What's on your workbench?

[Shahbahraz]

Spent yesterday evening assembling Perry plastic infantry from the War of Colonial Ingratitude. The figures are fine but the instructions could be better. Basically you get shown that each figure needs two arms and a hat plus an optional blanket roll. That's fine for the rank and file but the command sprue is a guessing game. The drummer is easy enough but does he get the hanger that is in his section? There are two standards but only one figure has a cup for one? One figure has a powder horn but no cartridge box. Should he carry the fusil?

I had similar questions and then decided I was overthinking it. So I figured there weren't enough cups in stock to go round.. that some old-fashioned sorts might like to retain a powder horn for good quality powder for the pan, and the drummer can go hang.. (or not).

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

Hi Buff/Shah,

That's fine for the rank and file but the command sprue is a guessing game. The drummer is easy enough but does he get the hanger that is in his section?

Yes, the sprue is actually quite well laid out in that respect.

There are two standards but only one figure has a cup for one?

If you are referring to the cylinder one of the officers carries on his right hip, that is a container/canteen, not a cup for the standard pole (the arms wouldn't let you position the pole there anyway); colour belts were not introduced until the end of the century.

One figure has a powder horn but no cartridge box. Should he carry the fusil?

He also has a bullet bag underneath the horn, so yes.

When looking at the rear of the sprue, the officers/ensigns are the figures with the longer coats; the sergeants and the drummer all have much shorter coat tails. Alan Perry seems convinced that, for the Saratoga campaign, officers retained their cocked hats, rather than the light infantry/dragoon style crested hat-cap worn by the rank-and-file, so there aren't enough of these for the officers as well. I'm not so sure, as it would have marked them out too much, but hey-ho......

Anything else?

[Jeremy]

Hephalumps for the Shiny Sticks project.

[Buff Orpington]

Brendan, thanks for the information. That helps a lot.

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

My pleasure - nice to see someone else getting into AWI.

[garyp]

More SYW troops, probably for Ayton. I know I've got enough, but I can't seem to stop myself.

[FreddBloggs]

The Betty Ford clinic is your only hope when you suffer from tricornes.

[goat major]

Betsy Ross clinic for AWI addicts

[FreddBloggs]

Mary Lincoln for ACW.

[Count Belisarius]

I now have all the figures I need for my SYW/Imagination forces... Well, once I collect the ones from Graham at York. And anything else I buy at York. But then I'm done...

All I've really bought recently is some finials... And as LT is kindly ordering them for me they don't count...