Italeri Prussian Cuirassiers (Von Beeren)

[Marvin]

Hello everyone

I've been busy painting some Italeri Prussian Cuirassiers, a set I've had lying around for a few years now. It's always bugged me a little that their bicorne hats always faced the front regardless of which way the rider was looking. So in the end I just chose the ones with the hats on more or less the same direction and did a head swap for the officer.

I've chosen to paint the Von Beeren Cuirassiers simply because they wore yellow jackets and I simply had to have a go at painting a regiment in that unusual colour!

Some more pics and a "small" - err - essay on the history of the regiment can be found here -
https://suburbanmilitarism.wordpress.com/2017/05/31/von-beeren-cuirassiers-nr-2-nappy-cavalry-project-set-24/























Cheers!

Marvin

[Bluefalchion]

Nobody does Nappie cavalry like you do, Marvin. Your horses continue to astonish, although I see these had some mold marks trickier to solve than some you have done.

Did you have to do head swaps? Which way were the bicorns supposed to be facing? Was it at all possible to cut off just the hats and reposition them?

[FredG]

.........It's always bugged me a little that their bicorne hats always faced the front regardless of which way the rider was looking. .......Marvin

Now why did I think immediately of Eric Morecombe

Some very nice technique shown there Marvin

[MABO]

I have these set on my to do öist since more than 15 years... shame on me. I had painted only the horses for the Guards. Your fantastic unit is a moral boost to continue.

Marvin the Master of Nappy Cavalry.

[Wiking]

I opened these thread and be immediately attacked by !

Great painting for sure. You have done it very well by horse and the yellow ones.



MABO wrote:
I have these set on my to do öist since more than 15 years...

These are the sentence we don`t want to read.
I hate you for that

truth.

[PhilC]

So many horses... Can't believe my eyes

[Marvin]

Nobody does Nappie cavalry like you do, Marvin. Your horses continue to astonish, although I see these had some mold marks trickier to solve than some you have done.

Did you have to do head swaps? Which way were the bicorns supposed to be facing? Was it at all possible to cut off just the hats and reposition them?

Thanks Bluefalchion

I'm so lazy with those mold marks! The bicorns I think were supposed to be roughly with one point between the front right eye and ear. I didn't mind too much how they worn but I thought they should vaguely consistent! Maybe someone more skilled at conversions than I could have cut the hats off but after a couple of attempts it just wasn't working out for me so I opted for the officer head swap and disregarded figures which had hats at completely different angles.

[Kekso]

Well Marvin, after so many great figures from you I think I've run out of compliments. Therefore, I think I'll start all over again. Great work, welcome to the forum.

[Edwardian]

Superb work and a joy to see.

Really spot on - the balance between the splendour of the uniforms and the naturalness of the finish is really well achieved here, I think.

[Beano Boy]

The hats were modelled by the sculptor pointing to the right,to ease the question of making it easier to then model the right arm with musket and swords in the steel mould. So clearly all the hats and placement of plumes are wrong, and as to be perfect which I am certainly not, should be pointing to the left and the point of the hat over the left eye. The plain fact is if one was to cut around the hats but not right through them a twist is then made possible, and would place them to the left. However the plume would be in the wrong place ,it being now to far back. I looked over my troopers years ago,and thus figured the conversion would need that plume on every hat taken off and a pin inserted and cotton wound around it to form a new plume to be correct. Quite frankly it is hardly worth the effort on large numbers on mass. A few maybe, but I like Marvin painted the hats as the sculptor made them fall upon such regimented heads that after all are toy soldiers,and so are therefore a legal case of cop-out for big companies to continue to churn them out,in brand new boxes rather than brand new figures.

As for Marvins conversion head swops,I admire them greatly,and his painting style is such a fine splendid one to inspire the painting of more Napoleonics in wonderful colours.
Of course these figures included. BB

[Marvin]

Thanks fellas, comments much appreciated.

BB - sage words. Ultimately, I prefer to work with the sculptor or not at all rather than spend too many hours working around the problems.

err - sorry - did you say 'after all are (just) toy soldiers'? Toy soldiers are the very most important things on the planet, obviously...

[Susofrick]

Have this set, but since there were not many generals or masrshalls at the time I turned most of them into officers with a little painting. These look very nice! And I have the Men-At-Arms about them!

[matgc]

Beautiful, Marvin!

I just wish some company would do late war prussian cuirassiers, I love those elegant crests and helmets!

[udospreng]

Wow very nice...