Thursday 9 February 2017

From PeterD Hanoverian Pontooniers (30 poimts)



Another week in February, another small post from me.  This period is my heaviest work wise but the end of the tunnel is in sight.  Of course it would help if I didn't have 7 projects in various states of completion on the workbench, all of them started since the Challenge began.


The six guys who do all the work and the blowhard who watches them.
I have a group of 6 Hanoverian Pontooniers from the Seven Years Wars for the engineer  Drumpf to order around.  I gave the lace work of the light dragoons and highlanders a rest for a bit and worked on some support troops with less detail required.  
It need to be a YUGE bridge boys, the best ever!

These figures are from the Perry AWI range and packaged as American Drag Rope Men, meaning that they are infantrymen and civilians drafted in to do the man handling of artillery pieces.  I am continuing to mine this excellent range of figures and morph it to fit my Seven Years War needs.  I partiulary like that these chaps have obviously been doing some seriously hard labour and are taking a well deserved rest. 

There appear to have been no rank and file engineer troops like sappers and miners in the Anglo-Allied army I am modelling.  However, Hanover maintained a corps of Pontooniers which makes sense given the large rivers in the Electorate.  I figured that these could be used as a group of Engineers for my Sharp Practice games.  Also the ropes that these lads are carrying would fit with the job of build a pontoon bridge or various other engineering tasks.

I am loving these period Hanoverian illustrations.  Pontoonier flanked by Engineer and artillery trainman.

Uniform wise they wore the lovely blue coat that they shared with Hanoverian artillery along with a blue waistcoat and buff breeches.  This is represented in the centre figure from this period illustration.  The Perry figures come in various states of dress suited to heavy work.  Two are in waistcoats and tricorns and the rest in shirt sleeves, and all have discarded their gaiters.  Furthermore, three of the figures in shirtsleeves are wearing floppy hats which I have painted to represent straw hats.  I figure that I can use the four figures in shirt sleeves as civilian labourers as well.
I got your YUGE bridge right here!
What does this idiot want now? I am late for my yoga class and I really need some downward facing dog.

With the white shirts and buff breeches, painting got rather monochromatic so I used heavier shading on these figures.  I also figured it gave the impression of sweat and dust stained clothes from heavy lifting and shifting.


Drumpf is a pre-existing condition, so that's six foot figures for 30 points.

Nice group of labourers, Peter! I appreciate COBs(civilians-on-the-battlefield) because they are there in the real world. For miniature games, I find they add the Murphy Law to best laid plans as well as providing objectives and conditions for the troops. I appreciate the troops dressed down for the hard labor too. More British troops died sacking Washington in the 1812 war to heat injuries than actual combat. Ruck Marching in multiple layers of wool and linen apparently increases core body temperature! ;)
Now their coffee break is over, off to work for 'is Lordship they go!

21 comments:

  1. Thanks David. The SYW uniforms were heavier than the Napoleonic ones to, with full coats and waistcoats underneath.

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  2. Nice bunch of engineers Peter :)

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  3. A great addition to your collection Peter. I like the fellows who are stretching and rubbing their sore muscles.

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    1. Thanks Curt. The sculpts really convey the aches don't they. I think the other guy may have mastered the art of leaning on his hand spike while looking busy.

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  4. Great looking support chaps. Lovely work.
    Best Iain

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  5. Nicely done! Drumpf would be proud of you.

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  6. Useful figures! I like the guy stretching.

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    1. Thanks Barks. The poses are really lovely on some of the Perry AWI range.

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  7. Great stuff! Are you familiar with the Kroniskaf 7YW project?they have a huge amount of information including colourplates on all participants of the 7YW

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    1. Thanks Sander. I use Krosnokraf an awful lot! It's a great resource.

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  8. lovely work, Pete. I like the fellow stretching and looking up at Drumpf, either he's totally inspired or he's cursing the fat mfo under his breath. As soon as he rides away, I'm sure they'll all be sitting under a tree.

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    1. Thanks Mike. And yes they are definitely parking themselves on the grass under a tree.

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  9. Nice work Peter! They really look as if they're just relaxing for a minute from heavy workload.

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  10. Well done Peter. Seeing them makes me thirsty, like I've done some actual work or something...

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    1. Thanks Greg. I'm sure you've done enough to earn yourself a beer!

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  11. Nice work, thenheavy shading does add that work hardened look to them. Great sculpts too.

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