Thirty Years War Cavalry From 1898 Miniatures

[Friends of General Haig]

My latest blog post looks at the new 28mm Thirty Years War cavalry from 1898 Miniatures, and my first unit created with them.  More details and pictures here:
https://theviaregia.blogspot.com/2022/02/thirty-years-war-cavalry-from-1898.html











In summary I think they are a great option for creating a characterful and animated unit of Harquebusier type cavalry.

[Sparrow]

Very nice!

[jambo1]

Lovely work, a really nice unit.

[Friends of General Haig]

Very nice!

Thank you, Sparrow 👍

Lovely work, a really nice unit.

Cheers, Jambo 👍

[Captain Blood]

Great unit Andy, and lovely figures. Interestingly, to my eye, they do have a distinctly European look - not sure if its the helmets, the beards, or just the general vibe. Obviously they’re designed for - and eminently suitable for - the TYW. When I first saw these previewed, I thought ‘what amazing figures, I will definitely get a set to add to my ECW collection’. But actually, for me, they just don’t have quite the right look for ECW.  The dress and equipment is more or less the same, but… Can’t quite put my finger on it…
Maybe it’s just that the poses are so much more dynamic than the 150 or so Bicorne / Renegade / TAG cavalry I already have for the ECW 
They are jolly nice though. The horses too.

[Arthur]

There isn't much preventing the 1898 Miniaturas figures from doing double duty as cavalry from the British Isles, save for the obvious lack of triple-barred lobster pots. But the miniatures were definitely designed to depict Spanish cavalry, which then meant a vast array of men from all over western Europe, the troopers being likely to hail from Flanders, Germany or Italy as much as from the Spanish peninsula itself.

And Andy did indeed do a top job on these.

[Paul Richardson]

I'm thinking about using them as Germans in Swedish service during the TYW. Doing that, you can keep the carbines.

[bigredbat]

They are super- did you use oils on the horses?

I agree with Captain Blood, they have  a very European feel which is a good thing for the TYW!  I'll get some.

[Friends of General Haig]

Great unit Andy, and lovely figures. …

Many thanks, Captain 👍.  I know what you mean about the ‘European’ look.  It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what makes it. Beards, helmets, collars?  I was very happy to make these guys Swedes though. 😀

There isn't much preventing the 1898 Miniaturas figures from doing double duty as cavalry from the British Isles, save for the obvious lack of triple-barred lobster pots. But the miniatures were definitely designed to depict Spanish cavalry, which then meant a vast array of men from all over western Europe, the troopers being likely to hail from Flanders, Germany or Italy as much as from the Spanish peninsula itself.

And Andy did indeed do a top job on these.

Much appreciated, Arthur 👍.  They do include a three-barred face plate on the parts sprue in each pack.  This can be added to helmeted figures.  I didn’t use these as I was going for Swedes, but they would definitely help with the ‘British’ look. (You can just see the face plate in the picture above on the cutting matt.)

I'm thinking about using them as Germans in Swedish service during the TYW. Doing that, you can keep the carbines.

Great idea, Paul.  It was a wrench to not use the carbines as they are lovely little sculpts and will look great on the figures. 👍

They are super- did you use oils on the horses?

I agree with Captain Blood, they have  a very European feel which is a good thing for the TYW!  I'll get some.

Cheers, Simon, much appreciated 👍.

I used acrylics on the horses, mixing ideas from a few sources.  Basics horse flesh is base coat with two highlights added by dry brush, then toned together with a Agrax Earthshade wash.  (Suggested by Hideyoshi Darrol as his ‘speed’ technique.) The black legs for the bays uses black contrast paint before the shade.  The contrast paint is thinned 50:50 with medium, and after painting the top part is feathered with just water on the brush.  (This was a technique copied from Duncan ‘two thin coats’ Rhodes.) 😀

I look forward to seeing your TYW forces!