It's the day after Waitangi Day here in the Land of the Long White Cloud, so I've been taking a bit of time off to paint toy soldiers. This has mostly been devoted to cuirassiers, but while I was about it I also had a crack at one of the wonderful Garrison Prussian Landwehr sent to me by Rob Y. This was a bad idea, as I want a whole battalion of these delightful figures now and they're really not allowed until I've finished Phase 2.
He's a Garrison PN 12: Prussian Landwehr marching, of 1973-design vintage, or thereabouts. The intent, I am assuming, was to expand the existing Garrison Prussian range, which the year before had included guard, line and landwehr in advancing poses. Alas, Rob tells me, the moulds for these are no more, but I've found a picture of some of them.
The image below of troops from Peter Gilder's collection appeared in Charles Grant's Napoleonic Wargaming, published in 1974. The troops in line attacking Plancenoit are Garrison Prussian Guards and Landwehr (codes PN 2 and PN 11, respectively according to the 1972 catalogue). Line infantry (PN 7s) can also be glimpsed in the village. Marching up in column behind them are Lammings, albeit with Hinton Hunt officers by the looks of them.
If anybody has any of these and would like to send me pictures of them, I would be extremely grateful.
There may or may not be another post this weekend. I have a couple of generals on the go and with a bit of luck I may have one of them to show off in a day or two.
WM
He's a Garrison PN 12: Prussian Landwehr marching, of 1973-design vintage, or thereabouts. The intent, I am assuming, was to expand the existing Garrison Prussian range, which the year before had included guard, line and landwehr in advancing poses. Alas, Rob tells me, the moulds for these are no more, but I've found a picture of some of them.
The image below of troops from Peter Gilder's collection appeared in Charles Grant's Napoleonic Wargaming, published in 1974. The troops in line attacking Plancenoit are Garrison Prussian Guards and Landwehr (codes PN 2 and PN 11, respectively according to the 1972 catalogue). Line infantry (PN 7s) can also be glimpsed in the village. Marching up in column behind them are Lammings, albeit with Hinton Hunt officers by the looks of them.
If anybody has any of these and would like to send me pictures of them, I would be extremely grateful.
There may or may not be another post this weekend. I have a couple of generals on the go and with a bit of luck I may have one of them to show off in a day or two.
WM
That is a wonderful figure Matt and so well painted. The old B/W image brings back lots of memories of what drew me into the hobby all those years ago. The Garrison range contained many fine figures, I had a few of the ECW's and they just had a charm about them.
ReplyDeleteIsn't he a cracker! I'm absolutely delighted with him. I've been lusting after Garrisons ever since I was a nipper, but had neither the funds nor any clue about where to get hold of them.
DeleteYou've made a great job of that one WM! These are not figures I am familiar with but I do remember admiring them in that photo (without knowing what make they were) back in the day. A whole unit should look fantastic.
ReplyDeleteI spent hours and hours gazing at these images and wondering what on earth they were, Ian. Not too long ago I would have guessed they were Hinton Hunts, but I know better now. It's been discoveries like these which have been the icing on the cake these last five years.
Delete...Incidentally, I've just noticed in the picture that PG also clearly resorted to variable base thicknesses!
DeleteLooks nice WM, very very nice!!
ReplyDeleteCheers, Phil. It was a very dangerous decision, painting this chap. All my plans and schemes are starting to disintegrate.
DeleteIndeed, he is an extremely handsome specimen. For some reason, green facings look especially attractive against a dark blue coat or tunic. Interesting information on the late Mr. Gilder's figures. I had never really thought about their make(s) and foolishly assumed the were all Hinchliffe and (later) Connoisseur without examining the photos in closer detail.
ReplyDeleteBest Regards,
Stokes
He's anatomically much more convincing than a Hinton Hunt, isn't he Stokes, but it's his elegance and simplicity that I like the most. Almost but not quite Hezzlewoodian.
DeleteI was obsessed by the figure makes in the wargames books of the 60s and 70s because they looked nothing like what I could see down at my local wargames club or in early editions of Miniature wargames. It was just a sea of ultra-chunky late Hinchliffes and Minifigs by the late 70s and early 80s. Even then I thought they were nowhere near as nice as their predecessors.
What a beauty. The blue and green are marvelous together, which I have found to be a most difficult combination to pull off, but you have really scored a home run with this one! Looking forward to see the other figures you keep hinting at as well. BTW, love that you take Peter Gilder as canonical for figure basing, like you needed an excuse given your skill!
ReplyDeleteThey only way I could make this work was to use my darkest blue (Humbrol 104: Oxford Blue) and my brightest green (Humbrol 101: Mid Green). I also cheated bit by giving him green cuffs to enhance the effect despite the fact that I'm far from convinced that coloured cuffs were worn on litewkas.
DeletePainting all these test figures is rather giving the game away, isn't Dave....
As for Gilder, he bestrode the scene like a colossus, David, not least because his wee men seemed to monopolise everything that was ever published about wargaming. There simply aren't too many other depictions of Napoleonic wargaming back in the earlies.
Delete'What a cracker' was exactly the response that popped into my head when I saw him but then I see you got there first! The simplicity of the uniforms really makes the most of your layering/shading - something that can get lost amid a mass of gold braid. I also find it a toss up to decide whether to go with what is currently exciting me or stick to a self-impose schedule/plan. I think on balance I tend to go with the former and if that means we get to see the full battalion sooner rather than later then it gets my vote. It's certainly encouraging me to buy some large plumed voltigeurs from RobY to do a Garde Fusilier unit.
ReplyDeleteEven now I'm trying to work out a scheme for painting all his bros which won't completely wreck my plans, Rob. If I do them now it'll be the second time I've been derailed, the first being 21st/9th Reserve Regiment. I'm clearly a total pushover for anything wearing a feldmutze.
DeleteGarde Fusiliers? You need Lammings for that!