Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Stranger in the Mess

One of the downsides of relying heavily on homecasting is when I  need to cast to keep painting and there is a lengthy spell of unfavorable weather so I can't cast in the woodshed and my wife is home so I can't cast in the house. One of the upsides is that when I cast, I usually end up casting more than I need so there is almost always a good supply of bits and spares. I wanted to start another battalion of British infantry, not yet cast but I also needed an 1839 Brigadier, so I dug into the spares.

Amazing how few uniform books bother to deal with Brigadiers in detail but perseverance pays. British Brigadiers are another sticky point for Red vs Blue armies, esp when facing Americans. The most common uniform for generals on both sides was a dark blue peaked cap, dark blue frock coat and dark blue trousers. One has to look closely at the details of trim to figure out who is who. Luckily, I have seen enough pictures of British Generals wearing cocked hats with their frock coat that I felt comfortable going that route. Body and horse from a Zinnbrigade Prussian Hussar with lance (since shortened to a telescope) with one of my heads replacing the fur busby, and some putty for coattails, sash and trousers. Base and gloss varnish to follow.

Without further ado, may I present....Brigadier General S. Glasse.


10 comments:

  1. Nice work! Shouldn't be too difficult to pick out from other types of officers, I think.

    ReplyDelete
  2. He looks good, Ross . . . but to me, he should be in red (even though you tell me that is wrong).


    -- Jeff

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ross Mac,

    He really does look the part!

    Well done!

    All the best,

    Bob

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Bob. I tried to keep some of the Little Wars line drawings in mind.

      Delete
  4. A leader of men! The thing that strikes me when looking at prints of the peninsula is how lax the officers were in regard to uniform.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes the Duke may have been Iron but he was lax when it came to dress. What a shock for the officers when they got to Canada in 1814 and were forced to dress correctly for campaigning in the woods!

      Delete