goes back to the accidental order of an Austrian infantry mould when I had meant to order the Hungarian one. In order to make use of it I decided  to raise a Rosmark Provincial regiment. I also decided  to use the Russian tricorne head which is clean shaven with a nice pointy tricorne but of course, once I got busy casting I forgot why I had pulled out the Russian mould......

The moulds poured well with few faults but once I started cleaning up the castings, I found an uneven number of poses amongst the good figures. I'll have to even it up with the last batch.

Then I primed them and noticed the mustaches. Oh dear. So I scraped the faces and reprimed, not perfect but I was in a hurry to get started painting, hoping to finish before I went away for the weekend. Things just continued from there with all the sorts of little errors and difficulties, awkward angles, missed bits, stray brush strokes etc that can occur. Anyway I ended up putting them aside until I got back and finished them today.



Not exactly my best work ever but they'll serve. Now to cast 6 more with the right mix of poses to have a 16 man unit with rear rank supporting arms and front rank charging.

16 comments:

  1. Well, they look fetching to me in any case.

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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  2. Your new recruits look smashing to me!

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    1. Thanks. An awkward batch always looks most awkward just before they are finished.

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  3. They look lovely, colour, figure and lighting seem to have come together perfectly.

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    1. Thanks. They ended up ok at arms distance which is what one needs.

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  4. I am sorely tempted by the new batch of moulds from Prince August . Tony

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    1. They really are quite good. The new French ones are slightly bigger than the earlier Prussian etc. A good match for the old HE and the Rosbach Prussian Grenadiers. A unit of impressive grenadiers in bearskin caps. Thats what you need!

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  5. They look pretty darned good to me.

    Let's see how they do on the field.

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  6. very nice work as usual. Will you be adapting one or two figures as standard bearers? Might I suggest painting the 2nd Provincial Regiment with buff small clothes and if you do a third with light yellow. You can also use this casting for garrison battalions ala the Prussian army. Great work - I love the overall look.

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    1. No need to adapt I have moulds for standard bearers.

      No buff small clothes though. Red is the traditional​ colour for small clothes for all regiments raised in Rosmark proper. Indeed, given the limited number of coat colours used in the dozen or so states of the NQSYW it and bearskin Grenadier caps are one of the few ways of identifying them!

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  7. They certainly look very good to me...

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  8. Ross

    The figures are looking good, and if you have the choice of heads I think the Russian ones are some of the best - someone has to use that guard grenadier for something!

    There has been a little 'scale creep' in the change to digital - but nothing serious.

    Steve

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  9. Beautiful figures, very well painted. The variety of poses gives a great movement and realism to the whole. Congratulations! Best regards from the distant Argentine Republic, Carlos

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