The Army of Frederick the Great (1 Viewer)
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theBaron
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Well, it's been more than a couple of days, but here is one of my recent finds, a hussar of the regiment of Gersdorff, also known as the Red Hussars:
The regiment fought with distinction in the early years of the Seven Years War, but in November 1759, it had the bad luck to have most of its squadrons in General Finck's corps at Maxen in Saxony, which was surrounded on an isolated plateau by the Austrians and forced to surrender. Though it was ultimately Frederick's fault for placing Finck there in the first place, the King disbanded the units that were part of the corps, the Red Hussars among them. Here is a shot of the figure from the back:
Stadded correctly sculpted this figure as a member of Gersdorff's regiment; note the cartridge pouch tucked under the carbine belt, which was a detail unique to the Red Hussars.
I have some more figures almost finished, which I hope to post in the next couple of days. Thanks for looking!
Prost!
Brad
The regiment fought with distinction in the early years of the Seven Years War, but in November 1759, it had the bad luck to have most of its squadrons in General Finck's corps at Maxen in Saxony, which was surrounded on an isolated plateau by the Austrians and forced to surrender. Though it was ultimately Frederick's fault for placing Finck there in the first place, the King disbanded the units that were part of the corps, the Red Hussars among them. Here is a shot of the figure from the back:
Stadded correctly sculpted this figure as a member of Gersdorff's regiment; note the cartridge pouch tucked under the carbine belt, which was a detail unique to the Red Hussars.
I have some more figures almost finished, which I hope to post in the next couple of days. Thanks for looking!
Prost!
Brad
Obee
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Can't wait..... but I will
I'm painting a couple of Tradition Austrian (Hungarians) at thhis moment, so I'll post them soon for you all to see.
I just love these colourful uniforms... it sure beats CAM
John
theBaron
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Thanks, guys! "A couple of days" has stretched out to a couple of weeks look for a flurry of activity all at once.
John, your Austrians look great! The Tradition castings are just outstanding.
Among the pieces in progress on the bench are some Austrians, and I think I'll start a separate thread (and gallery) for the Army of Maria Theresa. Interestingly, I don't think I've ever seen a casting of the Empress, in any scale, at least not in fully round.
Prost!
Brad
look for a flurry of activity all at once.John, your Austrians look great! The Tradition castings are just outstanding.
Among the pieces in progress on the bench are some Austrians, and I think I'll start a separate thread (and gallery) for the Army of Maria Theresa. Interestingly, I don't think I've ever seen a casting of the Empress, in any scale, at least not in fully round.
Prost!
Brad
theBaron
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Well, I have finally finished a couple of figures, and I'm glad, because I need the room on the bench! So, here are two more Prussians for Old Fritz' army.
First, a seated figure of a dragoon, which I have painted as dragoon of the Zastrow Regiment, to go with the others:
You may recognize this casting from my post earlier this summer, as I was trying to identify the maker. This casting is by Rylit of Germany. Her figures have a unique style, which, though well detailed and very crisp, tends more towards a caricature than a photographic representation. Just the sort of figure I prefer to buy and paint! This one caught my eye for the pose, seated on a keg, pipe in hand, and an amused look on his face.
Next, another figure by Rylit, a very animated fusilier of Regiment Nr. 40:
which at the time of the Seven Years War was commanded by General Gabelentz--another great Prussian name, say it three times fast! This figure, too, has such a great expression. I need to pair him with an Austrian or Russian, engaged in mortal combat. Here is a shot of the detail on the back of the figure:
Very well sculpted, and detailed, though again, not the exact detail we'd see on kits by Puchala, Hecker & Goros, Andrea, Le Cimier, Aitna, etc, but almost a stylized kind of detail.
I have more Rylit castings in the pipeline, including some Austrians, which I hope to finish over the next week or two.
As always, thanks for looking, and comments/criticisms are welcome!
Prost!
Brad
First, a seated figure of a dragoon, which I have painted as dragoon of the Zastrow Regiment, to go with the others:
You may recognize this casting from my post earlier this summer, as I was trying to identify the maker. This casting is by Rylit of Germany. Her figures have a unique style, which, though well detailed and very crisp, tends more towards a caricature than a photographic representation. Just the sort of figure I prefer to buy and paint! This one caught my eye for the pose, seated on a keg, pipe in hand, and an amused look on his face.
Next, another figure by Rylit, a very animated fusilier of Regiment Nr. 40:
which at the time of the Seven Years War was commanded by General Gabelentz--another great Prussian name, say it three times fast! This figure, too, has such a great expression. I need to pair him with an Austrian or Russian, engaged in mortal combat. Here is a shot of the detail on the back of the figure:
Very well sculpted, and detailed, though again, not the exact detail we'd see on kits by Puchala, Hecker & Goros, Andrea, Le Cimier, Aitna, etc, but almost a stylized kind of detail.
I have more Rylit castings in the pipeline, including some Austrians, which I hope to finish over the next week or two.
As always, thanks for looking, and comments/criticisms are welcome!
Prost!
Brad
beating retreat
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Hi Brad
I always enjoy reading this thread and look forward to seeing the unusual figures you come up with. I particularly like the chap sat on the barrel and same as you I like painting and collecting figures with a bit of character. I have never heard of this German manufacturer, are these figures still available to buy, if so do you have any contact details?
Regards John
I always enjoy reading this thread and look forward to seeing the unusual figures you come up with. I particularly like the chap sat on the barrel and same as you I like painting and collecting figures with a bit of character. I have never heard of this German manufacturer, are these figures still available to buy, if so do you have any contact details?
Regards John
churchmouse1
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Beautiful, Brad. Just beautiful!
Dave
Dave
theBaron
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Thanks very much, John and Dave!
