Soforth Highlanders on the North by Northwest Frontier

The Soforth Highlanders have arrived on the Frontier. Figures from Foundry. (Painting plaid is slooow work! ha ha)

New Troops (and old ones reassigned)

Finally managed to get a few miniatures painted.
First up, the Ballyfoole Hussars, also known as the Ballyfoole Light Brigade (formerly painted a sort of purple and dubbed the Heisenberg-Hasenpfeffer Hussars). Now repainted red and green and reassigned. Under the command of Colonel Flynn.

Next, the Woostershire Infantry of Grand Thidwick. These are veteran campaigners, commanded by Colonel Lancelot Threepwood.

A vivandiere wearing part of the uniform of the Ballyfoole Hussars. (apologies for the fuzzy picture)

And finally, a family of fallow deer from the local deer park.

These are all Foundry miniatures.

Flags for Mongooses?

I finally came up with a flag design for the native Djalhian troops seen in http://soweiterleague.blogspot.com/2010/10/more-colonials.html
I don't have any references of what Indian flags of the 18th and 19th centuries look like so this is all from imagination and open to revision if anyone has any good suggestions (with pictorial examples, if possible). The unit is known as the Djalhi Mongoose Regiment to westerners, and is commanded by one Captain R.T. Tavi.

New Regiment and New Discoveries

First, on the tricorne front, is the Muttonshire (1st) Regiment of Grand Thidwick, commanded by Colonel Geoff "Muttonchops" Willikers. Joined here by his lady, Catherine. This unit is made up of men from the Capital of Grand Thidwick and surrounding areas.

Skipping ahead several decades, we bring you the famous discoverer, Athelred Fotheringay "Fungy" Rodes. Credited (by himself) with the discovery of a new land whilst out on the town one night. It seems the roasted chestnuts he purchased that evening were wrapped in an old piece of parchment upon which was inscribed an old map.

The map depicted a land long lost to history. Once the discovery became known this new land was christened after its discoverer, and immediately preparations to explore Afrodesia were underway.

Sometime later, from left to right, the Intrepid Explorer, Wm Bumbershoot-Psmythe, ready to conquer the jungles of Afrodesia, a pack donkey, an askari in training, and the Intrepid Explorer, Wm Bumbershoot-Psmythe, upon his return from conquering the jungles of Afrodesia.

Some of the people one might encounter in this new land, from left to right, the Rani of Galore, the Kukla Khan of Ollistan, and a pirate lass (the latter can be encountered almost anywhere on the Seven Seas).

All of the above miniatures are from Foundry, except the pirate lass, who is from one of Brigade Games' Buccanneer Ladies sets.

I am thinking I may start an additional blog for the Colonial/Afrodesian Exploration stuff. I've been reading the Jimland Reports which can be found on-line, playing around a bit with GASLIGHHT and getting ready to try out Adventures in Jimland (sort of Source of the Nile meets Lost World). I have some additional Pathan figures from Old Glory that I have prepped and will start painting. Cheaper than Foundry, but should fit in just fine with the Foundry figures I already have. I also have some explorers and other goodies from Old Glory and from Copplestone on order.
I do expect to continue with the tricorne stuff as well, but sometimes it's nice to have a change of pace. One thing I've noticed switching between the tricorne figures and the Colonial is how much longer it takes me to paint the former. Ha ha (but then, I haven't painted any Highland regiments for the Colonial stuff yet)

Ballyfoole Light Infantry and More

O'Ryan's Hunters (or Jaegers) of Ballyfoole, commanded by Captain O'Ryan - their origin as dragoons can still be seen in some of the accoutrements and uniform.

Maggie O'Toole, vivandiere for the Ballyfoole army

All of the above, as well as these two are Foundry miniatures.

The following 4 figures are from Askari Miniatures. I had ordered a sample pack and mentioned interests in Northwest Frontier Colonials, French Foreign Legion (ala Beau Geste) and possibly Pulp/adventure (albeit I'll probably go more Victorian era than 1930's). These are the figures they sent. The service was great! I ordered the figures on a Saturday night and received them the following Tuesday or Wednesday. Askari make several ranges that fit my description above, including some figures you don't usually see, like a set of "diggers" for an archeological dig. The fellow with the pickaxe is from that set (I did trim down his left arm a bit. The way it was sculpted it looked like he had a long sleeve on that arm and it was kind of an odd shape. So I shaved off the edge of the sleeve and filed doen the elbow a bit).

