Gebrüder Rieche - 33mm Flats

Here is my modest collection of Rieche flats.  The Franco-Prussian War isn't my main period of interest, probably because it was such a one-sided walkover for Prussia.  But in the world of toy soldiers, who can say that the French can't turn the tables ?  As most surviving Rieche figure sets seem to belong to that period, 1870 it will be then.

The photo on top shows the French Chasseurs-à-Pied de la Garde. I really like the figure in gaiters and baggy trousers but I only have one of him. The rest look a bit older in uniform style, perhaps representing the Crimean War.  The paint jobs are battered, so I've repainted a few in my own style:

My literal painting style doesn't compare with the old figures for pure toy soldier charm, but I think it does highlight the appearance of the castings better compared to the old factory paint jobs.  This particular figure may be easier to try making a mold of as the rifle isn't so spindly as the others.  Piracy yes, but as the Rieche factory at Hannover was bombed out of existence in 1943, the odds of finding more of a particular pose are not good.

Next we have some factory painted French line infantry for 1870 in the classic style in kepis and overcoats. I do like the gliding pose, rather toylike and appealing.

I've been able to locate another set uniformed in this manner, so will be able to assemble a full battalion.  The next group I bought as unpainted castings.  The uniforms are somewhat different, perhaps they are intended to portray Franc Tireurs or some slightly later uniform.  And as you can see from the command group below, it's definitely a hybrid set.  The officer and bugler look decidedly French in a bit earlier style, the rider matches the bulk of the infantry and the standard bearer looks like he's probably Swiss judging by the flag.

And the ones I've painted so far.

Now for another set of castings. I got a good full group of the French cuirassiers. The command castings below.

And as I've painted the first two examples. Very nice figures these, typical of the slightly impressionistic Rieche style and well animated.

And now for the enemy. Here my collection is very scanty, just the one set of factory painted Hannoverians. 

Once again, dynamic action poses, although unfortunately about half the men are in the "clubbing with musket" pose. 

And that's it for now !

More 40mm Semi-Flats

In his World Encyclopedia of Model Soldiers, John G. Garratt had this to say about semi-flat toy soldiers, "They are neither one thing nor the other, and have no qualities to recommend them."  Mr. Garratt's snooty dismissal may well apply to some bastard offspring of flats and rounds, but not all. This French Dragoon is the latest addition to the Scad Franco-Prussian War molds and it's a good one.  Casting is easy and the base wider and more stable than most of the Scads. All figures here painted in acrylics as usual.

I also got two smallish sets of 40mm Spenkuch French and Prussians from Berliner Zinfiguren.  The French are probably just what John Garratt had in mind, mediocre stuff and not worth showing here. I had in mind to use the command figures for the Scad line infantryman but they don't match well at all, either stylistically or in scale.

These Prussians are clearly superior to the French.  They are 42mm from feet to the eyes, with some undeniable toy soldier appeal.

The good news is they seem to be currently in production. The bad news: Berliner Zinnfiguren charging collectors 36 Euros per set of 10 slim castings.  While Berliner Zinnfiguren taking possession of the Spenkuch molds was obviously a preferable outcome to the whole legacy getting lost, locked away in a museum or sold off to private collectors, I have to take issue with some of their pricing decisions.

So for Prussian infantry (and artillery), short of pirating the BZ Prussians I am pretty well stuck at the moment.  I'd like to stick with flats or semi-flats for this project, as opposed to mixing with Schildkrot, Irregular or STS.  Keeping an eye out for the 45mm Schneider replica molds may be my best bet.  In the meantime, full speed ahead with the 30mm.

Chasseurs à Cheval - 40mm Flats

Here's a couple figures from a set I've had on the back burner for a while now, Heinrichsen # 4107 -Jäger zu Pferd. This set matches chronologically with the French infantry I have shown in previous posts, first issued in 1860.  The castings are relatively new, re-issued in 2011. As can be seen, they are also executed in somewhat toylike style. 10 figures come with the set, officer, standard bearer, 2 buglers and 6 of the troopers shown here.

Why did I wait so long to paint them ?  Among other things,  because of the size. Nominally 40mm, they're actually quite a bit smaller.  Shown here sandwiched between a Carl 30mm flat and a Prince August 40mm semi-flat (modified Russian horse grenadier).

I decided "glass half full" thinking would allow me to make use of them rather than "glass half empty", they don't work with anything else.  To my eyes, they're close enough to 30mm to include with a 30mm project, especially if I base them on thinner wood than the true 30mm figures.

I think because these old flats sets generally come with 10 cavalry or 18 to 20 infantry, it's convenient that it can also be the unit size for the 30mm project. 

Scad Casting Molds: 40mm Semi-Flats

The Scad casting molds which I purchased recently on German eBay have arrived.  I really don't know much about the history of this company or when they ceased production. Most of the molds I got were used and the one new one was packaged as Zinnbrigade, although most will probably associate Zinnbrigade with the more popular Schildkröt.  The Scads covered Napoleonic and Franco-Prussian War subjects on about a 60/40 ratio.  Here is a listing:
http://www.figuren-modellbau.de/scad.html

The casting went fairly well. The molds are rubber, a little harder than Prince August. They seem pretty well designed with quite a few air channels on one side. The molten metal pour is from the bottom, resulting in the excess material attached to the base as can be seen in the photo at the top of the post.  Hacksaw at the ready then.  The other problem I had to a lesser or greater degree was incomplete casting to the extremities. This was particularly problematic with the French infantryman's rifle.  I ended up cutting extra channels from the base to the weapon to get it to cast fully.  The foot figures are comparable in size with Prince August (just a tad larger), the cavalry scaled a bit smaller.

