"French Line Lancers with a difference?" Topic

Yes, just that. Nothing terribly novel about the painting, but great figures from Perry Command range but also some brilliant conversions (once off things) made by Niels Rullkotter (who is the king of vehicle production of course) which he sent me, as his surplus.

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The result is something totally unique which I will value. Thanks Niels. Hope you like them. I made a bottle to replace a lance and think it worked well. Well, it would for me! Here are three pics, you should find more if you follow the link.

I must clean out my camera. Never knew there was so much dust in it!

Impressive, beautiful work!

very nice, I like of course the figures and the rolled standard, great work

Admitting of course that they would never be so foolish as to carry their eagle on campaign! But you have to show it! For the same reason their pennons should be covered? I do wonder if that is true. Would they not, given time, uncover the pennon before going into action? They do serve a purpose (or so the old story goes) and many accounts do mention them, from the opposing side (sometimes decades later I do admit)

I know these figures are of no use to any wargamer, but thanks for your comments. In two years I have learnt so many tips from this site. The officer's pistol hand is from an AWI Perry British dragoon by the way. Nothing is wasted. I needed the horses for different project and the dragoons were left so……….

they would unfurl the pennons for combat to irritate the enemy horse which were not trained to cope with the fluttering pennons, which of course the lancer's horses were perfeclty used to.
The lances look great – how did you make them?

Beautiful work again! :)

This will sound weird. They are steel wire used to take microbiology samples from ears. They have cotton wool on the end, like a Q tip.

Where I work they decided to discontinue them, so I grabbed dozens (each makes three lances) and ran off with them (like Starbuck's wooden coffee stirrers). You hit the end with a hammer a few times and then grind with a Dremel. The resulting spear point is a bit two dimensional but looks right. The circular bases for the figures are operating microscope lens covers, binned after each case (but my OR staff know what to do).

The lance strap. You know a nice bottle of Rioja or Chianti comes with a brass wire cage? The twisted bit is Imperial Guard aigulette. The straight bit is great for straps. A single length. Wind it around the lance several times, leave a loop to hang down, a gap for the holding hand, then wind it around the lance again and cut off.

The cover for the Eagle flag is the black foil from a bottle of Valpolicella (seriously). I just highlighted it with Vallejo dark Panzer Grey….nothing more!

von W, Best thing ever was your tip for red stripes. Brown edge! Thanks again.

Front Rank sells lance flags and poles. The flags are metal and look very good on the figures.
Very nice work on these figures!

They look excellent. Those additional touches make such a difference.

"…a nice bottle of Rioja or Chianti comes with a brass wire cage"

"…the black foil from a bottle of Valpolicella"

Combining two hobbies in a wonderful way :)

Great work!!!

Wonderful work, colorful and dynamic. Though I still think that the pennons should only be attached to the side of the lance, not wrapped around. Not sure the picture in Osprey is correct, but there was an museum example that I saw that matched.

Still a nit of no matter, great work.

Now that is interesting. I should have said that the pennons are from GMB. I bought one pack of red and white (2nd Guard Lancers) and, by pressing the wrong key, five packs of crimson and white pennons for Polish Lancers!

How would that be done? Nails straight through the seamed edge of the pennon and into the pole? I always imagined them as shown. A pennon and a much more solid bit, separate, of material wrapped around the pole, nailed on and then stitched to the pennon. I freely admit I am expressing that very badly. The only stitching I ever do is with the advantage of general anaesthesia….and it is not on cotton material.

I am glad von W also agrees that they would surely unfurl the things before going into action, given any chance. Again, they did serve a purpose!

PS While I can still edit this (the first hour)…..you may well be right. It seems that by 1816 anyway, in British use, the pennon had a seam with metal eyelets. The pole had studs which passed through the eyelets. Later came ties.

What do I now do with my 27 Guard lancers and their wrap around pennons, totally wrong?

I had thought I had never seen them portrayed in any other way than wrap around seams. Even a quick Google check says that is wrong. Now I look at Osprey on both Guard units and the line, Joineau and Haythornthwaite….and you have to look carefully….you do see exactly what you said.

What a brilliant forum this is!

As I saw it, it was 3 buttons that the pennon fit over and was removable though usually just furled and tied. Page 33 of Osprey Men-at-Arms 55 has the clearest picture. The Histoire & Collections Volumes 6 and 8 for the French Guard have similar illustrations.

But really, like flag sizes, painted eyes, wheel hollow on artillery and wagons and other such, it is of little matter.

(Opps, posted during your edit…<G>)

Oh it matters……… I could not sleep last night, because of it, but worked out how to fold and cut GMB pennons to preserve the three studs; but now at the side of the lance and through the seam.

This is worth a topic on its own, quoting you. I have today gone through countless (superb) 28mm lancer work and never yet seen this properly shown. In retrospect is is obvious. A wrap around pennon could never be removed!

Bonsoir,

Very jealous of these!

These figures are in my view particularly difficult to paint so very well done to have achieved such a high standard.

As to Valpolicella tip, I don't need any for lance pennants but I'll drink a few bottles of their wine anyway!

Cheers,

Paul

These are great -I did consider putting my FPW cavalry on round bases -actually they're still not based…