"Figures with lots of accouterments or stripped for combat." Topic

It seems like a soldier marching to a battle would be encumbered with all kinds of equipment like packs and blanket rolls etc, etc. But the minute the shooting started they would dump that stuff so as not to be hindered while actually fighting. A lot of the time they threw the stuff away while marching for that matter. So why are figures in combat poses always loaded down with this stuff. I would prefer my figures without all the extra junk how about you?

I hate painting straps so I am in agreement.
They seem to take forever.

I can see a lot of stuff if the figure is marching with rifle slung but who is going into combat carrying a bunch of junk to slow him down and trip him up???

I agree

Soldiers do not fight in full packs so it has always been a puzzle to me why sculptors load their figures with full equipment. From ancients to present day packs will be dropped, guarded by some men to prevent looting, and the rest of the unit go into combat stripped to the bare essentials.

Napoleonic soldiers certainly fought with their packs.

I have read loads of memoirs, letters, diaries etc from the period. There are occasional mentions that indicate that fighting in full pack was the norm. For example, a British soldier describing the field in front of his battalion being dotted with French packs that they had dropped as they ran. Another tells of being told to leave their packs behind when preparing for an attack. They didn't fancy the chances of retrieving them later so ignored the order and kept them with them.

Sometimes of course, they did fight without packs. When assaulting fortresses in particular.

So how you have your figures is your choice. Either way is right!

The troops in the ACW often fought with their packs. They were supposed to leave them under guard before going into action, but this could lead to them being looted by their own guards or being left behind during an advance or retreat.

But in both cases they often fought with out them. Especially when the bullets started whizzing by. I prefer my combat figures without all the junk as they look more realistic to me and are easier to paint a lot quickly.

Prefer my figure stripped of excess gear & ready for fighting.

I would prefer my figures without the equipment.

Ideally both options but a relatively stripped down look is much easier to paint.

If they're supposed to be special ops guys behind enemy lines, I like them to be fully loaded out. Yes, they'd drop that stuff in a firefight but it helps them look distinct on the table.

I dislike painting packs and straps myself. But I recognize that this is required if that's how soldiers typically appeared on the battlefield.

In these earlier times, infantrymen did not need to go jumping or cavorting across a battlefield like a ninja. They had to stand in formation; they had to advance or retreat when told, fire when told, and perform most of these maneuvers on their feet. An action would not last more than a day and afterward the soldier would need his pack. There was no guarantee he might be able to retrieve it again if he was injured, or had advanced or retreated a significant degree, or that it would be just as he'd left it. (Imagine a handful of men suddenly expected to shift a company's worth of packs -- how? -- if the tide of battle swept well beyond them.) It wasn't like the 20th century, where packs and non-combat essentials could be left at base or with the transport element. Soldiers back then had to be a lot more self-reliant, and even at the cost of carrying an extra burden into the firing line, they probably preferred to NOT lose their belongings every time they went into action. And I'm sure their commanders did NOT want their units dissolving into individuals searching for their packs after a major engagement or not having the ability to resume normal activities immediately.