Prices are very reasonable, too. I expect I'll be ordering more from them in the future.

Dragoons and Standards

This week we have the Ballyfoole Dragoons, commanded by Col. Seamus O'Malley the elder, father of the younger Seamus O'Malley currently serving with the Frundsberg Freihusaren (see Frundsberg Frei Stadt for more on that).
These are Foundry figures. I thought the guy with the helmet was quite fitting for a Celtic unit, probably some family heirloom. I added the "pistol" (or carbine?) to the officer on the left of the picture), just to "spice" things up a bit more. It's from a sprue of pistols that came with the old GW Long Drong dwarf pirates "regiment".

Meanwhile, somewhere in the wilds of the North-by-Northwest Frontier...

More Foundry figures.

Ballyfoole and More

General Jacques von Pflugnickel, of Pfennig-Pfarthing - known to fight on foot alongside the troops as the occasion calls for it.
Previously shown at Gen. on horseback

Isaac Chang, professor of philosophy at the university.

The Malarkey Musketeers of Ballyfoole, commanded by Col. Malcolm Malarkey.

Another Ballyfoole officer.

Captain Caitlin "Kate" Mulligan, Ballyfoole captain of artillery. Inspired by stories of a female artillery officer in Hetzenberg, Kate studied and worked her way to a captaincy in the Ballyfoole artillery.

The figure is a Foundry figure. The face was already less grim than many of Foundry's SYW miniatures, maybe meant to portray a younger officer. I simply added the indication of breasts with a bit of "greenstuff".

Molly McGuire, sometimes known as Molly Pitcher,vivandiere for the Malarkey Musketeers.

It's not always easy to find suitable figures for this purpose.

All miniatures shown here are from Foundry

Forces of Badness

The Royal Blackguards of Bossanova, led by the malevolent Col. Braggadocio. Black wigs, moustaches, etc. are required by the unit's uniform regulations.

Two-Fisted Drummer

The Fuselli Fusiliers of Santa Sofia, commanded by Colonel Giuseppi "Big Joe" Fuselli. Trousers are yellow, although they can hardly be seen on most of the figures due to wearing their coattails down.

These are fusiliers from Foundry's new French SYW line. The drummer had 2 right hands, which I fixed by removing the thumb on his left hand and sculpting a new thumb on the correct side of the hand. I also corrected a decided lean to the right of some of the figures by sticking putty under one side of each when attaching them to the washers I base my figures on.

On an unrelated note:More inspiration for Colonial gaming. I just bought a collection of Robert E. Howard stories called "El Borak". Old adventure stories set in places like Afghanistan in the 1930's. A bit late in the Colonial era, but probably still a good source of ideas, atmosphere and inspiration.
Rumors of exotic lands discovered by adventurers from the Soweiter League and Batrachia?

The Garde N'est Pas

The Garde N'est Pas of the Batrachian Empire lined up in the town plaza for inspection. Their commander is Colonel Francois le Comte de la Blanc-Mange.

These are from Foundry's new French SYW range. It's a mixed lot in terms of quality. These garde figures are similar to Foundry's other SYW range, but there are some fusiliers with a decided lean to the right (and I'm not talking about politics - it's more like one leg is longer than the other) and a drummer who has two right hands! When most people turn their hands palms up their thumbs point outwards. The fusilier drummer has his left hand palm up, but the thumb is on the inwards side. I modified him so his thumb is now on the correct side (maybe devaluing him as a collectible? ha ha).

New Recruits for a New Year

The Soweiter League's National Zoological Garden latest acquisition - wishing you a Hippo New Year!

The Hesse-Pfeffernusse Pfreikorps, led by Col. von Nussbaum, ably assisted by a grizzled old sargeant. (Standard bearer is off in the "wings" awaiting a flag)

Also from Hesse-Pfeffernusse, General Oscar von Pfreidegg

Troops from Grand Thidwick

Introducing the 3rd Glossopshire Croats, commanded by Col. Bourneville Smythe-Basset. The standard bearer of this unit and other recent units to receive flags later, once I have a few units that need flags.

