The Peter Styk Gallery

Military Miniatures Artist of the Month

The Peter Styk Gallery of Military Miniatures.

Peter Styk, born 1968, lives and works as an architect in Bratislava, Slovakia. The talented modeller and miniature artist started painting 1:32 scale plastic figures already as a child. Later, he progressed to scale model airplanes, until he discovered his penchant for Napoleonic 1:72 scale miniatures while surfing the internet in 2002. Peter Styk had come upon pictures of wargame armies with hundreds of miniatures like the ones we publish in Military Miniatures Magazine. "I’ve known your website for years" he informed us, "The wonderful pictures on your pages were a great help and an inspiration for my work right from the beginning".

Today, Peter Styk owns nearly 8.000 figures from various manufacturers, of which 1.500 are painted by now. Grenadier Styk is an avid student of Napoleonic history who serves with the imperial Austrian Infanterie-Regiment von Hiller (Nr. 2) of 1806. He shares his hobby with many friends for whom he has painted yet another 500 miniatures. While he is interested in Napoleonic wargaming, Peter Styk has yet to find a fellow gamer in his hometown of Bratislava.

ESCI P-230, British Light Dragoons converted to Russian Hussars.

These Russian hussars of the Izioumsky (Izumsky) Regiment are conversions of ESCI British Light Dragoons with new heads taken from Russian infantry figures wearing the Kiwer (shako) of 1812. Peter Styk used his computer to create shabraques and sabretaches with the Czar’s monogram which he printed out on paper.

Zvezda 6042, Russian Guard Cossacks converted to 1. Bug Cossack Regiment.

Peter Styk took the epaulettes off Zvezda Guard Cossacks to convert them into the 1. Bug Cossack Regiment of 1812. Some of the riders are wearing simple cloth caps made from paper. The blanket-roll in front of the saddle is made from paper as well, and the figures have received sturdier plastic lances.

Hat 8099, Russian Opolchenie Militia painted by Peter Styk.

The Russian Opolchenie militia was raised in 1806, in response to the disastrous defeat of the Prussian army at Jena-Auerstedt. Opolchenia provicial militia cohorts (Druzhin), foot Cossack battalions, and Egerski light infantry battalions fought at Borodino, Polotsk, Viazma, Krasnoi, Charniki and many other battles.

Strelets 015, Russische Garde-Ulanen bemalt von Peter Styk.

Peter Styk has significantly improved these Strelets Russian Guard Uhlans by adding much scratchbuilt detail like cords on the czapka, new lances with paper pennons, and shabraques with the Czar’s monogram. The resulting figures are superb, as can be seen in our slide-show.

Watch this page for upcoming photos and feature articles of Peter Styk’s artistic work. Readers of Military Miniatures Magazine are welcome to nominate talented miniature artists who deserve their own Military Miniatures Gallery section within our magazine.

Military Miniatures Gallery