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.
Actually I am a diorama maker, not a wargamer but I understand not only their needs, but when needing to represent large Napoleonic armys on a battlefield, my own needs too.
Am I someone who engages in making little vignettes, No.
Am I someone who is interested in large Napoleonic battles from Austerlitz to Waterloo? Yes.
Sensible sets of Napoleonic figures that allow large formations to be built up, help both wargamer & diorama builder alike when it comes to Napoleonics.
While everyone, including me, enjoys a little sensible variation in a set of rather similar figures, there needs to be a balance between what is practical and what is going too far. Some era's, nations & regiments will allow for more flexability, some won't.
But anyway, fact is the more "unique" you make poses in a set, the more you limit their usefulness, at least for Napoleonics and especially British infantry. While the forage cap may help break up some monotony of a set, it simply doesn't belong in such a set. If someone doesn't want to do headswaps, it will thus mean wasted poses, and how many wasted poses will affect whether someone buys it or not. As I mentioned, subtle differences to break monotony can be done in other ways.
This particular set of British in square can provide variation simply by giving us different poses of those kneeling and standing in defence, but all doing what they are meant to be doing. Rows of correctly uniformed and equipped men with bayonets pointing outwards to fend off horses.
Sure, have some of the men maybe looking in different directions while still maintaining their position in the formation. Maybe have some shouting. Maybe one is standing slightly tilted back compared to another. Here's a really helpful variation....the amount that get given forage caps, have them wearing flank shoulder rolls instead, so all parts of the British battalion are depicted. Do the same for other nations who's battalions had flank companys. Thats variation right there in a set, without going mad.
Thats all it needs to be. Any "special & unique" or "dramatic" figures can always be added like how the wounded are.
Hope Strelets will hear You and adapt their figures to Your and others customers needs.
Yevgen, Strelets do seem to listen to an extent which is great. They have at least included bayonets which is a must for Napoleonic British troops. That is progress from the firing line set. Hopefully future Napoleonic cavalry will get some better horses and more battlefield ready troopers too. At least the Uhlan troopers work for maintaining position on a battlefield. Those were very nice troopers. If only the Dragoons & Hussars had been similar, but with sabres drawn instead.
If Strelets really did want to do a set of Napoleonic infantry which was very unique and had poses which did not look much like one another, there is of course one unit that lends itself perfectly to being highly variable.....French late war "Marie Louise's". Lucky if they got sensible footwear...let alone a shako!!
For them, Strelets could really let loose on artistic license!!
Gerd, yes for me, I personally have no issue with lobbing off the forage cap heads and replacing with my spare HaT Peninsular Infantry heads. I must have hundreds of them!!! I have quite a stock of the spares, as someone who bought multiple boxes of the HaT set, sent me the spare heads, along with some figures, as a thankyou for some help I have given him.
I also have no issue with doing the whole process of headswaps. I have put spare HaT French shako wearing heads on their 1805 French in greatcoats, and also on Strelets Bavarians.
Attaching fiddly bayonets however....now that is a headache!!!!
Those of us who are capable of, or have the spares, to convert figures, we can struggle through at times, when issues such as incorrect headwear come along. However, not everyone out there can or is able to do such work.
But personally, from what masters I have seen for the potential British in square set, I will be looking forward to buying many boxes of them. And the forage caps will be correctly replaced.
Well, can't say I'm a huge fan of forage caps as well. Actually I'd prefer a bare or bandaged head or two in a set. Forage caps or bonnets might be ok for the French though, being often less well equipped especially for the 1813/14 campaigns.