New Troops

Introducing the Pandours San Serif, commanded by Colonel Cliché. Sharp-eyed readers may notice their similarity to the Paprikash Pandour Grenadiers, the main differences being the style of hat and the white cuffs vs. the yellow cuffs of the grenadiers.

I seem to be accumulating a fair number of excess officers and NCOs. They're too full of character to not paint and use, but I don't have troops for all of them at this point. They're too martial for diplomatic service or other duties. I think I'll just have to find more recruits to serve under all of those fine officers.

End of an Era

Following General D'Zastre's abysmal performance in the invasion of the Soweiter League, especially his less than stellar actions at the recent battle of Sachertortenwald, the general has been recalled to the Batrachian court. His replacement is an old soldier and hero of the War of the Boar and the French Onion War, General Fin de Siècle. General de Siècle is well-liked by the common troops and seen as a down-to-earth soldier. On the other hand his recall from retirement and promotion to commander-in-chief of the Batrachian Army in the Soweiter theatre is not sitting well with some of the younger generals. It especially rankles with General Napoleon Soleau, who expected to be appointed to command the invasion after the abrupt departure of General D'Zastre. General Soleau, while honoring the general for past service to the empire, sees the general as well past his prime ("the old man should've stayed in his estates enjoying his quiet life in the country").
General de Siècle arrives with reinforcements, the Pandour Grenadiers de Blasè, commanded by Colonel Boldizsar Paprikash, formerly of the Bossanovan army (Colonel Paprikash had to flee from Bossanova after being suspected of honorable dealings with enemies and underlings). Also commonly known as the Paprikash Grenadiers.

Heavy Cavalry and Others

Introducing the Cuirassiers Royale of the Batrachian Army. This unit is sponsored by the king's devoted and wise uncle, Jean-Louis, but lead by a younger more active colonel. Coats are red, turnbacks, trousers, etc. are buff. The bugler's coat is buff with red turnbacks. The cuirasses are bronzed.
A rear view of the bugler, to give you a better idea of the coloring.

General von und zum Beispiel of Hesse-Pfeffernusse, Quartermaster General for the Soweiter forces.

A pack camel I've had for years and finally painted. (possible desert adventures in The League's future?)

Soweiter League militia command, for the militia figures previously shown. The guy on the far right is a flag-bearer. I gave him a shortened flagpole made of brass tubing. This way I can slip in various flags if I want.

Send in the Marines!

The Ober-Umlaut Untersee Horse Marines, that is.

Lead by Colonel Ludwig von Oberwasser

The Band (of Engineers) - now in technicolor

Here are the Saxe-Goldberg Engineers in all their glorious color.
With Colonel Walbert Weinstein commanding.

And a few more pack animals to carry some of their equipment.

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p.s. Here's a mini I sculpted some time ago. He is O-Me-One (aka Omiwan) Canoli, Starry Knight, from my unfinished Star Warped comic. Maybe some day I'll take it up again, but not right now.

Just a Minute Men

Generic militia for the Soweiter League. These will represent militia from almost any of the League's states, as needed. No flags, musicians, or officers yet.

The figures are from Foundry's American War of Independence range.

Recent Converts

What follows are some recent conversions I made to some Foundry figures, using greenstuff, a bit of "brownstuff" (another Kneadatite epoxy putty, good for sharper edges, can be sanded and worked a bit with knives or files after curing), some wire and leftover bits from my "bits box".


First is an unspecified officer with a flagon of Dragon Ale (slogan: "The flagon with the dragon has the brew that is true").

Goldberg variations: A view of the Saxe-Goldberg Royal Engineers as seen from the front. These guys are famous for their ingenious devices and engineering works.

A view from the back. They are prepared for all sorts of eventualities and cunning plans, adept at fieldworks, bridges and other marvels of modern engineering.

("A band? What do we need a band for?" "Have a little faith, Beispiel. They're beautiful people.")

The Saxe-Goldberg Royal Engineers are lead by Captain Walbert Weinstein. A famous ancestor of Walbert was the Ritter von Weissknicht.

A view from the other side.

In the meantime... there are a few other minis waiting on the painting desk before these guys get their colors.