Sunday, July 28, 2019

Two French Regiments for WSS in 10mm

Off the painting desk today are two 10mm French regiments for the War of Spanish Succession.  These two stands finish off the four regiment, test order I made from Van Dyck Models back in September 2018.    
Regiment Agenois
Having completed four regiments of 21 figures each, what do I think of these figures?  Despite their tiny size, these 10mm figures are little works of art in sculpting.  The detailing on these figures is amazing.  When examined closely, it is astounding that these are mere 10mm figures and not 28mm in size.  Beautiful figures with details that defy belief.  Given the long coats worn during the WSS, the figures paint quickly too.  Well, painting the hat lace is a chore for bad eyes on these tiny models. 
Regiment Bourbonnais
The downside is that only two codes are currently available in the WSS range.  If Van Dyck Models plan to produce a viable WSS range, many more codes will need to be pushed into production.  Lovely figures but I will not be planning a project around them.  Will I add more?  The figures are so good, I may just for the pleasure of painting them.

Having held an interest in the WSS, I have oft been tempted to begin a WSS project.  Years ago, an order was placed to Front Rank to sample their wares.  Beautiful figures as expected but 28mm was not the scale for me for this period.  Baccus 6s were considered.  Old Glory 10s in strips were considered.  If I did undertake a WSS project, I think it would be 10s for me.  For now, no concrete plan to embark on such a project but if Van Dyck expands the range, I might be in trouble.

Below are two photos of the four regiments together.


47 comments:

  1. They are excellent figures very nicely painted. If you had not said they were 10mm I would have thought they were a larger scale.

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    1. Thanks, Peter. The figures, themselves, are superb! I cannot believe all of this detail is packed into a small 10mm figure either.

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  2. Lovely painting on lovely sculpts. You should out the Pendraken League of Augsburg range as they really are rather lovely.

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    1. Thank you, Steve! Good suggestion. I should look into Pendraken's 10mm ranges. I considered Pendraken years ago for a FRW 10mm project but the samples I received were not to my liking.

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  3. Van Dyck are amongst the nicest of 10mm and I love their slim proportions. The detail is an interesting point, because of the detail, did you find yourself painting them as you would a bigger scale or did you allow yourself the ‘luxury’ of faster and less precise painting?

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    1. I love the proportions of these figures too. I really wish he would expand the range in order to make it viable.

      As for painting, I think I only have one way to paint...

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  4. Lovely work Jonathan. Those figures are very tempting. Have you tried Pendrakens 10mm WSS range?

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    1. Thanks, Peter! I have not looked into Pendraken's WSS range. I ought to check them out. Thanks for the suggestion!

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  5. Great looking French in gris-blanc, Jonathan!

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  6. As others have said I can't believe they are 10 mm- great work!

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  7. I was intrigued about this company. Although I dont use 10mm I do wargame with a friends 10mm WSS armies. These are lovely sculpts enhanced by your paintwork. Well done Jonathan.

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    1. The Van Dyck figures are superb. If I was to be tempted into a WSS project, 10mm would be my choice.

      Thanks for your kind comments, Robbie.

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  8. They are very detailed as you said. Nice work.

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  9. Great work Jonathan. They certainly do look like they have great detail for 10mm, but then it needs a skilled painter to make the most of that, especially at this scale.

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    1. Thanks, Lawrence!

      For my aging eyes, the figures have almost too much detail to see and paint properly.

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  10. Fantastic work again sir!
    warm regards

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  11. Nice job on painting these small figures. Lots of details on small figures intimidate me. 😀

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  12. They look good Jonathan, limited figures is a challenge though as a full project would be restricted and frustrating. I think 10mm certainly has some benefits, you just have to remember it is how they look in scale on the battle field that counts not held up close.

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  13. Splendidly rendered unit. The figures are amazing for that scale. It's always frustrating when a line is not complete enough to produce a base force. Let's hope that this producer rounds out the offerings.

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    1. Thank you, Ed!

      This is a conundrum, for sure. Do you buy into a fledgling line of figures or wait until it is fully developed?

      I hope we see more figures for the WSS from Van Dyck.

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  14. These troops are looking excellent. You painted them perfectly. Let's hope that you will have the chance to play with them, if the manufacturer would produce more sets of the range.

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    1. Thank you so much! I would enjoy seeing more work on this line of figures.

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  15. Gosh! They have painted up rather well...
    They are rather lovely figures... I fear if I bought any I would go mad trying to paint them...

    All the best. Aly

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    1. Aly, the figures DID paint up rather well despite their tiny size and my failing eyesight. You would produce a superb figure if you gave these a try, no doubt.

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  16. Very nice indeed

    https://www.10mm-wargaming.com/

    Take care

    Andy

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  17. I have four bags of them to paint and was astonished before buying them when I saw its pictures in van dycks site. The problem is the lack of other references in the range for a period I still don't know much. What is your base size and what rules do yoy use? Shouldn't there be some grenadiers within each regiment (hurry up Van Dyck, please). Congratulations on the painting.

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    1. Welcome!

      The base size is 90mm x 30mm. To me, this looks good for a battalion representation. For rules, I am not to that decision point yet. More often than not, I write my own to accommodate my preferences. The four units I painted are really just a proof of concept to see if I enjoyed painting these Van Dyck 10s.

      As for grenadiers, since Van Dyck makes none, I mustered my battalions without grenadiers. Perhaps grenadiers operated independently from the parent battalion as the y did during the SYW? I have much to learn of the period, myself.

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  18. Gorgeous painting on these teeny tiny troops!
    Best Iain

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  19. Excellent brushwork mate,

    10mm castings have come a long way since my last army in the 80s is probably the best for large horse and musket battles.

    Cheers
    Matt
    French Wargame Holidays
    Mayenne, Pays de la Loire
    France
    "Walk the battlefield in the morning. Wargame it in the afternoon"©

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    1. Much appreciated, Matt!

      Figure quality has come a long way since the 1980s and Scruby figures.

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  20. Nice work Jonathan. Too small for my aging eyes I’m afraid , but I love the massed effect.

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    1. Thanks, Mark! 10s are quite small for my aging eyes too but I keep trying.

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  21. Nice work, any plans for SYW French at this scale?

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    1. Thanks! No plans for 10mm SYW French although that is an interesting idea to complement your 10mm SYW collection. But if French then you would need British.

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