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Saturday 22 April 2017

Inspiration and motivation

Hello again.

When I started painting my fledgling French & Indian Wars collection, I already had a few articles and even books covering suitable subjects - Rene Chartrand's Osprey volumes on Louis XV's army, North Star's boxed sets. the "Muskets & Tomahawks" rulebook, etc.

They enabled me to varying degrees to cover all I had done up to that point.

But then I bought some Highlanders...

And then my generally useful memory kicked in and I knew I had a suitable picture somewhere. Where? Hm...It was definitely in a Wargamers' Annual. Hm, which one?

Found it!

"Wargamers' Annual" volume 1, with artwork by the late, highly talented Bob Marrion, had an article on light troops in the 18th Century. The first plate was the exact picture I had recalled, of a member of the 42nd Foot in their initial uniform, 1758. Spot on!

Now these figures, all six of them, came via Ainsty from the North Star "M&T" range and, a tad annoyingly, are in a mix of uniforms and with mixed equipment. One figure alone is a ringer for the picture in the annual, two are sort of intermediate Highland infantrymen and the remaining three have the light infantry equipment with tomahawk, etc. Nevertheless, I was good to go and have now been and gone.

I should also say at this point that not only does Bob Marrion's work inspire me whenever I see it, but the whole Wargamers' Annual project has been a massive boon to me and all credit to the authors, contributors, publishers, etc. I make use of this material simply to show my admiration for what this series has done in my opinion for the wider hobby and in no way seek to tread on toes or anything untoward. I hope they will not mind me using the material and also hope it might in some small way also inspire anyone reading this to go and find the books and buy them.

So, for your perusal, on the very eve of that most English of saint's days ("Cry God for Harry, England and Saint George!" and all that), I give you some Scotsmen...

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The very tome, the first of the series, and the source of the picture I had stored away in the grey matter just for when it might become useful.

And the picture in question.

My version of the very figure depicted in the picture



And the complete unit, ready to take on the Frenchies in North America













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