Friday, August 30, 2024

Some SYW Front Rank Russians


Another short post to show off some projects completed over this summer.

My Seven Years project uses 6 infantry figures on a 2x2" base to give the nice packed ranks that I associate with the period.    As part of breathing new life into units painted long ago, and now being rebased, I needed some more figures to flesh out my Russian units.  I remain deeply thankful that Gripping Beast picked up the Front Rank range, which I started collecting some three decades ago, but in small numbers as I was on a graduate student budget at the time.   Now I can afford to pick up more of these castings to bring the units up to the new standard.

These are painted in the famous red gaiters of the Apsheronsky Regiment, which was apparently awarded them as an honour after Kunersdorf where they "fought up to their knees in blood".  The story is undoubtedly exaggerated but it's a nice piece of visual chrome for the tabletop.



It's taken me a while to master the Zen like detachment necessary to paint multiples of the same figure, but one advantage of the method is that after a while the paintbrush just seems to know where to go.


I currently have over 30 SYW Prussian musketeers on the painting desk, and I'm still hopeful that I can get them all done before the leaves have finished falling.   We'll see.   At any rate, my SYW project remains one of my main lines of hobby effort and continues to be enjoyable.

Thanks for looking and blessings to your brushes!

MP+


 

8 comments:

  1. Splendid work, Michael! You are correct in that the brain, hand, and brush know the way when painting a large number of the same pose.

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    1. Thank you Jon. Muscle memory takes over after a while!

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  2. Stalwart chaps!
    But you need more Prussians

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    1. Forty of them on the painting desk and nearing completion!

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  3. You have done a lovely job on these Michael, even if they "almost" painted themselves!
    I never paint in large batches, I find I get sloppier and sloppier as I get to figure number 10 or 12....I prefer to paint 3 to 6 (a base worth ) of figures from start to finish, then do another batch....I would still paint 24 figures in 8 to 10 days, I just can't face doing all 24 at the same time!
    Gotta agree about the survival of Front Rank....they are still one of my favourite ranges!

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    1. Thanks mate, I have to stop every now and then and pick up another project, but there's a certain satisfaction in saying "today I will do all brass" or "all red facings" and just bearing down towards the finish line. So glad that Front Rank castings are still available. if only someone would pick up Renegade!

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