Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Russian Cossacks for the 1799 Project

Russian Cossacks.  When an 18th and 19th century Russian Army was on the march, Cossacks seemed to be present and often in large numbers.  That generalization was no different for Suvorov's campaigns in Switzerland and Italy.  Many of the OBs list Cossacks as the most numerous cavalry component.  Perhaps, Cossacks required less logistical support and maintenance when on the march?  Given the Russian propensity to include Cossacks in its foreign campaigning, a dozen Cossacks muster from the painting table.  
With the ever-presence of Cossacks on the battlefield, these troops are quite handy when Mother Russia takes to the field of battle.  While these figures can see service from the Severn Years War through the Napoleonic Wars, their presence can be seen outside of these periods.  Dress and weaponry changed slowly.  That is good for the gamer since these troopers will see service throughout these periods on my table.
Today's Cossack addition are from Eureka Miniatures' SYW range of figures.  The sculpts show good animation.  The long coats and baggy trousers, having few embellishments, make for a quick pass through the production line.  The one criticism I offer is a dislike for the cast on lances.  As seen, the lances can become misshapen whereas a brass or steel rod would eliminate the bends.

Still, great figures and a welcome addition to the 1799 project. 

40 comments:

  1. Cossacks are a colorful component of Russian forces of this era (or these eras), but unfortunately (and frustratingly given their numbers) they have few roles on the battlefield (as opposed to the "petit guerre" outside of the head to head battle). Not alot of rules find ways to incorporate them in a conventional battle.

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    1. I agree with your assessment of Cossacks as non-battlefield cavalry. They did play a role in some battles including flank and LOC protection. Perhaps Cossacks come into their in a campaign setting? during the 1799 campaigns, Cossacks provided a vital role.

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  2. Useful figures that you've done a lovely job on! Good that they cover a lot of periods too!
    Best Iain

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    1. When figures can be used for multiple periods, that is a big bonus!

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  3. Perhaps you will be interested:
    http://savinkoffgg.blogspot.com/2018/11/stp-miniaturesrussian-army-suvorov-1799.html#comment-form

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    1. Thanks for the link! These figures look very good but quite expensive with 3 figures for EURO7.

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  4. Very nice and useful figures, Jonathan. Wielding archaic weapons has its advantages :)

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    1. Carrying archaic weapons extends their usefulness, for sure!

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  5. A splendid looking unit...and no doubt deadly when unopposed.

    All the best. Aly

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  6. Can never go wrong with Cossacks. Could probably even use these for the Revolution too at a stretch. Good stuff Jonathan.

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    1. Thanks! These guys could see action in the earlier years of the Revolution too.

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  7. Great work on these Jonathan, and you can never have too many Cossacks. We seem to make good use of them in the games we play, albeit normally on a flank where they are excellent for nuisance value.

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    1. Thank you, Lawrence!

      In the Zorndorf game, Cossacks take on exactly the role you describe. That is flank protection.

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  8. What a fantastic job on such an interesting project!

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  9. Great looking Cossacks Jonathan - I completely agree with your one reservation - spears, pikes, lances etc invariably seem to get bent out of shape when cast in the soft-ish metal used for wargaming figures. The other problem can often be they are far to chunky and out of scale!

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    1. Thanks, Keith!

      I considered cutting the lances off and drilling out the hands but decided against that solution. Still, I may give that a try sometime.

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  10. Great looking Cossacks Jonathan. Figures that cover a multitude of periods are always a great addition to a collection.

    Cheers, Ross

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    1. Thank you, Ross! Great additions and economical too!

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  11. Great looking units. Drilling them out would probably generate more battlefield injuries given our prolectivity for stabbing our hands with wire spears...

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    1. Thanks! Good point(!) about stabs from pikes. Why tempt fate by replacing these cast-on lances?

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  12. Very impressive troops. Lots of hard work there...! Cheers!

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  13. There are some great poses in tje mix Jonathon.

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  14. You can never have too many cossacks, Jonathan.

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  15. Jonathan, as an aside, I have just noticed that Lancashire Games have today started a 15% Christmas Sale, if that helps round off any of your planned bases.

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    1. Norm, thanks for heads-upon that! Right now, there is a bounty of Black Friday and Winter sales from a number of vendors. I am doing my part in keeping the economy running vigorously...

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  16. They look very good, Jon. Barry loves Coasacks, so... I don't! :-)

    Cossacks wore a lot of different costumes. I know the Guard Coassacks had red caftans, so I guess there musty have been some other, too!

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    1. Thanks, Peter!

      I have seen illustrations and paintings with Cossacks wearing the long tunic in red and various other colors. Perhaps a more representative Cossack unit would be in a variety of colors rather than only one?

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  17. It occurs to me that if you actually pull off seven regiments of Cossacks we can see if they have the potential to actually influence Zorndorf.

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    1. That is true. To try that, I have more Cossacks to paint.

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