Finished: American Provincial Soldier c.1760 (FIW)

I finished my first French and Indians War figure from Galloping Major Wargames.  I modeled him after an American Provincial Soldier circa 1760.  Paint scheme is taken from both the New Jersey "Jersey Blues" and Massachusetts Provincial Regiment of the era.  Here is my painting color guide for future reference:

I thoroughly enjoyed researching before I began painting.  It is a good change up from my standard Early Imperial Roman painting.  Although I have to admit -- much harder painting these, as all the straps and complexities of the uniforms.  The 28mm metal figure itself is outstanding and I really look forward to painting many more by Lance at GM.  Enjoy!

About the flag: The flag is the Taunton Flag from Massachusetts.  It represents a key desire of the time period for the Colonies to remain loyal to England, but at the same time enjoy Englishmen liberties and status (e.g. taxation with representation).  The flag itself would come into being around this time as the Americans began to think about breaking from England.  I like the flag a lot, it is very well done by Flags of War.  I simply used thinned PVA glue with a strip of heavy-duty aluminum foil inside to hold the shape and then attached it to my metal wire flagpole.  The top is from Front Rank Figurines (flag top w/tassels).

The base is 2mm thick MDF, cut in a 25mm circle base and as always it's from the great folks at Warbases UK.  I switched up my basing style some to represent FIW battlefields of the northeastern US and used coffee as my base filler versus my standard model RR ballast and fine grit mix.  I used dried spices as leaf debris and the foliage is standard Woodland Scenics Turf.

I primed using grey instead of my normal black as I wanted the colors to remain on the brighter side.  I used Tamiya's Fine Primer Spray which I really liked.  Lots of new color selections over my Romans which was fun and Osprey's book series of the French and Indians War offers lots of good examples.

Breaking Down Boxes: FIW Minis Arriving!

Lots of boxes in the mail this week after I returned from almost 2 weeks of steady travel for my job.  I have boxes from several new mini model shops for me as I start my new French and Indian War painting and wargaming efforts.  The work bench pic above is a rough comparison -- the right two figures are Conquest Miniatures' Indians, the middle two are North Star Figures' Indians and the left two are Rogers' Rangers from Galloping Major (GM).  I think the North Star and GM minis match up well and the moldings are well done.

Box break down day is a big deal for me...as its always a question mark here in the US for inbound Royal Mail from the United Kingdom.  I've had at least one Foundry box lost and several others delayed for almost a month, meanwhile some packages from the UK arrive in less than a week.  Crazy mail!  When I order my first Perry figures I may try Triangle Miniatures as they are based in North Carolina and remove the import time hassle.  However, they have limited product lines and don't carry many of the model makers I like.

My Galloping Major Wargames Rogers' Rangers unit minis arrived!  They are really well done minis.  By purchasing the large Ranger unit package they added a few free minis in the box which is always nice.  I really like these as my first French and Indian War figures, I did a lot of research before ordering for this era as my next theme.  They are on the 28mm bulkier size and are well "animated" (which I like both of these factors), so I will have to be careful moving forward with additional purchases to match up with these.

North Star Muskets and Tomahawks figures also arrived.  I like these Indians and they match the size of the Galloping Major Rangers very well.  I have just ordered North Star's Highland Scots unit and some additional Indians based on this un-boxing and match up.  I think Redoubt's miniatures would work, but pics of them available online via a Google search don't impress me very much, they just look "fat" and uneven with poor face and hand casting.  Perhaps I need to order a few and see up close.

Conquest Miniatures purchased from eBay of French Regular infantry and Compagnies Franches de la Marine arrived as well -- these are nicely cast 28mm, however in comparison to North Star and Galloping Major they are on the smaller size for sure.  I won't buy anymore of these figures, and stick to mostly Galloping Major minis with North Star thrown in.  Like I said already, I do want to purchase a few Perry, AW, and Redoubt  minis for comparison.  I also ordered a handful of nice 100mm wire for flag & guidon poles from North Star.

Conquest Miniatures Indians are also on the smallish side of 28mm.  I bought a box of the Woodland Indian Party on eBay and the special edition mini of "Magua" (directly from Conquest which is really a part of Warlord Games apparently) from the excellent 1992 movie remake with Daniel Day-Lewis of The Last of the Mohicans.  These are Huron and Ottawa Indians that fought for the French side during the FIW along side General Montcalm's forces and the Canadian milice (militia) irregulars.

Lastly, the re-do of my missing Wargames Foundry (WGF) box arrived with my order of 300 EIR shields and several Pila.  This is a mound of shields and will allow me to outfit my entire EIR Cohort with all of the same shields -- which I prefer over Aventine, Gripping Beast and Warlord Games (WLG) shields.  I use a little dish soap and hot water with a toothbrush to remove any left over casting related residue prior to priming all my minis.