2maxwell

Hey everyone, I wanted to share some stuff I've been working on. After extensive research, I've attempted to accurately represent portions of the Ottoman army in the 18th and early 19th century. So that this isn't just boring pictures of minifigures, I thought I'd add some blurbs to provide context. Command The man in the dark red robes and turban is an agha. Aghas were the commanders of each individual branch, so there would be a janissary agha, sipahi agha, etc. There were no real uniforms at this level, so this could be the agha of any branch. He wields a mace, a symbol of command throughout Eastern Europe and the Ottoman Empire. The other two figures are the imam, who served as chaplain, and flagbearer. Yeniçeri Ocağı (Janissary Corps) Trained in the art of war from childhood, janissaries were the elite, professional shock troops of the Ottoman empire. Janissaries considered themselves warriors rather than soldiers, relying on courage and skill-at-arms to overwhelm enemies. They refused to use bayonets (a symbol, in their mind, of the automaton-like western soldier) and preferred Turkish sabers like yatağans or kılıçs to complement their firepower. Although this corps of ‘new soldiers’ had become corrupt and largely outmoded by the 18th century, the janissaries' valor on the battlefield (and political maneuvering) kept them firmly at the core of the Ottoman army and state. Janissaries all wore the same basic uniform, though trim and the color of the tunic changed according to orta (regiment). Blue was most common, followed by red and green. The çorbacı (literally soup server, equivalent to colonel) wielded a ladle as a symbol of his station [1]. A bölükbaşı (head of a company, equivalent to captain) would have the same uniform but carried a sword or mace instead of a ladle. I must give credit to Artizan for the idea of using the plastic red capes for the characteristic börk hat. Although less common among Janissaries than white hats, red gives the figures more flexibility [2]. Tüfekçi (musketeers/riflemen) In Turkish, tüfek referred to either a musket or rifle. The tüfek was usually a matchlock weapon, ‘true’ flintlocks being less reliable in dusty conditions, until the gradual introduction of the miquelet variety of flintlock starting in the 17th century. Tüfeks carried by elite units and sharpshooters were rifled, but even smoothbore tüfeks had greater range and accuracy than European muskets, due to their greater length and larger bore. These advantages came at the expense of firing speed. Tüfekçis were disciplined fighters, a step above the reaya and fellahin peasant militias of Anatolia and Egypt [3]. The figures on the right represent Balkan troops in fustanellas such as Greek armatoloi or Albanian arnauts. The figures on the left represent Maghrebi Berbers. The Albanians in particular were considered excellent skirmishers on the European front, while the skills of the Berber Zwawa clansmen would later inspire numerous ‘zouave’-style light infantry units throughout Europe and the U.S. [4]. Topçu Ocağı (Artillery Corps) Like the janissaries and sipahi cavalry, the artillery were kapıkulu troops (literally subjects of the gate, meaning salaried). Known for their massive guns and skill in mining and sapping, the Ottoman artillery corps of the 17th and 18th century were experts of defensive and siege warfare but noticeably outdated on the open battlefield. Unlike the other kapıkulu corps, the Ottoman artillery didn’t resist attempts at reform and modernization, rapidly improving in the late 18th century under French instruction. One type of cannon unique to the Ottoman army was the abus gun, a type of anti-infantry howitzer. Lightweight, maneuverable, and requiring few personnel, the abus gun was a staple of Ottoman warfare. Here I've depicted three topçular (gunners) and a yüzbaşı (chief of artillery) of the Piyade Topçu (foot artillery) manning two abus guns and a şahi [5] field piece, a smaller type of traditional Ottoman cannon. I’ve also included a Turkish tüfekçi in red; tüfekçis were later attached to each bölük (company) to protect the crew and help man the guns. [6] Future I may add to this army over time, but I’m not sure. If I did, I’d likely focus on the elite Humbaraçı Ocağı, the Mehter band (supposedly the first military band in Europe), and a couple cavalry units, such as the Sipahis and Mamluks. Footnotes: 1. Most of the Janissary Corps’s ranks and symbology revolve around food and cooking; scholars have drawn comparisons with crusader orders to describe the janissaries’ spiritual understanding of their role in defending and providing for the empire. 2. The uniform here is also very close to the elite Bostancı Corps (household guards who fought alongside the janissaries on the battlefield), Silahtar cavalry (the sultan's bodyguards), and the Nizam-ı Cedid (highly effective ‘European-style’ line infantry organized in the late 18th century) 3. Sources disagree over whether tüfekçis were regulars, mounted infantry from Kurdistan or Egypt, or an umbrella term for different types of regional, disciplined irregulars. I will be using the 3rd definition (the 1st doesn’t make much sense given the janissaries’ reputation as THE ottoman regular infantry, the Nizam infantry being such a threat to their position that the Janissaries had them disbanded by force. I also suspect that the 2nd is actually just a function of the 3rd) 4. The Balkan torso paired with pants and a fez or turban would also effectively model Bosnian panduks, crack skirmishers who rose to military prominence even before the Albanians, or levends, a type of marine that would also act as irregular infantry in later periods. 5. The translation is not clear here. Some sources have it written as sahi and others as şahi. The former means field while the latter means imperial. 6. Members of the Humbaraçı (mortar) and Süvari Topçu (horse artillery) corps had different uniforms, though it’s not clear if this is true of the Sürat Topçuları (rapid fire field artillery) corps.

