Well, I finally finished the batch of figures I had mentioned some time ago. I think these have been sitting on my bench for two years.
These are all figures from Rylit, depicting five of Frederick's generals. Given that some of these have some very nicely sculpted faces, I experimented with applying some shadows with skin tones.
First up is Robert Scipio von Lentulus:
Lentulus belonged to a Swiss military family, and served first in the Austrian army, before seeking out the Prussian service before the Seven Years War. He commanded a regiment of cuirassiers, the "Leib-Regiment" (KR 3). This figure depicts him wearing the cavalry officer's white gala coat, instead of the field uniform.
Next is General Henri Auguste de la Motte Fouque:
Fouque's family were Hugenots who fled France after the Edict of Nantes was revoked. As a young man, he befriended Frederick when the latter was still Crown Prince, and remained one of his closest friends. From 1744, he commanded a regiment of fusiliers, Nr 33, whose uniform this figure depicts. He was an able and tenacious commander, though he was defeated and captured by the Austrians at Landeshut in 1760. He spent the last two years of the war as a prisoner, harassing his captors with an endless stream of legal petitions which forced them to tie up resources to address. After the war, he retired from active service and remained a friend and confidante of the King.
This figure depicts General Tauenzien in the uniform of the King's own bodyguard regiment, the
Garde zu Fuss (IR 15):
Tauenzien was an able commander, and served most notably as commander of the Breslau garrison, which successfully resisted an Austrian siege in 1760. A story from that siege describes how the Austrians taunted the garrison, saying that they would sack the city and "pluck the babes from their mothers' wombs." Tauenzien is said to have stood on the battlements and replied, "I am not pregnant, neither are my soldiers."
This figure is General Hans Kaspar von Krockow,
Chef of the 1st Cuirassier regiment:
Krockow commanded his regiment ably from 1745 until his death in 1759. He succumbed to wounds he received several months before in the Battle of Hochkirch.
And the last figure is General Georg Wilhelm von Driesen, commander of the 7th Cuirassiers:
His greatest achievement as a commander was to lead the Prussian cavalry charge that scattered the Austrian cavalry which had threatened to outflank Frederick's infantry. Oddly, his fate was not to die in battle, but of complications from severe gout.
I've got more in the gray army, and I'm gradually working through them. Hopefully I'll finish more, as the days around here get shorter and colder, and I spend more time inside.
Thanks for looking!
Prost!
Brad