New Range From W.Britains (1 Viewer)

[Ken & Ericka Osen/H&A Studio]

Hello Good People,
I might be jumping the gun a wee bit, but what the heck. W.Britains is going to be introducing a new range of figures in the April catalog. They have Redcoats, they have Bluecoats, and now to balance them out, they have Petticoats! It is a range of classic gloss 54mm figures of women spanning the same time periods as Redcoats & Bluecoats. Before marrying Ken I was the Historic Clothing Manager at a couple of the larger living history museums here in the midwest so it has really been fun for me to see Ken sculpting the same style clothing for tiny little tin people that I used to make for real people. Anyway, enough of my rambling on, here is a picture of the 1805-1815 Petticoat, A Lady and her Soldier.

All the Best,
Ericka Osen
Hudson & Allen Studio

PS- the soldier is from a retired Collectors Club set "Ready for Duty, 1815"

 

[kilted vampire]

Very nice! It is always a great way to get the wife or gf into the hobby. Or at least as a way to get the okie dokie on buying more. I trust that you had a hand in the development?

 

[wadepat]

Hi Ericka,

What a beautiful line Britains is planning! It will make a wonderful addition to the great lines already being produced. I look forward to adding many of these figures to my collection.

Thanks for alerting us to this very pleasing development!

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

 

[PolarBear]

That's funny. I just posted Ericka's comments from CTSC under a thread called "Petticoat Line" A welcome series indeed.

Randy

 

[Ken & Ericka Osen/H&A Studio]

Hello Mr. Vampire,
I do have to admit that Ken has pretty much gotten a crash course in the finer details of women's dress. It has been rather amusing trying to impress upon Ken how 18th & 19th century women's "support undergarments" change the profile of the female anatomy. And if that is not enough imagine him trying to sort out how a bonnet is worn, how a women drapes her shawl, why the bustle was worn at all, and worst of worst, there is no written regulations as to what was worn, when and why.
At the same time, I can see he is just as passionate about getting all the details right with these as he is about all the military subjects he scuplts day in and day out. I am really looking forward to being able to flesh out some of the military lines with these civilians. Ken has a wonderful research library full period drawings of civilians interacting with soldiers on a everyday level. It will be fun to recreate these images in miniature.
One of my favourites is an orginal print in our collection of a lady shaving a soldier around 1812-15. Do you have a favourite of your own?
All the best,
Ericka Osen

 

[fishead19690]

How about some woman camp followers and civillians in matte finnish for the napoleonic line and maybe a supply wagon to go with them??? Maybe even ox or donkey drawn.
And how about a couple of farm animals or a dog and some senic pieces like farm tools, kitchen and cookware type iteams candles and lanterns destoyed and abandoned equiptment, disguarded gear like muskets, backbacks, canteens,shakos, dead pack horses and what ever else you can think up!

 

[kilted vampire]

Hello Mr. Vampire,
I do have to admit that Ken has pretty much gotten a crash course in the finer details of women's dress. It has been rather amusing trying to impress upon Ken how 18th & 19th century women's "support undergarments" change the profile of the female anatomy. And if that is not enough imagine him trying to sort out how a bonnet is worn, how a women drapes her shawl, why the bustle was worn at all, and worst of worst, there is no written regulations as to what was worn, when and why.
At the same time, I can see he is just as passionate about getting all the details right with these as he is about all the military subjects he scuplts day in and day out. I am really looking forward to being able to flesh out some of the military lines with these civilians. Ken has a wonderful research library full period drawings of civilians interacting with soldiers on a everyday level. It will be fun to recreate these images in miniature.
One of my favourites is an orginal print in our collection of a lady shaving a soldier around 1812-15. Do you have a favourite of your own?
All the best,
Ericka Osen

The scene from Zulu Dawn where they are playing Cricket. And Highland women wearing tartan sashes.

 

[PolarBear]

Ericka & Ken

I hope the new Petticoats line might consider cantiniere's, camp followers, nurses, and when we get to the Bluecoats and Redcoats of the 20th Century women in the military: for the Redcoats:WWII--ATS, WAAFs, WRENS and among the Bluecoats: WAACs, WAVES, and USMC Women's Reserve.

I have attached examples of Osprey book titles to suggest current interest in this topic. Britains could lead the way in filling a gap in toy soldier collecting and diorama building.


For the 18th C period a friend recently wrote of the desirablity of having such figures in dioramas:

"Including women figures would be a natural fit for those trying to recreate history from anactual perspective. Warfare, especially in the 1700's, generally includedwomen in each camp. Lots of them. They served as nurses, cooks, tailors,etc. They mostly wanted to be with their husbands, travel and see theworld or just to experience something new and exciting over their everydaylife"

John Jenkins in his FIW series has already announced forthcoming female figures representing some of the civilian colonists impacted by the French and Indian War.

For the WWI era WB has previously created figures of the nurses that played such an important role in that war and for the Crimean they have given us the young Queen Victoria and Florence Nightingale. So WB is already on the right path to do the Petticoats series.

I wish you great success with this series and I for one plan to add these to my Redcoats and Bluecoats and look forward to creating new min-photo dioramas with them.
Randy

 

[Ken & Ericka Osen/H&A Studio]

Hello All,
Here is the 1760's Petticoat (with a retired Collectors Club figure). It has already been posted in the Dioramas section of the forum but I just realized not on the W. Britain section. So here it is.
Ericka Osen
Hudson & Allen Studio

And here is the 1820's Petticoat.

 

[kogu]

Hi Ericka, hi Ken,
these Petticoats are simply beautiful and a great opportunity for the 18th century collector.
I very much appreciate the release of this new series.
Konrad

 

[plasmapulse]

The scene from Zulu Dawn where they are playing Cricket.

So they will fit in with the Chelmsford staff tea time figures, excellent idea.

And don't forget half naked dancing zulu girls from the same film. Seriously, it would be very cool.

 

[kilted vampire]

So they will fit in with the Chelmsford staff tea time figures, excellent idea.

And don't forget half naked dancing zulu girls from the same film. Seriously, it would be very cool.

You bet Joachim!

How about the girls from Petticoat Junction?

Or Heather Locklear when she was in TJ Hooker?

Lillian Munster or Morticia Adams????????

 

[plasmapulse]

(We should have a drool-icon standardised in the smilies section for occasions like this)

 

[kilted vampire]

(We should have a drool-icon standardised in the smilies section for occasions like this)

Can we do that LOL

 

[PolarBear]

As they used to say on Monty Python--"And now for something completely different"

A possible figure idea for FIW/Petticoat series--A camp follower at Braddock's defeat who has donned the uniform of a member of the Provincial Regt. of Virginia recently killed in the battle and a stray horse as a means of avoiding becoming an Indian captive. Could this be the seed of the future "Light Horse of Virginia? )(From a re-enactment of the Battle of Monongahela) Randy

 

[hhenry]

Great series Ken, I hope it will be the forerunner of new civilian series that can be tied in with the military ones.