Sunday, November 20, 2011

Russians ... or soldiers of M'yasma?

Some time ago I picked up at a bring-n-buy a small 7YW corps of Russians - horse, foot and gun. Nicely painted and presented, reasonably priced, too hard to resist. This lot seemed to comprise:
1x12-figure grenadier battalion (3 stands)
3x12-figure musketeer battalion (e@ 3 stands)
1x6-figure Cavalry unit (2 stands)
1x6-figure Hussar unit (2 stands)
1x4-figure Hussar unit (2 stands)
1x8-figure Cossack unit (4 stands)
1x artillery piece.
Not the largest force you ever saw: 48 foot, 24 horse and a gun.
The Cavalry unit. Nice paint job - as received. I had nothing to do with it.

The Blue Hussars (I think this might be the Pavlograd Hussars. Again two stands. Looking at the makeup of this army led me to suspect it was intended for a rule set similar to Shako. Not my favoritest rule set, but it's playable enough.


But this was a puzzle. Why 3 per base? Was he intending to use them as heavies? These will probably be rebased...


Marshal-General Count Ignatius Yakovitch Smirnoff and the artillery. Readers with long memories who have visited this site before might recall his presence in the banner pic that I've recently replaced with something more of my own...


These cossacks have a certain presence about them, do they not? They look like a single unit, but might have been intended as two. The lances have been replaced by some spare flagpoles from the Wargames Factory WSS infantry. Plastic does not go well with lead - I broke one of the lances shortly after taking this picture, though have since repaired it. I'll eventually replace the lances with wire, but may use these spearpoints, fastening them on the end of the lances with paper pennons...



The infantry column on the march. The previous owner had attempted to hand draw the flags, but, unsurprisingly, didn't make much of it. I like doing my own, but the design is extremely complicated and difficult to render well. I found a source of flags on the internet, found a way of peeling back a mirror image and printed out several.






Were these to be Russians - or maybe another, vaguely Livonian/Ukrainian/Muskovite imagi-Nation such as the Grand Duchy of M'yasma?
Since this purchase, the army has grown a little: a further 2 battalions of musketeers, enough hussars to form a third unit and to give all three 3 2-figure stands apiece, and enough heavy horse to give the Cavalry a third stand. At that, there remain 4 rather orphaned musketeers in the 'advancing' pose (all the rest are 'March attack'). Not sure what to do with them.

Leaving them aside, the Army of the Grand Duchy now comprises 72 foot, 35 horse, and... 1 gun still...

3 comments:

  1. M'yasma, please!
    Everybody and his brother can build an 'accurate' Russian army; only *you* can design the Might of M'yasma.

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  2. The Grand Duchy of Litharus sends greetings and words of encouragement to our brothers. Be welcome and grow strong.

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  3. Grand Duke Ivan XXXIII (surnamed 'The Horrible', father of heir-apparent, Constantine) returns his brothers' greetings and expressions of support with thanks.

    M'yasma it is. Although I already have an army of M'yasma, something like this (similar to the armies of Katzenstein) will be handy for quick and small campaigns on my miniature games table, of which, more perhaps another time.
    Cheers,
    Ion

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