1/30 Französischer Garde-Grenadier 1870/71 - finished - colour scheme

Hello,

my (first) French Grenadier is finished!

Lucas Luber did a really great job with the sculpting! Since I also had the right reference material at hand, it wasn't too difficult to work out the colors.

I'm not entirely sure, but I think I've discovered a tiny historical inaccuracy. As far as I know, the crowns weren't on the cartridge boxes themselves (the Imperial Eagle was always on those for the Guard), but were only printed on the white cloth covers. However, to my knowledge, these covers were stored away before the campaign. I hope this is correct and I'm not spreading any nonsense here. 😁

The colors I used (I'm sure I forgot some): (V=Vallejo) 

Flat Blue V.70.962 (59) - Fabric cover for the water bottle

Cream White V.70.766 (21) - Base coat for all whites

German Camo Beige V.70.821 (113) - Tent cover

Silver V.71.063

Gunmetal Grey V.70.863 (198)

Black V.70.950 (191)

Beige Red V.70.804 (13) - Base for skin

Infantry Blue V.70.752 (63) - Uniform

Flat Red V.70.957 (39) - Trousers

Light Brown V.70.929 (20) - Backpack

Beige Brown V.70.875 (150) - Wood

Brass V.70.801 (202)

Desert Yellow V.70.977 (147) - The small wooden tent pegs

Vermilion V.70.909 (32) - Red piping

Best regards,

Andreas

Status 1/30 Toy Soldier Collection:

-Painted figures: 4

-Printed & prepared figures: 13

28mm Gribeauval 8pdr Guns - any good?

 Hello,

I'd like to print a typical 8-pounder Gribeauval cannon for the Kozak Miniatures Revolutionary Artillerymen.

I don't like the files that come with the figures. The gun is far too softly sculpted for my taste. It might be usable in 1/72 scale, but it's not really suitable for enlarging.

No problem, I've collected enough different files of Gribeauval guns by now—or so I thought!

There was a Kickstarter from "regimentosdeamerica" ​​(Fernando Pedrazzoli) that offered various French guns. I backed it, but unfortunately, I then had problems downloading the files (that was probably my fault, not the provider's!), and eventually, I gave up. So, no luck, no 8-pounder to print!

On to the next Kickstarter files! This time from "Napoleonic STL files" (David Vaquez Fernandez). This one once offered a whole set of French artillery. But somehow the cannon looks odd... Luckily, I remember another Kickstarter project from which I already have the files, this time from Piano Wargames (Lucas Luber) – the 8-pounder looks better, but comparing the cannons to each other, they have completely different dimensions!

So instead of printing a 8pdr I have to do some research. Dawson/Summerfield's book on Napoleonic artillery will have to do, along with a few articles by Summerfield where he measured cannon barrels.

The facts about the Gribeauval 8-pounder:

Wheel diameter: 1462 mm

Carriage length: 2850 mm

Overall gun barrel length: 1840 mm or 2010 mm (various barrel lengths exist)

Axle width: 2090 mm

Rear carriage width: approx. 545 mm

Converted to 1/56 scale:

Wheel diameter: 26.10 mm

Carriage length: 50.89 mm

Long gun barrel length: 35.89 mm

Short gun barrel length: 32.85 mm

Axle width: 37.32 mm

Rear carriage width: approx. 9.73 mm

Napoleonic STL Files

Original / Napoleonic STL files (David Vazquez Fernandez):

Wheel diameter: 26.10 mm / 28 mm

Carriage length: 50.89 mm / 43.15 mm

Gun barrel length (long): 35.89 mm / 38.5 mm

Gun barrel length (short): 32.85 mm

Axle width: 37.32 mm / 36.10 mm

Rear carriage width: approx. 9.73 mm / 12.7 mm

Piano Wargames

Original / Piano Wargames (Lucas Luber):

Wheel diameter: 26.10 mm / 25.5 mm

Carriage length: 50.89 mm / 52.3 mm

Gun barrel length (long): 35.89 mm / 36.45 mm

Gun barrel length (short): 32.85 mm

Axle width: 37.32 mm / 37.75 mm

Rear carriage width: approx. 9.73 mm / 10.9 mm

Conclusion: Lucas Luber's cannon is definitely the better one. Because scaling it up to 1/30th scale magnifies the incorrect dimensions, I'll adjust some of them slightly (e.g., make the wheel diameter slightly larger, and the carriage and barrel a bit shorter). I'll post pictures of this in a few days once the cannon is printed.

