Lieutenant Gillette (Hawthorne Village)

Introducing Lieutenant Gillette of the Royal Navy!  A dedicated pirate hunter, he is not above acknowledging a worthy opponent.  He is a conversion of Hawthorne Village's Commodore James Norrington figure.  Gillette's arm is bent down near his waist and he is armed with a drawn sword (the blade is made with a pin).

The figure's uniform is closely copied from his appearance as Norrington's lieutenant in Pirates of the Caribbean.  Gillette's elegant blue and white uniform outshone Norrington's, so a purchase of more gold lace was in order for the proud Commodore.  Now he feels that he has a sufficient amount of gold lace to make his rank easily apparent.

Four inhabitants of Port Royal.  Are more coming soon?

Not every member of the Royal Navy is always chasing pirates on the high seas.  Pirates have to sell their plundered goods somehow and smugglers fill that niche--for a price.  Here Lieutenant Gillette inspects a load of merchandise being transported by a woman strongly suspected of piracy and smuggling...

(meet her at http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2023/02/redheaded-pirate-mars.html)

Lady carrying wood (Lemax)

As mentioned before, Red Coats & Ruffles is constantly on the lookout for female figures in 18th Century garb. (see http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/search/label/Female%20Figures)  This woman was released by Lemax for their 2022 Christmas collection, under the name of "Carrying wood for the fire".  

Despite her 19th Century styling, she clearly had potential to be transformed into the 18th Century.  The major change needed was to change her bonnet into a cap.  Lemax figures are also very tall, so some of her dress was trimmed to give her a height closer to the rest of Redcoats and Ruffles.  Notwithstanding this, she is still a tall lady.

Her outfit's colors are based on a background character from Sofia the First who is also a woodcutter's wife.  Their outfits were unusually similar.  The pose is a useful background character, whether gathering sticks from the forest or preparing to replenish her stove.

Figure by Lemax; painted with acrylic paints.

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.

Hawkins the swordsman (Ideal)

This swashbuckling sword-wielding pirate is based on an illustration in a 2004 Pirates of the Caribbean comic story titled "The Duel".  In it, the flamboyant Hawkins, a former member of Captain Jack Sparrow's crew, learns that there is more to being a pirate than just fancy fencing moves. "A good pirate has to be resourceful, and yes, even sneaky!" (Does Jack Sparrow come out on top? Read the entire comic at https://66sean99.livejournal.com/25894.html)

The pose that pirate Hawkins demonstrates on the first page is a near-perfect match for one of Ideal's pirate figures. However, some of the outfit needed to be changed to make the character perfect.  It began with a head swap for one of Ideal's other pirate figures who wears a mustache and eyepatch.

Sculpting a shirt with rolled-up sleeves and a short waistcoat completed the rest of the outfit.  Hawkins wears blue breeches and a coordinating hat, along with flamboyant gold earrings.  Since the figure was dramatically re-posed with one foot in the air, a pile of boards was added to give him a firm stance for duelling.

Figure by Ideal.

Gatinois Grenadiers

Grenadiers were the elite troops of any 18th Century army.  Originally trained in the use of grenades, by the American Revolution, they were elite troops.  Sometimes, grenadiers were even brigaded into separate units to increase their impact on the battlefield.

The distinguishing feature of 18th Century grenadiers was the tall cap.  Both British and French units wore caps made of bearskin.  Grenadiers also carried swords after line companies officially abandoned theirs.

It is uncertain whether the Gatinois Regiment's grenadiers continued to wear the bearskin grenadier cap.  It was a popular style for French grenadiers in the late 1750s and beyond, but was outlawed in the 1779 Regulations, which required grenadiers to wear the same cocked hat as the line companies.  Case closed?

Despite the ban, some French units (like Regiment Bourbonnais) smuggled caps across the Atlantic.  Rene Chartrand suggests (in his book Ticonderoga 1758) that, because of the availability of bearskin, these caps may have been more popular in North America.  It is also well known that units sent on campaign felt freer to modify their uniforms.  Lastly, and most importantly, bearskin caps look impressive, imposing, fearsome--all qualities that a good grenadier wishes to accentuate!  Thus Gatinois' grenadiers will continue to sport this distinctive headgear.  The Colonel (me) encourages it!

Figures from BMC.  Despite being cast in red plastic as British grenadiers, these figures are a better fit for French grenadiers.  Unfortunately they lack swords, but that is not difficult to remedy with Milliput.  A few other slight modifications were made to the original figures, including adding a plume to the grenadier cap and some work on the musket.

