Military and historical modeling involves solving extensive and diversified tasks. Reconstruction of historic scenes using figurines may be carried out subject to solving two information tasks:
First, any reconstruction involves finding, gathering and analysis of information on a reconstructed episode;
Secondly, there is always a need to determine whether the available military and historical material meets requirements of modeling (conformity assessment) and to appraise its acceptability for reconstruction of a specific episode.
It should be noted that information support in modeling historic and soldier figurines represents as a whole an independent and broad task which can only be solved by gathering, systematizing and analysis of highly specialised data on composition and organisation of forces, their military uniform, equipment, and also the course of military operations with respect to reconstructed episode. The same applies to know-how data on figurines and terrain models. This being said, all data meant for authors - manufacturers of military and historical miniature and authors - designers of scenes reconstructing combat or day-to-day episodes from the life of ancient armies should comply with a number of specific requirements including:
The issues of information support in modeling were put on practical footing by military historian and collector M. V. Lyushkovsky (1898-1966). For instance, the materials concerning his work on pictorial map (terrain model) of the Poltava battle (survived to this day), gathered and collected and systematised in 1939 contain all elements of information support [3]:
- description of a modeled event or selection of a combat moment to be represented on a model, i.e. the informative aspect of goal setting in work terms [1],
- characteristic of a battlefield topography (terrain or external object model),
- composition of forces, i. e. a list of regiments participating in a battle, including their order of battle for the represented moment (fielded forces model including tactical schemes of units formation)
- justification of choice of a specific figurine type and appearance (person model),
- tabulated data concerning uniform of regiments in the Russian and Swedish forces (model of appearance of specific figurines),
- Determining of nomenclature of types and assessment of total number of figurines to be used in a terrain model and their arrangement "afield" (model of location of figurine groups on a terrain as a whole).
It should be noted that the first domestic printed publication about information support in modeling historic and soldier figurines known to us dates back to the beginning of the XX century. It happened in 1914 [4] when a number of basic elements of data necessary to reconstruct a moment of the Borodino battle was stated on an example of creation of a pictorial map (a term used to denote terrain model in the turn of the last century). However unlike authors of this work [4], M. V. Lyushkovsky went to even greater lengths - he has clearly defined the structure of necessary information support which should be included in the modeling process, and has made information support of modeling an essential part of work on a terrain model which must precede the manufacturing of terrain model elements.
Methodological developments made by M. V. Lyushkovsky allowed to formulate all basic elements of information support. It occurred because M. V. Lyushkovsky was well experienced in developing various stationary terrain models (pictorial maps) for museums, as well as demonstration models (temporary models) meant for illustration of reports and discourses. Most often such temporary models were created for reports at meetings of Military and Historical workshop of the Leningrad House of Scientists situated at the Palace quay.
Relative independence of information support allows carrying out systematizing and gathering of data without reference and direct relation to work on terrain model production. Gathering and systematizing of data is carried out relying on further use of such information. This being said special emphasis is placed on the four key issues of information support:
In a narrow sense, information support in modeling historic and soldier figurines is often reduced to first two points. For manufacturers of figurines, the issues of know-how and storage of figurines [1], as well as modeling are of great importance, but compared to the first two issues, these aspects are much less frequently paid attention to.
An informational "stepping stone" necessary for authors-manufacturers of specific models is provided by studies, articles and publications on the two said topics in military and historical titles, digests and manuscript collections.
Let's consider examples and fate of some information support materials generated and gathered in the USSR and in Russia. For instance, M. V. Lyushkovsky developed a technique of registration and presentation of data pertaining to military uniform, he has also developed a kind of table which has gained name of "Lyushkovsky verbal and elemental table" [5]. The table format was further optimized by M.V. Lyushkovsky in various works, including manufacturing of terrain model of the Poltava battle (1709). Eventually such tables-patterns have gained significance in their own right as a source of data on military uniform of the various nations and epochs. Personal materials of M.V. Lyushkovsky comprised an important set of such tables. These tables were drawn up in writing books, filled and painted by M.V. Lyushkovsky. After death of M.V. Lyushkovsky (1966) two or three of such writing books were kept in private collection of Leningrader R. Sh. Sot (1909-1990) for almost a quarter of century (from 1966 to 1990). The further fate of these writing books and their current location after 1990 are unknown...
M.V. Lyushkovsky has also compiled separate reference manuscripts on composition and organisation of forces participating in wars. The majority of data contained in this plan are inaccessible to those sharing his areas of interest. The further fate of these extracts from various sources after death of the collection owner in 1966 is also obscure. Due to publications of VIF almanac, a few of M.V. Lyushkovsky's notes became known to modern readers. However, these are merely dribs and drabs of information gathered by M.V. Lyushkovsky and preserved to our time, unfortunately, only as hand written copies of originator' notes!
Another example from history of information support in modeling historic and soldier figurines is how a manuscript collection entitled "Bulleten TVP" (abbreviated form: BTVP, established in 1974) was founded, followed by almanac "Voenno-istoricheskaya figurka" (editorial board established in 1994). It is well worth to point out that both BTVP and VIF were established by amateurs, collectors and manufacturers of figurines pursuing no commercial objectives. This means that issues involved with applied problems of information support in collecting and manufacturing of figurines necessitated studying of specific matters. Similar studies later gave birth to a kind of manuscript collection and a small circulation almanac (as a manuscript). And people directly engaged in modeling of historic and soldier figurines are best of all aware of application-oriented needs. Currently as of the end of 2004, "Bulleten TVP" continues to exist, with over 1670 charts with pictures and over 1350 text publications presented in 88 series. Almanac VIF was published in Saint - Petersburg from 1994 to 2003 (21 issues in total), and from 2004 it has been published as "magazine inside magazine within the framework of "Reytar" [VIF issues from no. 1 (21) and so forth, as of the beginning of 2005 24 issues were prepared, 3 of them already as a part of the "Reytar" magazine]. We'd like to mention that current list of titles and collections associated with information support in modeling historic and soldier figurines is by no means confined to BTVP and VIF. The above examples are only quoted to illustrate a possible approach to development of forms of information support.
References
|
|
|
|
|