Submitted for Your Review. . .

Here are three views of the promised Stollenian (Prussian) hussar command vignette.  The uniforms are based on a couple of the Bryan Fosten plates and text descriptions in Frederick the  Great's Cavalry.  Once again, not perfect by any stretch, but we're getting there.  The figures were painted in my usual mix of oils with hobby acrylics for detailing.  Some lining was carried out using dark brown and a dark blue.  Where lining proved difficult, I washed those problematic, hard-t0-reach areas in dark brown before adding the detailing on top, for instance the silver lace, cord, and braid on the hussar officer waving his sword.

The trick for all of the hussar braiding on the dolmans and pelisses is to use a fairly small brush with a good point and to avoid flooding the bristles with paint.  Then, use a very light touch under bright lighting and just barely touch the tip of the bristles to the top of buttons and braid on the castings.  It doesn't take too much time or practice to get the right impression of braid and buttons.  It also helps things to stand out if you run a thin wash of darker color over these areas first, to offset the braid and buttons, making them stand out better against the admittedly very busy painted surfaces of the figures.  

The brushwork on these two figures and scenic base took 2.5 days, from Friday evening through Sunday morning.  I lavished much more attention on them than I would have on several squadrons of hussars though.  That said, I don't know that I am mentally prepared to tackle another 30-figure regiment of them any time soon.  But these two look reasonably good to my eyes, and will assume command of Stollen's light cavalry.  

Oh, and before anyone asks, the trumpeter's horse is not diseased or mangy.  He was my first ever attempt to render a piebald/skewbald.  Not sure if I'm completely happy with the results, but I was growing tired of the usual bays, chestnuts, duns, and greys you know.  At any rate, no more vignettes for a while now.  It's on to those eight singly based Minden, Fife & Drum, and RSM95 aides de camp next, and then the wagon and pontoon trains can take center stage.

-- Stokes 


A Tuesday Addendum. . . 

While I have a few spare moments this afternoon, always a dangerous thing, I've been letting my mind wander (equally dangerous).  In spite of my remarks above to the effect of "No more units of hussars for a while," I'm feeling the urge.  I fear that I might just have to bite the bullet and plan on adding three squadrons and a few regimental command figures (for a total of 30 figures and horses) of Minden Austrians in 2015-16.  Looking through my books and the Kronoskaf website, some of the uniforms are simply too pretty not to add to the growing Grand Duchy of Stollen collection.  So. . .   Of course, if I stumble upon a pretty example of Freikorps or Reichsarmee hussars in fur colpacks in the meantime, even better!  

On other fronts, we are awaiting another huge winter storm system that promises appreciable snowfall as we speak.  And here I thought we had to decamp for Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin, or Upper Michigan for Winter fun.  Certainly not this year!  Looks like some Nordic skiing and/or tobogganing with the Young Master is definitely in the cards for tomorrow afternoon and again on Thursday.  As I kidded an old friend the other day, you've just got to embrace the winter weather, bundle up, and get out there.  Barring dangerous windchills, or course, there is much fun to be had between late November and mid-March.

-- Von Tschatschke