Tuesday, 2 March 2021

Great Northern War - Sodra Skansa Cavalry Regiment

 Here are the next trio of Swedish cavalry for the GNW project. My plan is to do units either standing or charging - 6 of each in each box I think (if you include walking with the standing that is). Unlike Perry, not all the horse halves can be combined, so you really only get two or three options - not bad compared with some metal ranges but a 6/10 compared with other hard plastic manufacturers. There are four different torsos available, I plan to use three - the one wearing the cuirass isnt compatible with what the Swedes wore at this time, so wont be used. 



To be brutally frank. I dont really like these three as much as the previous ones and I cant decide if it is the charging pose, the colour scheme or a combination of both. The yellow facings on the last group just seemed so much more attractive and the seated poses more natural....anyway, I have three more of each type assembled and the standing group are under coated, so will see how they come out!




Another issue is the basing. Like many (all?) plastic figures, these come with a mix of single and double plastic bases. The trouble is, I want to base three on a 60 x 60 base, and the plastic bases as they come are too big to allow that, so I have had to cut them back - you may notice I cocked this up on the first base, hence the reason the centre figure is extended way out beyond the edge of the base. I also find the base in general a problem - even if using the full base straight from the box, there is only one flat rear hoof and the very edge of a second one in contact with the base for the charging pose and to me, its not enough, so I have to use a pin hole drill to insert a small piece of wire into the hoof and drill a corresponding hole in the cut down base - all a lot of hassle. 




So why do it you cry? Because they are half the price of metal figures so I can get more bang for my buck (I am a true Scotsman you see!) Having said that, I may splash out and get some Ebor metal cav too....time will tell.

Thats it for now - more soon hopefully - take care all!

30 comments:

  1. I think the yellow facings make a big difference Keith, as that splash of colour makes the unit pop as it were. Maybe you could try painting one figure with yellow facings to see if it improves things for oyu? Also for me, the charging horse overhanging the base looks wrong, but that's just my personal view.

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    1. Thanks Steve - I totally agree about the over hang but I could not face pulling them all off the cut down bases and starting again to make them fit properly....the next lot I have just done fit correctly!

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    2. Steve, my view as well. The base should accommodate the figure. Now, if you add a small section of wall on the front edge that the lead horse is appearing to jump, that might look cool.

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    3. Thanks Jon, I might give that a try....

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  2. Dynamic poses and great paint job, superb cavalry!

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  3. I really like the classic toy soldier look of these figures.
    Regards, James

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    1. And maybe that's what I DONT like James...I think it's something about the position of the sword arm! However, I will persevere with them.

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    2. Ha, ha. Meat and poison, hey?!

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  4. They look good to me, Keith. Perhaps positioning the center guy more in line with the others may help the overall look. Granted, you noted the issues why you had to place him there.

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    1. Perhaps I just need to bite the bullet Dean and do some rebasing to make them fit better.....

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  5. Keith, I like these. I like the pose of the lead charging horse and I like the way they are not lined up, because it gives a sense of motion and that lead horse, by its pose, looks the fastest.

    However, I would be tempted to try and glue a small extension strip to the front of the base, so that the lead horse does not look like it is leaving the base. I would also be tempted to very slightly calm down the yellow on the bag (not the belts).

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  6. Thanks Norm - very supportive but echoing what others have said re the middle horse - GRRR - I will have to do something about it - I didn't like the look myself when I did it - just too lazy to fix it. Having it stick out like that is just asking for it to get broken off in the heat of battle too...

    As to the colour of the bags, it could just be an illusion from the camera as they are the same paint as the cross belt etc - but might have a look at that too. Lots to work on :)

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  7. Lovely paint work and the middle figure looks fine to me Keith. Like you, I really couldn't bring myself to be re-basing figures when they have just been freshly done. Besides, it will not be as noticeable in a game, and might be quite amusing to see your figures utilising your opponent's bases for support when in combat. A little bit like invading another's personal space.

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    1. Cheers Lawrence....yes, in the cold light of the painting table this evening.....I didn't do anything to that base! Spent about two hours faffing about assembling sis or eight more figures...plastics certainly have their drawbacks.....not so bad once you actually get to paint them!

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  8. The cavalry looks great! Good to see the progress on GNW project. Known prlblems with basing, yes they are a bit too boring.

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    1. Thanks Dmitry...progress is quite slow but might speed up a bit over the next few days.

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  9. Very beautiful figures. Love the color combination.

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  10. Wonderful job on those Keith, great colours.
    Cheers
    Stu

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    1. Thanks Stu - maybe its just me then - I really found the dark blue/light blue combination a bit underwhelming - the yellow facings were much nicer in my opinion. Thanks for the positive comments!

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  11. Nice work, they look fine to me colour scheme is lovely. If I had a criticism it is they just aren’t the best sculpts ? Cost vs quality can be a challenge. Trust me I am a cheap skate too !

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    1. Thanks Matt...I agree, by today's standards, they are a bit average ...a couple more sword arm options would go a long way to resolving that! But if I compare them with metal figures of yesteryear, or even some of the current offerings, I think the sculpting is fine, it's more about the pose, if you get the distinction....

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  12. I think they look fine , my only worry about the overhanging horse is damage potential, but they're plastic, so they're more resilient? Park it and move on would be my suggestion!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks Iain, I may very well follow your advice!

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