Sunday, May 12, 2013

Entry #5 to the Lead Painters' League: Spanish Civil War Moroccan Regulares


For the 5th match of the Lead Painters' League the organizers have asked for a submission depicting a unit from a 'historical civil war.' As I have quite a mess of Spanish Civil War castings waiting in the wings this seemed a fairly easy fit.


These figures depict a unit of Moroccan Regulares in their very distinctive uniforms. I hear you say, 'Moroccans in the Spanish Civil War?  How did that happen?' Well, many of the officers who initiated the coup were veteran colonial legionnaires, some of which were stationed in Spanish North Africa. Consequently many Moroccan troops were brought over from North Africa to the Spanish mainland  (with significant help from the German air force) in order to fight for the Nationalist cause. By all accounts they were ferocious fighters who gained the fear and grudging respect of the Republicans and played a pivotal role in the first few months of the war.


I find it quite ironic that Franco's military insurrection, which had a mandate to reinstate and protect the power of the Catholic Church, saw no problem at all in utilizing Muslim fighters to fight and subjugate their fellow Spaniards on Spanish soil. Reconquista indeed.


These are 28mm Empress Miniature castings. Like most of their other offerings in this range these are wonderful models to work with - well proportioned, great detail and not much for seam lines or flash. Highly recommended.

I encourage you to visit the Painters' League and check out the various entries.

27 comments:

  1. Excellent painting and basing. Best, Dean

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  2. WOW Curt!! Oustanding painting and the bases are superb!!
    Just a couple of comments pertaining Regulares: officers were of course Spanish but also the machine gunners were mainly Spanish (the army did not want the local natives to develop any expertise with these weapons...). And not "Reconquista" but "Cruzada" (Crusade)is how the Nationalist propaganda termed the war... which is even more ironic

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    1. Thanks Benito! Yes, I had read that the machine gun crews were NOT Moroccans. This must of slipped by when they did the sculpts, or perhaps we can say these two were from a company with a particularly open-minded Spanish commander? Nonetheless, they were such nice models I thought I could turn a blind eye. My comment regarding the Reconquista was merely to say that after all the blood and toil the Spanish undertook to eject the Moors from Spain in the Middle Ages we see them being invited back into Spain to fight the Spanish people. But I agree, the term 'Cruzada' is even more ironic when seen within this context. Thanks again for the comment!

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  3. Fantastic painting work, Curt, and really nice bases too.
    These troops were member of the Army of Africa, a colonial branch of the Spanish Armed Forces really loyal to their officers, and for that reason they fought in the Nationalist side.

    Good luck with this match!

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    1. Thanks Juan! I can always count on you and Benito to provide great follow-up information on this period. Also, thanks for the uniform information for these fellows - it was indispensable for getting them done.

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  4. Thanks for the kind words Andrew!

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  5. Oh I say Curt, possibly your best entry to date; fabulous job Sir.

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    1. Thank you very much Michael. From you that's high praise indeed.

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  6. Brilliant stuff, Curt! As said before, the basing really finishes off the sterling paint work.

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    1. Cheers Mssr Rosbif! For skirmish gaming I find the bases need as much attention as the figures themselves. But it's great fun to work on.

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  7. Great entry Curt, you have my vote.

    John

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  8. They really are beautiful, on my way to vote!

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    1. Thank you Francis, you're a good lad to be sure.

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  9. Great painting! You really made those fellows stand out.

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    1. Thanks Moiterei! BTW, I really like those Confederates you've recently done - beautiful work.

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  10. Cracking SCW material Curt! Really enjoy what your doing here and easily secured my vote!

    Christopher

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    1. Thanks for the kind words, Christopher, and thank you for your vote!

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  11. Really great work yet again Curt!

    I especially like the work on the white and tans, you got really good shading and definition on them, without them looking dirty, which is something I struggle with on those lighter colours all the time.

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    1. Thanks Byron! I agree, the lighter tones can often be a bit tricky. I find layering offers a bit more control over colour distribution than washes which can sometimes 'stain' the overal effect.

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  12. Great stuff, Curt. Good skin tones and a nice colourful collection.

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    1. Thanks Scott! The Moroccan skin tones came off a little dark in the photos but I'm happy with how they look on the tabletop.

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  13. Great work dude. These are real beauties.

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    1. Cheers Greg! I hope to have them out in Winnipeg in a few weeks.

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  14. Lovely... great painting and basing!

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Thanks for your comment! As long as you're not a spam droid I'll have it up on the blog soon. :)