Thad's Plastic Polish Cavalry Thread (update 27Apr2014 plastic mounted hussars)

[Thaddeu]

I'm in a sharing mood today, so I thought I'd show some of my converted cavalry. There is no one making "official" cossack-style cavalry or pancerni in plastic, but I'm too cheap for metal cavalry, so I've been kitbashing to various degrees of success.

Here are pancerni, sometimes called cossack-style cavalry. These are Conquest Games Norman Cavalry, with hammers and pistols added from the Warlord Games ECW cavalry kit, and Perry Zouave heads with lots of greenstuff added. The sabers are just carefully-bent Norman swords, and the armguards (not in the WiP pics) are cut from spare plastic.













And here's a full unit of Pancerni, filled out with a few of my earlier, less-successful conversions from Wargames Factory Celt cavalry.



And here are my Polish light cavalry. Earlier in the 17th century, these would probably represent professional light cavalry called cossack-style cavalry. Eventually the professional light cavalry evolved into the heavier pancerni cavalry pictured above, and for roughly the second half of the 17th century these miniatures would be more likely to represent a levy of the nobility. They are mostly built out of Wargames Factory WSS kits, with Perry Zouave and Wargames Factory Celt heads, and greenstuff hats. They don't look very good, but they're a pretty mediocre unit on the tabletop, so I'm not overly fussed.









I'll be posting more pancerni soon...

[von Lucky]

Nice conversions either way - I think most opponents will appreciate the work when they ask the manufacturer and you can say "Conquest Games, Warlord Games, Perry Miniatures, Wargames Factory.. and me"

What do you plan to do with the left overs?

[Thaddeu]

What do you plan to do with the left overs?

Except for the base kits (Norman Knights and WSS cavalry), these bitz are the leftovers. The Zouave kits were purchased to use as Cossack infantry, the WSS infantry box was used for pirates and registered cossacks, the Warlord cavalry are serving as reiters in my Polish army, and so forth. I hang on to everything, just in case.

[von Lucky]

I think we all hang onto everything, just in case (the wife also regularly asks me if could use certain packaging, etc for wargaming. Bless her).

[Thaddeu]

I think we all hang onto everything, just in case (the wife also regularly asks me if could use certain packaging, etc for wargaming. Bless her).

Nice.

And here are some previews of the next batch of pancerni.

[Captain Blood]

Great idea. Great conversions 

[commissarmoody]

Pretty cool, I am going to have to start following your blog

[M.P.]

Awesome

[Thaddeu]

and here they are painted, except the leaders and trumpet guy.

[fastolfrus]

Winged Hussars next ?

[Thaddeu]

Winged Hussars next ?

Already did some, but since they're completely unconverted (Warlord Games metals), I'm not as interested in showing them off. If you're curious, though, you can look here:http://spoonybardiche.blogspot.com/2013/05/hussar-unit_4721.html

[Thaddeu]

Actually, it just occurred to me... I do have a couple winged hussars that are converted from other kits:







Based on GW Uruk-Hai plastics, with Warlord helmets and weapons. They are part of my dismounted cavalry storming party, inspired by the First Battle of Loyew.

[commissarmoody]

They look pretty cool.

[von Lucky]

I like them too. Hmm, I wonder what historical miniatures I can convert the Moria goblins to...

[DoctorPete]

Those are awesome!  I need to learn how to use greenstuff  and have a go at something like this.  You have a talent for seeing different uses for kits -- I would never have thought to use Norman Knights as a basis for Pancerni!