As someone who's been on the real Pride of Baltimore (II), I have to say this is really excellent. It was instantly recognizable as a clipper.

Wow, I didn't realize that was happening. That's very good news.

Hey Kowbrick, I've been appreciating your work so far. One bit of advice, since you seem to want to achieve realism. The British Naval ensign at the period you're modelling was quartered by the British flag, rather than just being the cross of St. George.

The highwayman is pretty much exactly what I expected. However, I am still a bit disappointed. I'll definitely pick one up, maybe two, but the figure has pretty low versatility to be honest. The dark color scheme doesnt make it useful for much other than seedy characters imo, which I dont have much need for.

It could be a regional/generational thing, but when paired with your criticism, that emoji use can come off as smug and self-satisfied (as it did to me). Also, you point out a few times that you are in the minority and encourage WhiteFang to keep doing things his way, meaning you don't expect him to make changes based on your criticism. In that light, it's tough to read your criticism as truly constructive. Instead it feels like you're using him asking for criticism as an excuse to take pot shots at his style. I don't think you meant all of that necessarily, but since you seem oblivious to why some took issue with how you phrased your criticism, I thought I'd help you out.

As a pirates builder I cant explain how frustrating it is to see the one figure I'll prolly be most interested in be all wrapped up in mystery, especially since it seems like it was just chosen randomly and isn't anything particularly special.

Considering the outrageous price of CMF thespians, I've been trying to find a cheapish way to build riflemen. I think I've come up with something I'm happy with. I've used the Frodo torso from the Lord of the Rings line. The torso is a bit light for British Rifles, but other nations had varying colors. Below is a plate of some American riflemen from the War of 1812. Considering redcoats aren't strictly British, and Lego uniforms are largely brighter and lighter than their real life counterparts, I'm happy with the color. The torso is fleshy, but I don't think it looks bad in person. Plus sides: the suspenders look good with the backpack and the part that made up Frodo's pants look like a rifleman's belt and cartridge box. I plan to buy a Russian soldier torso from the Indiana Jones line (which is also sand green) and use it with epaulettes, white legs, and a scarf to cover up the collars to make an officer.

Thanks for the help guys. I think I may have to just order some of the pieces and mix and match. I'll upload results if anyone else is interested.

I really like this. It's relatively small but absolutely packed with detail and activity. I particularly like the admiral's room.

Hey everyone, I was wondering if anyone was sure what color the yellow portions of the 2015 governor's torso were. I'm hoping to use them to create some Hessian troops, and I want to give them matching legs. I'm certain it's not yellow, but I don't know if its closer to orange or bright orange, and I don't have the pieces on hand to compare them. Anyone know? Thanks.

I was really excited for the arabian knight, but wow what a letdown. I was hoping for something with a similar level of detail and marginal accuracy as the other historical warriors.

Any chance we could get a better look at your Voltigeurs? I don't see any clear photos of them on your flickr.

This is clever; I like it! I particularly like how close some of those faces are.

Anyone ever thought of using the Fred torso from the Scooby Doo line? Pair it with blue legs, a shako, and backpack and you've got a decent approximation of an Austrian soldier. A chef top isn't terrible either, but it's a bit chubby haha. Could work for an officer tho if you use red legs though. Here's something I just mocked up: I've also thought about this torso from the painter minifigure for injured soldiers. I'm colorblind but I think that's red on it?

Thanks for the clarification folks. I was aware of that set, but I thought that promotion was already over. Wasn't aware that it was staggered in the US.

Great moc, and I love the detailed story! The fish slapping, and the dude's face as he's being slapped is priceless.

Wait, what polybag would that be?

Really just incredible. Great work as usual.

Very impressive! I'm a purist at heart, so I like that you stuck with an original torso. It's a good compromise.

Agreed. Some of those items, like the scabbards and torsos (tho less so for us yellow fans), are great. Unfortunately I think the licensed theme would basically guarantee an indefinite pause for System Pirates.

Shoot I really like that torso. However I'm not a VIP and I have no intention of spending that much any time soon. How long do these usually last?

I got to see her in Baltimore! I didnt get a ton of pictures, but I can share a few if people are interested.

This is excellent! Has that lego feeling and a great color scheme to boot. If TLG doesnt release a bluecoat ship, I will probably use this as inspiration to build my own.

Very nice! That torso is clever.