Imagination 18th Century figures?

[clibinarium]

I was just daydreaming yesterday and thinking about 18th Century ImagiNations. I've been doing a lot of tutorials on (digital) sculpting and very often they are skewed towards character design and fantastical worlds. As any fantasy fan will know these designs are usually not made up from nowhere, they are nearly always anchored on real-world history and cultures. There's a lot of fantasy that is basically medieval Europe (not a fact that will shock anyone here).

But it made me think- there is the 18th Century imaginary conflicts niche, but usually they utilise different colour schemes on historical figures. There are not a lot of figures that are imaginative spins on 18th-century armies. I'm not really talking about orcs and elves in the 18th century (I am aware of the Flintloque universe), but rather Imagination armies in Imagined uniforms. Nothing unbelievable, but using the look of 18th-century gear to make plausible figures for armies that never had any real existence.

Do any such figures exist? If not, should they?

[Extrabio1947]

If they do exist, I’m not aware of them.  But I certainly wish they did.

Even simple alterations to 18th Century historical miniatures, like putting a cloth mitre on a French grenadier, would create a unique ImagiNation figure.  Jäger wearing fusilier-style mitres?

A line of SYW miniatures with separate heads would allow a lot of creativity for those so inclined.

For a more exotic ImagiNation, such as one inspired by Egypt or Turkey, the sky would be the limit in terms of troop types and uniforms. 

[Bogdanwaz]

Although it has far more fantasy elements than I think you are looking for, there is Turnip 28 that is a dark fantasy black powder game world with a very different look:

https://www.google.com/search?q=turnip+28&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS778US778&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiq8Z3vovz5AhUeE1kFHWheDTYQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1280&bih=577&dpr=1.5

https://twitter.com/maxstaxidermia?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

https://www.etsy.com/market/turnip28

https://gardensofhecate.com/projects-gallery/miniature/turnip-28

[carlos marighela]

I suspect that most people that do 18th C Imagi-Nations, want the look or feel of Munchausen or Candide, in other words they want their figures to be recognisably 18th C. with tricornes and lace etc.  The historical era is fairly niche compared to other popular gaming periods so not surprised that nobody has branched out into even more exotic fare.

That said, there are a number of quite exotic historical units that could be repurposed to give variety. Crann Tara do Chasseurs de Fischer. Eureka make Arquebusiers de Grassin as well as Austro-Hungarian Grenz that would make interesting units for an Imagi-nation. Just paint them in whatever scheme you desire. They also do two Munchausen figures plus some amusing civilian vignettes, one featuring Voltaire.

[FierceKitty]

Ugh. Like playing Bach on the piano.

[Emir of Askaristan]

Many of the stranger units of the main protagonists are out there in metal - allowing an imagination to field armies with little or no conversions. Especially since the smaller nations usually followed the uniform patterns and styles of the larger.

There are some odd units out there that are not well covered by different manufacturers. The Schaumburg Lippe Carabiniers (Buckeberg)for example. But then again they were a tiny unit, as were the Jannisary style uniforms worn by some bodyguard units in the Polish and Saxon armies. Crann Tara even do uniformed Cuban militia.

There is little therefore that can't be accomplished by painting, or a head swap. My own Archbishoric of Hoegaarden army is Perry hessian troops in white uniforms with foundry Prussian von kleist horse grenadiers and Jager - also in white. All units bear the arms of Hoegaarden - the crook and paddle on their standards, the field of which varies in colour per regiment as it did with some of the reichsarmy units.

Post SYW uniforms start to get a little more diverse - Swedish and Russian styles become a bit more unique and strange headgear creeps in here and there. Roundhats and tarleton style helmets appear. But again these can be found in AWI and French Revolutionary War war ranges.

The challenge will be getting these odd units in figures that match your chosen manufacturer. Crann Tara's range of figures don't match many and others usually concentrate on line and a few light troops rather than the independent frei korps whose uniforms are diverse. So if you want to sculpt it could be to get figures to match the range you prefer


Interested to see what you come up with!

[stefanov]

Hello,
there is a community painting and playing with Imagi-Nations armies since maybe 40 years. Charles Grant having started it.
I have put in this blog some thoughts and what I started this year. you may also peek at some links appearing in it for long-time players.
http://stefanov.no-ip.org/wordpress/index.php/2021/12/07/maurice-gaming-with-semi-imagination-armies/
Cheers,
Stefano

[Nic]

You might want to have a look at this book series and its art
Monster Blood Tattoo- DM Cornish
Very 18C inspirational.

[Moriarty]

If you are looking for something unusual in an 18th century range, you might consider the Ottoman/Persian conflict of 1730 onwards? I have reference pictures if needed.

Alternately, civilian militia figures for European armies might be useful? Or even civilian figures of various classes? Gentleman volunteers? Assorted hounds for fox/deer hunting? 18th century variants of farm animals? Camp followers? Supernaturals in 18th century dress (zombies et al)

Imaginations ‘Petiit guerre’ actions have a certain appeal.

[frank xerox]

Have a look at regional folk dress and then militarise it - like grenzer  or highlanders

[Freddy]

If you want them look characterful (depends on the goal of the project, whether you want to make them blend in everywhere or stand out from anywhere), just define a characteristic headgear and equip every soldier with that. This way you can use any figure, just swap the head. Do you know Sludge? They just do that.

https://relicblade.com/sludge

[clibinarium]

Thanks for the interesting suggestions, and the discussion. The Monster Blood Tatoo and Sludge stuff are not really what I am thinking of, though I do like the style and imagination that goes into them, Sludge especially has a very Bloodborne feel to it which I like.

I'm thinking more of the look of something that if you saw it in an Osprey on some small nation that you hadn't seen before, it would be something new but completely fit in the context of the 18th. So a sort of a mix and match of existing uniform elements to make a believable new army. At a very simple level, as Extrabio1947 suggested  "Jäger wearing fusilier-style mitres".
The thing that makes me hesitate is that, as has been touched on here, you can get a lot of variation through just palette swapping with existing historical figures. A jager in a mitre is just a head swap really. So perhaps there's not a lot of point in making dedicated figures?

A way around that would be to incorporate elements that are more unique, like say giving cavalry neo-classical helmets based on designs that you don't really see in the 18th century like a neo-Boeotian or neo-Phygrian helmet. Of course the more you do that the more move along the spectrum from historical to fantasy, and everyone has a different point where they'll want to jump off.

PS. The Ottoman/Persian thing is interesting, but I'm thinking more along the classic Grant imaginations of linear warfare in Europe. I did a range of Safavid Persians and Ottomans for Khurasan, and I think it's a sphere that's unfairly overlooked.

[Ruire]

I agree that a headswap and palette change would be the easiest way about it. I was thinking to myself how I would represent a hypothetical late-18th century Irish army and realised it would be very simple:

• either British or Austrian bodies (Austrians for the relative simplicity of their infantry uniforms)
• with regular cocked hats or bonnet caps (the Warlord Covenanter pack seems appropriate)
  
• and painted either red-and-green for a Stuart force or green-and-dark grey for another dynasty or republican force

I wonder could a similar philosophy re: headswaps from classical, medieval, or early (earlier?) modern ranges be applied to hypothetical eastern forces? Similar to the Meiji Restoration which saw clan troops wearing all sorts of traditional Japanese headgear with otherwise very European uniforms.