Work bench

There is method to the madness...

Serjeants

One of the chief joys of Victrix and Perry plastics is the potential to create one's own little creations to fill those curious gaps in the ranks. For my project I need all sorts of character figures as yet unavailable from any manufacturer and one of the biggest gaps is for various types of NCO. Here are some I knocked up yesterday.

I need lots of Grenadier company serjeants and this requires taking the pike (and hand) from a normal serjeant and grafting it onto a flank company arm with the correct "winged" epaulette.

I've taken pics before their undercoat in order to best see their various composite parts.

These three are all from the Grenadier company of the 1st Foot (Royal Scots). Here we have Colour-Serjeants Joseph Kidson and William Dobbs and Serjeant George Russell. Dobbs, of Bolton,  died of wounds on 12th July.

Nobody makes Serjeant Majors (which is odd seeing as EVERYONE makes highland pipers - there were only 3 pipers at Waterloo yet every battalion had it's Serjeant Major).

So here's Serjeant Major Francis Quicke of 1st Foot (Royal Scots).  A Somerset man he was killed at Waterloo and replaced by Colour-Serjeant Joseph Kidson (pictured above).

I have the Perry metal rifle command but I need a lot more running/advancing serjeants for my 3rd Battalion. Thus the most tricky conversion - a rifles serjeant running - which consists of Victrix running legs added to Victrix sash added to Perry rifles body (sliced off at the right height) with Perry head and arms and accoutrements.

I'm rather fond of him - have decided he will be Serjeant Jasper Kenstock of Fullerton's company. More on the sad tale of Kenstock later.

Finally, here are two centre company serjeants, again from th 1st Foot.

The chap on the left is made up of Victrix French legs, Victrix British serjeant torso and pike arm, Perry French head and pointing arm, and Perry British sword.



1st Foot update

So, more than halfway through September but nowhere near the halfway mark in this month's project - the square of the 1st Foot (Royal Scots).  I have, however, managed two companies (if a company depleted after Quatre Bras is around 26 men) and am very pleased with them although the photos remain dreadful.
These will be the 2nd and 3rd Companies - both suffered over 40% casualties from their nominal strength (and therefore a far greater percentage from the "real" number present).

Here are some (horrible) close ups -

(l to r) - Some No.2 Company men - Private John McStravock of Glasgow, Corporal William Heath of Warwickshire, and Private Patrick Heavy . Corporal Heath was wounded, and invalided to England on 31st of August.

Private Heavy, from Templemichael, Longford, was an old cavalryman. He had served in the 8th Light Dragoons 1798-1799 and the 28th Light Dragoons 1799-1802. He enlisted in the Royal Scots in 1811 and was discharged two years after Waterloo aged 38.

 “The Curraisiers were shouting and our men shouting too, as hard as they could bawl. We gave them such a volley their first two ranks fell to a man and away they scampered, our men picking them down in the most horrid manner.”  (Lieutenant Black)

 No.3 Company - Private Dickson Currie (discharged in consequence of  being "wounded right leg being ridden over at Waterloo") and Private Hamilton Turkington (who, in addition to having the most wonderful name, also appears to have born a passing resemblence to Hitler).

Poor Private Samuel Rivett of Norfolk. He died of his wounds at Brussels on 19th July.

And completely off topic - here's a pic I took today of some Scot's Greys I've been collecting bit by bit. A mix of old Foundry and new Perry.

1st Royal Scots

New project for this month (why finish something properly  when you can just move on and start something new?) - 1st Foot (Royal Scots) in sqaure. Badly shot up at Quatre Bras they were much reduced for Waterloo.
Here is this month's task - get cracking on this square - I started a couple of companies ages ago but my painting has got better in the interim and I want to go back and redo most of them.
The vast majority of the figs are the very excellent Victrix, bolstered with a few Perrys, and a smattering of Eagle to make up the front row (any leftover kneeling figs anyone?).

This weekend I really feel I made a breakthrough with painting faces. Previously, in every hundred  figures maybe 4 (by fluke) were ok, 50 were passable, and the rest were poor.  Now, however, I feel I have finally cracked faces and, though they are still miles away from the likes of Oniria (whose tutorial was key), I feel much more confident and am very pleased with the improved consistancy.

The grenadier company serjeant below is a conversion - adding a pike to a grenadier arm (neither Victrix nor Perry  make a plastic grenadier serjeant).  The offiicer to his right is another hybrid - Perry head, Victrix body, Perry right arm, Victrix left arm (from the Highlanders set).