15mm Classical Indians (King Porus): Archers (5)

 

15mm Classical Indians (King Porus): Archers (4)

 

28mm Pfalz/Palatine: 2nd BTN Garde-Regiment zu Fuss

I have a fascination with the Electorate of Palatine (in German Kurfürstentum Pfalz ) probably because it disappeared in 1777 when it went into personal union with Bavaria. The reasons why are complicated and are best investigated via wiki if you are interested. Meanwhile in the SYW Pfalz/Palatine was allied to France via the happy method of being paid to be allies. Thus a large percentage of this Protestant army served with the Catholic French army with great reluctance while the balance went off to serve with the Reichsarmee. The contract ended in 1759 and the French were not too upset as they had by then managed to reconstruct a Saxon army to replace it.


This regiment had been the Garde Grenadiers but mitres were removed in 1757 and the name changed to Garde zu Fuss. The second battalion joined the ten battalion force serving with the French when one of those ten surrendered in 1758.

I have used Black Hussar Prussian figures although really the cuffs were larger. For grenadiers, when I get round to them, I will probably use Eureka's late Saxon grenadiers in bearskin.

As for the uniform blue I have made it lighter than that uses for Hesse or Prussia. There is no evidence for this just an entirely personal suspicion. The glorious flags are from Frederick Aubert who can be contacted on our FB group. I have used two Kompaniefahnen because that was the convention although they could have had one Kompaniefahnen and one Leibfahne. For the drummers, there is no information so I have just used the Bavarian system, which was drummers dressed as for the other ranks with arm lace. The hat lace (shark's teeth) is very complicated to paint and requires a good deal more patience than I have!

I would like to say that I will paint all ten battalions but I suspect I will just manage to do one brigade.

 

15mm Classical Indians (King Porus): Archers (3)

 

28mm Hessians: 1760-63 KR2 Gens d'Armes

In 1760 the four Reiter regiments of cavalry were converted by the new Landgraf to cuirassiers although, according to Kronoskaf, they were not given cuirasses until after the end of the war. In my army they have them. Actually you would be hard-pressed to find miniature figures without the cuirasse and the nearest example would be 1806 Prussian cuirassiers although the bicorne would need to be replaced.

This is quite a pretty regiment in my view and the Black Hussar figures are lovely. You even get a choice with each figure of 4 different right arms.

I decided that the flags for this regiment shown on Kronoskaf were clearly pre-1760. There is a clue in a regimental plate (I would guess late 1760s to 1770s) for the Dragoon regiment Dalwigk as to what the cuirassier flags might have looked like. It is strange that all Hessian dragoons carried the swallow-tailed standard except for this Dalwigk which suggests that at some date the 4 cuirassier regiments might have been converted to dragoons. But I have no further information on this, suffice to say that the Dalwigk flag will form the basis of the new flags for the 4 Hessian cuirassier regiments. Stylistically, they fit in with my other Hessian flags.

28mm French SYW: Perry SYW Cavalry?

 I have long moaned about the paucity of decent Frenh cavalry figures. My fall back position, until Black Hussar gets around to this subject, would have been Front Rank but I really don't like their French cavalry figures although there is a choice of good mounted officers.

Imagine my surprise when I saw that the Perry's had added to their AWI range some Spanish colonial dragoons. Looking closely at the figures on the pictures I though they looked possible. On the plus side, Perry do great horses and, if the headgear was really a tricorne, then maybe they would work.

The command needs some work unless you are happy for the officers to have gorgets, which they did not. Also you will have to remove the epaulettes but that is easy. Horses have bound tails but I can live with that. I had to fill in the front of the bugler's coat.

Rank and File: arrangement of musket straps is odd but acceptable. The worst thing is that they have gaiters not boots but you can hardly notice. The tricorne is a good shape!

I leave you to judge what you think. Personally I think they are fine and there is an easy solution for those wearing bearskins. Get the separate bearskin heads from Black Hussar (a choice of three styles) and replace the Perry ones.

As I also live in Aquitaine it's appropriate that this should be my first cavalry regiment.

15mm Classical Indians (King Porus): Archers (2)

 

28mm Hessians: 1760-63 Stirn Converged Grenadiers Battalion

These are the grenadiers of the two musketeer regiments I have already painted, IR5 and IR8.

28mm French SYW: 12 pdr battery Black Hussar figures

I'm very impressed with the gun models from Black Hussar. I have painted the guns in their SYW blue colour scheme. In the WAS they sported dark-red carriages.

 

15mm Classical Indians (King Porus): Archers (1)

 

The first four archer units of 20 planned. Yes, that is going to be a hailstorm of arrows.

28mm Hessians: 1760-63 Regiment Mansbach 2nd BTN

Here is the second battalion of this regiment and the last picture shows both battalions together. On my desk at the moment is the converged grenadier battalion with those from Wutginau and Mansbach,

Here is the second battalion of this regiment and the last picture shows both battalions together. On my desk at the moment is the converged grenadier battalion with those from Wutginau and Mansbach,

15mm Classical Indians (King Porus): Elephants escorts

 

I have done 6 escorts for each of the 20 elephants painted but as they take up so much space I am just showing you two sets. Three figures on each side of the elephants to keep away pesky enemy skirmishers.

28mm WSS: French Regiment de Montfort

 

A two battalion regiment of Walloons in French service. I rather like the flags.

15mm Classical Indians (King Porus): Elephants (4)

This is the last of the 'regular' elephants – just some generals on elephants to show.

 

28mm WSS: English 9pdr Battery and C-in-C

 

The battery is from a Warlord Games plastic box using 9 out of the 12 crew supplied. The command base is from Front Rank although I had originally planned to buy them from Ebor. I found I had quite a few unused 28mm horses that could be pressed into service obviating the need to buy more horses.

ETYMOLOGIES: “BIGWIG”

Bigwig: an important or influential person; someone of a high status

Origin: The term bigwig originated in the 17th century, when the short lived fad of wig-wearing was at its peak. It became fashionable for people to shave their heads and replace their hair with wigs; in this way they could sport a style they might not be able to naturally grow. It was seen as a triumph of man’s ingenuity over nature. However hair to make up these wigs was quite rare and expensive. Hair was sold by the strand and it was not uncommon for the lower classes to be seen wearing wigs consisting of only several strands of hair. The rich folk on the other hand were able to purchase large wigs made up of thousands of strands of hair and very soon the term ‘bigwig’ became associated with the very wealthy.