Here’s a more focused shot of those same Revell Austrians in line, which was taken using the neat tripod that came with the digital camera given to the Grand Duchess and me by my parents last Christmas. I figured with a BIG battalion like this one that you regular visitors to the Grand Duchy of Stollen could stand another photo of the diminutive plastic warriors.
Individually, these are quite a bit shorter than their RSM95 brethren to the rear. The Revell Austrians are about 30mm tall tops, while the RSM grenadiers are REALLY tall in their mitre caps – about 38mm high! But, in the large units like you see on my painting table, what one notices is the massive size of each regiment, rather than the eye fixing on the size of each individual figure. Bill Protz and Jim Purky have made this point a few times in discussions over at the Old School Wargaming Yahoo discussion board. Anyway, the difference between the RSMs and the Revell plastics is similar to the contrast between a Stadden grenadier and a Spencer Smith musketeer for example, like one sees in the photos from Young and Lawford's Charge!.
As for the planned uniform I’ll impart on these troops, I’m thinking of fairly standard Austrian/French/Saxon/Faltenian white . . . but with bright green (GW Scorpion Green) facings, turnbacks, and smallclothes with a pink silk bag falling down one side of the red-brown fur grenadiers caps. Gaiters will be black for enlisted men, black for officers, and NCOs. The drummers will have the usual reverse color combination for their coats with pink lace on the coats and green drums/pink hoops. Officers’ lace will be gold.
For those of you who may be wondering, the green and pink detail is a nod to Princess Trixie’s army fielded, I believe, by Otto Schmidt. A striking color combination on the battlefield. One that will make this first regiment of Zichenau’s army easy to spot on the battlefield for those Stollenian and Zichenauan members of society, who might picnic at a distance to observe coming battles.
Oh, and the regiment’s name? How about the Ermland Foot Garde? Gentlemen, meet the eventual household regiment for the Electorate of Zichenau.
Comments
The only problem with me inventing a southern neighbor for Hesse-Engelburg is now having to figure out names and uniforms for it. ;)
Ah, but that's at least half the fun of devising these fictitious campaigns! How about The Mark of Teck-Oeels, as bellicose and contentious a Protestant "statelet" as any?
Best Regards,
Stokes