Redheaded Pirate (Mars)

This figure began with seeing a picture of a new redheaded pirate on Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride.  Her design was distinct with lots of red!  This made her a pirate character, or a decent camp follower for the British Army.  Besides, how could a blog named Red Coats & Ruffles not add a figure who sports both?

After a long and involved search, no suitable figures of the redheaded pirate were found.  She has a fair amount of her own merchandise, but not in 54mm.  Clearly, some heavy conversion of an existing 54mm figure would be required. 

She began as a Mars female pirate, actually as the same figure as Arabella Smith. (Meet Arabella at http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2022/05/arabella-smith-mars.html).  Arabella's conversion was relatively easy, but this redheaded swashbuckler would need more than that.  Her hat (including plume) had to be sculpted, her sleeves needed ruffles at the wrists, and most importantly, she needed a skirt with two separate layers, a belt, and a decorative waist-mounted pocket.

Her skirt was easily the most challenging thing to sculpt, but it turned out well.  The ivory-handled, brass-barrelled pistol in her belt is one produced by Helmet Soldiers (http://www.helmetsoldiers.co.uk, whose website seems to be offline).

I envision her as a pirate when it suits her, but a smuggler and businesswoman far more often.  Perhaps she is the one trusted by other buccaneers to turn looted items into cash--for a price, of course!

Figure by Mars, painted with acrylic paints.

Pirate with Musket (Safari)

This salty sea dog was originally from a Safari Ltd. collection of pirate figures.  He is based on a rather famous painting by Howard Pyle.

Originally, his musket was badly bent out of shape.  Sometimes a simple dip in boiling water is enough to straighten bent parts (this works especially well on Armies in Plastic figures).  However, the musket stubbornly returned to its crooked state.  Clearly a more aggressive treatment would be needed.  This was accomplished by running a heat gun along the musket until it became soft (but don't let it get too soft).  Once softened, the musket was positioned correctly and allowed to cool in the open air.  The other element required for a proper musket is the lock, which was sculpted with Milliput.  Brass decoration was painted on to the stock, as the character demanded a little more ornament on his gun.  Perhaps he borrowed the idea from guns of India?

The sculpt is not an action pose, but I think that he makes an excellent pirate sentry, guard, or even an idler, watching his more swashbuckling companions.  The parrot is a colorful and unique companion, though I do wonder what he thinks of supporting part of the musket on his back!

Figure by Safari, painted with acrylic paints. 

Pirates of the Caribbean Zizzlingers

One of the lesser-known 54mm figure lines is that produced by the now-defunct company Zizzle.  Known as Zizzlingers, these figures were sold in packs of 2 or 3, coated with a water-soluble goo.  This was to be dissolved in water and presto! the figures would be revealed.  These figures were also sold in 2-packs as "Miniature Collectible Figures".  Unfortunately, Zizzle stopped operations and dissolved in 2009, leaving these figures difficult to find.

The particular set of Zizzlingers which are highlighted today are those released to tie in with the 2006 movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.  24 separate figures were released, of which I have 19.  The picture is missing Jack Sparrow in a coat, Will Turner in a coat, Barbossa holding an apple, Cotton with his parrot, and Norrington in a pirate coat.

The sculpting quality varies quite a bit.   Some are well-sculpted, like Tia Dalma (pictured), Pintel, and most of Davy Jones' crew. Unfortunately, others are lacking in sculpted detail like Will Turner (also pictured) and Elizabeth Swann.  Each figure varies in this regard. All come with adequate factory paint jobs.

Scale is fairly comparable to other 54mm figures.  The picture shows (from left to right) pirates from Mars, Safari, Zizzlinger, Replicants, Ideal, and Zizzlinger.

Poses are fairly static but useful.  These figures do not provide swashbuckling action.  However, they are extremely useful to fill out a town or other civilian area, or to bulk out a crew of scurvy dogs.  Personally, I find these flat poses a nice change from some extreme action-oriented poses.

These figures are difficult to find, though not too expensive when compared with many recent 54mm figures.  They are well worth the effort if your interest is in pirates, the 18th Century, or aquatic fantasy.