New recruits for the AWI

 I've just painted and based two more regiments for the AWI.

38th Foot

The 38th Foot uses up the remainder of a set of Revell (Accurate, Imex) redcoats that I had already started for my other Crown forces.  The regimental colour is modelled with too small a flag, so I've done the union flag in the corner to the correct size and most of the yellow area must have been shot away in action.  

The king's colour is painted freehand on a piece of 80gsm printer paper.  The ensign is converted from an awkward pose of a man stabbing downward with a bayonet, holding his musket overhead.  I cut off his hands at the wrist and gave hime new hands by sticking some tissue paper around a straightened paperclip (the flagpole).

The light company was already painted for use in the amalgamated light battalion.  They are a slight conversion from A Call to Arms British infantry 1775.  The original models look like the Light Dragoons fighting on foot, with a central ridge on their helmets and a horsehair crest.  I trimmed that off and stuck a bit of it to the side of the helmet to make the plume on a light infantry cap.  The plume is black (pre-Paoli) but would be dyed red later in the war.

As always, the photographs show a host of problems with the painting.  Some are due to my eyesight & standard of brushwork (e.g. the wonky white ribbon around the edge of the hats), while others are just steps that I missed (e.g. the unpainted crossbelts on the back of the ensign carrying the King's colour).  I don't work from a checklist, so the decision that a miniature is "finished" depends on whether I can remember or see anything more that needs to be done.  They certainly won't win any prizes, but will be fine on the table.

1st Maryland

The 1st Maryland are also Revell redcoats, given that the uniforms were so similar (and many of them stolen from supplies intended for the Crown forces).  The two giants of men in the command group are taken from the Italeri set for Washington's army.  I'm trying to use them for variety where their size may not be noticed.  A separate unit of all Italeri figures would stand out even worse on the table.

The photograph shows a shockingly slapdash job of painting them, which is mostly down to my eyesight at the time.  If I could have seen the models this well, I would have fixed some of the horrors in the paintwork.

The 1st Maryland fought at Long Island in stolen British uniforms dyed brown with red facings.  In 1777 they switched to blue coats faced red, which they wore for the Philadelphia campaign.  The later standardisation of the uniforms for the continental army needed no change for them.  They also took part in the Southern campaign, including Guilford Courthouse, Hobkirk Hill and Eutaw Springs.  The faults in my paintwork will spend a lot of time on the table to taunt me.

The Baltimore flag in this unit may not be correct, the backpacks are the wrong shape (although correctly painted in a red/crimson colour) and the reversed colours for the drummer are complete guesswork.  Photographs of re-enactors show the drummer in the same coat and facing as the rest of the regiment.

Next up will be some cavalry for the rebels, probably the 2nd continental light dragoons.

Until next time, health & happiness to you all.