A couple of questions on the WSS Imperialist Horse uniform pdf:

1 - Where there are two alternative uniforms for Imperialist Horse (the C17 Cuirassier look, and the early C18 tricorne and coat look), when did the uniforms move from one to the other? Was there overlap, or will it look better if all my Imperialist Horse is one type or the other?

2 - The Breuner, Cusani, Uhlefeld Horse regiments, and the Althann Dragoon regiment, have different shades of brown and red to my eyes: can anyone suggest which brown/red colours each would be closest too?

My "bible" on this - The Armies & Uniforms of Marlborough's Wars vol 1, by C S Grant - says that the Austrians and Bavarians had the 17th century harquebusier look (probably because they fought the largely edge-weaponed Ottomans a lot) with everyone else in tricorne and coat, apart from the odd carabiner and horse grenadier regiment, which Baccus don't do.

Can't say anything definitive on the paints, other than, at 6mm, the brightest works best, and that you would have to be very unlucky to find a pedant who would be able to pick out the "wrong" colours(was he there and saw them, got any photos? I say he, because it's always a he).

I don't have access to the pdf here, I am getting some strange link.

On 1 it varies and to some extent depended on the choice of the commanders. They always used the 'Cuirassier' look and did not have a coat covering the body armour, unlike most other 'heavy' horse who also often had armour but hidden. When fighting the Ottomans they wore the helmet but when fighting others it was more varied & they could wear the tricorne instead. 

On 2 Hall says that Cusani had 'dark red' and the others 'red'. To me the difference in the illustrations is very minor. They all look classic 'scarlet' to me but I guess add a touch of black to darken it a bit for Cusani. 

What hwicee said!

If you Google the Bavarian army in the WoSS it will bring up pictures of the dragoons and Cuirassiers of that army. The lobster style helmet and cuirass were worn, certainly in the first half of the war. The  grey coats, worn under the cuirass, had large cuffs in regimental colours, and the saddle cloths were also of regimental colour - such as red, green, mid-blue. Try this site:

wssbavarians.blogspot.com/2018/

Many thanks all. Does anyone want to hazard a guess about which battles you would start to see Austrian Horse in coloured coats (appreciating the cuirass is visible on top) as opposed to the buff coats?

The Austrians didn't really have 'Horse' regiments as such. I am assuming you mean here 'heavy' cavalry as opposed to 'medium/light' cavalry.They had Cuirassiers, Dragoons and Hussars, plus later some other types - lancer, horse grenadiers, etc, but not any 'Horse'.

The Cuirassiers continued with the buff coats until at least 1866 and I suspect until just before WW1. 

The Dragoons and Hussars had coloured coats of various kinds and again to way after this period but they are not really 'Horse'.

The Austrians would have allied units of 'Horse' which would be in coloured coats and with the cuirass mostly hidden under the coat & generally ignorable in 6mm.

Yes, I just meant the Austrian Cuirassiers here. Many thanks, Nick.

Dear Whirlwind     I find this website a useful source of WSS information Kronoskaf.    He suggests Imperial heavy cavalry usually wore tricone hats in Western Europe https://kronoskaf.com/wss/index.php?title=Austrian_Cuirassiers_Uniform

Thanks Wss.