Napoleonic & ECW wargaming, with a load of old Hooptedoodle on this & that


Wednesday 14 February 2018

1809 Spaniards - Light Infantry Sample Figures


A couple more pilot figures painted - synchronised musket-loading on the bottletops!

Fellow on the left is from the Cazadores de Barbastro, on the right is a member of the Voluntarios de Gerona. These are 1/72 white metal Falcata castings, and I have to say that I have some very sore fingers from trying to clean up a couple of battalions of these. Considering the figures were only marketed for 4 or 5 years, the moulds were pretty broken up by the end of that period, and the casting was definitely a bit variable - lots of grinding and trimming needed, a few replacement scabbards, even a replacement head in one instance, and a number of spindly bayonets built up with layers of superglue. Hmmm.


Anyway, they should look OK when they are all painted and based. My usual arrangement for Spanish, British and Portuguese light infantry units - each battalion will have 2 close-order bases of 6 figures each, including the command, and 2 open order bases of 3 figures in skirmishing poses, which is where the loaders and firers get a gig.

These guys are now officially in the painting queue!

4 comments:

  1. That is fine looking brushwork, Tony! I look forward to seeing battalions and battalions of these fine fellows lining your shelf.

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    1. Thanks Jon - it will probably take a month or so, but they'll be coming along. The Spanish army is getting near completion now, and there's no way I intend to stop at this stage! I just need drugs...

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  2. A couple of cracking sculpts nonetheless. I can see why you fell for them. As JF says, you've also painted them beautifully. Very fine piping!
    Yours
    WM

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    1. I do like a bit of piping.

      The first sets of Spanish infantry by Falcata (which I understand were originally intended to be made in plastic) were sculpted by Tomas Castaño, who has also worked with Andrea Miniatures and for his own company - he is mostly associated with WW2 subjects, I believe. Tomas and Falcata parted quite early, and there are tales of litigation and other unpleasantness. Falcata were never quite the same after he left, in my opinion, and eventually the dismal slide into poor casting, shipping delays, non-delivery and money owed to disappointed customers became more famous than their undoubtedly excellent miniatures. A great pity - they were overpriced, packaged in boxed sets of strange combinations of poses, occasionally presented some howlers in military uniform details (notably rank distinctions) and were a bit quirky for the mainstream, but they were lovely at the start, no doubt.

      Whether this was the same Tomas Castaño, from Santander, who is now famous as a painter of New Realism pictures is unknown to me. Probably unlikely...

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