New British Guards (1 Viewer)

[King's Man]

WOW, love the new British guards.

I am already forming squares in my head. Thinking of all the wonderful things I could do with these figures. As I do this I can’t help but think about what additional poses would be nice to have. I came up with these for a starter:

1. Soldiers for the 3rd and 4th ranks-standing at the ready, but with muskets pointing straight up. Would be a good seller since you would need 2 for every one of the 1st and 2nd rank figures. Squares would often have 4 or more ranks and only the 1st two ranks would be able to do the firing.

2. An officer on foot.

3. Loading

One small thing I wish Andy had done with these new figures was to have the firing figures have their bayonets attached. It seems to me everyone in a square formation would have his bayonet attached.

I hope these figures will be around for a long time to come because I plan to be buying a lot.

King’s Man

 

[Stickleback]

Yep, the Coldstream Guards look great, I can't wait. They should go really well with the recently released Cuirassiers. Hopefully there will be a few extra poses added later like Andy did with the Black Watch.

 

[kilted vampire]

UH HOoooo I see the time has come for a big Blue
Vive L'Emperuer!!!



Hey somebody has to take C-Rons' place whilst he is on funvation

 

[sceic2]

WOW, love the new British guards..One small thing I wish Andy had done with these new figures was to have the firing figures have their bayonets attached. It seems to me everyone in a square formation would have his bayonet attached... King’s Man

I am ambivalent about the issue of bayonets. Some times I wish they never had them and then sometimes I am glad there are so many with them. It’s just that I am so sick and tired of super gluing bayonets on the figures that I have (I am a real putz when I handle them and I try not to handle them because I am a putz, it’s a viscous circle ). I notice the new Coldstream Guards have what appears to be a much more substantial bayonet than those on previous K&C Napoleonic releases. Perhaps Andy has had similar comments from dealers and collectors that he has changed his style of bayonet.

If bayonets are to be on the figures, every manufacturer should copy the style used on John Jenkins figures. They look a little bit too large for the figure (just a very little bit, hardly noticable), but they stay on and don’t bend easily.

 

[Rob]

I also hope these are around for a long while,because i think its these that are finally going to get me into Napoleonics.I'm seeing a big square in my office with Nap cavalry hurling itself against them.Lovely stuff.

Rob

 

[aujj65]

Coldstream Guards. Yes, superb figures in every way. They don't have to be in a square formation for display. I am going to use mine (when I get them) in line against the head of a column of French Old Guard.

These figures just keep getting better and better imo.

Jeff

 

[Kiwi]

WOW, love the new British guards.

One small thing I wish Andy had done with these new figures was to have the firing figures have their bayonets attached. It seems to me everyone in a square formation would have his bayonet attached.

King’s Man[/QUOTE]


I agree with King's Man. There would not have been too many foot soldiers on the field without fixed bayonet! Not sure why these standing and firing CGs have been designed without bayonets when the recently released French 45th Regt standing and firing both have bayonets?? For some time I have been trying to figure out the best way to make 1/30 scale bayonets to attach to figures such as these (stainless steel ones made by a jeweller would be cool but very expensive!!) so if anyone has any suggestions..?

Also I must have been very lucky up to now as I have only had one or two K&Cs arrive in the post from my dealer with their bayonet broken off. So I would not like to see them made bulkier (I'm going to be spending enough time in my retirement filing most of the bayonets back to 'original spec' ).

One last thing: can someone confirm for me that these are Coldstream Guards? Only the 1st Foot Guards supposedly wore grey service trousers tucked into their gaiters while the CGs and 3rd Foot Guards wore white trousers? This coupled with the oilskins worn on their shakos depicting the Waterloo campaign, would designate these guys as 1st Foot Guards, not Coldstream Guards?

Never the less, these are great figures and welcome additions!

Kiwi

 

[aujj65]

Bayonets were quite often "Fixed" after a firefight due to the nature of how the reloading of a musket was achieved, ie to stop the skinning of knuckles on the bayonet when using a ramrod.

Jeff

 

[Kiwi]

Bayonets were quite often "Fixed" after a firefight due to the nature of how the reloading of a musket was achieved, ie to stop the skinning of knuckles on the bayonet when using a ramrod.

