Thank you, gentlemen.

Our friend James Fisher sent me this interesting link:

http://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/05/tricorne-hat-how-accurate-is-this-term.html

donald

Hiya


If your a wargamer, as opposed to modeller, the Strelets range would be acceptable substitute for various armies and conflicts up to the 1740s when fashion shifted

As others have pointed out, there is plenty of free uniform plates and info on line which you can consult and draw your own conclusions

The figures will work for some conflicts and less so for others but sometimes a good paint job and/or some converting and your away

I picked up plenty of Zveda GNW Russian infantry as reckoned they would pass for others nations eg French.

There are 7 year war figures by Hat and 1745 British by Redbox if later 18th century is the interest.


The Strelets WSS are a lovely range and I happily recommend them to you

Hello! This seems to be more directed at my original thread, so I will reply with this in mind. I am a little more on the wargaming side (basically a PC gamer at heart that is trying to translate that into plastic), but I also have a doctorate in ancient military history so some 'basic' (admittedly a subjective concept) accuracy is important. The timeline seems logical from what has been provided by yourself and others here, with there basically being four broad main eras of uniforms & equipment throughout the century (WoSS/GNR to 1740s, War of Austrian Succession/Uprising 1745, Seven Years'/AWI Wars, and the Revolutionary Wars to finish it off). It definitely seems like with the new Strelets line and Zvezda that the first of these eras is the strongest at the moment, although I have taken strong looks at the RedBox as well as HaT lines.

Thanks for the input and have a nice day! :sunglasses:

Hi Babylonian109,

Firstly, it's impressive to hear that you have a doctorate in ancient military history!

The 18th century is a fascinating period so far as 'western' warfare is concerned. Not only does it see a military revolution, moving from 'pike and musket' at the turn of the century through to the beginnings of the Napoleonic era, with nation states mobilising masses of troops by the end of the century; but it also sees the introduction of true light infantry and light cavalry as an established part of an army's order of battle, and major changes in battlefield tactics.

You can divide the century up in any number of ways. I prefer to look at it as 'early', 'mid' and 'late'. 'Early' is the WoSS and the decades immediately after, let's say through to 1740. 'Mid' is the period often associated with the reign of Frederick II ('the Great') of Prussia, and therefore the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War (1741-63); 'End' is the rest of the century, taking in the AWI and the Revolutionary Wars of the 1790s.

It's fair to say that, for such a diverse and interesting period in military history, this is a century that has been very poorly served in 1/72 plastics. Until Strelets introduced their WoSS range there were hardly any figures for this 'early' period other than the Zvezda GNW figures and a handful of Strelets sets. Coverage of the 'mid' period is even worse, with only Revell producing a range of figures for the Seven Years War, with a few sets by HaT added to this. There are likewise precious few sets for the later century/revolutionary period.

Compare this with the Napoleonic era and be amazed! The Napoleonic Wars lasted 22 years and there are probably 20-30 x more sets for this period than the whole of the 18th century. There are more different sets of French Napoleonic line infantry than all the sets made in 1/72 plastic to date for the Seven Years War....

It's time for this to change. In particular, there is a lack of good figures for the 'mid' period. Various members of this Forum have been calling for the Seven Years War to be properly covered; so far it has not. Perhaps Strelets will do so soon? We live in hope.

Why thank you! It is nice to be appreciated. :sunglasses:

I am always a little taken aback when combining through the different eras how weak the 18th Century AD representation is, although do think there are a few logical reasons behind it. The Napoleonic Wars did feature an overwhelming amount of fascinating characters that reshaped European history so I can see why many companies go there first, especially since HaT is pretty much the only major USA producer anymore (and even he of course has always been a huge Anglophile with his topic choices). It is also a complicated era compared to say Normans v Saxons, as from a gaming perspective you really need at least six sets (two opposing factions with inf/art/at least one cav type) to make a decent matchup between two sides. That said, the Seven Years'/AWI had many great characters of its own so I hope something resembling or (ideally) surpassing Barzso's 1/32 resin line will appear for the era in the future. Honestly I just want high quality sets for any era between 2600 BC-1815 AD that look good as a formation rather than as a scattering of individual poses who do not function well together unless you buy 3+ of the same set. Strelets naturally does quite well with this, which in addition to their durability is why I like their figures most despite many figure suppliers in the UK and Germany tending to prefer other companies.

And please, for the love of all of the Gods that have ever existed, no more bizarrely inaccurate shield poses (looking especially at you Caesar, HaT, and Orion!). :joy: