Tonight I restored a couple of little command vignettes.
First off, here's Maj.Gen Robert Craufurd, of Light Division and getting-killed-in-the-breach-at-Ciudad-Rodrigo fame. This is not going to win any prizes, but it's an attractive little piece. The conversions are ambitious; I can see from the figure bases that the starting point for each is Hinton Hunt SC 4, which is a one-piece-casting ACW cavalry trooper. The mounted Rifles officer has had a body swap - I think I recognise the top half of the HH Rifles officer (normally on foot) - the one with the whistle. His shabraque has been cut from lead foil - it's an impressive job. The General's top half is more of a mystery - I thought he might be a Wellington - I even thought he might be an SHQ Wellington, but I think this model was made too long ago for SHQ. The cape is hand-built from lead foil, again, and I imagine the saddle furniture was, too. I've kept Eric's colour scheme. There was evidence of some corrosion on the foil cape - a white bloom on some of the edges. Lead rot? I've cleaned them up, repainted as necessary and sealed with fresh varnish, and put them on an official house-standard base (Division Commander - 50mm x 50mm, white border). I guess Black Bob's days may be numbered, but with a bit of luck he might outlast me.
And here is a HH General for the ECW, complete with dog. This will go well with Lord John Byron's ferret and Fairfax's Mynah bird. I couldn't find the dog in Marcus Hinton's catalogue, so can only assume it must be a Clayton addition.
How marvelous to find these one-off conversions in your newly acquired collection! A treasure, for sure.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm very appreciative - most of the Napoleonic stuff in the collection begs the creation of new conversions rather than presenting me with historic ones, since the units were obviously larger than I use, and there is a shortage of command figures, but what is there is very pleasing. Lots of little command groups, with engineers and staff officers looking a things through telescopes. Eric was fascinated by infrastructure and support services, I think, but most of the pontoon trains and so on were in scales I can't use.
DeleteReally great looking mini sir!
ReplyDeleteThanks Michal! - all the best to you.
DeleteLovely little figures Tony, and very clever conversion work on Black Bob and the rifles officer.
ReplyDeleteHi Lee - I had never thought of adding foil shabraques - I can see why the ACW cavalry figure would make a good starter, since as I recall there is very little saddle furniture on the casting. It may seem a bit extravagant that I didn't liberate the Rifles officer to command someone, but in fact I already have a couple of HH mounted Rifles officers, which were converted by BB Wargames some years ago, so the command jobs are already spoken for - in any case, it is only right to keep Eric's chaps together!
DeleteThose conversions are great, full of charm. That dog however looks very like Daisy!
ReplyDeleteHi Ian - yes - I was working on some elaborate private joke whereby this ECW command stand is known as General [whatever], but only insiders know that the dog is actually in command, and the guy with the big hat is only there to throw the stick. I need a good name, to sustain the gag. Any ideas for dog-related generals' names?
DeleteEarly reserach reveals that there was a Col John Barkstead, but the pedants would point out that he was a Puritan, and those doesn't look like Puritan togs to me, also Barkstead was active in the New Model, which is a bit late and a bit grim for me.
DeleteAlso, Barkstead was noted as a rather unpleasant chap - partial to excessive punishments etc - maybe some Karma in the fact he came to a very sticky end at Tyburn for being (allegedly) a regicide.
Nah - he's too miserable to take part in a joke. Needs more research...
Crikey, body swaps. I haven't dared to try that yet. I'm also intrigued by the use of the lead foil. Its sounds as if it might be terribly bendy and prone to dings and dents. I suspect that this is why their mounts are stationary. You wouldn't want anything going at any speed.
DeleteThat shabraque is a cracking piece of work.
ReplyDeleteAs for the ECW figure he’s got to be Sir Rufus Hound of Barking.......
......I’ll get me coat.
The shabraque is good - I've never knowingly seen this kind of work before. The sheet-lead cape is literally cracking a little, so will require cautious handling - fortunately, this is a "handle by bases only" regime - a result of having coped with Les Higgins bayonets for 45 years or so.
DeleteSir Rufus Hound - very good. Like it.
DeleteThis chap got there first obviously but it is a ‘period appropriate’ name.
Deletehttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufus_Hound
Very nice conversions...
ReplyDeleteBody swaps are definitely a scary prospect... I have done a couple in my time and they always throw up problems....
;-) ;-) ;-)... there aren’t many situations where you can talk casually about body swaps are there....?
All the best. Aly
Can't add much more. A lovely find of some beaut conversions.
ReplyDelete