What are people buying?

[Paul]

Donated by the lovely Mr EB. I take back everything I’ve ever said about him and everything I am going to say in future about him. He’s a jolly splendid chap

Wow.....that is indeed a marvellous donation! Certainly makes the stuff i've passed forward look like mere trifles. (No sponge and custard involved).

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

Indeed - very generous, EB.

[RMD]

Are they a total waste or convertable somehow ?

A total waste. Very much holding the standard in front of them and not really convertible to an NCO with spontoon or somesuch.

As it happens, you actually DO need Prussian grenadier standard-bearers, but only in precisely TWO battalions in the entire army - the 6th Infantry Regiment (the 'Grenadier-Garde' or 'Potsdam Giants') and the 3rd Battalion of the 15th 'Garde' regiment. The 35 combined grenadier battalions of the Prussian Army did not carry standards.

This is precisely why I hate companies selling 'unit packs' or grouping command figures in with the rank-and-file, as it means you've then got no bloody flexibility whatsoever and end up with shitloads of figures that you can't use (and don't get me started on standard-bearers for cavalry regiments that never had standards). I've still got over a dozen Prussian grenadier standard-bearers from when Old Glory sold them as packs of 100.

[valleyboy]

I'm from the wargamers' licence school of thought that says "Every wargames unit needs a standard bearer and the bigger the flags the better - stuff historical accuracy" excuse

[RMD]

I'm from the wargamers' licence school of thought that says "Every wargames unit needs a standard bearer and the bigger the flags the better - stuff historical accuracy" excuse

So it's YOUR fault!

[ochoin]

Are they a total waste or convertable somehow ?

A total waste. Very much holding the standard in front of them and not really convertible to an NCO with spontoon or somesuch.
This is precisely why I hate companies selling 'unit packs' or grouping command figures in with the rank-and-file, as it means you've then got no bloody flexibility whatsoever and end up with shitloads of figures that you can't use (and don't get me started on standard-bearers for cavalry regiments that never had standards). I've still got over a dozen Prussian grenadier standard-bearers from when Old Glory sold them as packs of 100.

A dozen excess figures.....seems to be a minor problem. As a collector of plastic figures, I have quite a large box of hundreds of "stabbing down" etc figures I'll never use. I thought such flotsam was a part of the hobby.

And could a head swop turn said grenadier ensigns into much more useful Line ensigns? Again, a whole lot easier with plastic.

donald

(apologies about the Rugby posts: it's a form of madness....)

[vexillia]

I'm from the wargamers' licence school of thought that says "Every wargames unit needs a standard bearer and the bigger the flags the better - stuff historical accuracy" excuse

What he said.

[Etranger]

...

Charlie Cameron (ET will know whom I'm talking about) was a lovely boy who pretty well hated school but luckily found his niche in professional sport.

donald

He's done well & seems to indeed be a nice guy.

[Etranger]

I've still got over a dozen Prussian grenadier standard-bearers from when Old Glory sold them as packs of 100.

You could field a full regiment of Grenadier standard bearers, just to watch the splutterings of outrage it produces.

[Essex Boy]

I'm from the wargamers' licence school of thought that says "Every wargames unit needs a standard bearer and the bigger the flags the better - stuff historical accuracy" excuse

Clearly, a family trait.