Brandenburg,1690-1700: 30mm Flats

For a change of pace from the Lego figures, here's a few flats for the Nine Years War period.  These I painted recently.

First up, infantry.  Pikemen and musketeers from Kieler, brilliant figures engraved by a master, Ludwig Frank.

You may have noticed the musketeers are not as crisply cast as the pikemen. I got the latter on eBay years ago and I've often wondered if they were pirated castings. Not Spencer-Smith caliber vague surely, but they do call for some estimation of  how to execute the details once the paint goes on and further obscures what lies beneath.

And as painted. As always, with acrylics.

And a couple of mounted figures.  Left casting is Scholtz, the in-house line sold by Berliner Zinnfiguren,  On the right, a Kieler dragoon.  An Austrian judging by the canteen on the other side, I like him better but I have only this one.  The dual tail on the Scholtz horse is a nice touch, adding a little variety to your formation depending upon which way you cut. I wish they'd done likewise with the hat brim.

And the Scholtz figure as painted.  These actually belong to a set, The Great Elector Landing on Rugen Island, 1678.  Which, as usual for Berliner Zinnfiguren is pricey.  I don't have it, bought enough at a reasonable cost from Alexander Wilken to paint a smallish squadron.  In the military fashion sense they bridge the gap between the 30 Years War and the War of the Spanish Succession but can pass for 1690-1700.

Not my best painting with all these, but certainly adequate for standing in a battalion or squadron.  Next up, I have finished the Lego minifig grenadier and cavalry trooper.  These turned out nicely and I'll post them shortly.

Kieler Austrian Infantry - 1683

More 30mm flats.  This is a combination from two Kieler/Ochel sets suitable for the Siege of Vienna in 1683.  Interesting that the musketeers are depicted advancing with fixed plug bayonets. The figures are very nicely designed and engraved, I believe the original production dates to the 1920's or so.  The pikemen were unpainted castings, the musketeers came in factory paint and tolerably done too but I wanted all the at least be painted to a consistent standard so I stripped and repainted them.

And in battle array.

Austrians - 1683

Thanks to several good suggestions to the "Still Alive & Kicking" post, I've decided to expand the scope of the blog.  Now for some housekeeping.  I don't intend to dredge up every last thing I've ever painted, but did want to take advantage of the blog format to organize some older stuff here, probably with most of the emphasis on the flats, because first you don't see them every day, and second, I just like them.

First up, a few Austrians for the Siege of Vienna, 1683.  Two makers sets here, Schiller and Kieler/Ochel.  Which goes to show that the Germans, if not entirely consistent, usually hit very close to the mark when it comes to meeting a common 30mm standard.  Painted in acrylics.