Tuesday 25 April 2017

St Petersburg Dragoon Regiment

Today this freshly fitted out regiment of Napoleonic Russian Dragoons marched off the painting table.


This is the first of two dragoon regiments - the second was ordered just this morning - and I must admit it is nice to be painting troops in summer dress again before I launch back into the last couple of units in winter gear.


I have always liked the Russian dragoon uniform, but last time I painted Russian dragoons was probably twenty five years ago and they were in 15mm, for three divisional strength armies that I painted for sale - sadly those armies met a very messy end...they were sold to a chap who reputedly had an affair and when his wife found out she put the figures on the floor and stomped all over them.


These are Perry Miniatures 28mm figures will not meet that fate. The regiment consists of one command pack two charging packs and one shouldered sabre pack to get the right mix in the line. As with all the Perry figures they have great character - the charging figures in particular are leaning forward in the saddles, stretching with sabres pointing. The standard will be added in a day or two.


16 comments:

  1. Good looking Russian Dragoons, Mark!
    Sorry to read about the tragic end to your 15mm Russians. I have heard similar stories of wargame collection demise during divorce. Rarely uplifting.

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    1. Thanks Jonathan. I like the Russian dragoons. The plan after the two dragoon regiments is two of cuirassiers which should be equally impssive.

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  2. They look lovely up close. The first time I read this, I thought you had written that you had painted these the same day you had ordered them, and I thought, bloody ell, that's quick. Still wincing over that story of your old figures. Some chaps have affairs, some play toy soldiers, seldom both in my experience.

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    1. Thank you Michael. If only delivereies could be that quick best I have had all the way from the UK to NZ is four days - it must have hit all the connections just right!

      I have never been acused of an affair, but have been acused of spending too much time with my toy soldiers...

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  3. Wonderful addition Mark, they look splendid and dynamic!

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  4. Very nice, There's something about Russian Green ....

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    1. I agree. It is very sombre, but once you get the facing colour on the uniform it suddenly becomes so military.

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  5. Excellent work, and that story about the 15's is painful to hear!!

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    1. Thanks Mark. I agree, the thought of that lead under foot still make me cringe!

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  6. Great stuff Mark, and a salutary lesson for us all. Personally I don't know how anybody finds the time, in between home, work and hobby.

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    1. Its not the time issue for me, but rather that the though of how many toy soldiers could have been bought with all the money the would have had to be spent on all those extracurricular activities.

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  7. These are pretty Mark - I see you have based them a la Crimean and Carlist War periods - are you planning to rebase all your Prussian Napoleonics?? :)

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    1. No there is no radical change to basing. While they are in stands of three instead of two, the frontage per figure is the same - 20mm per figure - it is just an appearance thing. All it means is that in play I have to convert the frontage - a line of four stands equals six, a column two stands wide equals three. I have done the same with the infantry. No plans at this stage to rebase the Prussians, although if I do eventually get some more Prussian cavalry I may base them this way.

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    2. I do like your cavalry in stands of three. Keep tempting me like this and I may decide to go back to the drawing board with my 28mm Napoleonics and rebase my horse from two to three. Of course, that would require painting a few more cavalry...

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    3. The threes have a dual advantage. First, it allows you to do a lot more scenic work on the bases, thus increasing the aesthetics, second it makes less stands to handle when you go to move the units making the figures a little less prone to damage. My Austro-Prussian War Austrians and Italians are mounted quite radically differently with double ranks, i.e. six figures to a stand.

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