Sunday 4 January 2015

From Curt - 28mm Russian Civil War - Czechoslovakian Volunteers from the Kornilov Shock Regiment (65 Points)


In response to Miles’ request to provide pictures of our various hobby spaces here is a shot of my nerve center (or is that 'nerd center'?). 





Yes folks, it’s literally a closet, so no snarky remarks… :) Both my wife and I are pretty draconian about having a fairly minimalist household (I should’ve prefaced this by saying we have no kids). We try to keep things pretty spartan around the place, but our book collection and my hobby stuff frequently pose a challenge. So I created this ‘hobby closet’ in our media room in order for me to keep my hobby rig set-up while still having the ability to close the doors in order to keep the room looking neat and tidy. 

I know, it's a little OCD, but I'm okay with it (rocks back and forth).

Anyway, I’ve got about half a dozen hobby projects all on the go right now, which I must say is making me a little mental. Most of them are waiting for ‘that one essential thing’, a decal, a flag or some other infuriating detail that I’ve convinced myself that I absolutely need to properly wrap them up. Now, if I can get some of this stuff wrangled I should be able to get back on track towards my points target but right now it's pretty much a complete gong show.

Nonetheless, from all this chaos, I’ve actually managed to finish something to the point that I can submit it!  Woohoo!!

Continuing on from my Tachanka, this is another entry which focuses on the Russian Civil War. 






I find this period of history fascinating as there were so many personalities and groups involved in the conflict. Russians, Latvians, Finns, Poles, Ukrainians, the list goes on and on. This submission is about a small portion of the Czechoslovakians who fought in Russia during the Civil War.

I was quite close to my grandparents on my mom’s side. Granma's family was Austrian and Grampa was from the outskirts Prague. Gramps, while being a fervent new Canadian was also very proud of 'The Old Country' and took great delight in telling me stories of Jan Hus and his Hussites, and of the ‘Czech Legion’ which fought the Reds and helped to secure Czechoslovakian independence. When he told me about the Czech armoured trains and the fact that the Legion itself controlled thousands of miles of Russian railways I was a little dubious, thinking he was pulling my leg. Later on, when I was in university, I read more about the Czech Legion and discovered that truth is indeed sometimes stranger than fiction.





This squad represents some of the Czechoslovaks who volunteered to serve with General Lavr Kornilov’s forces. They became part of the famous (or infamous) Kornilov Shock Regiment which was considered very dependable amongst the White forces and was composed of some pretty hard, hard men. Suffice it to say that not many of these guys survived the Civil War but apparently a few made it back to the new state of Czechoslovakia and probably had some harrowing tales to tell I’m sure.



These models are almost all from Footsore Miniatures (previously Musketeer Miniatures) while at least one is from Copplestone Castings. All of them are excellent figures, easy to prepare and a real joy to paint. 

Even though the traditional uniform of the Kornilov Shock Regiment had the men in red caps I decided to keep these lads in a mix of headgear to show them as separate volunteers. I also painted in white-over-red cockades for their caps and right breast as that was the chosen colours of the Czechloslovakians fighting in Russia.


One thing some may notice is that there are a lot of white flowers on these bases. I thought that since the basic uniforms in the Russian Civil War were often very similar to one another I’d have the white flowers signifying White troops and, you guessed it, red flowers for the Red forces. Dorky I admit, but I think it will make things easy to decipher when they’re all mixing it up on the tabletop. (In fact I think I’m going to use the same idea for my upcoming Wars of the Roses stuff…)


I’m not sure what I’m going to actually do with this these guys. To be honest I'm collecting this period in both 15mm and 28mm. Yep, nuts I know, but I really like painting the detail of the bigger castings from Footsore and Copplestone, while also loving the little 15mm cavalry and armoured trains from Peter Pig. I’ll probably do up enough to use for ‘Chain of Command’ and perhaps some Pulp gaming as well, other than that I have no clue. But I guess that’s the fun of it all!

These 13 figures will give me 65 points.

74 comments:

  1. Oh Curt you're driving me nuts sume day with your excellent figures. I was quite happy to prepare some BEF for painting the other day and now I have the urgent feeling to go back to my RCW stuff again! Maybe I find some already prepped ones...
    Excellent painting and great idea with the flowers. Might have to borrow that one. The two NCO's in their blue tunics are striking. Keep 'em coming.

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    1. Hey, thanks Nick, very kind of you to say. Frankly it was your foray into this period that sparked my interest. I do have some more on the way. A unit of sailors and an armoured car are currently in the works.

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  2. Excellent stuff, grand idea re the flowers.. An interesting period in history no doubt. Love the nerd centre...

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    1. Cheers Mr. Docherty! I also have some Gangland figures in the hopper as well. I hope to bring a few over to an upcoming BlogCon to fight in the streets of New Serenity.

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    2. More than welcome they can "swim with da fishes" anytime

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    3. Haha! I'll remember to bring extra 'ribbons' for my Chicago Typewriters...

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    4. A meeting of three gangs? Or should I bring the rozzers?

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    5. I think we will need all the rozzers we can lay our hands on!

