Now the FEMbruary Challenge is over, I felt in need of a new sense of direction in my hobby so when I saw Ann’s Immaterium recently post her own challenge, it was just what I needed. Ann’s “Neglected but not Forgotten” painting challenge has given me some impetus to pick up one of my many unused boxes. A quick rummage through the Suburban Militarism ‘war chest’ (actually a trunk containing some of my many unpainted boxes and kits) quickly revealed a candidate…
I’ve chosen a box of Mars’ Saxon Infantry from the Great Northern War containing 70 figures (more than the stated 56 thanks to an extra sprue I’d received some time ago). It’s a bit of a curio, being the only kit ever produced by Mars on the conflict, and being the only Saxon troops from the early 18th Century era by any manufacturer of 20mm plastics.
Mars may be the God of War, but the manufacturer hasn’t always been considered top of the pack when it comes to plastic 1.72 scale soldiers. The sculpting often gets a poor press on Plastic Soldier Review but this set deservedly got a decent 7/10. They’re not the most elegant figures ever created but what they do have is bags of character and lovely crisp details, something I always appreciate given my particular style of painting.
Manufactured in 2009, this set was out of stock for a number of years when I snapped up the box. Since then, it seems to have become more widely available again – albeit not so much in the UK for some reason. Anyway, having my 1 extra sprue allows me to group together some of the poses into battalions of five figures.
The set is well stocked with officers and is made up of the following ‘big wigs’:
Having spent 2021 so far painting only metal figures at 28mm and 54mm scale, it feels great to be slumming it and finally getting my hands on some 1.72 scale plastic men once again – my first love!
If you’d like to join in (and why not?) I heartily recommend checking out the challenge rules on Ann’s post. The challenge ends on April the 2nd, so I’d better get a wiggle on with that bulging box of Saxons!
Suburban Militarism 
I was just thinking it’d been a while since we saw some of your early 18th century figures in the limelight! 🙂 Looking forward to seeing progress on them!
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Yes, it’s really nice to get back to some 18th century uniforms again. 🙂
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Nice! I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with them as well. 🙂
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Thanks Ann. I’m wondering what they will turn out like – hopefully I can do something with them. 🙂
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I’m sure given what I’ve seen of your other work they’ll turn out nicely.
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Very kind of you! 🙂
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Ggreat looking figures- I’ll look forward to seeing them with some paint on.
Cheers,
Pete.
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I think they look alright too! Hopefully, I’ll get paint on a good number of them before the challenge deadline.
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Marvin, this may interest you – The Leicester Blues and the Marquis of Granby https://warsoflouisxiv.blogspot.com/2021/03/edward-pennys-marquess-of-granby.html
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Very interesting, thanks! 🙂 I am well familiar with the name – buildings, street names and pubs all bear his name. I just assumed it was a well-healed local dignitary but turns out his local fame was well-deserved.
I’ve never heard of the Leicester Blues (apart from the football team). I’m wondering what they looked like – presumably similar to The Blues of the Royal Horse Guards. Worth investigating…
And I’ve just discovered that Front Rank have a figure of the Marquis too. Wrong scale for my Lace Wars figures but that probably won’t stop me! 🙂
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I wonder if there is some link between the football team and the Blues, as you have proved with Macclesfield football team linked to the volunteers?
Or is the Leicester and the colour ‘Blue’ some other old link?
Blue as a military colour was well established: trained bands, levies and musters wore bluecoats in Tudor times – that is quite a gap to the Marquis of Granby.
And a suitable figure to paint – excellent outcome and one to raise a glass to!
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That’s certainly possible. As you say, blue as a uniform colour goes back a long way and has an association with Royal regiments.
I painted one of the early Britains footballers as a Leicester City player for my brother (Leicester Fosse as they were then known). Strip was black with a diagonal blue stripe. So, a possible link even in the earliest strip incarnation.
The Marquis being colonel of the Royal Horse Guards may simply recreated his own regiment’s colours for the Leicester Blues. I don’t know much about those temporary regiments, but it’s possible.
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Marvin,
I have some of these and agree they have character. They are still on my painting pile though. Right now I was painting 1/72 lucky toys garibaldinis but have switched to irregulars Neapolitans in 20mm. I look forward to seeing your Saxons.
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