Continental Light Infantry in Hunting Shirts

These two figures belong to the Continental Light Infantry.  They are dressed and equipped for Lafayette's Virginia campaign of 1781.  According to the records, some units wore traditional light infantry coats (that is, the coattails were cut short), while others were issued hunting shirts. [1]


The light infantry formed the backbone of Lafayette's force.  With these men, Lafayette attempted to defend Virginia against British raiders under Benedict Arnold, and later, Lord Cornwallis.

After the battle of Green Spring (July 6, 1781), Lafayette wrote in General Orders that: "The brilliant conduct of Major Galvan and the continental detachment under his command, entitle them to applause." [2]  These men were true veterans of the Continental Army.


References
[1] John U. Rees.  "Their presence here...has saved this state": Continental Provisional Battalions with Lafayette.  Pg. 33.  Available at http://revwar75.com/library/rees/pdfs/light.pdf

[2] Marquis de Lafayette.  Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution volume IV, pg. 240.

Beauty and the Beast (Hasbro)

I am always seeking to bolster my collection of civilians.  After all, no world is populated only by soldiers.  But finding suitable figures in 54mm (or 1/32 scale) is not dissimilar to finding hen's teeth.

However these two figures of Belle and Beast from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" fit the bill.  They both look vaguely like they belong in the 18th Century and have suitably plain clothing.

Both figures were produced by Hasbro in the early 2000s.  I gave them a complete repaint, but kept them in their original movie outfits.

Now these two figures join my other movie characters to populate this 18th Century world. (For more movie characters, see http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2018/05/libertys-kids-character-james-hiller.html, and http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/search/label/Beyond%20the%20Mask).

I have been toying with some special wargame rules for these characters (Does Belle's book knowledge allow her to predict what the enemy might do?  What is her attack and defense score?).  These two promise to add color to any wargame, as well as interest to dioramas!

Figures by Hasbro; painted with Testors paints.  No conversion was required (besides carving the Hasbro logos off Beast's legs!)

Beyond the Mask Skirmish Game Part II

After stealing important documents from Will Reynolds (see http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2018/09/beyond-mask-skirmish-game.html), Joshua Brand made his way to EIC headquarters to deliver the documents to his boss Charles Kemp.

Fearing that the other EIC operatives would double-cross him, Brand determined to exit the board with the documents himself (this was his victory condition).  The EIC had to take the documents from Mr. Brand to prevent any possibility of blackmail.  And unknown to both parties, Will Reynolds had survived his thrashing and was eager to recover these documents as well.  The first group to take the documents off the board would fulfil their victory conditions and win.  An unusual three-way fight was on!


The ruleset was (again) Eureka Miniatures' "And One for All"--but with a twist.  The three units were activated by drawing cards, adding an element of unpredictability.

Mr. Brand started in the forest, Will Reynolds sheltered in a cornfield, and the EIC marched down the road.

The game began with a run of EIC cards, allowing them to block the crossroads.  Mr. Brand crossed the road to the forest in the foreground of the picture, while Will made his way through the cornfield.

First contact was made by the EIC, who patrolled aggressively.  Their swordsman caught Mr. Brand in the forest and forced him into a duel.  Both sides cut and thrust at each other.  Mr. Brand retreated, only to run into Will Reynolds, who had exited the cornfield.  After a duel between the two, the EIC moved in to finish the job.  Mr. Brand was down. 

Their operative searched him for documents.  No luck (he muffed his roll; any number but a 1!).  Will searched and still could not find them.  The next turn saw the EIC locate the documents and begin to escape.

Recklessly, Will charged at the EIC soldier.  He hoped that he was weakened by his combats (as he was).  But it was not nearly enough.  The EIC prevailed against their other opponent without too much trouble.

Now that the EIC had recovered their documents, they marched triumphantly back to their boss to announce that they had successfully completed their mission.


Or had they?

(My notes: Despite the somewhat one-sided nature of the report, the game was actually fairly close.  The game could have gone any way, though Mr. Brand would have had an uphill battle.  Will was crippled by 1. his inability to find the documents and 2. his decision to charge the EIC soldier.  It was a worthwhile gamble, but did not pay off.)

Beyond the Mask Skirmish Game

"I have the Parliamentary report...you negotiate the deal with him, and I will split the amount with you."

In the movie Beyond the Mask, the main character, Will Reynolds, has to fight off a blackmailer named Joshua Brand intent on stealing important documents.  I recreated this scene using my collection of figures and a free ruleset from Eureka Miniatures called "And One for All!" (available at http://www.eurekamin.com.au/andoneforall.php)

The beginning of the action

The picture shows the starting positions.  Will is on the left, Mr. Brand on the right.  There is an interesting array of objects to interact with.  In the game, a figure can throw or roll an object or duel to eliminate its opponent.  Six hits and you're out!

The game began well for Mr. Brand, who quickly inflicted two hits on Will.  Will then proceeded to dominate, alternating dueling and flinging objects.  Stools and benches were flying across the room, including some pieces that traveled the length of the room two or three times.  (What kind of indestructible furniture is that?)

Victory to Mr. Brand!

As the game neared its close, Will had inflicted five hits on Mr. Brand in exchange for only three.  The game looked pretty well up for Mr. Brand.  Rather than duel and possibly lose his one remaining hit, Mr. Brand threw a bench at Will to soften him up a little.  The results were astounding: Mr. Brand rolled triple-6 on his damage roll.  Will could not fend off any of these, so Mr. Brand scored three hits.  This abruptly knocked Will out of the game, and Mr. Brand had won in an upset victory!

After his victory, Mr. Brand collected the documents and moved out of the building.  He would link up with other East India Company forces in the area and deliver the documents to his boss Charles Kemp.

As he left, Joshua Brand did not realize

that his opponent Will Reynolds

had not been killed in the fight

and would return

to fight again

Stay tuned for more action!

Militiaman Priming

This militiaman is a conversion from Accurate's "Militia priming" figure.  The original figure had a very distinctive face with beard and balding head.  I substituted a different head from All The King's Men, and turned it so that he was looking down his gun's barrel, rather than at his priming horn.  The result is a dynamic figure (at least in my opinion!) who is keeping his eye firmly on his enemy while he is loading.  With opponents like Tarleton's Legion, this is a good idea!

Figure by Accurate; head by All the King's Men; painted with Testors paints.

"Liberty's Kids" Character James Hiller (Marx)

This figure is based on one of the main characters from the television show Liberty's Kids.  James Hiller is an orphan who works as a reporter for Benjamin Franklin's newspaper.  He and his two comrades (one of which has been painted already; see https://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2018/01/sarah-phillips.html) view the great events of the American Revolution, from the Boston Tea Party to the signing of the United States Constitution.  Mysteriously, the characters never seem to get any older...

The original figure was a recast Marx "Johnny Tremaine."  The original head was swapped for the head from a Marx recast "Rab Silsbee."  After this rather drastic change, the character's pigtail was sculpted, a quill pen was sculpted in his right hand.  His left hand had been removed for another conversion(see https://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2017/02/young-philadelphia-gentleman.html), which necessitated sculpting another hand.  I chose to give this hand a piece of paper.  Now James Hiller and his companion Sarah Philips are ready to jot down all the latest news from the Revolution as it happens.

Hessian Regiment von Bose (Classic Toy Soldiers)

The first unit of Hessians has landed on American shores!  These Hessians (soldiers from the principality of Hesse-Kassell) are from the Regiment von Bose. 

Hessian Regiment von Bose finds itself
fighting in wooded terrain

This Hessian regiment was sent to the southern colonies and formed a part of Lord Cornwallis' field army.  During the "Race to the Dan", Von Bose participated in the brutal slogging through North and South Carolina in pursuit of General Greene's army.  Regiment von Bose's moment of glory came during tough fighting at the March 15, 1781 Battle of Guilford Courthouse.  Continuing their career as part of Cornwallis' army, these tough veterans participated at the Siege of Yorktown and defended Redoubt #9 against an ultimately successful French attack.

These soldiers wear their regulation uniform, complete with red pompoms on their cocked tricorne hats.  The only non-regulation piece of clothing are the drab brown gaiter-trousers, which were used extensively during the Southern campaigns.

Figures were originally Classic Toy Soldiers "Hessian Grenadiers."  After carefully modifying their long gaiters into gaiter-trousers, I removed the grenadier caps and sculpted cocked hats instead.  The pompoms were provided out of my sister's collection of small plastic beads (thanks, Amara!).  They were then painted with Testors enamel and CraftSmart acrylic paints.

For a good look at the celebrated career of this regiment, check out Kabinettskrieg's blog article "He Was a Blue and Bloody Man: The Von Bose Regiment." https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2017/07/he-was-blue-and-bloody-man-von-bose.html

Militiaman from Mollo and McGregor (Accurate)

Classic book illustration meets miniature figure.

This militiaman is based on a plate from the classic Mollo & McGregor book Uniforms of the American Revolution.  The picture shows him just to the right of his namesake.



The original figure was an Accurate militiaman.  All Accurate figures have been a joy to paint due to their incredibly detailed sculpting.  Unlike some of my more involved and complex conversions (see https://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2017/10/militiaman-loading.html), I only made a few changes to this figure.  These were shaving the engraved motto "Liberty" off his cap, leaving it plain, and removing the tops of his gaiters to paint them as striped stockings.

Is he guarding a notorious Loyalist, or a cache of supplies?

This figure gives me a wonderfully versatile militiaman who looks equally at home in the North and South, who looks well-dressed, who can easily be plugged into an urban setting, and who is professional enough to be trusted with guard duty.

Figure by Accurate; painted with Testors and Michael's "Craft Smart" paints.

Allies Arrive

This blog has mostly featured British and Loyalist troops opposed by American revolutionaries.  Now this trend is changing.  A treaty of alliance has been signed and His Majesty Louis XVI has sent soldiers to aid the Americans in their struggle against Britain.

More French infantrymen will be arriving in the forthcoming months.  To read more about the engineer and the role of the French Royal Engineer Corps in the American Revolution, visit https://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2018/01/french-engineer.html

"Liberty's Kids" Character Sarah Phillips (Marx)



Miss Sarah Phillips scouts for news in a colonial town.
(click picture to enlarge)

This figure is based on one of the main characters from the television show Liberty's Kids.  In the show, three youngsters serve as journalists for Benjamin Franklin and report on the major--and sometimes minor--events of the American Revolution.  This figure, Miss Sarah Phillips, is the daughter of a British Army officer serving in America.  In the first episode, Sarah comes to America to find him.  During the ongoing show, she provides a British/Loyalist perspective to much of the reporting done.

The figure herself began as a recast Marx "Cilia" figure.  Much change was required to transform her into Sarah Phillips.  From top to bottom: the cap was removed and hair sculpted, golden locket added, neckline squared off, shawl removed, quill pen sculpted, flair and length added to sleeves, pointed bodice, piping down front of dress, and paper to record news.  Whew!  This is some of the most work I have ever done to convert a figure.  However, I believe that the final product was well worth the effort.



Original figure on left; Sarah Phillips on right.
(click picture to enlarge)

French Engineer (Reeves)

This French engineer figure was a Christmas present.  He was manufactured and painted by Reeves International, likely some time in the 1980s.  Because a little of the paint on his hand and map had begun to flake off, I repainted those sections.  I also repainted his face to blend with the rest of my collection, and repainted the flaky gold trim on his hat.

French engineers were elite specialists who were excellent at building and capturing fortifications.  Don Troiani's book Soldiers of The American Revolution states that "Although it was Washington who decided to abandon plans against New York and seize the initiative against Cornwallis it was Rochambeau and his skilled specialist troops--especially the engineers and artillery (experienced as they were in conducting large siege operations--that ultimately led to a victorious outcome." (pg. 177)

With a French specialist now serving alongside the American forces, the question arises...where is the rest of the French army?

2017 Recap part 2--Tarleton's British Legion

(to see the previous installment of 2017 figures, visit https://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2017/12/2017-recap-part-1-french-indian-war.html)


The unit that I made the most progress on during 2017 was Banastre Tarleton's British Legion.  Four riders and their horses were begun and finished in the year.

Charge!

Many American militiamen experienced this scene as Tarleton's hard-riding cavalry slammed into their lines.


Stay tuned for the next showcase of 2017 figures!