Now let's take a look at that figure, mold # 112 Französischer Infanterist, stürmend:

It's good, the pose is an active and useful one for massed infantry formations. The real flaw with this guy is the spindly chassepot rifle and bayonet. Props to Scad for getting the proportions right, but from a practical standpoint I foresee a lot of breakage risk with the figure unless you're casting with the best quality model metal.  He is represented here reflecting most illustrations of French line infantry, but you have to wonder about the effectiveness of going into battle encumbered with bulky overcoats and full packs festooned with camping gear. 

Here's # 113 - Französischer Jäger zu Fuß, stehend schießend:

The Chasseur a pied's firing pose has some utitility but not so much as #112. Probably could use them as skirmishers for #112 with the line infantry paint scheme.

On to some cavalry, # 212 - Preußischer Dragoner:

A nice trotting pose with the horse's legs cleverly strengthened by dust clouds, rather in the style of pure flats.  And just how flat are these guys ? Pretty flat:

Why didn't the Scads really take hold with hobbyists and wargamers ?   Hard to say, really. The thinness may not appeal to everyone and the narrow bases as cast may be another detractor as they have to be re-based to avoid the dreaded domino effect.

Another thing is the selection. Holger Eriksson was great at offering effective poses and the command figures to match.  With Scad it seemed more a case of: one of these, one of those. Nothing you could make a complete unit of without resorting to conversions. And a few of the designs aren't so useful, such as the Prussian line infantry posed giving an overhand bayonet stroke.  Why do sculptors do things like that ?   They're pretty decent figures but I think ultimately they lack the charm of Holger Eriksson's Karoliners.

Battle of Wissembourg, 1870 - Heinrichsen 40mm

Here's another 40mm set from Heinricshen, # 4906: Schlacht von Weißenburg, depicting the opening battle of the Franco-Prussian war with Crown Prince Frederick's corps rudely kicking in the door to Alsace.  They represent a departure from Heinrichsen's rich selection of flats: the difference being the figures are not flat but semi-flat or semi-round, halbrund or demi ronde bosse as you prefer. They date to 1893, re-issued in the late 90's. What we have here is a 57 piece set, I suppose the 19th Century equivalent of a Marx playset.  Of course, not all of the castings are figures: besides soldiers singly and in groups, a number of castings feature scenic items or vegetation, as well as explosions and battlefield debris.

Unusually so far as Franco-Prussian war figures go, there's not a spiked helmet in sight.  The Prussians in this case are Bavarians, vs. French colonial troops.  Also, there seems to be about four distinctive sculpting styles in play here. First, the group castings are consistent in style with each other and fully 40mm. The Bavarians are distinctly smaller and on the flat side, very close to actual flats in style but in bolder relief. Then we have the more toylike Turcos, a bit larger and rounder than the Bavarians, finally most of their French command figures are very close to fully round. I suppose that back in their era, these figures were mixed and matched into different sets depicting battles of 1870-1871. 

Without further preamble, let's take a closer look. First, the reverse of the group figure shown at the top of the post.

Here we have some Tirailleurs Algériens.  I enjoyed painting their colorful uniforms. The damaged pillar in the backdrop comes with the set.

And some Bavarians.

And thankfully, the Scad molds have arrived.  Suffice it to say for now, they did not disappoint.  I will report soon on how the casting and painting is going with these.

Heinrichsen French Infantry Completed - 40mm Flats

Finished the French infantry set. I'd have been just as happy to have all the poses like the two figures in the foreground, particularly instead of in the firing position.  Certainly if the CO valued his life he wouldn't be out front with his men blazing away. But this is what I had to work with and I'm happy with them.

No sign of the Scad molds yet. Cause for concern but not time to give them up as lost yet.  The teaser was the mail carrier ringing the doorbell yesterday afternoon, indicative of a package requiring delivery confirmation. Turned out to be a registered letter for my wife, grrrr.  Anyway, I do expect them to arrive this week and in the meantime I certainly don't lack for things to paint.  

Heinrichsen French Infantry 2 - 40mm Flats

Been making steady progress on set # 4077 despite higher than average amounts of yard work & household repairs, kid's parties on the weekend and income tax filings. I've actually finished a dozen but the last four are in the queue for final coating.  So I'm pretty confident of wrapping up the whole formation before the end of the month.

What's next ?  I'm going to keep going for a while on the Franco-Prussian War in 40mm toy soldier style, using flats and semi-rounds as much as possible. I got a good deal on several SCAD molds on German eBay last week, should have these four molds in hand before too long and will report on how the casting goes. 

A 19th Century Interlude - 40mm Flats

For some reason I had a strong temptation over the weekend to bring out a few of these figures which had been primered and sitting in the queue since getting the set last year. These are Heinrichsen's set # 4077 - Fronzosische Infanterie im Feuer, a relatively recent re-issue in 2011.  The set contains 20 figures: mounted officer and three other command, 16 infantrymen in three poses. 

The designs date to 1860, per the listing supposed to be French line infantry ca.1850, but I think the kepis date them a bit later. Probably contemporary with the date of issue but suitable for the mid-19th Century to the Franco-Prussian war. They're smallish 40mm, a few millimeters shorter than Prince August for example, and obviously slender.

I wasn't so enamored of the stylized old-fashioned designs as castings, but with paint on them, I quite like them. Simple and easy to paint too, I did four of these guys pretty quickly so the whole unit could reasonably be done in a month or so. I'm thinking of gloss coating to match the semi-rounds.  I also have a nice set of Chasseurs a Cheval, contemporary with these.