Strelets Forum

Welcome to the Strelets Forum.
Please feel free to discuss any aspect of 1/72 scale plastic figures, not simply Strelets.
If you have any questions about our products then we will answer them here.

Strelets Forum
This Forum is Locked
Author
Comment
View Entire Thread
Re: Masters for dismounted French Dragoons in skirmish: Idea to create simple stirrups

Hi Wayne, that point was not missed just discussed in previous threads. I did wonder if the horses shown were from the mounted dragoon set hence the missing stirrups.

It appears that this is a seperate set of dismounted dragoons rather than just some dismounted figures in the mounted set; and the set includes a horse holder pose. Handlewithcare's point is that a set with horse holders needs unridden horses, and those horses need stirrups.

http://pub33.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=2833323740&frmid=6&msgid=1080511&cmd=show

http://pub33.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=2833323740&frmid=6&msgid=1080740&cmd=show

I agree with you about not letting the perfect spoil the good, to be honest I don't think the missing stirrups would bother me much; but we all have different criteria for what we can and can't tolerate in a set and I can understand how such a detail might be a deal breaker for some. I'm sure there are people here who don't want to hear about my pet beef again. :relaxed:

P.S. Roger. Thanks for the confirmation regarding the stirrups, and I'm glad you like the stirrup riding Gordon; that was fun to do.

Re: Masters for dismounted French Dragoons in skirmish: Idea to create simple stirrups

Just one more remark. The sculptor was really kind of thoughtless - or careless - when sculpting these figures. That's not a personal insult, it's just a fact. Many excuses have been brought forward for the missing stirrups, and regardless of the very much appreciated ideas about how we, the customers, should be able to remedy that noticeable flaw ourselves, this should not have happened. When you look at that second conspicuous mistake committed by the sculptor concerning the wrongly placed reins, his negligence becomes strikingly evident. How can you sculpt a horse holder holding the end of three reins in his hand but then deliver horses all of which have their reins over the shoulder? I do not assume that the men and horses were sculpted by different people but then they should have co-ordinated their work and created coherent poses, shouldn't they? Something like the posture of the WWII Cossack horse holder made by Revell
(http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=421) would have been acceptable (BTW, Revell too proved unable to provide a horse with stirrups), but this? So, what was the sculptor thinking? Is it really inappropriate for us customers to expect the sculptors to do their job right and scrutinise the products they want us to buy?

Re: Masters for dismounted French Dragoons in skirmish: Idea to create simple stirrups

The reins would normally have been brought over the horses head, if to be held in hand for a prolonged period or indeed if handling more than one horse. Better definately if in charge of handling more than one horse and certainly safer.

However...
If its one horse he is holding only for a short while, he may simply be holding the reins a little below the horses chin, while the reins continue up towards the horses withers.
Even today when leading a horse out of the stable ready to be ridden, or back in after being ridden, often we just take the reins a little below the bit/chin and lead them.
You could hold 2 horses like this, one in each hand, however you would have be sure the horses were well behaived. Half a ton of horse isnt the easiest animal to control when they are anxious, panicked etc.

Getting the reins back over a horses head would perhaps take more time than the rider had maybe in a combat situation....also helps if the horse is cooperating and not throwing its head around if panicked etc.

The pose however is clearly just holding reins in his right hand, so yes, normally I would of thought the reins would be brought over the horses head on this occaision.
UNLESS.... he is holding them via leadropes, each horse with a rope clipped to the bit?

I suspect these horses are generic and are also for other sets, like the Nap Prussians.
I would carve the reins off and make something to symbolise the reins coming from the horses bit, to the guys hand. After all, if hes holding multiple horses then some difference in distance would happen in regards to length of ewch set of reins between him and each horse.

If the set really isnt selling itself, simply vote with your wallet and dont buy it. This I have done with many sets that have been released by various manufacturers. I doubt any changes will happen now with this set. All customers can hope for is that the criticism is taken on board and mistakes are learned from. Strelets has shown its development just by comparing its sculpting these days with say 5-6 years ago. They are vastly improved from those early sets. Probably the best sculpts in plastic currently I'd say (makes me even more hungry for more late war Nap sets!!!). And yet, yes there is still room for improvment.

I myself have bought some of the Prussian Uhlans and a box of the Hussars, but I have no intention of using the horses supplied. Poor creatures look like they have bodies belonging to a hippo!!! The troopers themselves were worth getting to represent the 6th Lutzows, static horses however i shall source from elsewhere. In fact if the furniture etc wasnt so different, id pinch the horses in this set!!