The Loose Association of Wargamers

Prussian SYW figures: worth buying?

Specifically, this set, which has re-appeared in the shops:

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=1716

These Zvesda "Grenadiers of Fred. the Great" certainly look good.

My SYW Prussian infantry, thanks to HaT, is in good shape & I've cobbled together enough converted cavalry & artillery to make a viable army.

When I saw this set in the LHS, I thought of adding more units.....as you do.
But there's issues:

*From Kronoskaf, I find only two, mitre wearing units carried flags. I don't have either unit but it cuts down the options

*Size; they're evidently giants

* box composition. My SYW Prussian infantry battalions generally get a whopping 24 figures per unit. This still means lots of unused figures as each battalion needs a command stand. Of which there is one (officer, musician, NCO & ensign).

* Pose. To get sufficient figures for a unit, they'll have to be firing (kneeling, standing & loading) as I won't mix'n'match marching, advancing or firing poses in the same set & there are insufficient of any other pose. Indeed, the above is a stretch.

Opinions, especially from members who own the figures, is canvassed.

donald

Don't own the figures but I have some SYW stuff.
I like a bit of variation in my units and don't hold with the 4 command and 20 identically posed figures/ battalion that seems like the norm in SYWc
I like a bit of variation, whether its the odd turned head, the slightly different step etc but in that pack however there seems to be too much variation.
You could get around it by buying more packs and building battalions of the same pose but that will inevitably make you look like a 40K SYW or Uber tourney gamer with 6 line regiments an 24 battalions of grenadiers in his army

Just my 20 cents worth (it used to be 2 cents worth but then there's inflation see )

As for flags, yes I know grenadiers never carried them but I think Wargamers' licence to make things look pretty so every battalion has at least one allows you to ignore that trifling inconvenience

valleyboy wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 7:04 am
As for flags, yes I know grenadiers never carried them but I think Wargamers' licence to make things look pretty so every battalion has at least one allows you to ignore that trifling inconvenience

Jeez, next it'll be Essex Boy preaching that I use Gi-normous flags!

I might get away with 40 x 40 bases, each with two kneeling figures, with two firing or firing & loading figures standing behind....did they allow "fire at will" in the SYW?
Four such bases with a command base will make a battalion & I guess the rest go to the Bits Box.

They are nice figures & if they were metal, they'd be far more than the $20 (Aust) I'd pay for the box, for a 24 figure unit.

donald

Some thoughts.....

Trim down the headgear slightly and you have fusilier standard bearers. Equally, the addition of a greenstuff apron and gauntlet cuffs will make more of the spare figures into pioneers. The standing at attention figures will make good sentries or battlefield escorts for mounted generals.

The Prussians used "heckenfeuer" (hedge fire) where a file would step out, ping away at some annoying yobbos (usually Cossacks) and then retire to allow another file to have a go - you could use a couple of kneeling figures on a base to represent this.

(Ano)The(r) annoying thing about the box mix, is that the front and second/third rank charging/advancing figures (2nd from right pic 1, and 2nd from right pic 2, respectively) are in the complete opposite ratios to what they should be; at the very least if they were in equal numbers, you could still have a two-rank charging/advancing unit.

Finally, head swaps will give you Russian horse grenadiers.

(What's that? You don't have a Russian army......?)

...yet...

valleyboy wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 7:04 am ........ As for flags, yes I know grenadiers never carried them but I think Wargamers' licence to make things look pretty so every battalion has at least one allows you to ignore that trifling inconvenience

Nic from Eureka makes SYW Grenadier flagbearers because wargamers expect them, even though they're unhistorical. As he says, 'it's a sale, and they'll only go elsewhere for them if i don't".

Ochoin - you could use the 'odds and sods' figures in a Freikorps unit, who tended to get involved in skirmishing and the like, where a range of poses won't look out of place.

Oh Donald, you do worry so.

Two big flags per unit is appropriate regardless of so called 'historical accuracy'. Don't listen to anyone who says otherwise.

Melt the kneeling figures down to make some sort of terrain feature.

Ask Old John to sell you some Wodensfeld command.

You're welcome. No charge.

Iain

Giving your Prussian Grenadiers flags!!,!,! ,!!
Beastly!
Chop those flags off and swap for Spontoons.
Sorted.
Don’t listen to these heathens.
Don’t make me channel my inner Friedrich and come round there.

Tish tosh.

Essex Boy wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 12:53 pm
Ask Old John to sell you some Wodensfeld command.

You're welcome. No charge.

Iain

Iain: you don't "do" the SYW? I'm afraid I'm going to have to make a comment starting with the snarky, "As I'm sure you're aware...."

Iain, as I'm sure you're aware, uniforms in the SYW tended to be either the fuller uniforms of the French or the tighter cut of the Prussians. Putting the Wodenfield French figures with the Zvesda Prussians would be anathema. Further (ouch: I'm using "further"), the Zvesda figures, as I indicated, would tower over the Wodenfield & indeed* over any other nominal 1/72-20mm figure available.


* anyone using "indeed" is taking the gloves off

I'm sorry I had to do that, Iain. Would you like a hand moping the blood?

donald

Arrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggh.........can't...............breath.................. pedanted to death.

OK, so that's a couple of good points, reasonably well made.

But you're wrong, I do do (yeh, I know, "do do") the SYW, and WAS and the WSS......and all with the same figures.

Are you sure about the Wodensfeld?

How about these then.........

https://www.traditionoflondonshop.com/2 ... r_Prussian

Iain

Ps 1/72 is 25mm