Yeomanry Miniatures 5th Lancer (2 Viewers)

[blaster]

Hi All,

Clearing out the cobwebs from the deep recesses of my collection. I had bought this piece at a London Toy Soldier Show many years back. It's OK but I would like to improve on the piece and add details, and also may change the subject matter. So I will be stripping it down and am just posting the pics here for nostalgia.

Rgds Victor

 

[blaster]

Stripped of paint. I removed the horse head and decided to improve on the hoofs. The rump was also built up.

 

[blaster]

Focusing on the horse itself, the hooves were further defined. I substituted a Historex head for the original. This would be easier to remodel. The head was positioned with wire and the neck was sculpted. A Historex tail was also added. As the details of the saddlery and horse furniture was not that good, I have decided to select for a mounted figure or unit which had a shabraque to cover the upper part of the horse. Hence the saddle was filed off to fit in a Hisotrex shabraque.

I haven't yet decided what unit to represent and am scouring my references for a suitable unit, including yeomanry.

 

[blaster]

Looking at my references, and unless something else comes up, I am starting to finalise this figure as a Westmoreland and Cumberland yeomanry piece. I have sufficient info on the uniform and shabraque.

 

[blaster]

These are some images taken from the web. Red Hussar jacket with dark blue trousers and dark blue shabraque.

 

[blaster]

I reshaped a Historex shabraque to fit over the horse. For the figure, I selected a suitable torso and glued this to a pair of lancer legs. I always prefer the Historex legs to the Airfix legs as the latter are always more splayed. I carved the torso to represent a short hussar jacket. Some putty was added to broaden the trousers.

I decided to add a little bulk to my trooper in front. Although the figure seems to be airborne when perched on the horse, I am not too concerned as I have added a sheepskin saddle cover over the shabrque (photo not yet taken.

The head is being resculpted. The horse mane has been added.

 

[Martin Tabony]

Remember the British Hussar busby of the period is closer to the head and more cylindrical than the French Napoleonic colpack. Also there's an edging to the top that hides the top of the bag.
Martin

 

[Martin Tabony]

I meant to add this.

 

[blaster]

Hello Martin,

Thanks for highlighting the busby. I have taken note and will trim down the girth of the Historex colpack. I didn't quite understand your "edging" explanation until I saw several other pics on the web. The top of the bag sits in a depression on top of the busby. Got it.

Some more progress on this piece. The face has been sculpted. I have sculpted the sheepskin with sawtooth edging, pressed the figure on top to get the correct seat. At this stage, I haven't yet decided to do him as an officer with sabretache and sword or a musician (without) but with a tuba.


Rgds Victor

 

[blaster]

The busbies appear to differ in height and shape across the yeomanry units. Some of the other yeomanry units (Worcestershire) had busbies which appear similar to the French colpack.

 

[Martin Tabony]

The British busby changed over the years, sometimes a Yeomanry unit would hang on to an older style (or change it latter due to economy.) In the same way that the C&W Yeomanry kept the old style tunic. Also officers busbies were often made with fully fur, as foot guards bearskins are. Officers use female and other ranks, male. There was even a volunteer horse artillery unit that used raccoon skin.

Personally I think the musician would be more unusual with his red and white braid.

I see they had plaited cords in the style of the 11th Hussars.

Martin

 

[blaster]

Hi Martin,

I removed the bag and trimmed down the busby by filing. I created a depression on top of the busby by using a microdrill fitted with a grindstone to hollow out the top. Then I reworked the fur with a pyrogravure. The bag was recreated from putty. I built up the rest of the sheepskin shabraque and also filled out the trousers.

 

[Martin Tabony]

That's really starting to look the part now. I'm going to have to find time to get back to making some Victorian stuff.

Martin

 

[blaster]

I reshaped the lacings and buttons on the dolman. The head position was finalized.

 

[blaster]

Decided to have another go at this piece. I found all the pieces and the trousers were resculpted. Now that the lacing on the front of the tunic was completed, the tuba was carefully fitted to the figure and attached via the left arm. Then the right arm was attached to the right shoulder.

 

[blaster]

After careful study, the left side was built up.

 

[blaster]

An undercoat of red was done to check the sculpt.

 

[blaster]

After a lot of sanding and fitting, I epoxied the figure to the horse.

 

[blaster]

After studying this piece for a while (actually I misplaced it...), I lengthened both legs and rebuilt them. The front of the shabraque on the offside was rebuilt as well. Finally, I drilled into the tuba and tried to do a better representation of the instrument.

 

[blaster]

in the midst of rearranging my collection, I came across this piece again. This is a frequent occurrence as I put my unfinished and finished pieces together in a thematic setting.

Ive put it on a suitable base and we'll see what happens next.