Wrestling with Redcoats

DK 176: Swiss Line Infantry Battalion

Ian's second squadron of Prussian lancers are well under way, but I'm sorry to say they're not quite finished and would have been too late to take part in the spectacular fight which  has broken out at Mont Saint Jean in any case. As a result I've decided to post something that I started working on a few weeks ago when it seemed that Ian's cavalry were never going to arrive.

One of the things one quickly begins to accumulate when collecting vintage figures are various problem castings that it's difficult to know what to do with. In my case the worst example was a set of sixteen DK 176: Swiss Line Infantry. These rather promising figures had everything going for them except one thing - a complete lack of musket butts! What made this especially annoying was that they were just what I needed to go with Chuck's 1809 French standard bearer. Even more importantly, I wanted some redcoats!

After considering various options involving milliput and superglue, which didn't look very promising from a strength point of view, I decided there was nothing for it but to have a go at making some of my own using a soldering iron. I've never dared to do this before, but having consulted an expert (yes, that's you Roy), I equipped myself with some self-fluxing solder, a soldering iron, some micro-files and a pair of flat sided pliers. 

DK 176 with modifications!

The hardest part was to get a blob of solder attached that was long enough. However, once this was achieved a bit of pinching, cutting and filing was all that was needed to get the right shape. The result of my first attempt is in the next photograph.

The next thing I had to know, of course, was what Chuck's DK 7: French Line Infantry Command, Standard Bearer would look like standing next to him. I'm not exactly sure how I managed to squeeze the lettering onto this, but let's just say that it's a relief to know I won't be doing any more of these for a while!

DK 7: French Line Infantry Command, Standard Bearer

Well, one thing led to another, so pictured below him are the DK 7 drummer and charging officer figures needed to round off the command group. The drummer has been slightly modified to create the swallows nests favoured by the 3rd Swiss Regiment.

I chose the 3rd despite the fact that, "as any fule kno", almost all the depictions of the 3rd show they had the peculiar habit of wearing their pom poms slightly off-centre and wore their shako cords even more eccentrically. My excuse is that, as neither Marcus Hinton or Duke Siefried catered for such peculiarities, I didn't have any choice, and besides, not all the pictures of them show them like this! The truth, of course, is that I just couldn't resist their snazzy black facings and white piping.

Normal Prussian Lancer service will resume in the next post.

WM

DK 7: French Line Infantry Command, Drummer

DK 7: French Line Infantry Command, Officer, Charging

Prussian Lancers 1

DK 139: Prussian Landwehr Lancers

The varnish was still too wet to paint the bases!

It's cavalry time at last here at the Hinton Spieler, in the form of six DK 139: Prussian Landwehr Lancers. DK 139s are almost identical to their Hinton Hunt equivalents, PN 39: Landwehr Lancers, Charging. An example of the latter can be seen on the indispensable Hinton Hunter blog here.

These particular lancers, however, are not intended to be landwehr cavalry but are painted to represent a regular regiment, the 3rd (Brandenburg) Uhlans. This was not difficult to do as until early 1815 most of the Prussian regular and landwehr lancer regiments, with the exception of the Guard Lancers, were dressed identically. The only way to tell them apart was from the colour of their lance pennants, buttons and shoulder straps. At Waterloo the 3rd Uhlans formed part of the 1st Cavalry Brigade of von Zeiten's I Corps.

In 1815 all the regular lancer regiments were ordered to adopt white and black lance pennants, but at Ian's request this particular squadron has retained their attractive yellow and blue pattern. Much of the Prussian Army was in transition in the period leading up to the 100 Days and the supply situation was chaotic, so it was not only lance pennants that were a problem. Indeed, squadrons of the same regiment took the field wearing radically different kit, as will be demonstrated in the next post!

Salut maintenant

WM