Read the "Introduction" a few days ago but can't hear anything. Then again I do get an "Additional plugins are required to display all the media on this page" message. Is it the "Internationale"?

The text correctly states that the Reds for most of the RCW didn't wear the famous Budenovka and the rest but I hope that's what is depicted in these sets because the other uniforms can easily be put together from the WW1 Russians available.

No it's not the "Internationale" but it is a Red Army choir singing something suitable in Russian I expect.

Gentlemen,

here's the text of the song for set M044 translated by an on-line translator, so no pun please:


White army, Black Baron
1920
music: Samuel Pokrass, text: P. Grigoryev

White army, black baron
again prepare for us the tsarist throne,
but from the taiga to the British seas
the Red Army is stronger than all.

Refrain:
So let the Red hold imperiously its
bayonet with a calloused hand,
and all of us must irrepressibly
go into the last mortal battle!

The Red Army, march, march forward!
Revolutionary Military Council calls us in the battle.
Indeed from the taiga to the British seas
the Red Army is stronger than all!

Refrain:
So let the Red hold imperiously its
bayonet with a calloused hand,
and all of us must irrepressibly
go into the last mortal battle!

We fan the world-wide fire,
churches and prisons will level with the ground.
Indeed from the taiga to the British seas
the Red Army is stronger than all!

Refrain:
So let the Red hold imperiously its
bayonet with a calloused hand,
and all of us must irrepressibly
go into the last mortal battle!

The baron mentioned in the text is general Wrangel whose army occupied the Crimea at that time and was the last major point of white resistance in Russia. He didn't have a goal to restore a monarchy but who cared, he had to be crushed by a last effort and any moral support, like this march, would do for the troops that had to storm ahead the Perekop positions and cross the Sivash bay in November.



Here's the text for the set no.M045:

Boldly We Will Go Into The Battle

Listen to, worker,
a war has begun,
give up your business,
gather yourself for a campaign.

Boldly we will go into the battle
for the Soviet power
and all as one, will die,
in the fight for it.

Projectiles are exploding,
machine guns are rattling,
but the red companies don't
fear them.

Boldly we will go into the battle
for the Soviet power
and all as one, will die,
in the fight for it.

White lines
here poped up,
with them we will be
fighting to death.

Boldly we will go into the battle
for the Soviet power
and all as one, will die,
in the fight for it.

Eternal memory
to the fallen heroes,
eternal glory
to those, who lives!

Boldly we will go into the battle
for the Soviet power
and all as one, will die,
in the fight for it.

Dear Steve,

indeed the sets will be primarily in the Budennovkas just slightly mixed with the peaked caps and fur busbys. When we discussed the sets' composition we decided that it would a very easy painting conversion job to make the Red army soldiers out of our existing WWI sets, therefore it would have been a waste of figures to include those non-distinctive figures in a these RCW sets. In stead we will, possibly, make another set of WWI Russian infantry in summer uniform in peaked caps so that they also could be converted into Red army soldiers or their white opponents by simple painting at the same time being compatible with all other sets for the RCW.

Best regards,

Strelets

strelets please when you are going to make red navy, white forsces and baltic and ukrainian sets ...

Kudos on the write-up about the RKKA of the Russian Civil War -- well written and largely accurate. One additional suggestion for sets would be Red cavalry in summer dress, with a mixture of caps and the shlem helmet. The existing WWI Russian cavalry sets, as well as the Orion Red Cavalry set, are a little too smart, in my opinion, to accurately represent the average Red cavalryman of the RCW and the Russo-Polish War.

Frankly, I'm not sure if one needs to make that many special sets of opponents for the Reds, given the fact that White units could be assembled from the Strelets WWI Russian infantry and cavalry sets, the Hat WWI Russian infantry and heavy weapons and Red Box Boxer Rebellion Russian infantry, while Baltic units could be a mixture of WWI Russian and German uniforms, along with WWI Brits for the Estonians. However, I think that there is room for at least three interesting original sets -- Polish infantry for the Russo-Polish War, who could also double as Polish legionnaires for WWI; Polish cavalry for the same conflict; and a set of Ukrainian infantry for the Ukrainian Directory period.

Dear Strelets

How about some RCW/Russian WWI artillery crews, heavy weapons groups? Some in their wee pointy hats.

and

Yes some Ukrainian troops eg Strelets of the Blue Coat Division of the Sechiviye Streltsi, West Ukrainian Army, UNR, Nestor Makhno's army would make an interesting alternative to the standard Red/ White armies.

Orion do some excellent Basmachi but no infantry or opponents.

David

Thanks, nice stuff, Strelets.

I'm all for Ukrainian nationalists and Poles too although, according to Mark Plant on the Miniatures Page:
http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=168862
the latter wore a mixture of German, Austrian, French and Russian uniforms.

Said it before but I'd also like to see Red naval infantry (the Redbox Boxer Rebellion set don't cut it for me) and Makhnovist partisans which would also have many other uses including the more motley end of the Red cavalry.

I have to side with the Tszar'S White Imperial Russia.Amazing after many yar at war they became friend and sought refuge in Istanboul.


So SR will you deliver some fine white rouskie figures
or perhaps of Hongarie allies ?

czek legion. taschanka. anarkista in black leather.

Dear Hank,

we're venturing into subjects that most people simply know very little about, therefore they are risky for us as makers. Even CW with its mass armies isn't particularly commercially successful, so it makes little sense to expand the range that isn't likely to be of interest to potential buyers.

