1914 French (in 28mm and 40mm)

[tim in saskatoon]

because... why would I do it in just ONE scale!?

I've been working on some 1914 French lately. Most are 28mm Great War Miniatures, but I've also tried painting a few of my friends 40mm "toy soldier" figures.


First Battalion


Second Battalion


Machine-guns


40mm 1914 French "toy soldiers"

[former user]

very nice PJ
THX for sharing

a question about the St.Etienne MG
are these from Great War Miniatures too?

if I see right, the gunner and the loader wear greatcoats while the pointing CO has a tunic?

[tim in saskatoon]

a question about the St.Etienne MG
are these from Great War Miniatures too?

Yes they are!

if I see right, the gunner and the loader wear greatcoats while the pointing CO has a tunic?

Correct!

It's a lovely little kit. Includes a pile of ammo crates and rifles to make a nice little vignette - if you're into that sort of thing... i am... so..

[former user]

I am
unfortunately, I am not into the greatcoats, which You just spared me from buying 

I also prefer the Renegade Miniatures early war french, I am not very fond of GWM....

I guess I now have 5 spare officers...

[marcstorch]

I had forgotten how nice (in an old soldier way) John's miniatures were. Thanks for posting both!

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Really excellent painting.

[Hombre]

What colors do you use for painting the early war French? I have a lot of them to paint and i like your color scheme!

cheers   Mike

[Phil Robinson]

Nicely done, although the toy soldier ones just don't look right without a bit of gloss

[Bowman]

I am
unfortunately, I am not into the greatcoats, which You just spared me from buying 

I also prefer the Renegade Miniatures early war french, I am not very fond of GWM....

I guess I now have 5 spare officers...

But the Renegade early WW1 French do have the greatcoats. Except for the officers/NCOs.

[Bowman]

What colors do you use for painting the early war French? I have a lot of them to paint and i like your color scheme!

cheers   Mike

What colors do you use for painting the early war French? I have a lot of them to paint and i like your color scheme!

cheers   Mike

I'm not Tim, but I am from Canada and have painted my share of early war French. I'm away from my painting desk for the weekend but Vallejo makes a medium blue paint (it's either Magic Blue or Ultramarine blue from the Game Colour line). I then wash it with the current GW blue wash. Then I highlight with the Vallejo blue again. This gives me a colour similar to that found in the Great War rulebook, or like those below:

http://paxx888.blogspot.ca/2013/07/ww1-french-infantry.html

Tim's second Battalion looks somewhat darker, but that could just be the photo. They are very nicely painted.

[former user]

But the Renegade early WW1 French do have the greatcoats. Except for the officers/NCOs.

not the chasseurs, but unfortunately the HMG

[Bowman]

not the chasseurs, but unfortunately the HMG

Hmmm........

The Chasseurs Alpin were given a more modern uniform than the regular French army, as they were a more recent development. They figured a shorter jacket would be more practical than a greatcoat, considering the difficult terrain that the Chasseurs were formed to fight in. (They were originally formed as a force to face off against the Italian Alpini).

HMG crews were support teams from the main French army. Hence the wearing of Greatcoats. You might want to consider late war French, as their clothing would be more to your liking.

[former user]

no, they are not chasseurs alpins, just simple chasseurs with kepi. And as I understand, it was the doctrine of being more agile and therefore going sans capote and as de carreau.
what the line infantry then did in the trenches.

as their clothing would be more to your liking.

how so? the only thing that changed for the r&f was the colour and the simpler cut. And the reintroduction of the bonnet de police that proved more practical when the adrien was not required. To my knowledge only certain units received the fall down collar tunique, namely chasseurs alpins and troupes coloniales.

no, I am not peculiar about certain uniforms, I have only one tapu. In my visual memory, the capote with folded up skirts and adrian helmet has been impregnated as the appearance of a defeated backwards army, regardless of who wears it and when, france or anyone else. I simply don't like to paint those two objects. And I am highly suspicious of the actual authenticity of wearing the capote in any weather - as multiplied by the tons of foreign legion movies.
in my project thread you will find none of these

[tim in saskatoon]

What colors do you use for painting the early war French? I have a lot of them to paint and i like your color scheme!

cheers   Mike

Hi! Sorry I missed this question earlier. I use cheap craft paints. The blue I used Was Deco Art Americana "Midnight Blue" and the red was, I think, Deco Art Americana "Tomato Red"...? I undercoat in black and all I really do for shading is leave the shaded areas black. (Except for the flesh - that I undercoat with a burnt umber).

As Bowman Suggested the difference in the pictures is due to lighting.

Sadly Renegade seems to not be trading at the moment - which is leaving me a little sad as I'd planned on buying a bunch of early war stuff from them this spring...

[former user]

try ebor miniatures, they should match better

Artizan and Renegade are much larger. if You don't mind this, Artizan has a few foreign legionnaires in greatcoat that are very fitting