This is my most recent project, my WWII German Cossacks. Most of them are from Strelets*R and are molded in a dark green plastic, in 1/72nd scale. Strelets sets generally have all unique figure poses in an infantry set and in the cavalry you get 12 unique riders and two copies of six horse poses. These figures are designed for the Crimean War, about 100 years before WWII. I updated some of the weapons by trimming down rifles to make them look more modern and I also substituted a few more modern weapons too. Cossacks lived a traditional lifestyle as much as they could and wore the same kind of clothing and carried swords, even in WWII.
I don't generally paint my wargame armies, too much to do, too little time. I do at least paint the figures in the same over all color so that I can mix sets and still know who's side everyone is on. Here are some good examples. In this photo are Imex Pioneers, Orion Cossacks, a metal guy, HaT WWII Germans, Revell German Artillery and Strelets*R Cossacks. The dark green Strelets figures are the bulk of the army with a few Strelets Crimean Russian General Staff guys. Most all the various Germans have had their head gear or even their whole heads swapped with either Orion or Strelets Cossacks to make them fit in better. I painted all the non-Strelets figures Beret Green from Testors by hand and then sprayed Testors Dullcote on all the figures, Strelets and the others. The dull coating makes them all look more uniform, even the unpainted plastic ones and the Beret Green is an almost perfect match.
This is a baby cradle I got at a bridal shop. It is for bridal showers, but I figured it would make a great fancy wagon. Since Cossacks like fancy uniforms, I figured they needed some fancy wagons.
After the addition of a HaT horse from a French Napoleonic Baggage Wagon, along with wheels from the same and a HaT stumpf 75mm infantry gun and a few bits from the sheet styrene box it made a decent wagon. Revell WWII German Artillery limber driver with a HaT WWII German helmet head to make him look a bit different and painted green to match the rest of the Cossacks.
The Cossacks ride off into the sunset as their work day is complete.
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