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Thursday, November 1, 2018

1st Grenadiers of the Guard

Seems the French have taken center stage at the painting desk in October.  That trend continues with the third French entry for the 1859 project during the month.
Off the workbench today is the 1st Grenadier of the Guard regiment composed of three, twelve figure battalions.  The variety of animation ought to make these figures instantly recognizable as the work of Old Glory now owned and produced by 19th Century Miniatures.
As with most of the Old Glory figures in this range, the variety of poses in each bag allows for the construction of very dynamic stands.  Not only is the choice of pose dynamic and evocative of the French impetuousness in battle but the sculpting style seems to channel works of some of the famous battlefield painters of the Second Empire.  Great figures but the molding process leaves some of the weapons and heads lacking the strength to withstand the rigors of combat.  I expect to lose a few musket barrels when these guardsmen first encounter opposition and rough handling.

44 comments:

  1. Red trousers are France! For a time at least, :) Great work!

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  2. Top notch job, agree with you for Old Glory diversity...

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    1. Thank you, Phil! No one animates a figure like Old Glory sculptors.

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  3. Very nice! Not so nice anticipating the coming combat attrition, but I guess that why God created superglue!

    Cheers,
    Aaron

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    1. Thank you, Aaron! Let us hope that the base size provides enough of a buffer to mitigate in-battle mishaps.

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  4. Superb unit Jonathan. i think the grenadiers are my favourite of all the Second Empire troops...them and the Cent Garde

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    1. Thank you, Mark! French grenadiers are a smart looking lot. Some of my favorites as well.

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  5. Old glory....the most animated lead there is!

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  6. Lovely work and I totally agree that their animation is perfect for the second empire! En avaunt!
    Best Iain

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    1. Much appreciated, Iain. The sculptor captured the feel of the period paintings perfectly.

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  7. Yup, lovely sculpts. So many dynamic poses, though did that make them harder to fit on their bases?

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    1. You are quite right about positioning so many dynamic poses together on one base. It can be accomplished but requires a bit of trial and error to get them all to fit.

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  8. Oooooo I do like the look of these Jonathan. Old Glory do make some great looking figures.

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    1. Thanks, Ray! Old Glory certainly build their figures in multi-pose variations. This is especially true of the FAW/FPW ranges.

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  9. Another good looking unit, I am seriously considering 15 mm for my new project

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    1. Thank you, Matt. What 15mm project is under consideration?

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  10. Hmmm, I think I am out of sync with everyone who has spoken so far and of course with your own opinion.

    To my eye, the very dynamic pose together with the dramatic splashes of blue and red, makes it harder for me to appreciate and enjoy the individual figures, because I can't make them out. I almost feel a need to apologise for giving an odd critique, because I know a ton of work has gone into them and everyone likes them!

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    1. No worries about being out-of-sync or having a different point of view. Your comments and critiques are always welcome. We all have different opinions and preferences.

      In addition to the figure posing (the grenadiers are in very dynamic poses with crisp details sometimes lacking) and red/white/blue color splashes, perhaps my brush and photography skills contribute to your dissatisfaction?

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  11. It certainly won't be your brush skills that are lacking, nor your camera work. It is the case that things can look better in real life than the camera generally portrays - especially with modern digital photography as they produce such sharp detailed imagery and more often than not give slight boosts to colour, something I find with my combo of 10 or 12mm and hexes.

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    1. Thank you, Norm. I would be happy to put a few of these unpainted figures into the post so you can judge for yourself.

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  12. I am not a big fan of OG, but those look nice.

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    1. Perhaps Old Glory figures are an acquired taste? I started in 15mm with Old Glory Napoleonic 25 years ago so the animation is a bit endearing to me.

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  13. Gorgeous Grenadiers, Jon. I am of course a fan of Old Glory 25's, although I do tend to segregate the varied poses to usually only 2 or at most 3 major variants (out of usually at least 5 possible) per unit.

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    1. Thanks, Peter! You are a big fan of Old Glory 25s, no doubt. Your idea of limiting the number of poses in each unit is a good one. An idea I will keep in mind. Multiple poses in a unit add interest, I think especially in more "modern" wars in which bodies of infantry appear less regimented and lean more toward heavy skirmish screens. In particular, I am referring to the Franco-Austrian and Franco-Prussian Wars as my examples.

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  14. What a fantastic unit Jonathan!
    Awesome work as always.
    regards

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    1. Michal, you are always very kind in your comments!

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  15. you are a painting machine! Nice units! You are a hobby role model. 😀

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    1. "Hobby role model" is too kind, Stew, but much appreciated! Thank you!

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  16. Another nice looking unit Jonathan - OG are generally pretty good in any scale, and also great value!

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    1. Thank you! Old Glory are good figures at good value. Especially good value with the purchase of an Old Glory Army Card.

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  17. Great job they all turned out marvellous.

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  18. French Guard Grenadiers... what’s not to like...:-)

    All the best. Aly

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  19. Another excellent addition. Well done sir!

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    1. Thank you! Next 1859 scenario, I ought to work them into the OB.

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