Figures by BMC, painted with acrylic paints.

Violet Vendor (Lemax)

This figure was originally inspired by the work of "White Knight" at http://swashbucklingsessions.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-three-musketeers-flowergirl.html.  She began as a background Christmas-village type figurine by Lemax.  Aside from removing some mold lines and a very chunky base, little conversion was required on her.  However, even with her base removed, she is still a tall 54mm figure (see picture below for comparison to a Marx figure).

The paint scheme is inspired by an extra from the independent movie Beyond the Mask.  This particular woman was paired with my sister (see http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2016/04/female-civilian.html) to walk up and down the streets of Philadelphia.

Figure by Lemax, painted with acrylic paints.

Arabella Smith (Mars)

Avast me hearties!  Another Mars pirate is joining Redcoats & Ruffles...but there are two major differences.  First, she is a female pirate, and secondly she is a female pirate.

Meet Arabella Smith!  In a quest for interesting color schemes for characters, this female pirate stood out.  Sporting a bright yellow jacket, green sash, and purple breeches, she is a colorful character.  Un-historical? Yes.  Fun? Definitely!

The original figure was wielding a pistol in either hand.  But another (forthcoming) figure carried two pistols.  Since Arabella appears to run a restaurant, it was a natural progression to convert her right hand to hold a tankard.  

Eagle-eyed readers of this blog (if there are any!) may notice that her tankard has changed from the 2021 showcase (see original at http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2022/01/2021-painting-report.html).  Originally it was a piece of plastic sprue that was glued to her hand.  This would have made a good mug, but it was too small and the bottom was ragged, not flat.  After it broke off, she requested a new tankard, one that was larger and more correctly shaped.  Her patience was rewarded and now she carries a large tankard filled with a suitably piratical beverage.

Village of Vigilantes (Legends of the High Seas AAR)

As darkness descends, a local Loyalist leader prepares to make his way home.  He has had a productive meeting with other Loyalists.  Now his concern is avoiding the small garrison in town, for "Richard Harrison, gentleman" has been proscribed by the Continental Congress.  Heading south through forested area is the best option for avoiding detection, though two pistols provide additional deterrent.

At the same time, though unknown to Mr. Harrison, Will Reynolds has finished his work for the day as a printer's apprentice.  None of his fellow workmen know that this is only a cover for his true passion in life: hunting servants of George III.  He has received an anonymous tip that a weapons cache for equipping Loyalists is located to the north.  Arming himself with his sword and a pistol, Reynolds is looking for trouble.

As both men prepare for action, five soldiers wander through the village where they have been billeted.  Their ammunition has been expended in hunting or having fun and no additional supplies have reached them.  The local civilians have become used to the soldiers in the area. In fact, this is the only effect that the war has had on them--so far.

Using the tree cover, Mr. Harrison moved halfway to his goal without any issues.  Meanwhile Reynolds had to dodge some curious sentries, which slowed his progress.  Finally, one sentry got close enough to Mr. Reynolds to discern that he carried weapons and was a person worthy of questioning.  The race was on, as the sentries decided that Mr. Harrison would be worthy of interrogation as well.

But Mr. Harrison was well on his way to disappearing from sight.  Doggedly, the sentries followed him.  One even pushed close enough to fight him.  This sentry was both courageous and lucky, as he struck Mr. Harrison and pushed him back.  Meanwhile, a cloud of curious spectators followed Mr. Harrison, somewhat impeding his movements.

The weapons cache could wait, as Mr. Reynolds joined the chase against Mr. Harrison.  Clever maneuvering brought Reynolds' pistol within range, and a shot nearly killed Mr. Harrison.  Apparently it was not Mr. Harrison's destiny to fall--yet.

With the safety of the forest looming, Mr. Harrison decided to focus on running and refrain from shooting his pursuers.  It was a mistake that would cost him dearly.  Will Reynolds cocked his pistol and shot.  When the smoke cleared, Mr. Harrison was down--so close and yet so far from his goal.  Before the sentries could properly investigate Mr. Reynolds, he had again disappeared into the shadows.

(Rules set used was Legends of the High Seas.  Scenario was "Sneak in or Out of Town", with civilian rules from "Kidnap the Governor's Daughter". Unusually, this was not a solo effort, as we pulled off a three-way game.  Sentries were controlled via sentry rules. We had tried a similar scenario with Muskets and Tomahawks and it was a disaster.  All players agreed that this was a satisfactory rule set and enjoyed using Might and Fate points.)

2021 Painting Report

 In 2021, 25 new figures were recruited into the world of Redcoats and Ruffles.