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  3. Every bit as good as your SCW figures. Excellent and inspiring at the same time.

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    1. Thanks very much Clint. It helps having such wonderful castings available for these periods. You open the packaging, turn them over in your fingers and you just want to pick up a brush and get going on them.

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  4. magnificent painting and much historical accuracy - Kornilov, like many other volunteers dressed in the uniforms, which could get.

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    1. Thanks Alex, I'm glad you like them.

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    2. your work - a rare case where you do not see flaws.

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  5. Excellent Curt. I'd better have something in answer, hadn't I

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    1. No, no, please don't hurry. I was hoping to you'd not notice this so I'd sneak it by. We're not counting vehicles right? I'm assuming my Tachanka wouldn't count for scoring for our duel.

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  6. Wonderful looking troops Sir, but that painting area is far to tidy, it needs messing up a bit!

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    1. Thanks Ray! Actually, if I took a close up of my painting area you'd see that its pretty much of a disaster. I think I work in about 6 square inches of clear space with paint and other detritus ringing it!

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  7. Very nice indeed! The painting is crisp and clean and looks great. Much like your hobby space - I wish mine could be that organised! I feel your pain on having eleventy-one projects on the go, all needing that one last thing......

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    1. Cheers Jamie! Yes, it's amazing how many of my projects have stalled based on wanting/needing what I think is a critical component. I often overthink these things too much!

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  8. Beautiful work Curt, and your photo's are a wealth of ideas.

    The differing bases for NCOs and officers, as explained in an earlier post.
    The flowering grass tufts (I've got to buy some of those!).
    And the colour co-ordinated flowers for force identification. Brilliant.

    Now (as to the War of the Roses), bring on those beautiful White Roses and down with the Lancastrian dogs!
    [I'm from Yorkshire :) ]

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    1. Thanks very much Roy, much appreciated.

      Reading the histories, I think I'd lean towards the Yorkists as well...

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  9. Really fab, again. As for your work space surely it is CDO, alphabetically the way its supposed to be! ;)

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  10. As ever, beautifully rendered Curt :)

    For WotR, don't forget that many nobles switched sides at various points. Maybe a clump of each colour or use another colour entirely?

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    1. Now, multi-coloured flowers would be a great idea for those who flip/flopped. Nice one.

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  11. Stunning - some of your best work yet and the flowers are a really elegant way to set similar units apart. I plan on stealing it and claiming that for my own

    I like your hobby area and lighting rig. I am amazed that you can get so much done in such tight but efficiently laid out quarters

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    1. Why thanks Miles, I'm really enjoying working on them so that probably helps. Regarding the small space, in other homes we've had (we've moved around quite a bit) I've had some very large hobby areas and find you just end up filling up whatever space you have with clutter so the amount of space doesn't really matter too much, as long as you have a couple of square feet, and you're efficient with it you're good to go.

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  12. Those are beautiful, Curt! The uniforms are great, and I like your idea of white and red flowers! To fully mash your OCD button, you are aware that ho/oo and n scale motorized armored train kits exist! ;) Just because of that, I've thought often on how much fun a train/battle board would be! ;)

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    1. Thanks David! Regarding the trains, I'm on task and on target as I bought enough engines and cars to do an armoured train battle (and, yes, it actually historically happened!). :)

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  13. Excellent stuff! And interesting to hear about the family background and tie-in to the entry :) Your nerd station sure is almost unnaturally organized. Someone might think it staged for a glorious photo? :)

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    1. Thanks Samuli. Yes, I did have to dust and tidy a bit before I let fly with the camera (again the OCD). Also, I needed to remove some projects from the tabletop so they'd still be a surprise down the road. (You have to have some mysteries!)

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  14. Superb painting and really nice figures. That's a nice tidy work station. Great idea having it being able to hide away as well. Cheers

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    1. Cheers Brendon! The photo op was a good opportunity to get it better sorted as it was getting a bit out of hand.

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  15. Nice work I am impressed with what I have seen form Footsore Miniatures may have to pick some up.

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    1. Thanks Adam, yes, the stuff from Footsore/Musketeer is definitely top drawer. Not cheap, but you do get what you pay for.

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  16. Rest work dude - these are beauties!

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  17. they are just Ace!
    so gorgeous painting!
    seems directly out of the Dr Jivago movie !
    your painting desk prove that not much space is needed to realize real jewels.
    Congratulations!

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    1. Thanks very much Gilles, very kind of you.

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  18. Does your wife ever creep up on you and shut you inside your nerd centre?

    Beautiful work as ever mate. Your stuff never ceases to amaze me. Looking forward to your WotR stuff. Hopefully it will inspire me to get back to mine...

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    1. The desk portion goes pretty much right to the edge of the closet so, no, I can't get trapped. Though I'm sure it's crossed Sarah's devious mind on more than one occasion.

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    2. Don't ever drop something and let it roll under the desk. That's just the opportunity Sarah needs...

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  19. Excellent, you seem to be drawn to Civil Wars LOL

    Ian

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    1. Yes, they are my 'favourite' conflicts to study, for sure.