Jeff

Good "Point" Jeff

I have often wondered how those guys didn't cut themselves up reloading during a fight, especially in all the panic while facing an advancing line!

Kiwi

 

[aujj65]

One last thing: can someone confirm for me that these are Coldstream Guards? Only the 1st Foot Guards supposedly wore grey service trousers tucked into their gaiters while the CGs and 3rd Foot Guards wore white trousers? This coupled with the oilskins worn on their shakos depicting the Waterloo campaign, would designate these guys as 1st Foot Guards, not Coldstream Guards?

Never the less, these are great figures and welcome additions!

Kiwi

These are definitely painted as Coldstream Guards, the lace/button arrangement is correct for this regiment. Buttons are worn in pairs, in denotion of their place as second senior regiment in the Foot Guards.

As for the grey/white trousers, it all depends on which source you are taking your information from as there are a number of conflictions on this one.

Jeff

 

[aujj65]

Further to my above post here are a couple of paintings showing the Coldstream Guards defending Hougoumont Chateau, one showing white and the other grey trousers.

Jeff

 

[aujj65]

Good "Point" Jeff

Kiwi

LOL. Sorry I've just got that one!

Jeff

 

[fishead19690]

The british had both white and grey pants, The white were a summer dress and the grey were a winter dress. The guards at waterloo had wore the white summer ones but many other units wore the grey at waterloo. Durring the peninsular war many of the british troops wore the white which was cooler for the summer heat but the color would have really been more of a pink color due to the cheap dye used in there red jackets bleeding out onto there white pants after a few good rain storms.

As for the bayonet issue I think andy didn,t add the bayonets on the firing pose because one of the figures was already made before hand as a del prado already (Del prado#15 Wellingtons ft. guards) and as far as the reloading yes it would have been difficult to load with the bayonet on. I believe they would have loaded the weapon before the oder to fix bayonets. I,m not sure if the order to fix bayonets would have been given to all ranks or just the first 2 ranks??? A british square would be 4 men deep on each side and I,m not sure if the order to fix bayonets would have been given to just the first 2 ranks of men and not the other 2 deeper ranks to allow for easier loading to shoot over the heads of the first 2 ranks??? Did the order of fix bayonets apply to all ranks???

 

[aujj65]

As for the bayonet issue I think andy didn,t add the bayonets on the firing pose because one of the figures was already made before hand as a del prado already (Del prado#15 Wellingtons ft. guards) and as far as the reloading yes it would have been difficult to load with the bayonet on. I believe they would have loaded the weapon before the oder to fix bayonets. I,m not sure if the order to fix bayonets would have been given to all ranks or just the first 2 ranks??? A british square would be 4 men deep on each side and I,m not sure if the order to fix bayonets would have been given to just the first 2 ranks of men and not the other 2 deeper ranks to allow for easier loading to shoot over the heads of the first 2 ranks??? Did the order of fix bayonets apply to all ranks???

Good question about fixing bayonets, don't know the answer to that one. But at Waterloo (assuming that they are Waterloo based) the Coldstream Guards were part of the defense of Hougoumont, so probably didn't form square anyway, but a good proportion would have bayonets fixed to defend themselves against the French Infantry attacking them.

Whatever the reason these figures are very nice indeed, Ron will be pleased that there are a couple more British casualties at last.

Jeff

 

[OldDragon]

Its only June and there are 6 more months in 2007 to go.

I hope these Guardsmen are only the first wave ... which are very suitable to form line or square. But I am hoping that a second wave will have more skirmishing poses or close fighting poses, as in the Hougoumont paintings.

OldDragon

 

[wellington]

GREAT figures have been busy collecting antique Napoleonic stuff (ie Brown Bess, Naval sword), I havent bought the French calvary yet but one thing is for sure my next BIG order will be the Guards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


WELLINGTON

 

[Rob]

I can't wait to start collecting these Guards.I hope to eventually have a square.Until then i will have a group of them around the flag bearer shooting down some of the French cavalry.(sorry Ron )

Rob

 

[Capitolron]

No worries Rob - there are plenty of dead Guard figures in this release to make my French Troop happy

The Cold Stream Guards look great - What I am worried about is how to afford all this ?????

 

[Rob]

I know,the wife is going to freak when she see's Napoleonics as well!

Rob

 

[Capitolron]

Especially all those dead British Cold Stream Guards