They came in a variety of costumes and allegiances.

The biggest gainer in recruiting was the Royal Navy, acquiring six new recruits!  Figures by Mars and Safari.  Two of the sailors have already been individually featured on this blog at:

http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2021/11/sailor-with-cutlass-mars.html

http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2021/02/sailor-with-blunderbuss-mars.html

The Hessian Regiment von Bose managed to get two privates and a commissioned officer in 2021.

Figures by HAT Enterprises.

The Queen's Rangers added two recruits.  One was previously featured on Redcoats and Ruffles at: 

http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2021/03/queens-ranger-charging-bayonet-bmc.html

Figures by BMC.

The 80th Regiment received one private and the 43rd, one ensign.

Figures by Accurate and ATS.

All in all, the British had an excellent year, accounting for 13 of the 25 figures painted.

In contrast to the British, the Americans could muster 5 men in 2021.  Four of these are privates.  The ensign carrying the flag has already been featured at http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2021/07/7th-pennsylvania-ensign-with-flag.html

Figures by A Call to Arms, Safari, LOD Enterprises, and ATS.

The French have been recruiting, too.  This fierce grenadier from the Gatinois Regiment is only the first of (hopefully) many more to come!

Figure by BMC.

Rounding out the year are six civilian figures.  Three of them have already been featured here:

http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2021/07/moses-libertys-kids.html

http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2021/05/colonial-enforcer-marxglencoe.html

http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2021/03/elizabeth-swann-zizzlezizzlingerdisney.html

The other three are eager to be introduced to you, which will be coming shortly!

Sailor with Cutlass (Mars)

 Hoist the sails, me hearties!  Another jolly tar has joined the Royal Navy.  This figure is originally from Mars Figures (https://www.michtoy.com/item-MAF-32020-Pirates_of_the_Caribbean.html).  He wears a jacket with very short sleeves, perhaps originally designed for a smaller sailor.  He wears a cap and neckcloth like many other sailor figures.  The most unusual feature of his clothing is the pair of petticoat trousers that he is wearing.  It is most gratifying to see a figure wearing these, as they were a common item of clothing for sailors (for illustrations of petticoat trousers, see https://www.britishtars.com/search/label/petticoat%20trousers).  Most other sailors in this scale make do with breeches or long trousers, which were also common.

The only conversion work that was done on him was to remove his waist sash, which was an uncommon piece of equipment for a British sailor, and replace it with a generic leather belt.

The Royal Navy is recruiting to chastise His Majesty’s rebellious subjects!

240th Anniversary of Yorktown

The regiments of Redcoats & Ruffles are generally focused on the 1781 Siege of Yorktown.  Since today is the 240th anniversary of Cornwallis' surrender, here are a few vignettes from the siege.

Banastre Tarleton's cavalry were across the York River from Yorktown at Gloucester Point.  On October 3, Tarleton ventured outside his fortifications to forage, but was driven back by French hussars.  Rallying, he attempted to counter-charge the hussars, but was stopped by John Francis Mercer's militia who laid down covering fire from behind a fence.

As the American and French armies besieged Yorktown, sappers and laborers dug trenches closer and closer to Cornwallis' fortifications.  These trenches needed to be guarded by strong parties of soldiers to prevent enemy attackers from gaining a foothold.

Cornwallis' defenses were crumbling under the bombardment and the siege lines kept coming closer to Yorktown.  In a night assault, Continental light infantry captured Cornwallis' Redoubt #10, while the French captured Redoubt #9.  This allowed them to finish a second--and closer--siege line.

Shortly after losing his redoubts to the Americans and French, Cornwallis ordered a nighttime attack on the enemy lines.  British soldiers crept in and attacked the French portion of the lines, hoping to knock out some cannons and buy Cornwallis more time.  The attack was quickly repelled, the cannons were fixed, and Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781.

Griffin Co. Supplies (Review)

While not as glamorous as the front lines of battle, supply and logistics are important to any military operation.  Too often, 54mm armies--and their monarchs--are somewhat hampered by a lack of supplies in that scale.  The jolly tars of Redcoats and Ruffles   Scattered sources allow for some supplies, but few companies offer a large assortment of goods.

Enter GriffonCo, (https://www.griffonco.com) a manufacturer of 3D printed items.  Their items are scaled for 28mm figures, but several are usable by 54mm figures.

The picture shows several different products from GriffonCo.  All (except the barrels and the small chest) are exactly as they come from GriffonCo.  The barrels received a light wash of black or brown, and the metalwork on the small chest has been painted.

