28mm War of Spanish Succession, French.

[Captain Blood]

Very nice Chris.
I alays have slightly mixed feelings about Front Rank figures, with that very distinctive style they have.
But for the late C17th and early C18th, they really do capture the flavour somehow.
Great stuff.

[Chris Steadman]

Very nice Chris.
I alays have slightly mixed feelings about Front Rank figures, with that very distinctive style they have.
But for the late C17th and early C18th, they really do capture the flavour somehow.
Great stuff.

Thanks Captain, appreciate the compliment.

I know exactly what you mean about Front Rank figures. I have a lot of nostalgia for them and when they first launched as a company their stuff was at the top of the hobby. They area  bit short, big faced and there can be a lot of variety between the hands on individual figures, but I love the WSS range. I really like painting the faces, indeed the whole figure often feels like it was sculpted for the painter.

[verd]

They look awesome. Wow!!!

[Captain Blood]

I know exactly what you mean about Front Rank figures. I have a lot of nostalgia for them and when they first launched as a company their stuff was at the top of the hobby. They area  bit short, big faced and there can be a lot of variety between the hands on individual figures, but I love the WSS range. I really like painting the faces, indeed the whole figure often feels like it was sculpted for the painter.

Completely agree with you Chris.
They are very easy and pleasurable figures to paint. I've got a good few of their Late C17th range under my belt, and they are always a pleasure to paint. Reminds me I really must do some more of them 

[Jeppan]

I must say that this was indeed well painted minis.....

Front Rank are first class minis and easy to achieve a reasonable result with. An alternative for this period must be Ebor. I even think that Ebor and Front Rank can be mixed.

[Chris Steadman]

Thanks for the compliment, even if it is 'easy' to do a good job with Front Rank.

I do have some Ebor figures as well, to use for my Bavarian contingent. I have to say that the quality of casting is pretty poor compared with the Front Rank figures I have. Very significant mould lines that are going to take a lot of time and effort to remove.

[Calimero]

I thought that Provence had a grey coat in the WSS… Looking at your figures, I first thought they were Royal Italien…

Anyhow, they look great!!!

I really like those Front Rank figures. IIRC, I have 7 Infantry units (24 figures), 4 guns and 4 cavalry units (12 figures) to paint…

[Chris Steadman]

I thought that Provence had a grey coat in the WSS… Looking at your figures, I first thought they were Royal Italien…

Anyhow, they look great!!!

I really like those Front Rank figures. IIRC, I have 7 Infantry units (24 figures), 4 guns and 4 cavalry units (12 figures) to paint…

Thanks for the compliment.

Sources vary. They changed from brown to grey sometime between 1702 and 1715.

[Arthur]

I thought that Provence had a grey coat in the WSS… Looking at your figures, I first thought they were Royal Italien…

The 1702 Etat des troupes de France confirms that Provence wore brown coats faced red in 1702. The switch to grey coats came later during the WSS, though the exact year does not seem to be known.   

The grey coats for the WSS come from Lienhard & Humbert, which should be treated with extreme caution as they mostly took uniform details from the second half of the C18th and applied them to the reign of Louis XIV. It bears repeating that L&H are a secondary source, not a primary one, and that most of their 'research' is mildly spurious, even if they got things right for a number of regiments - i.e those whose facing colours did not change between the late C17th and the 1760's.   

[Arthur]

Thanks for the compliment, even if it is 'easy' to do a good job with Front Rank.

I do have some Ebor figures as well, to use for my Bavarian contingent. I have to say that the quality of casting is pretty poor compared with the Front Rank figures I have. Very significant mould lines that are going to take a lot of time and effort to remove.

I like the Ebor figures a lot, and Ebor's probably the only company I know which makes French grenadiers without buttonhole lace (a particular bugbear of mine : French grenadiers wore the exact same coats as the fusiliers and only had buttonhole lace if the rest of the regiment had it as well). I like the proportional - if slightly fragile - Ebor muskets as well : the flintlock bazookas that the Front Rank guys are toting always were the deal breaker for me, much more than their chunky build.


The figures I got did not seem to suffer much from casting woes : perhaps the ones you received came from aging moulds ?  

[Chris Steadman]

I like the Ebor figures a lot, and Ebor's probably the only company I know which makes French grenadiers without buttonhole lace (a particular bugbear of mine : French grenadiers wore the exact same coats as the fusiliers and only had buttonhole lace if the rest of the regiment had it as well). I like the proportional - if slightly fragile - Ebor muskets as well : the flintlock bazookas that the Front Rank guys are toting always were the deal breaker for me, much more than their chunky build.


The figures I got did not seem to suffer much from casting woes : perhaps the ones you received came from aging moulds ?  

I bought them about a month after they were first released and I was really disappointed