Best regards,

Strelets

Thanks very much for taking the trouble to provide some figures for RCW, Strelets, obviously, WWI figures will be mixed in but some figures in Budenovkas will give armies that RCW feel. I really appreciate you taking an enthusiasts viewpoint rather than a strictly commercial one. I'll probably buy more sets than I need out of guilt now!! :-)

Yes thanks SR is good to see the representation.I think you guys are destined to cover the Russian military eras completely,which is commendable and i try to support. The immensity of CW and RTW WW1/RCW fought on scales of war that swamp many other more popular small scale colonial campaigns.

However, i think with so few scenics(buildings ,peoples,carriages ) and auxilliary equipmnet(artillery wagons and battlefield icons) it makes it very hard for collectors to
ignite a passion.I always sense a frustration.

Airfix used forts to help capture those requirements.
These are no longer suitable as figure molds as yours have intensified postures and detail beyond a thinly etched plastic sheet.Your fine figures deserve better backdrops.

Zvezda yourself and other russian figure makers i wish would consider to help represent Russian and east europe.

All the time i am asking myslef ,Just what do i use for scenics with these figures.I am struggling all the time to find things to use as relevant focal
game items. It is hard to find in so many languages museums.

For RTW , WW1/RCW it will be easier than CW as steam railways were more involved with War(hurrah even Kalafat gets a railway in RTW).such things as steam boats and balloons enhance a collection and help stamp teh time.

I think we all need a hAndrail to see what we can use in, with, and via diodramas to try and refelct the period.I like the reemergence of notes you put with RCW sets.

When you bring out figures.Immediately i look for oppoosing 3 componenets inf art cav support vehicles and scenics.

Your figure accompanying notes are always useful and some source refernces would help also to explore.

A links page or notepad/stickies to some eastern eurpean country model makers that make scale buildings etc would be immemnse assistance.

Your hospital sets are great as we have some peripheral activity within a battle.However ambulance
and tentage for these is missing.

The Forum does help as some of us scratych our heads and sometime get an answer to help a concern or
help find a stand in figure/icon.

best wishes and you are appreciate wider than you think.....okay handshake to you.

And we see some early masters!

http://www.strelets-r.com/SetsMini/Set044/Master.html

Great looking masters!! I want to echo those above thanking you for investing in lesser known wars and campaigns. I will definitely be purchasing your RCW and RTW sets. Keep up the excellent work and I hope they pay off financially!

http://warandgame.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/redf1.jpg

http://warandgame.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/redft2.jpg

http://warandgame.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/redfg3.jpg


http://warandgame.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/refgt4.jpg

http://warandgame.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/ferereg5.jpg

http://warandgame.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/fgeewe7.jpg


http://warandgame.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/fgrgthynnyh8.jpg

http://warandgame.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/ergregg9.jpg

Red army uniforms as you can see in summer unforms they wore budjonnovka

Excellent, just what I need for my RCW forces

http://img168.imageshack.us/i/redarmy2jn8.jpg/#q=russian civil war red army uniforms

http://img113.imageshack.us/i/redarmy3to0.jpg/#q=russian civil war red army uniforms

please make such sets and command set where are all Lenin , trotski , kamenev and other officers and nkvd henchman

http://img440.imageshack.us/i/whitearmies6yw0.jpg/#q=russian civil war white army uniforms

http://img249.imageshack.us/i/whitearmiesfmd1.jpg/#q=russian civil war white army uniforms

http://www.diggerhistory.info/images/uniforms3/white_army_small.jpg

http://ironfelix.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=15_23

http://pygmy-wars.50megs.com/technical/uniforms/uniforms.html

http://www.charlottegarrison.org/BARRAGE/RCW.htm

http://pygmywars.com/barendspages/mountainhosts/terekcavalry/terekcavalry.html

http://pygmywars.com/barendspages/mountainhosts/terekinfantry/terekinfantry.html

http://pygmywars.com/barendspages/mountainhosts/terekartillery/terekartillery.html

http://pygmywars.com/barendspages/mountainhosts/kubankornilov/kubankornilov.html

http://pygmywars.com/barendspages/mountainhosts/kubanwolves/kubanwolves.html

http://pygmywars.com/barendspages/mountainhosts/markovcavalry/markovcavalry.html

http://img162.imageshack.us/i/whitearmieshqs9.jpg/#q=Russian Civil War

http://warandgame.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/whited.jpg



pleas MAKE WHITE ARMY ALSO

the masters look great. Not only good for RCW, but right up until the early months of WW2.

I have some Fantassin and Eureka 20mm metal Finns for the Winter War that are painted and based and waiting for someone to fight. Now I can launch a few boxes of these guys at them, supported by a few T-26s.
I'll just have to replace the Lewis gun with a DP.

I even have a couple of photos from Barbarossa showing POWs in Budenovka and another with troops in winter dress training with a T-6o light tank.

As I hoped they match the WW1 Winter Russians nicely. IMHO Strelets excel at winter subjects where the bulky clothing suits the sculpting style exceptionally well.

http://warandgame.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/fgrgthynnyh8.jpg
http://warandgame.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/ergregg9.jpg
in that picture you can see that bujennefka hat was weard in summer to(look figure 2 and 3)

Just what the Kommissar ordered!