A complete list with links to each piece is below, (along with my opinions).  The photo shows each piece in order left to right, along with six different figures for size comparison, again from left to right: MPC, Accurate, Barzso, BMC, Armies in Plastic, and LOD Enterprises.

Loot Sacks.  Rather small for 54mm.  More the size of money bags than grain bags. https://www.griffonco.com/collections/outdoor-scatter/products/miniature-crates-treasure-chests-bags-and-containers-for-dungeons-dragons

Treasure Chests.  These small chests of loot are my personal favorite.  Enough money to be easily carried (and enjoyed) by 1 or 2 figures.  https://www.griffonco.com/collections/outdoor-scatter/products/miniature-crates-treasure-chests-bags

Village Barrels.  This set of 3 barrels is useful, but smaller than the larger size below.  https://www.griffonco.com/collections/outdoor-scatter/products/miniatures-barrels-for-dnd-or-dungeons-dragons

Folded Sail Cargo.  What looks like a sail to 28mm figures is a garment or blanket for 54mm figures.  And you can never have too many spare clothes or blankets. https://www.griffonco.com/collections/outdoor-scatter/products/folded-sail-cargo

Large Barrel.  The perfect size for 54mm figures...except for thirsty sailors!  Better get two to be on the safe side! https://www.griffonco.com/collections/outdoor-scatter/products/large-barrel-or-cask-for-dnd-9491

Tarped Cargo.  A nice versatile pile of tarped goods. Slightly under knee-high for 54mm figures. https://www.griffonco.com/collections/treasures-loot/products/miniature-tarped-covered-cargo-sets-for-dungeons-and-dragons-9982

Treasure Chest.  This bigger chest can be used for more than just pirate gold...women with large wardrobes or emigrants travelling to a new world will appreciate it as well.   https://www.griffonco.com/collections/terrain/products/miniature-treasure-chest-set-for-dungeons-dragons

Crate.  It does what its name says.  Very useful and perfectly sized for 54mm figures.   https://www.griffonco.com/collections/terrain/products/miniature-crates-treasure-chests-bags-and-containers

7th Pennsylvania Ensign with Flag

 The Pennsylvania regiments have distinguished themselves by expansion and a blooding at Turnbull's Farm (read http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2019/11/skirmish-at-turnbulls-farm.html).  They have performed so well, in fact, that the Congress has ordered them another flag.

This one is copied from an original flag preserved in Independence National Historic Park (see Gwen Spicer's wonderful blog https://insidetheconservatorsstudio.blogspot.com/2012/07/red-white-and-not-blue.html).  This flag belonged to Captain Wilson's company of the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment.  By January 1781, the 7th had been consolidated into the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment.  However, the mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line rearranged plans, as many soldiers were furloughed after serving their three years of service.

The remaining soldiers of the Pennsylvania Line were consolidated into three brigades and sent to reinforce Lafayette's pitifully small army in Virginia.

Since the Pennsylvania soldiers endured multiple unit changes, it is quite possible that the flag did as well.  Equally likely (or perhaps equally unlikely) is that this pattern of flag was used by a few Pennsylvania regiments.  Of course, at the end of the day, it is a cool flag known to be used by Pennsylvania troops...good enough for me!

The proud bearer of this flag began as a figure from a Safari Ltd. tube of AWI British troops.  He was originally a flagbearer, and a very tall one at that (approximately 65mm-70mm from boots to hat.  Some judicious sanding on his boots and a thin base helped him to blend in better with the rest of the army, while still keeping his distinctive height.  His sword was sculpted on, but much of the detail on the original figure was left.

The flag itself was illustrated by this author and is available for free download at https://www.wargamevault.com/product/327526/1777-7th-Pennsylvania-Flag.  While there, check out our other free downloads and perhaps our paid products as well!

Moses (Liberty’s Kids)

This jolly freedman, named Moses, is a hard worker wherever he goes.  In the show “Liberty’s Kids”, Moses can be most often found in Benjamin Franklin’s print shop.  He knows the newspaper business from top to bottom, and his knowledge helps make James, Sarah, and Henri better reporters.

His skills are not confined to newspapers, as he is also a wheelwright as well.  Finally in 1781, he enlists with the Continental Corps of Sappers & Miners and marches to besiege Cornwallis at Yorktown.

This figure began as a blacksmith from Safari Ltd "Jamestown Settlers" tube of figures.  Little conversion was required, other than removing the original figure's beard and cap.

Figure by Safari Ltd., painted with acrylic paints.