"Assembling Perry Miniatures plastic AWI British infantry" Topic

Hello I need some help here from competent players, I know nothing about this war, except that in the end the French won.

- Is there any real difference between "officer" and "ensigns" in the command sprue? Could you use the officer as ensign and vice versa? What exactly is an "ensign" anyway? NCO?

- "Tumplines": why and when were they used or not? Did Napoleon invent the backpack? Could people in same unit choose to use them or not? Does the "closed" extremity necessarily have to be on top (as it is seen in pictures and as seems likely in case of rain)?
Don't tell me there can be no answer since we have all read books about how picky officers were about this kind of things.

- Would someone want to swap some figures or heads with WF same figures?

- Why are the Perrys so enigmatic, especially when you're new to the period? Do they take any pleasure in this?

Thank you for your help!

The backpack was used by the North American Indian First Nation warriors, the Europeans copied them. An ensign is usually a junior officer who carries a flag. He would likely have a special belt to hold the butt of the flagpole.

- Is there any real difference between "officer" and "ensigns" in the command sprue? Could you use the officer as ensign and vice versa? What exactly is an "ensign" anyway? NCO?

An "ensign" (porte-drapeau in the French service, fahnrich in German regiments) was the officer delegated to carry the regiment's colours in battle. In British units, it was usually the most junior (in terms of seniority, not always age) officer in the regiment and could be a teenager. In the French army, it could be a man promoted from the ranks, and/or with no propsects of a career as an officer due to the lack of nobility. In German uits, it was a "frei kaporal" – nominally an NCO, but usually an aspiring officer undergoing a cadetship. (Cavalry units tended to delegate the job to a senior NCO who was a veteran and a good swordsman, rather than an officer.)

Note that colour-belts were not used by anyone in the AWI – they did not come into service until the French Revolutionary Wars.

- "Tumplines": why and when were they used or not? Did Napoleon invent the backpack? Could people in same unit choose to use them or not? Does the "closed" extremity necessarily have to be on top (as it is seen in pictures and as seems likely in case of rain)?
Don't tell me there can be no answer since we have all read books about how picky officers were about this kind of things.

Almost all European armies used satchel-style packs (tournister in German) into the first decade of the 1800s; however, in the 1750s, the British and French noticed how the Indians in N America carried heavy loads on their backs, and the backpack became the norm in these two armies. They also noted that the Indians used smaller packs (usually a folded blanket), called tumplines, for carrying lighter loads. Generally, these replaced the backpack when troops were marching light and would be carried by order – thus, in British units they would all be carrying backpacks or tumplines. American troops had severe shortages of many items of kit, so tumplines might have been worn by individuals who had not been issued packs.

- Why are the Perrys so enigmatic, especially when you're new to the period? Do they take any pleasure in this?

What do you mean by this? Most Perry customers will tell you that they are very good at providing a service and answering emails and other enquiries.

Sorry, I didn't fully answer your first question.

The officers, ensigns (flag bearers) and sergeants are more or less interchangeable, as all three figures can be given muskets (fusils), and all three have sashes. These latter can be painted as a solid colour – crimson – for officers, or with a central horizontal stripe of the facing colour, for sergeants. The only figures that cannot be either are the ones with a gorget, as this was exclusive to officers (of all ranks).

I also didn't notice your third question:

- Would someone want to swap some figures or heads with WF same figures?

If you look at this link, you can see how someone has mixed-and-matched Perry and WF figures/heads/hats:-

link

link

Unfortunately, a recent change of forum provider means the photos in the second link are not visible yet, but you could contact the thread author (who is Dutch) and ask him to email them to you.