Our Studio Page is where you will find previews and developments in our ranges; some will be in the form of my rough concept sketches, others as sculpting "work in progress", some will appear as new master castings and others as newly painted figures.
We've just added a new figure as a single figure pack: FIW FCM5 Canadian Militia Officer/Scout in Capote. Great for leading a detachment of milice or guiding a French column or unit. Find him in French & Indian War French - Canadian Militia, or French & Indian War French - Single figure packs, or French & Indian War - Single figure packs.
We have now created "homes" for our single figure packs from our French & Indian War/Seven Years War Ranges to make them easier to find. They will continue to also appear in their sub-range categories, for instance a pack containing a single British officer will still be found in French & Indian War British - British Regulars, while now also being found in Seven Years War Single Figure Packs, French & Indian War Single Figure Packs, French & Indian War British - British Single Figure Packs and French & Indian War French - French Single Figure Packs.
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Having recently added more single figure packs we will, from time to time add more, to better help you with designing your units and forces. An occasional check in Single Figure Packs may give you new ideas and make it easier for you to track new additions.
Sample group of Anglo-American Militia, left to right, two militiamen from pack FIW AAM1, drummer and officer from pack FIW AAM3. The militiaman on the left and the drummer had been sitting in painting "work in progress" for some time awaiting finishing until I recently made time to finish them off. I'm hoping it won't be quite as long before I finish the rest of the unit. The Militia, are of course, dressed in their own clothes, which means they'll be dressed according to individual preference and the depth of their pockets - this allows for quite a variety of colours, though ordinary militiamen would mostly the dressed mostly in more sober hues. Following considerable research I have gone for mostly browns (including sandy/stone coloured shades) and greys. I've given the officer a red waistcoat - perhaps a nod towards his military aspirations. His coat and breeches are a rich deep brown: having researched a good number of family portraits painted in New England in the lead-up period to the French & Indian War, virtually all the gentlemen at the head of each household are clad mostly in deep rich brown, so I decided to paint this gent as a person of means clad in a similar way.
The first 3 packs of French Infantry to be released shortly
The first 3 packs of French Infantry will be available in the online shop in a few weeks, once the pre-orders etc have gone out. These will be:
SYW/FIW F1 French Fusiliers Standing, Shouldered Muskets (half of the pack pictured above)
SYW/FIW F5 French Fusiliers Charged Bayonets (pictured below)
SYW/FIW F6 French Grenadiers in Tricorn, Charged Bayonets (pictured below)
All will be available in 6 and 8 figure packs.
SYW/FIW F5 French Fusiliers Charged Bayonets
SYW/FIW F6 French Grenadiers in Tricorn, Charged Bayonets
Four new master castings for the mounted versions of our 1880s US Cavalry
Here are the 4 new mounted versions of our dismounted troopers, that leaves 6 in work-in-progress sculpting including the 2 officers before the 3 packs are completed and can move into production. Starting with left and right side views of each, then one mounted and dismounted of each of the additional characters.
Just to help with the overall context, here are the previously completed mounted/dismounted characters.
More Horse Dollies
Above: three additional horse variants sculpted and cast, I'm currently using these for more mounted versions of the 1880s U.S. Cavalry, hence the McLellan saddles in place. Below: another horse dolly ready for later use.
New packs added to The Western Range shop page
There are three new packs in The Western Range which have recently been the subject of a "pre-order", two of the packs being TWR LAW1 & 2, each comprising two characters all of which now appear in painted form in the picture below. I haven't been able to make time to paint the third pack "Henchmen" but I do intend to, as my current photograph doesn't really do them credit.
Here's the first one I've painted from the above mentioned Henchmen pack.
Compagnies Franches in Capotes
I painted the Compagnies Franches officer character in Capote. He and the two packs of Compagnies Franches in Capotes will be going up in the shop soon. Hoping to move forward with finishing the Compagnies Franches in battalion uniform thereafter.
New releases for The Western Range
While I'm still working on the mounted versions of the 1880s US Cavalry, I finished off the sculpts for some Old West Lawmen/Enforcers (2 packs of 2) to release alongside a pack of 3 "Henchmen" that I finished a while back. They'll be going up in the shop now as pre-orders for release in October - I might even get time to slap some paint onto a couple of these by then.
Two packs of Lawmen/Enforcers
and a pack of 3 "Henchmen".
More 18th Century Sailors with muskets
I finished the one sculpt awaiting completion to make a second pack of Sailors armed with Muskets available. They're being released as pre-order to help get the production moving, alongside them will be a naval officer character I completed some time ago. This will provide the opportunity to field two x six man sailor units along with an officer for land service around the world, especially in the French & Indian War where they saw much use as escorts for wagon and pack trains, as well as backing-up the Redcoats.
Another French Regular Infantry work in progress update.
More French Fusiliers from packs SYW/FIW F13 and F14, route march, these iclude two soldiers carrying tent poles for their messes.
Four angles of another French Fusilier for pack SYW/FIW F8
Two more French Grenadiers for pack SYW/FIW F14:
French Regular Infantry work in progress update.
Here are some pictures of most of the master castings shown on our cover picture, they will go towards several of the packs that I'm currently working on completing, more can be found by scrolling down this page.
Above, four French fusiliers from packs SYW/FIW F13 and F14, route march.
Above, three more French fusiliers from packs SYW/FIW F8 and F9, standing, halted on the march.
