Sourcing Miniatures

[Haskeer]

Hi all.

I wouldn’t normally post a request such as this on a Warlord Games forum, but I have searched their catalogue first with no joy –

 

Does anyone know of a company that makes Napoleonic French command groups in a running pose?
Any info will be gratefully received!

 

John

[Nat]

perry metal command advancing might fit what you’re looking for… (same size as warlords)

there’s also these companies who MAY have what you’re talking about Elite miniatures (no idea what these look like compared to warlord), essex (smaller in scale), warfoundry (smaller in scale) & Vitrix (slightly bigger models)

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by Nat.

[Haskeer]

Thanks!

👍

[ArtfulB]

Try converting Perry 1814 Plastic French.

The command sprue has an officier with a single lower body and two upper body options. There are also two skirmisher sprues with rank and file running, cut these in half and add to the officers.

Carefully chop the standard bearer in  two and glue a running rank bottom to suit or use his arms on a running ranking figure.

Use the cornet arm from the command sprue ‘neat’ with one of the running bodies off the skirmisher sprue.

Btw they sell Dragoon officier command sprues seperately, use one of the spare officer sprues (high plume shako or even bearskin) for a mounted Officier.

Mixing and matching plastic parts from Warlord, Victrix and Perry ranges can give all sorts of options.

[Haskeer]

Thanks Artful, I’ve actually started doing exactly as you suggest!

done a couple of officers and standard bearers. I’m still looking at the drummers and panicking though!

[ArtfulB]

If I recall, the Warlord metal officier you get with a standard line batallion pack and the original Perry plastic command pack officer are both suitable as is for mixing into a running formation.

As for the drummer, don’t panic 😉

Just reach for the green stuff/milliput.

Look at the intended drummer figures body and compare what is different with one of those running skirmishers – really only the prescence of the apron

Separate the drummer torso from his walking legs to replace with a split pair of running skirmisher legs.

Both the drum and short sword are on belts, imagine your new running drummer has pulled his sword belt forward and pushed the drum one back.

The back of the drummer  has a short sword – carefully trim this off (in one piece) place the drum so it starts on the figures hip where the sword used to be rather than his inner thigh. The sword will now go between the drum and the thigh.

Glue the new legs and torso together make up a little apron with the milliput and stick the short sword and drum in their new places.

 

Chop the sticks off the drummers arms and glue onto the stickholder bump on the drummer’s belt.

The left stickless arm now goes backwards with its hand on the top of the drum pushing it to the rear, the equivalent right arm goes forward in a running motion. If you have access to spares from a box of Victrix French, that right hand could be replaced with a drawn short sword or pistol.

Why are your French running away ?

Is someone fielding a British rifle skirmish unit lead by an Essex boy with a Sheffield accent ?

 

 

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by ArtfulB.

[ArtfulB]

Ah – I forgot,

It’s been a while since I made up my 1814 Perry drummer – you get an alternate pair of drummer arms :  right arm  hand holding both sticks, left arm open hand. Use these & omit the stick surgery above (or crop the sticks from the alternate right arm).

[Haskeer]

Thanks for the detailed answer, Artful, I’ll give it a go.

Theyre not running away, just want to be first to the fight!!

😜

[ArtfulB]

Want to be the first to contact the enemy? Follow the advice of Brigadier Gerard – join the cavalry and become a Hussar! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigadier_Gerard).

Perry’s do some exceedingly good plastic ones (Warlord do a cheaper French Hussar box). You can read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales of the Gallant Gascon for free over at project gutenberg.

As I wrote the above tome, I was looking at my French 1814 drummer (made up conventionally) and a running drummer which I had converted into a Swiss grenadier.

I just remembered the original figure was from Elite miniatures, but I found it too small when up against my 28mm Perry/Warlord/Victrix levee en masse. The Warlord head system has the collars moulded to the head, everyone else on the body. Chopping off the smaller head, filing it’s collar down then adding a new (Warlord style, grenadier bearskin) one turns your 25 mm+ figure into 27mm+ one, making it more compatible.

Redoubt Miniatures Napoleonics are also more 25mm than 28mm (yet their AWI/FIW/ACW ranges are OK). I bought a battalion of Portuguese Cazadores blind a few years ago only to find that one out the hard way,  swapping out with the spare shako set you get in the Warlord Portuguese box did the trick.

Sheffield accents are not required to use a Baker rifle …..

 

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by ArtfulB.

[invisible officer]

Converting can be like a drug. Its fun and I love to have MY own miniatures. I converted a full HLI unit years ago.

 

 

Easier than converting the London born son of a w.   into a Yorkshire one in a series of novels just beacause the actor ………….

Well, that character is so full of fuss that that change in later written books makes no difference.  😉

[ArtfulB]

It’s the appendixes in the original Sharpe novels that are of use, nay mandatory, reading for aspiring Peninsular gamers.

They could have got Chas’n Dave to revoice Mr Bean’s dialogue 😉

Getting the author to enlist Sharpe in the Sheffield based 33rd during it’s service in India was a bit extreme. Wellington never liked rockets since having been in command of said battalion when it was routed by Tippoo’s rocketeers.

I have actually scratched a rocket cart (see Congreve’s 1813 paper over on projectgutenberg ) – equipment can be done too, not just figures.

You can make up the AWI version of the 71st using bonneted heads from Trent Miniatures and either Perry or Warlord British AWI bodies. A few spare Claymores and a set of Bagpipes from the Victrix Highland box make up the unit.

Oh and a lurcher dog 😉

 

[invisible officer]

Or a scratch bagpipe, giving the ears of the poor English a rest.  Like I did.   Something different.

Rocket cars, mine was more reycling than scratch.

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[ArtfulB]

I don’t think 71 HLI of the Napoleonic era used pipers, their grandads of the 71st of Foot did in the Americas.

That rockket cart is indeed the missing item from the Warlord range. Standard gun frame with the two long boxes as per your photo

[invisible officer]

They still had them, paid by the officers. Horse guard paid for drummers and buglers only.  Fortunately we have letters from officers as source. Not just modern oics.

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[ArtfulB]

They lost their kilts and became light infantry during refit after Corruna : (https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/71st-highland-regiment-foot-light-infantry ).

Did they keep the pipers in a ceremonial or operational role for their second visit to Spain?  Was the  instrument funded by the officers mess for their private entertainment or to inspire the men in combat ? A barrel of decent single malt would have done better, cheaper !

Such nuances can erupt into all out flame warfare on threds such as these 😉

That HLI png looks like it may have come off  a Hat Industrie box illustration. Be careful with them as a historical source : they depict their 1/72 scale rocket troops as using the 1816 + copper tube launcher intended for the improved centre line stick rockets. Perrys have a similar tube model launcher in their Carlist wars range – not suitable for 1812-1815 period.

 

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