First appearing in an earlier work in progress (WiP) post, I've finally called a halt on painting these guys.
I can't say I enjoyed painting these or am that pleased with the end result. But I'm pleased to have finished them as the thought of them waiting on the painting desk was deterring me from painting. The final trial was basing them on some MDF bases - first time I've ever used these. It wasn't the MDF but the snow that caused the problems; it took me three attempts to get something passable.
Anyway, here are a couple of close ups:
As these figures were gifted surplus figures from a friend's participation game being prepared for Salute '25 I shall offer them to him as giveaways for players.
On a more positive note, and as a beneficial side effect of basing these figures, I used the surplus Milliput (I always make up too much) for a sandbag emplacement and some shell craters for my 20mm WW2 figures.
Nice looking ski troops, I think you are being too hard on yourself, they look grand to my eyes. Cracking work using the surplus Milliput, the shell craters especially look very nice.
ReplyDeleteThanks Donnie, I guess it's really my incipient OCD that objects to them not looking how I intended them. OTOH the craters came out better than expected - swing and roundabouts...
ReplyDeleteVery handsome looking ski troops! Sort of the Napoleonic versions of Richard Harris and Kirk Douglas in that old Anthony Mann war picture The Heroes of Telemark (1965).
ReplyDeleteKind Christmas Week Regards,
Stokes
Perhaps I should've put a dimple in the chin of one of them as Kirk, and perhaps had the other raising a bottle rather than a rifle as Harris?
DeleteGreat job!
ReplyDeleteThese are Swedes rather than Norwegians, are they not? The blue and yellow suggests Swedish troops. There were Norwegian Ski Troops... see this post of mine: https://blundersonthedanube.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-norwegian-army-1814.html (much of the material is reposted from elsewhere, but in many cases the source material is no longer easily accessible on line).
I was told they were Norwegian and given some pictures of the uniforms to paint from - it's not an army or conflict I have any books on. I did query it given the 'Swedish colours' but on doing some online digging I did find some in blue as well as green - see link (this time the correct link):
Deletehttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Norwegian_military_skitrooper_uniform_1788_%28skitroppene_skil%C3%B8peruniform%29_Sabre_Rifle_%28skil%C3%B8perrifle_ombygd_til_perkusjon%29_Skis_etc_Rustkammeret_Army_and_Resistance_Museum_Trondheim_Norway_2019-03-20_9496.jpg
Thanks for the link. I do wonder if the museum might be in error - the colors are so obviously Swedish and not at all Danish/Norwegian, and the cut of the uniform seems awfully modern, especially for late 1700's. . Might make sense for post 1815, when Norway was joined to Sweden, but supposedly the Swedes disbanded the ski troops. On the other hand, I suppose if they were raiding deep into Swedish territory, perhaps looking like Swedes was desirable?!
DeleteThey're intended for the combat of Trangen in 1808, and the Swedes are the invaders. Next week, I'm meeting up with the guy who gave them to me together with the uniform advice so I'll ask him if he knows more - but I'm not repainting them now.
DeleteAbsolutely not regardless, and the museum data is certainly more than adequate evidence!
Delete