1:72 Russian Crimean Dragoons

1:72 Russian dragoons of the Crimean War, a figure set from Strelets-R

The set complements the Crimean part of the historical line of Strelets-R with Russian cavalry. The figures are in 1:72 scale, molded from soft plastic and supplied unpainted, that is, intended for deburring and for painting. This is an addition to a scene, not a kit.

The real subject

The Crimean War in the years 1853 to 1856 was a conflict in which Russian forces faced an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France and Britain, and the fighting concentrated above all on the Crimean peninsula. The dragoon regiments of that time were cavalry intended both for fighting from the saddle and for acting as infantry, armed with a broadsword, a carbine and a pistol. Russian cavalry appeared in uniforms with a more pronounced cut and accessories, which come in useful when painting figures.

Building and painting tips

With soft plastic the preparation of the surface is what decides. Remove the flash with a scalpel drawn along the face of the part, go over the parting seams with a fine abrasive file and then wash the figures in lukewarm water with a drop of detergent. Let them dry completely and apply a thin layer of primer intended for soft plastics. Without that the paint on a figure cracks and flakes off at every handling. It pays to paint in two phases, that is, first the rider and the horse separately and only then to glue them together with cyanoacrylate, because ordinary cement for polystyrene does not hold reliably on this type of plastic. Keep the uniform in darker tones and create the contrast by brightening the edges and with lighter accessories.

Who the set is for

• builders of dioramas from the Crimean War
• modelers who add cavalry to foot sets in 1:72
• collectors of historical figure lines
• players of historical tabletop games in a small scale

The figures are supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.