"Last of the Mohicans: Hurons?" Topic

Ok. Instead of jumping into the entire French and Indian War, I am only going to do Hurons and French "trappers".

However, I want my Hurons to really look like the ones from the 1992 "Last of the Mohicans" movie:
picture

These are the Perry packs I have on my list (I have the first two):
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These are the Conquest Packs I have:
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Plus the Magua figure in this pack link

So, do you think these 37 figures are good choices for the movie's Hurons?

CC
PS. For my French "trappers":
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What about the Redoubt Miniatures range? They have a Last of the Mohicans pack and a very nice Magua look-a-like in their chiefs pack.
There are lots of figures to choose from, including Couerers de Bois and settlers as well as regulars for the French and Birtish.

I have Redoubt and Conquest Magua's and the Conquest figure is a dead ringer, while the Redoubt fella is a bit ropey (IMO).

I think the early Redoubt releases, including the indians and rangers, are a bit dodgy, with faces only a mother could love, and they are very tall.

The later Redoubt releases, including the regulars, look better but I think Conquest figures are up there with the Perry's in terms of sculpting so I am going to patiently wait for Conquest regulars myself.

It all comes down to how you paint them. If I remember correctly they all had a lot of tatoos or body painting done with black paint. If you capture those body paintings or tatoos they will all work fine.

I think you cover the "look" you are trying to attain very nicely. My opinion is that most of the natives were similiar in dress especially when scaled down to 25mm and the real difference will be in the "war paint" that your figures will display.

Just curious, why did you choose to focus on the French Trappers and Hurons? Are you planning a lot of skirmishes over hunting grounds? I'll be interested in seeing some pics of your games.

Flashy

Wouldn't English trappers be more likely to clash with Hurons than French?

CC: Go with the list you have already. If you add Redoubt to the mix you might find that their figures are significantly taller than the other lines out there.

What do French (Canadian?) trappers have to do with anything? That is, unless you are running a game on fur trapping and avoiding the Indians. ;-)

Don't worry there's method to CC's madness. I have all the Brits, Rangers and Provincials, and there are several others down here in Houston also with large FIW collections. CC's just looking to collect a faction to participate in games.

I'm fairly well read on the war and was not aware that any trappers participated in anything other than trapping. :-)

The French "trappers" will be sprinkled in among the Hurons, just like the ones that tried to convince the Hurons to cross the burial ground in the film.

CC

yuo wantr courier de bois (excuse spelling)

I like the DIXION minatures. They're cheap, look good, and You cab buy singles rather than packs. But then, I'm cheap and picky.

If you want to paint Magua, look at this painting:
picture
If you can find a bigger one, obviously. The First Nations in the foreground was used as the inspiration for Magua's tattoos in the movies (I said one day as I walked through the National Art Gallery in Ottawa)

I've got the Conquest figures. I almost bought some Redoubt this past summer as well since the range is well covered, but I didn't feel as if the two styles matched up well. If you haven't already, you might want to see both side by side.

I hadn't seen the Perry ones and now that I have and they're available from the Warstore, I think I know what I'll be adding to my Spring wishlist. Thanks for the links!

Ohhh boy. I've been sitting on my Conquest minis for almost a year now, busily painting other genres. Now you guys have me going again. Just what I need is to start another painting project before finishing any one fo the dozen or so I have already started.

Those Perry's are very nice too.

I think what you really want to represent in your game then are not CDB (fantasy), or trappers (business men), but Canadian officers attached to the Indians to "encourage" and lead them. This is a historically documentable role. They often led raiding parties, worked with the Indians on the flanks of the main French army, etc. These men usually held a commission in the French Colonial Marines as well. They were usually French Canadians, often inter-married with Indians, and usually lived out on the frontier outposts.