Best regards,

Andreas

1/30 Französischer Garde-Grenadier 1870/71

Hello,

I'm currently working on creating the supports for a total of 7 different figure sets for Bavaria Miniatures, in order to then print the masters for making the pewter casting molds. Since I've long been very interested in the army of the Second French Empire, I couldn't resist printing a test figure in 1/30 scale to develop a painting scheme. For this, I printed a grenadier. Doesn't he look good?

Best regards,

Andreas

1/30 Russische Jäger 1812 - finished

Hello,

Fresh off the workbench! The two Russian Jägers from Kozak Miniatures are finished. I had a lot of fun painting them. Many thanks again to Yevgeny for providing the files free of charge!

I really like the poses. Super dynamic without looking too exaggerated or unrealistic. I read a comment somewhere that criticized the rifles. Unfortunately, I'm not very familiar with Russian weapons, so I don't know if the rifles are correct or if the Jägers should actually be carrying short sabers. What was important to me was choosing a unit that, according to current research, actually wore this type of shako with the insignia shown, which is why I went with the 21st Jäger Regiment.

With these two figures, the total number of finished figures in my 1/30 scale collection increases to three. 😁

Best regards,

Andreas

28mm Französische Zouaven 1870/71 - Skirmishing

Hello,

A few days ago, Stephan Huber from Bavaria Miniatures asked me if I could make some master prints for him. These figures will then be used to create molds for casting pewter miniatures.

So I'm the very first person to get to print these figures!

These wonderful French soldiers were sculpted by Lucas Luber, aka Piano Wargames! I'm really looking forward to printing and painting them upscaled in 1/30 scale.

Best regards,

Andreas

1/30 Französische Artillerie 1792-1802

Hello,

While browsing the Kozak catalog on Wargaming3D, I discovered this set of French Revolutionary artillery and couldn't resist.

It includes seven figures in tarletons and bicorn hats, as well as a rifle pyramid, a cannon, and some small parts. The cannon is too "soft" for my liking when I enlarge it. I'll probably go with one from another manufacturer for that, but I think the figures are very good. What could be more typical of the Revolutionary Wars than a young French artillery officer? And perhaps one from Corsica?... 😉

Status 1/30 Toy Soldier Collection:

-Painted figures: 1

-Printed & prepared figures: 15

Best regards, 

Andreas

1/30 Russischer Musketier Trommler

Hello,

here is another test print of a Russian musketeer from 1812. This time it's a figure by Eugene Smichnik. 

Several older figures by this Russian sculptor can be found at wargaming3d. Most of his figures are designed for 28mm scale and are very caricatured (huge heads and hands). However, there is also a series of 1/72 scale figures, including a "sample pack" with three different Russians in Kiev shakos for just a few cents. This musketeer drummer in an overcoat comes from this sample pack. The cloak looks a bit "added on" here; I prefer the Kozak figures in overcoats. However, the figures are well-proportioned, so I think these two manufacturers could complement each other well.

Smichnik also produces some real gems, such as a complete military band, rather fierce-looking Russians in lighter marching gear with field caps, and even cuirassiers waiting before an attack. Despite all the excitement, I must also mention that these figures are all relatively expensive with 3 Euro per foot and about 5 Euro per mounted figure stl files.

Best regards,

Andreas

1/30 Russischer Musketier 1812 - Colour scheme

Hello,

I've spent the last two days painting my musketeer. He's supposed to look like a typical toy soldier from the well-known manufacturers. A few shadows, a few dirt spots – but all easy and fast reproducable on a whole squad. Not a work of art, but quite nice to look at.

First, the list of basic colors: (V=Vallejo)

Uniform - Russian Green Uniform Ammo Atom 20099

Trousers - Cream White V 70.766 (21) (used as basic for every white; covers better that a real white and is easy to paint with white over them)

Black - V 70.950 (191)

Silver - V 71.063 

Gunmetal Gray - V 70.863 (198)

Flat Red V 70.957 (39)

Beige Brown V 70.875 (150) - for the wooden rifle parts

Beige Red V 70.804 (13) - for human flesh

Tan Earth V 70.874 (141) - for the base

Brass V 70.801 (202)

Khaki V 70.988 (114) - for the overcoat

I'm sure I've forgotten something again. But that should be the gist of it. And this is roughly what the warrior looks like in basic colors:

I think I'll keep the colors as they are. I just want to paint a few variations on the colors for the coats.

