Sir William Ponsonby

Over the last few weeks, my soldier painting has just dried up altogether. I was doing really rather well, but we've had some family problems, which have been a major distraction, and I seem to have just lost motivation. I'm trying to pick it up again this weekend. I hope to finish off the two British dragoon regiments I was working on - they only lack their command figures, and they are coming along now.

Since these dragoons are in the Waterloo period uniform, I decided it would be pleasing to paint up their brigade commander at Waterloo, Sir Wm Ponsonby, to go with them. I was very lucky in that Goya donated a repaired Hinton Hunt figure (thank you again, sir), and he is now ready for action.

Sir Wm Ponsonby, MP for Londonderry 1812-15.  He is riding one of his second-string horses, a fact which he must have regretted when the lancers got after him at Waterloo. Damn bad luck.

I had a HH Ponsonby some years ago - it wasn't a great casting, and it got cleared out when I had a sudden rush of blood to the elbow and decided to replace all my 20mm generals with 25mm ones - an idea that must have lasted all of six months. My previous Ponsonby had a light tan riding coat - I didn't have access to Marcus's painting instructions in those days. This new one is a much better casting, and I've painted him as Uncle Marcus would have wished.

This is not just a one-hit Waterloo special - I shall use the figure to represent John Gaspard Le Marchant in an earlier period (he didn't last long either, come to think of it). I can ditch my current Le Marchant figure, which is an S-Range conversion of mine that I have never liked. In fact, given that his uniform is more or less invisible, this new chap can serve as any odd British commander. Useful.

Anyway - here we have Hinton Hunt BN257, painted and everything - he should have a brigade to command by Sunday night.