by Garrett Swader
Intro
More amazing Blood and Plunder sculpting work is incoming from the Firelock team. This time I had the privilege to paint the new Milicianos unit. These will serve as the backbone to any Spanish force looking to defend the New World from foreign interlopers.
New Spanish Milicianos Sculpts
The Milicianos here have rich details that the older sculpts just don’t translate as well. All these minis have bandoliers and I must say these are a fantastic improvement in detail over the old sculpts. They have a much more realistic look. That being said they also add more details to paint, but I do think the end result is worth the extra work.
All four miniatures are using matchlocks all with a leaver trigger. This is an older style mechanism that is a carry over from crossbows. Each miniature has a length of extra match cord on them which I think is an excellent added detail.
The poses aren’t overly dynamic but aren’t very static either. In my opinion they are a bit more varied than the original.
Miniature Details
Mini #1 “The Primer”
Here we have a typical wide brim hat on a man with unkept hair. I see him in a pose or either using a small flask to prime this piece or he has just shot and is making sure his priming pan is clear to start reloading again. I hope he removes the match from the serpentine before he primes. Lit match was typically held in the off hand during the loading process.
He is in very plain clothes, just what looks like a common man’s jacket to me and some baggy breeches. It looks like he’s wearing a sash, fancy, and again looks like boothose or Canions and some closed latchet shoes.
Mini #2 “The Shooter”
This mini is in an active fire pose. Gun at the ready about to put lit matchcord into powder. I like his shooting posture slightly leaned forward. From the art I’ve seen it looks correct.
His clothing is pretty basic which is what I would expect. He wears a cravat which is a newer style of the time and slowly replaces the falling band collar during the 17th century. Examples of both are below. We finally have regular hose showing. They could be knit or fabric and I like that Firelock makes them a little loose as they would not be super tight fitting especially if they were fabric.
Mini #3 “The Ready”
This guy looks like he is loaded and about to put the musket to his shoulder and fire. His posture makes me think he is waiting on the command of take aim!
His clothes are more of the same, of the common sort. I do think he is wearing a falling band collar on his shirt so I have him painted as such.
Mini #4 “The Advance”
One of the more dynamic poses we get in this set. Holding his musket in a forward position he is advancing. I will say that I liked the fact that the older sculpts had men holding the matchcord in the off hand which is what you would do if you weren’t about to shoot.
He wears a longer coat with short baggy sleeves. He is also showing his shirt off way more than the other guys. This mini seems like the most stylish of the group, with a hat feather and cravat.
Painting the Spanish Milicianos
I used Monument Hobbies paints for this project with a mix of Citadel shades and Vallejo metallics.
The details in these models took paint really well and I am happy with the end results.
The New Spanish Milicianos with Older Spanish Milicianos
The old Milicianos are lacking in detail when compared to the new models. I think that is down to a development of skill and a better medium for the new minis.
I believe the miniatures fit well together thematically and that the new miniatures will look right at home with your old Spanish force.
Final Thoughts
This will be another great offering for the Spanish Nation from Firelock Games. As always the resin minis are high quality and durable with minimal imperfections.
These minis offered a great painting project and I can’t wait for the wider community to get their hands on new miniatures like this set.
We’ve looked a the generic Spanish Commander, the Marineros, and the Milicianos. Watch for previews of the Lanceros, Milicianos Indios, and a new Spanish Legendary Commander model coming soon!
