Standard-Bearer / Hussar

Nürnberger Meisterzinn 40 mm Figure Review

I. Likaner Regiment, Grenz-Infanterie.

The supposed Standard-Bearer / Husar available from Nürnberger Meisterzinn is actually an imperial Grenzer, carrying an Austrian flag. The military farmers of the Austrian Militärgrenze border were militiamen and irregular troops who carried no flags. The valuable field signs would have been lost very quickly during raids and small unit actions, which is why irregular formations were not provided with flags at all. This metal mould produced by Nürnberger Meisterzinn can be used to cast an attractive standard-bearer, albeit a ficticious one.

The two Croats of the I. (Karlstadter) Likaner Regiment shown here, have been converted from the standard-bearer casting. The flag staff was carefully separated from the figure, and each soldier was then armed with a musket taken from another Meisterzinn mould. The miniatures are mounted on a 50 × 50 mm battalion stand compatible with the Volley & Bayonet game system. They represent a battalion of imperial Grenz-Infanterie.

Contents

  • Metal mould of an imperial Grenzer with Austrian Flag
  • Painting instructions

Evaluation

With the exception of the flag, the Grenzer (Croat) is dressed and armed correctly.

The 40 mm figure is fun to paint and it looks very attractive in any one of the many different uniforms worn by Grenz-Regiments.

Bad choice of subject. An advancing or skirmishing Grenzer would have been much more useful than this standard-bearer.

The painting guide is ficticious, it does not match any of the known Grenz-Regiments.

The conversion of the figure can be difficult, because the flag needs to be cut away carefully. The strange pompom on top of the shako needs to be removed as well.

Historical Employment

  • 1. to 4. (Karlovac) Grenz-Regiment (Croats)
  • 10. and 11. (Banat) Grenz-Regiment

Possible Conversions

  • 5. and 6. (Varaždin) Grenz-Regiment (Serbs), with round cuffs
  • 7. to 9. (Slavonski) Grenz-Regiment, with round cuffs
  • Pandur von der Trenck
  • Green Croat of the Prussian Freikorps von Kleist
  • Russian Pandur

Nürnberger Meisterzinn would have been better advised to produce a mould for a more common and versatile foot soldier, rather than this strange standard-bearer.

Austrian Grenz-Infantry of the Seven Years’ War, 1756–1763