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Re: WSS/GNW

Mr Schmitt
I have a question; can the GNW Zvedza Russians and Swedes be used for the WSS, or are the uniforms too different? Or the other way round, can the Strelets figures also be used for the GNW?
Some hints are most welcome, many thanks in advance for this.
A few years ago I collected quite a lot of sets of the Zvezda GNW figures in anticipation of using these to model War of Spanish Succession armies. Then...Strelets brought out their WoSS range:smile: I still have the Zvezda sets, and they will be used...one day.

Generic infantry in long coats (no turnbacks) tricornes and with flintlock muskets and bayonets, equipped with a large cartridge box worn on a shoulder belt and suspended over the right hip, are ideal for many WoSS applications and are 'right' for Russian GNW infantry. This is the Zvezda Infantry of Peter the Great set and is also what Strelets have modelled in their French Musketeers in advance set (if you don't look too closely at the musket locks) and the grenadiers wearing tricornes in their French Grenadiers set. I'd say that many of the figures in the three excellent British infantry sets in the Strelets WoSS range are perfectly good painted as Russian infantry.

If you are happy to paint over the body armour (and probably ditch the 'wrong way around' receiving poses), the French Pikemen set from Strelets will provide you with Russian pikemen, although without the cartridge box and pistol that the one Zvezda pikeman pose has.

Artillery is pretty generic and the two Zvezda sets are very good. We also have the anticipated arrival of at least one new Strelets WoSS artillery set.

Cavalry: The Zvezda sets are great and provide good generic cavalry, noting however that the Swedish set has turnbacks on their coats. Again, I'd say that the Strelets WoSS British cavalry set is good for Russian (and perhaps Swedish) cavalry. Further Strelets cavalry sets are on their way.

However, I'd note:

Swedish infantry tend to look 'different': They have coat turnbacks, quite a lot wear the 'karpus' headgear (more of a forage cap, which can easily be carved from a tricorne) and about one third are pikemen.

Quite a lot of Russian infantry also wore the karpus headgear.

And so did quite a lot of GNW cavalry, especially dragoons.

GNW infantry did not to tend to employ cartridge box arrangement adopted by the French ie: belly box suspended on a waist-belt. So the Strelets WoSS Fusiliers set does not really work for GNW, although the command figures and serjeants are again good for Russians.

There are some excellent picture references for Swedish GNW troops at:

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/johan_gardin/carolean-interpretations-1700-1721/?sender=379780318485336678&invite_code=5157cf869c3148f78583b5ed16e893f7

Re: WSS/GNW

The zvezda russian dragoons also have coats with turnbacks, for some unkown reason (therfore they are almost identical to the zvezda swedish dragoons), so not ideal for wss armies. Although perhaps turnbacks became more popular in at least some armies later in the wss period? I have no source here, just a guess.

Re: WSS/GNW

Yes.

Mr Minuteman has answered comprehensively

A number of the participants of the WSS also fought in the GNW eg Danes, Brandenburgers, Saxons and Hanoverians. The existing Strelets range be good

The Russian and Swedes had more variety such as massed Pikes and Karpus hats which not found in WSS.

I m using both ranges for both wars

Cheers

Re: WSS/GNW

Jesse
The zvezda russian dragoons also have coats with turnbacks, for some unkown reason (therfore they are almost identical to the zvezda swedish dragoons), so not ideal for wss armies. Although perhaps turnbacks became more popular in at least some armies later in the wss period? I have no source here, just a guess.
Yes, although I have a significant number of the Zvezda Russian dragoons set I'd forgotten that!

With mounted figures it is relatively easy to paint over or trim the turned-back coats to look as if they are full coats, simply split to allow the rider to sit astride the horse.

I think turnbacks started to come into 'fashion' in the 1720s, but some armies eg: the French retained full coats without turnbacks for quite a while longer.

Incidentally, the swords of the Zvezda Russian set are slimmer and less 'broadsword' than the Swedish set; but otherwise they mix quite well.

Re: WSS/GNW

Thanks a lot to all your answers. Great help for me.

Re: WSS/GNW

Hello Mr. Schmitt

CS Grant states in his "Armies and Uniforms of Marlborough's Wars" Vol. 1 for the Hanoverian army that "by 1700 the skirts of the coat were turned back producing the turnbacks which were later to be military fashion throughout Europe" (p.71). This refers to the horse/dragoons as I read it but perhaps also to the infantry. There's also a picture of a von Bülow dragoon in Z. Grbasic/V. Vuksic "The history of cavalry" (p-46) showing a trooper with turnbacks. Thus making the Zvezda horse usable for Hanoverians for WSS. Hope that helps.