"British 2nd Afghan War artilleryman in walking pose (28mm)" Topic

Most of the photos I see from the 2nd Afghan War show artillerymen walking empty-handed beside the limbers when on the move. Does anyone have any ideas on what 28mm figure(s) I could use to represent this pose without a lot of conversion work? Would really like a left foot forward and a second pose of right foot forward for some variation

Artizan just announced Highlanders walking at the trail -- you can ask them if they're going to do infantry in trousers, then just snip the rifles off.

Rhingyll,

I think that's a tough one using just what's available for purchase right now.

Wargames Foundry has one "walking" figure on foot in their Zulu War range "British Command and Characters" pack, dressed in shirtsleeves. But he's only one out of 6 figures in the pack, plus he has a shirt on instead of a jacket, and he's an old, smaller 28mm figure, so maybe not a great choice.

If I absolutely had to cobble together some 28mm "walking" Royal Artillery figures tomorrow… I think I'd buy a pack of Perry Sudan range Egyptian or Sudanese Infantry marching, a pack of Egyptian command marching, and a pack of Perry British infantry for their helmeted heads.

The Egyptians all wear minimal belt equipment which could easily pass for Royal Artillery gunners (you might trim off the ammo pouch on the back of their belts if you want).

The marching command pack has 4 figures with their left arms at their sides which I believe could be cut off and used to replace the left arms carrying shouldered rifles on the marching Infantry figures without too much difficulty.

Swap the Egyptian fez-wearing heads out for your choice of British head -- maybe the cloth-covered version that comes on the "Indian service dress" figures, so they fit even better in Afghanistan -- and you are done. More than a little work, but not a terribly large amount, especially if you only need a few of your "walking" artillery crew conversions.

They will be wearing leggings but these can be carved into puttees without too much trouble, or just left as is and painted to look like puttees.

Besides the conversion work, the painful part is you would need parts from 2 additional "donor" figures for every finished figure, so they will cost three times as much. The good part is that all the components were sculpted by the same person, so they won't end up looking like Frankenstein monsters.

Unfortunately I think all the figures in both the Egyptian and Sudanese marching infantry packs are marching in step with their left foot forward, so you would not get your right foot forward variation.

MadGuru: You are very creative and have a good imagination. Maybe that is why you are a successful screenwriter.I will look at the Perry Sudanese and Egyptians and see if I can figure something out. I wonder if there is a figure maker that would be willing to make a couple versions of this?

Thanks, Rhingyll.

I've been looking around to find any "walking" artillery crew figures who could be used or converted into what you're looking for, and it seems there really aren't too many. The Perry ACW metal range has some artillery crews "running up" their guns, but the figures are in more strenuous action poses as oppsed to just "walking" along beside their limbered guns. Obviously most gun crews are sculpted in "fighting" poses, so they're loading or firing or "running up" their guns, as opposed to travelling beside them.

Figure sculptors sometimes post their availability on the "Sculpting" message board, as do members looking to hire sculptors. I don't know if any company will want to add a couple of walking artillery crewmen to an already existing British Colonial range, but if you ask them maybe someone will.

Re: Artizan, I think Jeff Ewing's idea is a very good one. The Artizan "walking at trail" Highlanders would be pretty easy to convert into what you want if not for their kilts. If they plan to do regular British infantry in that pose, you would be in good shape. Just have to remove the rifles from their right hands, and maybe trim off their canteens, ammo pouch and haversack, but no need for removing and replacing arms or swapping out heads.

But if all else fails and you absolutely, positively need some walking gun crewmen, I think the Egyptian Infantry + Egyptian Artillery + British heads will work.

MadGuru:
I like your idea of the converting the marching Perry
Sudanese/Egyptians.I am thinking that I could order one of the Perry's plastic ACW infantry to pick up some left arms to replace arms holding the rifles and also right arms if nercessary.I have some extra Studio Miniatures that could supply the heads (assuming they are proportional). I've also been thinking about trying to just convert the Studio Miniatures walking advancing extras that I have.They have four different leg poses which would give the poses some variation.I could again use the plastic ACW arms,keep the existing heads but have to do a whole lot more cutting and filing. I will re-evalaute the whole process once I get the Perry's and have a better understanding of what I have to start with. If it all fails I will hope for Artizan to come through with a regular infantry walking at trail set as suggested by Jeff Ewing which is far more simpler path. Thanks for all you input.

Mad Guru, I am painting Perry Brothers Sudan figures. How do you like to base your figures? In groups ore individually? Thanks Dennis (Reseda)

Hi Dennis. I'm thinking you're the same Dennis who stopped by my garage for the original "Maiwand Day" game back in July 2010, right…?

I base all my colonial figures individually. Some people think I'm nuts for doing so, seeing how I have hundreds and hundreds… and hundreds of them, but I've been playing TSATF using single-based figures since 1979 and it's just how I roll, so to speak. I base most of my troops for other periods on multi-figure movement stands but not colonials. The single-based figures also allow for taking advantage of a lot of different types of rough terrain, including my homemade rocky wood-chip hills, which have stepped contours built to easily accomodate single-based figures.

It really comes down to what rules do you like to play. If I played "Black Powder" all the time I would probably base my Victorian armies on multi-figure stands.

I think the best way to go would be sabot bases, which allow you to use the same fgures individualy-based and then slot them onto a larger multi-figure movement stand. I've been thinking about building such stands for my troops, but I have to finish my current terrain project first.

Thanks for the advice. I will probably base on multiple figure bases.. Yes I spent a wonderful Maiwand day at your house. Let me know the next game you have planed. Dennis