28mm Soviet Cavalry and Seated Figures (Vehicle Crews)

[leadboy]

Hello All,

I'm searching for 28mm WW2 Soviet Cavalry and also for
Soviet seated figures suitable for vehicle crews - infantry
rather than tankers. I've found the WestWind Soviet cavalry,
but they're quite elderly sculpts now and are pretty expensive,
too. Anyone got better ideas?

As for vehicle crews, again my google-fu seems weak...I'm
happy to convert suitable seated figures if absolutely
necessary. Any help?

Many thanks.

[has.been]

For the seated figures may I suggest that you
make/amend/etc a bog standard bottom half,
then press mould as many as you want. You can
then put any suitable top half onto it/them.

[moiterei_1984]

In case you have access to a resin 3D printer:
https://www.wargaming3d.com/vendor/esmichnik/page/6/

[Rich H]

I used Empress Spanish Civil War nationalist cavalry with headswaps

[traveller]

I find the Copplestone Bolshevik cavalry to be the best bet. Some of the heads can be replaced with more recent headgear. In the artillerypack you can also find 2 seated figures. Warlord, Rubicon and 1st Corps (there are maybe more) have seated tankriders. Beside this I think any greatcoated figures you can find are easy to convert. 

[joekano]

Haven't seen them in the flesh, but JJG in Belgium does 3D prints of WW2 Cossack cavalry
https://www.jjgprint3d.com/page-vierge?page=11

[carlos marighela]

Unless you fancy printing your own, your options, other than Westwind, would either be head swaps to Copplestone RCW cavalry or to the Tsuba (via Empress) RJW cavalry. It really depends on whether you want bulkier or more anatomically correct sculpts to match whatever else you have in your collection. Both are beautifully sculpted in their own ways by two of the best sculptors in the business (Paul Hicks in the case of the Tsuba figures). Both ranges have suitable figures you can convert for dismounted troops.

It’s an odd gap in WW2 ranges given the size of the Red Army cavalry branch. Crusader even produce Cossacks in German service but no Soviet cavalry.

[carlos marighela]

Oh there is another option that I forgot about but again requiring head swaps. Siberia Miniatures, run by ever helpful LAF contributor Cuprum, produces a number of WW1 era Russian Cavalry as well as a couple of figures in their RCW range.

[Will Bailie]

I agree, it's odd that WWII cavalry figures are readily available in 28mm for France, Poland, Germany, UK and others, but the Red Army, who probably fielded more cavalry than all other armies combined, are not to be found.  I've seen some blog articles showing kitbashes of plastic Red Army infantry with cavalry from other eras. 
https://krigetkommer.weebly.com/red-cavalry/red-cavalry-part-2-converting-a-red-army-cavalry-section

For the vehicle crews, you may be able to convert tankodesantniki if you can find suitable figures.  And Die Waffenhamer has a crew set that could be the start of something.
https://www.rubiconmodels.com/products.php?i=94
https://us.warlordgames.com/products/soviet-tank-riders
https://www.diewaffenkammer.com/crew_sets_infantry_and_artillery.html
https://www.asterwargame.com/products/bad-squiddo-games-fz007-women-of-ww2-soviet-tank-riders-3-28mm

[leadboy]

Thanks for all your ideas, everybody. It is really odd that there is this gap in the 28mm market, both in relation to Soviet cavalry and vehicle crews - you would have thought that every manufacturer would have had something! Still, you have re-assured me that I am not missing something obvious in my search, so I shall follow up a few of the leads kindly given and/or get out my conversion materials!

[leadboy]

As a PS on vehicle crews, I did find this very helpful (2018) summary of available figures for all nations:

https://www.wargaming3d.com/2018/11/23/crews-for-your-3d-printed-28mm-ww2-tanks-and-vehicles/

[Ampersand Andy]

Blitzkrieg Miniatures are releasing a WWII range from Mr 3D Print that includes Soviet truck crew figures seated. Not the direction I thought Blitzkrieg would take but the crew figures are worth a look. They're in their store awaiting release.

Andy

[ultimatewargamer]

https://www.jjgprint3d.com/page-vierge?page=11 These guy make them

[Staffan_G]

For Soviet cavalry I have heard of people kith bashing Perry ACW cavalry for the horse and legs with Warlord soviets for the torso etc. Haven't tried it myself.