John, here's the URL for Rylit's website:
www.rylit.de
Frau Ursula Litterscheidt is the owner, and I think, the sole sculptor. However, these figures aren't in her catalog on the website. A caution-she sells other lines of figures, including Mascot Models, and there is some nudity on the first page ("Scorpion Queen" I think, is the figure pictured). I don't mind it, but I respect the sensibilities of those who might, and of course, be careful if you're at work and browsing.
There are only a couple of Seven Years War figures showing currently. I have been meaning to email her to ask about these figures, and if they might still be available.
The owner of these figures is a Canadian veteran, who was stationed in Germany in the early 80's and who bought the figures while he was there. I told him that he and I were probably within miles of each other at the time
I will email Frau Litterscheidt and post back with anything I find out.
Prost!
Brad
John, here's the URL for Rylit's website:
www.rylit.de
Frau Ursula Litterscheidt is the owner, and I think, the sole sculptor. However, these figures aren't in her catalog on the website. A caution-she sells other lines of figures, including Mascot Models, and there is some nudity on the first page ("Scorpion Queen" I think, is the figure pictured). I don't mind it, but I respect the sensibilities of those who might, and of course, be careful if you're at work and browsing.
There are only a couple of Seven Years War figures showing currently. I have been meaning to email her to ask about these figures, and if they might still be available.
The owner of these figures is a Canadian veteran, who was stationed in Germany in the early 80's and who bought the figures while he was there. I told him that he and I were probably within miles of each other at the time
I will email Frau Litterscheidt and post back with anything I find out.
Prost!
Brad
beating retreat
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Hi Brad
Thanks for the link
John
Thanks for the link
John
Iron Brigade
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Dear Brad:
Nice photos! Old Frederick the Great is an important figure in 18th century European history.
"Iron Brigade" /Gary
Nice photos! Old Frederick the Great is an important figure in 18th century European history.
"Iron Brigade" /Gary
theBaron
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Hi, all! I've finally gotten back to some of the figures on the bench, and finished a pair that I'll share with you now, a little vignette by Rylit in Germany:
Eva Nuschke, a Marketenderin or sutleress in the train with Frederick's army, offers her wares to Adam Zeschwitz of von Platen's Dragoon Regiment (Nr. 11).
Such a great little pair...of figures When I saw this on eBay, I was determined to win the auction. Here are some other angles on the vignette:
I was tempted to finish this in a matte finish, and I also used some art store acrylics for colors like Eva's skirt and apron. In the end, I used flat and gloss acrylics, enamels, and even oils for her lips, and gloss-coated with Future:
I also experimented with some washing techniques. I like redheads, so I decided to paint Eva as one. But just plain red by itself would have looked too cartoon-y. So the base color is red, with successive thin washes of brown in the shadows. I used some washing to pick up the very fine relief on the weave of her basket, too. Here's one last shot:
Eva wears on her hat the light blue cockade that was the sole indentification for all sutlers to the Prussian army. They often wore other bits of uniform, like the coat (for the men), or a variant of a hussar's dolman (for the ladies).
I'm very happy with the way it turned out; because the figures were already attached to the base, it was tough to reach some places. The base itself has molded relief to look like grass and some trampled flowers, which you can't really see here. The off-white pieces reminded me of large mushrooms, so I painted those white with a little burnt siena wash to try and capture that look.
I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I enjoyed painting it. Thanks for looking, and there are more in the pipeline.
Prost!
Brad
Eva Nuschke, a Marketenderin or sutleress in the train with Frederick's army, offers her wares to Adam Zeschwitz of von Platen's Dragoon Regiment (Nr. 11).
Such a great little pair...of figures
When I saw this on eBay, I was determined to win the auction. Here are some other angles on the vignette:
I was tempted to finish this in a matte finish, and I also used some art store acrylics for colors like Eva's skirt and apron. In the end, I used flat and gloss acrylics, enamels, and even oils for her lips, and gloss-coated with Future:
I also experimented with some washing techniques. I like redheads, so I decided to paint Eva as one. But just plain red by itself would have looked too cartoon-y. So the base color is red, with successive thin washes of brown in the shadows. I used some washing to pick up the very fine relief on the weave of her basket, too. Here's one last shot:
Eva wears on her hat the light blue cockade that was the sole indentification for all sutlers to the Prussian army. They often wore other bits of uniform, like the coat (for the men), or a variant of a hussar's dolman (for the ladies).
I'm very happy with the way it turned out; because the figures were already attached to the base, it was tough to reach some places. The base itself has molded relief to look like grass and some trampled flowers, which you can't really see here. The off-white pieces reminded me of large mushrooms, so I painted those white with a little burnt siena wash to try and capture that look.
I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I enjoyed painting it. Thanks for looking, and there are more in the pipeline.
Prost!
Brad
thebritfarmer
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It's been a while but nice to see some of your work Brad. She is a healthy looking girl isn't she {eek3} Nice job you have made of them both.
Louis Badolato
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If this was a cartoon, that trooper would have his eyes bugging out three feet to the sound of a "barooga" horn. Nicely done!:wink2:
aujj65
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Brad,
As has been pointed out already, great looking pair of figures. It never fails to amuse does it! ^&grin The fun some of these sculptors must have. Never heard of this manufacturer before and I assume you have more from the range?
Btw, nice paint job. ^&cool
Jeff
As has been pointed out already, great looking pair of figures. It never fails to amuse does it! ^&grin The fun some of these sculptors must have. Never heard of this manufacturer before and I assume you have more from the range?
Btw, nice paint job. ^&cool
Jeff
johnnybach
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My word - Brad - bet you used a fair bit of paint there! jb^&grin
