Hello Mike,
great sets again. You must own hundereds of them by now - you lucky guy.
kind regards
Wolfgang
P.S.
Hope you do not mind the question but how many "Legion Condor sets" did/does Hiriart produce? Was it just the one you put up here? Can't remember where I saw the set with figurines wearing "Blach Barrets".
Hi Wolfgang,
Thanks, I am glad you like them. I don't have an exact count, but I believe that I have more than 250 Hiriart sets. I am trying to pass Bob Walker who has a similar number in his collection, but, alas, he has many more bands and double sets than I do, so I have a ways to go.
Hiriart has just one Condor Legion set which is in its' Spanish Civil War catalog: Set ES-13 LEGION CONDOR, 1939 (stock photo attached). I am not sure which black beret set you are referring to; the Condor Legion figures are not wearing berets.
Best regards,
Mike
Hi Mike,
thanks for your quick reply - Wow 250 sets that is a lot of soldiers indeed. Best of luck for your stocking up.
As for the black berets - and I do not want to sound smart, but berets where indeed worn by at least one mechanized unit and where most likely of spanish origin. Due to the secrecy of the Wehrmacht`s involvement throughout the Spanish Civil War there is still very little evidence of what kind of uniform was actually worn in the field and what wasn't. I am not an expert but I do know that the uniforms as shown in Hiriart`s set where the ones worn at the Berlin comeing home parade in 1938. Dispite the photographic evidence those uniforms where never worn DUREING the conflict in Spain. Period photographs showing such dress where taken in Germany AFTER the troops comeing home in 1938. Dureing the the civil war soldiers on home-leave in Germany where strictly ordered to wear civilian clothes. Very unusual for that time. The transformation of the entire civil-society was almost complete by 1936 and almost every civil servant had to wear a uniform of some kind.
kind regards
Wolfgang
Hi Wolfgang,
I was able to find a copy of the Jose Bueno color plate numbered ES-13 which Hiriart used as the basis for its Spanish Civil War set ES-13 LEGION CONDOR 1939. You can see that they made a very good effort to accurately duplicate the Bueno color plate.
Mike
Very attractive set with nice color combos. -- Al