Whilst waiting for the plastic bits and pieces to arrive (they have now - more of which later) I had a think about the cavalry component of a "Napoleonic" era B-S army.
By this time the State had expanded eastward and the main enemy remained the perfidious Turk. Added to this foe are the various petty warlords in the colonies. Considering the near-Medieval nature of Oriental armies, it seemed only natural that armoured lancers would be desirable. Such troopers would have a degree of protection from missile fire plus the extra reach to hit the enemy first - well that's the idea anyway!
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| The components. |
Trawling around for figures I realised I would have a limited choice, namely Cuirassier standard/guidon bearers. I didn't want to go French as the geographical location and politics of my ImagiNation do not suggest Francophilia. The choice was further simplified by a trip to Leigh-on-Sea (to collect a parrot - bizarre I know) which is pretty close to the Essex Miniatures factory...
I made a shortlist and went into the showroom for a browse. I decided that the best figures for the project were the later Russian Cuirassiers. The only downside was that they sport the "brush" type crest rather than the caterpillar I wanted. Yes Essex do the earlier style but the standard bearer does not have quite the right look for use as a lancer.
I have tentatively selected a Dixon horse as it is a great little figure and there was one in the spares box. Yes the shabraque may need work but this will be determined as I go.
Working on the plume re-sculpting has been most frustrating as my usual putty mix didn't work well - this will be the subject of a future posting. I want to simplify the conversions as I need 10 of these (plus command) for the Regiment so the work will be kept as minimal as is possible.
More to follow...