And after a thin brown/black acrylic wash, a bit of drybrushing, and some painted highlights and shadows, it looks like this:

As I said, it can all be much more detailed and refined painted, of course, but that's not my goal. I think it will look quite nice if a whole group of these soldiers will form a small scene.

I deliberately only painted the base and didn't flock it or add any grass tufts—just like a real "old school toy soldier." My very first finished 1/30 scale figure!

Best regards,

Andreas

1/30 Russische Jäger 1812

Hello,

here are two more test figures in 1/30. These are also from Kozak Miniatures and were provided to me free of charge for painting (Thank you very much!). The figures were printed upscaled to 220% (from basic 1/72).

I really like the poses of the two Russian Jäger (riflemen/light Infantry). They are again depicted in uniforms from 1812 onwards, wearing the Kiever shako. If you delve deeper into the subject, you'll discover that—contrary to most depictions of uniforms—the Kiev shako from 1812 was actually not very common. In fact, many units continued to use older headgear until the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The variant shown on these figures (with the simple "Musketeer" flame as a metal emblem on the shako) would only have been worn by the 1st, 17th, and 21st,, and the newly formed 46th to 57th rifle (Jäger) regiments during the Napoleonic Wars (i.e., before 1815) (according to Leonov/Popov/Kibovsky).

Nevertheless, I'm really looking forward to painting these figures. But first, I want to test the colors on my Russian Musketeer – until then, these two Jäger will have to wait unpainted on the shelf.

Best regards,

Andreas

1/30 Deutsche Kradmelder

Hi,

here's another test print. This time the files are from "Just some miniatures" and I bought them on wargaming3d. The figures are German Wehrmacht soldiers in rubberized motorcycle coats. These wide coats could also be wrapped around the legs and fastened, as you can see on one of the figures. The motorcycle is a BMW R-12, one of the standard Wehrmacht models. 

I've already tested a few base colors on the figures, but they've been sitting untouched on the shelf ever since. The reason is that I'm waiting for suitable helmet decals to complete my first (almost finished) German test figures and see how they look. After that, I plan to paint a small group of them – and the highlight will be a few motorcycles.

Best regards,

Andreas

1/30 Russischer Musketier 1786

Hello,

today I have another test print of a 1/30 scale figure for you.

This time it's another Russian, but this one is from a few years earlier than the musketeer I presented last time. This figure wears the Russian Potemkin uniform and can be dated between 1786 and 1796. If you read up a bit on this uniform system, which seemed modern for its time, you'll realize that it wasn't nearly as standardized as some uniform books would have us believe. In fact, there were far more variations in shapes and colors than we can even imagine today. Anyway, I have the idea of ​​adding a few of these "exotics" to my collection, ideally in the different uniform colors of the various branches of the armed forces that existed back then. To my knowledge, the only manufacturer that offers such 3D print files is "Kozak Miniatures." They're currently offering a 25% discount at wargaming3d, so I couldn't resist getting a sample set and printing a test figure for working on a painting scheme.

The figure is again upscaled from 1/72 to 1/30 scale. Since it's slightly larger than the musketeer from 1812, a 220% magnification is sufficient this time.

Best regards,

Andreas

1/30 Russischer Musketier 1812

Hello,

Since I don't have enough unfinished projects yet, I had to try something new again... 😂😂

I recently became aware of "Toy Soldiers." By that, I mean those 1/30 or 1/32 scale pre-painted figures from companies like King & Country Miniatures, W. Britains, or First Legion. I think they look very nice, but I would never spend that much money on them. On Facebook, I discovered that there are quite a few collectors who also print and paint their own figures. So, I had to try it myself too!

My first attempts involved enlarged "28mm" figures from various World War II Kickstarters, which I enlarged to 1/32 scale. I made a mistake there, as I equated "28mm" with 1/56 scale. The first figures I chose were actually a bit larger than 1/56, so my enlargement resulted in figures that were more like 1/30 scale. Therefore, I've tried to keep all my subsequent figures the same size.

Today I'm presenting my first Napoleonic test. The figure is from "Kozak Miniatures," which can be downloaded for free on various platforms. Besides various free samples, there are also many sets different poses available for purchase.

The basic figure is sculpted in true 1/72 scale and had to be enlarged by 240% to achieve my desired 1/30 scale. The figure is a Russian musketeer in the (standard) uniform of the post-1812 era, wearing a kiwer shako. My goal with this figure is to develop a similar painting style to King & Country figures, and if I'm happy with it, to print and paint a whole group of Napoleonic Russians.

Best regards,

Andreas