Second Hand Swedes

As you may or may not know, I have a 1/72 scale WSS/GNW project running, with actually quite good progress, only I hadn't properly photographed everything. The figures are safely packed away for now in a 8l plastic box.

I got the 'From Narva to Poltava' big box made by Strelets for last Christmas (among other things), and this includes twelve Swedish pikemen and the same amount of musketeers. For obvious reasons, this is not the best distribution, chief among them the fact that my sixteen-figure units contain one central element of four figures and two 'wings' of six figures. 

(Of course it means different base sizes within a unit, but my OCD wouldn't let me get away with the command element not being perfectly in the middle.)

As I completely ran out of Swedish musketeers (that is because I traded my GNW collection for some Perry HYW figures IIRC before our previous move), I had to find more. Zvezda, being a Russian company, does not really import anymore to the EU and they only re-released their stuff once some time ago, so resources are scant.

As mentioned on the 'Carp to Gold' build log, my significant other convinced me to register on the second hand marketplace app Vinted, and just by searching for Zvezda, I hit the jackpot: not one, but two sellers offering used GNW Swedish figures.

I bought both and they were with me in a little while, about sixty figures in total (plus a complete unused box of Swedish artillery, and thirty-odd Streltsi, all for good use). I washed them, removing some of the old paint, and using the remaining unpainted Strelets pikemen, organized them to battalions, trying to maintain similar poses throughout. I made the above reference picture before stowing them away, but fortunately I could find a box with internal compartments, so I probably won't mix them up.

The wonders of the internet I guess! Now, on to painting them (after a unit of Russian foot, test pieces for my AK Mint Green colour, and two more Saxon infantry are completed, among other things)...

Trashy Fleets WIP #2

Inspired by, among other things, Archduke Piccolo's recent posting about his scratchbuilt pre-dreadnought battleships, I dug out my own work-in-progress hulls and proceeded a good deal with building them.

The Swedish coastal defence ship Äran got a full paintjob, all she needs now is a layer of gloss acrylic medium and finish on her base (and gluing the hull to said base).

The not-quite Charles Martel (forgot an extra layer of superstructure) also starts to look like herself, finished all twele turrets (the French designers just got a little bit overboard with that aspect) and installed the cabin windows, stacks and upper platform. As you can see I also did a little bit of pre-painting on hard to reach areas. Her main hull will be finished in dark grey, upper structure yellow ochre and the deck a linoleum color.

There are also a few hulls of Tordenskjold-class monitors in the background, more on them at a later time.

Trashy Fleets WIP - HSwMS Äran and MNF Charles Martel

 

I try to post regularly these days (usually on Mondays because then I would have time to gather materials durink the weekend), but these past two weeks were our - now seemingly regular - holiday to close off the summer, including a trip to Greece, and a 4 hour delay followed by a return trip through a nasty storm on our way back home.

Anyway, after making some resin galleys (see previous post) I quickly got distracted, and as I've had these two hulls lying around, I decided to do some work on them for my 1/1000 scale Trashy Fleets project.

On the left is the assembled coastal defence ship HSwMS Äran, a utilitarian Swedish Navy vessel. I like these ships a lot, as they pack quite a punch compared to their size. She and the rest of her class would supposedly play a part in an upcoming Zinqaguri-Nordsburian naval conflict set in my imagi-world in the future.

On the right is proof that I sort of managed to master creating tumblehome hulls using balsa wood, the French pre-dreadnought Charles Martel, with its main hull complete and secondary (tertiary?) turrets attached. The four larger turrets are in the making - the two main ones are complete and await attachment, pictured right next to the hull. 

I mainly used balsa wood, plastic rods and spare 1/700 bits (like the secondary battery of a Kongo class for the Äran and main barrels of a USS Arizona for the Charles Martel) to get this far. The turrets on the Charles Martel are rods of magic sculpt kneaded to shape, then sanded, as the fibers in the balsa wood would be just too rough for such intricate work. Just as with my previous pre-dreadnought, I'm going to build bases for these ships as well.

GNW Swedish artillery

I ordered this Zvezda set from an Italian ebay store. It has lots of horses, guns and crew, and plenty of options for conversion.

Karl XII and Ivan Mazepa

Still working on the Strelets figures, this time a small diorama of Karl XII of Sweden and his best buddy. Not as limited in use as some might think (for a while I was thinking about a Maurice de Saxe conversion instead).

A bit of Gå–På every day

Since its arrival, I have been working on the Strelets 'From Narva to Poltava' big box at a steady pace. You can inspect most of its contents above.

GNW Swedes, part the ten thousandth

I've completed two more units of foot and rebased the Västerbotten unit for my 1/72 Swedes. I also converted/sculpted a unit of horse.

GNW cannoneers

Some of the last pieces of the Strelets big GNW box are finished: an officer in half plate, six gunners and a dude using a blunderbuss for launching a grenade.

Also, some earthworks made from PVA, sand and sprue rubble.

Expanding the Swedish army

I have finally got to paint more of the Zvezda Swedes. After some counting heads and arranging, I've come up with a tally of three all new units (besides the one already finished) plus three 'command' groups of four figures, for the one box already painted. Including some Strelets figs, this would put the Swedish infantry at a respectable size.

Dragoons and militias

The next item in the row of tricorne fever painting posts contains twenty-four figures in two units: GNW Swedish dragoons without horses, and another dozen after the existing 25 of the Accurate Figures 'George Washington's Army' lot, which I previously confused with IMEX for the sole reason that IMEX produces the same set with the same figures.

