Here's a set of old Heinrichsen 28mm flats which I've gradually repainted over the months. More about them on this previous post. It's a bit embarrassing to see that I'd predicted a 3 week completion time for this unit at that time, now 7 months past. Not that they take long to paint, they don't. But I'd left them in the queue 3/4 completed until this month. Well, better late than never !
Yes, they are small. This photo showing the vagaries of scale between musicians of the Heinichsens and Eureka Toy Town soldiers (ostensibly 28mm scale), is rather comical.
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| "I'm 28mm." .... "No, I'M 28mm !" |
And as completed.
If I game with them, I'll need to mount them simply on cardboard bases as repeatedly knocking down the ranks like dominoes while setting up for the photos was an exercise in frustration.
I do like the old school appeal of these figures, and as a lot were produced back in the 19th Century, there's enough old sets and castings still around to make a go of assembling both a French and Austrian army. The unit sizes tend to run around 20 foot, 10 horse which actually suits horse & musket gaming in the Featherstone style rather nicely. Most of them are factory painted and can certainly be sent to battle that way for the near term. And Heinrichsen has re-issued a few things.
Next up, first painted examples of some Austrians in this same antique style of figures. I also recently scored a very nice deal on a set of Garde Imperiale horse artillery on German eBay, which will effectively take care of the guns for the French side.
Its a great pity figures like this are not still available , Tony
ReplyDeleteYou’re right, Tony. Although they still are in a manner of speaking. Which is somewhat miraculous when you consider the figures being produced 150 years ago. Aside from taking pot luck on German eBay and Berliner Zinnfiguren, Heinrichsen re-issued the 1848 Prussian infantry (which can do double duty as Russians) and I also have a good set of castings, the Austrian general staff in this small scale.
DeleteI ran the idea past Brigitte Grobe (she runs the Ernst Heinrichsen company) of re-issuing some of the old battle sets such as Magenta or Solferino but she didn’t think they’d be commercially viable. I think in large part because of the antiquated style of the figures, some of indifferent design quality and some mixture of styles in play. But it’s possible we may yet see more of the old figures released in the 1/8 packaging format.
They do have a panache that modern figures struggle to obtain.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like them, Ross. Over the years I've come to appreciate that you can't beat the utility of figures posed either marching or advancing in some variation of port arms.
DeleteI second (or third) all the above comments, most modern figures leave me cold, but these are quite charming (and very well painted).
ReplyDeleteThanks very much, Springinsfeld. I too have become disenchanted with the bulky proportions of many wargames figures.
DeleteWonderful, how you paint them, as usual. I could ask in our Association in Nuremberg for getting more Heinrichsen figures. We have some collectors there.
ReplyDeletePeter
Thank you, Peter. That's very kind of you.
DeletePainting flats is true art!
ReplyDeleteAnd I find that even painted simply, they look good.
DeleteI have come into possession of a large collection of painted flats, all from the Napoleonic era. My guess is about 20,000 figures. Can anyone recommend a dealer who might be willing to buy them, either outright, or on consignment? reinertg at hushmail.com
ReplyDelete