Massachusetts Company, Gimat's Light Battalion 1781

These 7 figures represent a Massachusetts Light Infantry Company in Virginia, 1781. They are a part of Colonel Gimat’s Light Battalion, which was sent with Lafayette to capture Benedict Arnold.  Gimat’s battalion contained 5 Connecticut companies, 2 Massachusetts companies and 1 Rhode Island company. (1) This Light Battalion guarded Anthony Wayne’s right flank at the Battle of Green Spring, but its greatest honor occurred when it stormed the British-held Redoubt #10 at the Siege of Yorktown. (2)

By 1779, Massachusetts troops were ordered to be dressed in blue coats with white cuffs and lapels. (3) Their black caps bear the letters “L I”, for Light Infantry.  Each cap is also decorated with a red-and-black plume, a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette to the entire Continental Light Infantry.  To show their long service in Virginia (long service was hard on clothing), I painted some figures with trousers, some with breeches and stockings and some with half-gaiters.

The original figures are by BMC.  The light infantryman thrusting his bayonet is a slight conversion from a BMC British grenadier.  They are all painted with Testors paints.

1. pg. 46, A Guide to the Armies of the American War of Independence: Book 2 The Southern Campaigns by Greg Novak (Calumet, PA: Old Glory n. d.)
2. pgs. 145-147, The Yorktown Campaign and the Surrender of Cornwallis by Henry P. Johnston (New York, NY: Harper & Brothers, 1881; accessed at https://archive.org/details/yorktowncampaign00johnrich)
3. pgs. 106-107, An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Uniforms from 1775-1783 by Digby Smith and Kevin F. Kiley (London: Lorenz Books, 2010)

Will Reynolds of Beyond the Mask

This figure is painted up as William Reynolds, the hero of the Christian movie Beyond the Mask.  Beyond the Mask is set in the world of the 1770s and follows Will's journey from assassin to hero.  At one point in the movie, Reynolds moves to Philadelphia and becomes a highwayman who battles local Loyalists.  This figure recreates his highwayman outfit.  To learn more about the movie and William Reynolds, visit www.BeyondTheMaskMovie.com

The original figure was made by BMC as an artillery commander with sword and pistol.  The only conversion work I did was cutting off a backpack and canteen.

 

It is unclear whether this outfit is supposed to be dark navy blue or purple, so I opted for the latter because it is very distinctive.  Reynolds wears long or grand gaiters to protect his legs.  His cartridge box did not appear in the movie, but I left it so that he could reload his pistol.  On its strap is a large decorative brass buckle.  He wears a mask to conceal his identity.

Welcome!

Welcome to Red Coats and Ruffles!  My name is Jordan Jachim and I am glad you are here.  I’ve loved toy soldiers for over 10 years.  I chose to copy out Robert Louis Stevenson’s poems with toy soldiers in them for handwriting practice when I was 6.  In at least four stories I wrote between 2003-2007, toy soldiers were the heroes.  More recently, I have taken to collecting and painting them.

"Welcome to Red Coats and Ruffles!"

 

What is this blog about?

This blog is dedicated to my collection of military miniatures (a.k.a. toy soldiers).  Most are 54-60 millimeters tall.  This scale is referred to as 1/32 scale.  I do have some 40 millimeter soldiers and an assortment of others in various scales.  However, most of this blog will feature 54 millimeter soldiers who are made of plastic and a few of metal.  It will also show some of the games that will be played with them or dioramas that can be created.

My Collecting History

My collection began in 2003 with a vacation to Fort Mackinac.  In the gift shop were displayed an army of Otter Creek Rifle Works castings.  Unfortunately, the mounted general I wanted most was sold out, but I did get a mortar, an infantryman and a set of artillery accessories.  On the same vacation, I also bought an artillery crew as well.

As time wore on, I acquired quite a miscellaneous collection of toy soldiers including green army men, a European-made WWI figure, a Napoleonic grenadier, and a bag of BMC Yorktown figures at Colonial Williamsburg.  These last I began painting in 2009, but quickly gave it up.  There were so many soldiers to paint!

But in the interval between 2009 and 2013, I painted a few other soldiers.  Finally, I dusted the BMC infantrymen off and set to work painting them as troops in the American Revolution.  I enjoyed this immensely and they became Continental light infantry, Loyalists, British grenadiers and even a movie character named William Reynolds.  When they were nearly finished, I acquired some Accurate militiamen and Armies in Plastic infantry and kept on working.  Now I am almost finished with the Armies in Plastic infantry and fully intend to keep painting with new figures.

 

About the Name

The name “Red Coats and Ruffles” comes from some of the distinctive characteristics of my favorite period, the 1700s.  While red coats are generally associated with the British army, they were also worn by the Hanoverian Army, many foreign regiments in the French and Spanish armies, some American loyalists, and even the American patriots (when they could capture them).  Most officers and gentlemen of the 1700s wore fine shirts with ruffles at the neck and sleeves.  These two items of clothing give this blog the name Red Coats and Ruffles.