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  20. Really beautiful painting work, Curt. I like a lot, beside the figures, your bases, full of detail.
    Great!!!
    I have read somewhere that some ex-Czech soldiers were found in Afghanistan years latter.

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    1. Really!? I shouldn't be surprised as I know many made it down to fight with the warlords in China.

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  21. Cracking work Clint. I like the pic with them posed in front of the building as it really sets the figures up.

    I like your work space as everything seems to have a place and it saves one time when looking for a particular colour. I like the style of the chair, but wonder if it is comfortable to sit in for very long.

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    1. Thanks Anne. The chair is actually not too bad (I have a fat cushion to sit on). The thin back allows me to slide it into the closet when I close the doors.

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  22. They look wonderful Curt! Great idea on the roses thing and I'll have to try and remember that when I do my Wars of the Roses project. Oh btw I have a painting closet as well so your not alone in that. ;-)

    Christopher

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    1. Oh, another miniature painter comes out of the closet! Sorry, I had to say it before someone else did... ;P

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  23. Great stuff Curt - your painting really does the lovely figures from Footsore justice. You might like to check out Wargaming With Silver Whistle blog, as he has done a great railway board (for WW2) - that board and your figures would be pretty close to perfection!

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    1. Thanks Peter! Yes, Pat's stuff is THE gold standard in my opinion. His terrain is off the hook. Absolutely gobsmacking.

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  24. Marvellous work, your figures are superb! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you No Vember (great handle btw) :)

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  25. Fantastic painting and love the flowers idea! Nice workspace too! What about other tips, like do you listen to things while you're painting etc? I also like the minimalist idea, and have 6mm sci-fi to help with that, but "minimalist" and "28mm Napoleonics" are two passions that don't mesh together very well!

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    1. Thanks very much Mark. Yes, 28mm Naps are NOT very minimalist as all, but you can't beat the extra size for painting the detail of those glorious uniforms, eh?

      In fact I listen to audiobooks while I'm beavering away. It's one of the few things that I can truly multi-task at. It's wonderful to 'read' a book while working on toy soldiers. I find it incredibly restful and a great stress reliever (and you get to lean stuff!).

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    2. Cheers Curt, yes I also find audiobooks (and just music when brain is fading...) a great boost to painting persistence, effectively combining a couple of activities too.

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  26. Beautiful work! Great idea with the flowers, absolutely.

    I think that work area is perfectly lovely. What sort of lamps do you use?

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    1. Thanks David, I'm delight you like them.

      For lamps I use a pair colour/temperature adjustable LED lights (I think they are OTT Lights). They are superb - very bright and easy on the eyes. I also have a pair of goose-neck LED spotlights that I picked up from IKEA to bring in some extra light if I'm working on something particularly fiddly. I often photograph my work here as well. I pull out the painting station and then set up my light tent. Works in a pinch when I need to get something photographed at night.

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  27. Awesome work Curt! I love your clean lines, mine always end up looking chalky when I do multiple figure units.

    Very nice and neat work space too. While I love having everything neat and clean in my space, it never happens. I have too many projects on the go and any given time and therefore too many things taking up space. I guess the fact that I tend to work with too many paints at one time also doesn't help....

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    1. Thanks very much Byron! Oh, don't let the picture fool you - I did some cleaning before I took it. :) Thankfully, with it being in a closet, there is only so much mess I can make before it become completely nonfunctioning so I have to keep it somewhat tidy. ;)

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  28. Really nice figures and I think the flower color on the bases is genius, quite frankly. That way you can indulge a more realistic style with the figures and still tell them apart.

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    1. Cheers for the comment Sean. Yes, it's funny how these little light bulb ideas can spin off to help with other aspects of the hobby.

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  29. As usual, beautiful work, Curt! --from one Czech to another! The White flowers/Red flowers idea was quite inspired too. I'm afraid your painting area would feel like a coffin to me though, but if it works, it works!

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    1. Thanks Kevin! The nerd center is not too bad as I actually sit out in the room - the desk takes up the entirety of the closet space so it's not claustrophobic at all.

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  30. That is wonderful shading / highlighting on those figures. Like the building in the background as well.

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    1. Thanks, the building is from 4Ground's Eastern Europe range.

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  31. Terrific work Curt. Straight out of Dr. Zhivago. A storied unit well presented. if this period appeals to you, check out Ted Raicer's GMT title from 2012, called Reds. Very suitable for solitaire play and a manageable mid sized game. May still be in print.
    Your workspace is suitable to your lovely house.

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    1. Thanks very much Michael! Ooh, I do like a good boardgame. I'll definitely have to check out that title. In fact I think I've seen it at our local game store (I know what I'm doing for lunch now...)

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  32. I love the painting cupboard, that's a great idea... one I may have to steal when we redo the house. If only we could contain my wife's sewing and knitting habit to such a confined space ;)

    The Russian Civil War isn't something that I really know anything about, but those models are fantastic

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    1. Thanks Paul! The closet idea isn't perfect but it does save using an entire room (and keeps me reigned in!).

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