Complete Swedes

With these seven units, my 6mm Great Northern War Swedish army for Maurice is ready to fight on its own. If the esteemed reader takes a look at the Schultze-Böhnstadt blog, it will become clear that some blue-and-yellow contingents had indeed fought in various battles, but never without support from the other armies.

There are four cavalry wedges in the lot with ten figures each, and three infantry units, this time in karpus. I have cheated a little bit and added the Närke-Värmlands regiment with karpus on their heads and not tricornes. The red of this unit and the white of the Västerbotten regiment will add some variety to the rest - they are rather too uniform for a tricorne army. 

6mm GNW Swedish artillery

In the form of a WSS 'battalion guns' artillery set from Baccus, the Swedish army receives some support. They had borrowed from the other bellingerents earlier.

6mm Update

First off, four units of Swedish cavalry. A Baccus pack contains 45 and I have before made 12-men units, but this time, to be more sparse with the figures, there are ten riders on four bases in a 2-3-3-2 setup. And the formation is not a strict line as known of the GNW Swedish horse. Probably a bit anachronistic for the timeline of Schultze-Böhnstadt, too.

As usual, I've painted the figures using a dark grey primer, a high contrast brown shade and highlights on the yellow and blue uniforms and the horses. The picture above is not the best to show detail but the mass effect comes through I think.

Proxy Armies

This is a Thirty Years War Spanish army made of wooden sticks. Four large infantry formations, eight groups of cavalry, two commanders and four cannon. It can be expanded later, and also used as a mercenary force in any theatre. 

The 'figures' are closest to 6mm. Infantry units have 75 sticks on five stands while cavalry 20 on two. The 'shot' stands have 12 sticks on them, the large pike blocks 24 pikemen plus command, including the regimental standard. Doing the maths, this means 300 infantry and 160 cavalry.

6mm GNW Swedish infantry

Four units of Varangians/Swedes for Maurice, in my standard 32-men composition. What I changed was the layout of figures per base as I included grenadiers on the flanks and split the command strip between two bases to have the flag more to the centre of the unit.

So while a standard ImagiNation infantry unit looks like this:

M M M M   M M M M   M M M M   M M M M

M M M M   M M M M   C  C  C  C   M M M M

the Swedes look like this:

G G M M   M M M M   M M M M   M M G G 

G G M M   M M C  C    C C  M M    M M G G 

(Grenadiers, Musketeers and Command, respectively). The Baccus GNW Grenadier pack is half strength, 12 strips = 48 figures compared to the 24 strips = 96 figures of the musketeers; I've cut up one strip for each flank of the main body. These grenadier figures were problematic, though, because they bend and break way too easily, something I rarely experienced with Baccus stuff before.

Anyway, painting was just the usual: grey primer, a very quick run with the basic colors, a dark brown shade made of black glaze and burnt umber, then a highlight on the blues. A single highlight of the main color (with a much brighter tone) improves the look of the units vastly.

The flags were taken from this site, printed then painted over.

I think the next units will have karpus hats but I'm not sure about pikes. Maurice has rules for them, well, some won't hurt.

6mm Varangian/GNW Swedish beginnings & star fort

The figs are actually the remainders of the previous Baccus SYW lot. I've had a lot of spare dragoons/cuirassiers as the standard pack has 45 and I only need 39 (12 riders on four bases +1 disruption marker). Some figures are from the SYW generals lot. I decided they would be the Drabant Corps for the GNW and fulfill a similar role in the imaginary Varangian army. 

The skirmishers could be just that or dismounted dragoons depending on the scenario.

The commanders are also from the SYW lot, the standard one CIC + two notables setup. 

I used a highlight over the shaded coat, which looks better than just leaving it so. I would like to do a touching-up on the complete armies as well, but highlighting 900 figures could take some time.

The fort is made of balsa wood pieces in a very simple way. It's based on a large plasticard piece and can hold two units if they are crammed in, and I believe some cannon could be placed to the corners even then.

The Deadly Trio Strikes Again!

The previous version of Count Ozgrusowoa and his comrades was the one I made from green stuff. Not too contended with the proportions and outcome, I have set my eyes on the ECW command set made by A Call to Arms. No, actually the two things didn't overlap, but when I received the box I immediately thought: change is needed! And change was what I had made.

Complete Zvezda GNW Swedish Infantry

Here are all 3 regiments painted so far. 

GNW - Swedish Västerbotten Regiment

Last bunch of the Zvezda foot box, representing two battalions of the Västerbotten regiment. I cut off most of the tricornes, leaving only a small peg, then sculpted karpuses around that. These simple jobs keep me in practice.

Painting was standard except a white undercoat: VGC Wolf Grey on the white parts highlighted with white, VMC Flat Blue highlighted with a mix of Flat/Electric Blue. The flesh parts had a glaze of burnt umber.

The bases were painted with VMC Flat Earth again.

Most of the stuff from my previous post is ordered, I'll be expecting them in the next two weeks. Until then the 6mm models will take the stage.

GNW - Swedish Livgardet Foot Command

Continuing the Zvezda Swedish foot box, here's the command sprue painted in the generic uniform colors. The flag is that of the Livgardet, a hand-painted piece showing some wear and tear.

Painting was otherwise standard, with some blending used on the blue basecoat that in the end gave a little bit more cold tone and closer to the original than on the Närke-Värmland.

Next up is the end of the box in the form of the Västerbotten regiment (greenstuff was used in heinous quantities), then, after I had ran another stripping on the dragoons, they will fall prey to my brushes.