Not looking to split hairs but I am looking to bust some urban legands – or perhaps more correclty, wargamer legends. :-)

Speaking of mohicans, a good movie to see is "Balck Robe"

"Black Robe"

historygamer: I think what you really want to represent in your game then are not CDB (fantasy), or trappers (business men), but Canadian officers attached to the Indians to "encourage" and lead them. This is a historically documentable role.

Um, yeah, but. Now you've raised the issue of the historicity of James Fenimore Cooper's _Last of the Mohicans_. Which it isn't very. Historical, I mean.

For instance, the Indians who followed Montcalm to Fort William Henry were from all the nations of the Lakes and the Upper Country. Some Hurons were present, but they were a minority. The Hurons had been missionized for a while, and probably looked more civilized than the 'wild Indians' from the Upper Country. Magua was not the great war chief of all the Indians at Fort William Henry, in fact, so far as I know, there wasn't any Magua. And so forth…

Dan want's to paint up Magua from LOTM. And some savage Hurons from LOTM. And Dirty Pierre, the evil Froggie who incites the savage Hurons to massacre in LOTM. Let's not get too technical about Dirty Pierre's true role in history.

Yep, as history his book is crap, but as literature it is pretty good. Perhaps you can tell from my handle which I'd go with? ;-)

LOL. So, you noticed I didn't ask about the historical Hurons. :)

CC

I painted up a mixed group of 60 Conquest and Perry figures for a client and I concur that the two ranges fit well together. I couldn't tell that they were different ranges at first, but there were subtle differences. Both are superb ranges. I also agree that Redoubt and Dixon will not mesh well with Conquest and Perry.

How abought Parkfield Miniatures big range of figuers nice size 25mm

Hi,

Just to flag: the correct spelling is "Coureurs des Bois" and they were fur traders who decided to, well, cross the woods, to directly buy fur from the Indian where they lived, rather than waiting in a trade post or "Comptoir".

I did a lot of research on "Coureurs des Bois" so I'd thought I'd share it with you.

In fact, most of them did not actually "run through the woods" but more used the river from Outaouais to Huron Lake, rawing 12 hours a day onboard a canooe for one month to reach Indian locations. I think I read some of them did journey of 2,000km through North America, defending their convoy against hostile tribes such as the Iroquois ! Tough guys !

Due to a decree of New France governor in 1672, Frontenac, the CDB had to buy the righ to trade fur and to pay taxes on the trade, he was then called a "Voyageur". A CDB that refused to pay or resisted was then an outlaw and could see his merchandise confiscated and/or be hanged !

In fact, Frontenac gave away a lot of non official "trading rights" in exchange for a percentage of the revenues
So much that almost all CDB soon worked for him (800 CDB), creating an enormous scandal in France and resulting in so many furs being collected that more and more were left to rot in the "Comptoirs"

Officialy Louis XIV stops fur trading through CDB in 1696 under penalty of death or royal galleys (where the skills as rowers would be put to good use !)

I like the "French Wild West" feeling of these guys, heroes, then outlaws and desperadoes.

Knowing their history, I think they would occasionally fight with/against Indians but I really doubt you'd see them alongside French Marines or Soldiers !

Eric

These men were adventurous business men. Where was the money to be made fighting redcoats or the like?

Not really sure where this myth comes from.

Exactly my point.

On the other hand, being French, they could have joined the French Marines later on, to have a few shots at English "lobsters", just for sport or "pour le plaisir" !

Just kidding: we love English in France… "well done, with some garlic and a nice bottle of red wine" !
; )

Eric

More figures soon!

TMP link

CC

This seems like a nice game:

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CC

About the Fort William Henry "massacre" (dramatized in the film):

TMP link

CC

For terrain, I bought these:

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CC

*SIGH*

It is all being sold now . . .

TMP link

CC

arghh missed them, just got into the period too

This is the kind of stuff I was planning to make when I had them.

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*SIGH*

CC

My French troops use the conquest figs and my brits the perry figs, just so they look different on the table top, although my perrys are yet to hit the painting table.

cheers
matt