Above, four French grenadiers in tricorn from pack SYW/FIW F10, standing, halted on the march. Below, the first grenadier in tricorn from pack SYW/FIW F14 route march.
French & Indian War Compagnies Franches de la Marine in capotes.
The packs of Compagnies Franches de la Marine in capotes will soon be the next releases to be added to the online shop, they will consist of 2 packs of 6 soldiers and a separate officer character:
FIW FCF11: Compagnies Franches de la Marine in capotes and bonnets.
FIW FCF12: Compagnies Franches de la Marine in capotes and tuques.
The 6th Figure from each of the packs FIW FCF11 and FIW FCF12 has a separate hand and musket casting to glue into the end of the right sleeve, here they both are:
FIW FCF14: Compagnies Franches de la Marine officer in capote and mitasses.
Here is the original concept art for the officer -
I must get round to photographing a casting/make time to finish painting the one I've started.
A Kickstarter campaign for The Western Range Apache Campaigns U.S. Cavalry
This Kickstarter ended successfully on 29th June, pledge surveys sent out to all backers.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/63158181/boots-and-saddles-in-the-southwest/?ref=kicktraq&fbclid=IwAR1IofXQIQDMff1pMcr6GJr4gjKqvmdSN346JA0-Rv2doRkREmX6W2qbtB
All 12 of the first batch of 1880s US Cavalry characters in dismounted format.
A little update for our French Regulars
French Regulars work in progress: pack SYW/FIW F5 Fusiliers, charged bayonets.
Update October 2020
Provincials in short coats and cut down hats will be released in the next few weeks, possibly a little bit ahead of the Stockbrige Mohicans and Ranger packs 4-6. There will be 10 different figures in the release: a standard 6 figure pack, a 3 figure pack of a corporal and 2 men, and a single figure sergeant, allowing for combinations to make up different unit sizes, there will also be some unit deals available.
The figures in these packs of Provincials also vary in some items of equipment and their "leg wear"; some have mitasses, others just their hose, and one has his regulation issue gaiters.
Update August 2020
Some newly painted master castings:
One from each of the Stockbridge Mohican packs,
and two Rangers from pack FIW RAN6. The Rangers in this pack are depicted as wearing the hunting shirts of the period, which were the working overshirt popular among "working men" of various trades to protect their shirts and small clothes from dirt and wear. During the 1770s, with the addition of capes and fringing, the hunting shirt would develop into the garment which would be recognisable during the American Revolution (American War of Independence) and on into the early decades of the 19th Century. The much more plain shape of the linen over-garment worn by the Rangers in this pack would be familiar on both sides of the
The Stockbridge Mohicans
The Stockbridge Mohicans were descended from Housatonic and Mahican Indians who settled at Reverend John Sergeant's mission and school at Stockbridge, western Massachusetts, established in the 1730s. They were one of the more "assimilated tribes" wearing much European-style clothing and living in towns of board houses, many attending church and school.
From the beginning of the French & Indian War they served in warrior bands, but also within Provincial regiments and Ranger companies. Captain Jacob Cheeksaunkun raised a company of 45 "Stockbridges" with Lieutenant Jacob Naunauphtaunk and Ensign Soloman Uhauamvaumut.
The Stockbridge Mohicans' day-to-day Europeanised appearance was considered to be less intimidating to the enemy, and, in common with the Mohegans of Connecticut, they were ordered to revert to their traditional Indian wear for war. They were issued muskets, powder horns and bullet bags, shirts and blankets; they wore centre-seam leggings and moccasins. In ranger companies they were issued the same equipment as their fellow rangers. Hair styles varied from a simple scalp-lock to worn long. The strips of red cloth tied around the barrels of their muskets were an expedient to avoid incidents of "friendly fire". Piercing appears not to have been much in evidence, if at all, paint and tattooing were not common.
There will be three packs each of six different Stockbridge Mohicans, and also my take on Captain Jacob Cheeksaunkun, dressed in the same style as his men, distinguished as an officer by his silver gorget and proudly sporting his presentation red ostrich plume.
Rangers/Backwoods Militia
There will also be three packs of Rangers/Backwoods Militia in this release, intended to either create new units or to for you to mix in with other packs. They can be painted in ranger uniform or more civilian style colour combinations for frontiersmen, militia and non-uniformed ranger companies. Shown are three of the soldiers from these packs; the man in the darker brown coat could take the field as a militiaman in his daily clothing, although I intend to use him as a member of Major Israel Putnam's Connecticut Rangers, who are described as wearing brown coats and green waistcoats.
There will be a greater variety of dress in these packs, and of headwear, including flopped tricorns and cut down hats; the third pack will be of Rangers/Backwoods Militia in shirts.
Anglo-American Provincials in Short Coats and Cut Down Hats
Anglo-American Provincial soldiers, as often represented, in cut down hats and a variety of legwear - a mix of issue leggings, mitasses (Indian leggings) and uncovered hose. This gives them a very "campaigny" look, enabling their use as separate companies or to mix in with our earlier releases of Provincials to give even greater variety.
There will be one pack of these Provincials with 6 figures, another with 3 figures including a corporal, and a sergeant available as a special character figure.
Compagnies Franches de la Marine - Part deux
The second (concluding) release of La Marine will follow hard on the heels of the Rangers, Stockbridge Mohicans and the new packs of Provincials.
This release will comprise 4 packs in their company/regimental coats including a command pack, 2 packs in capotes along with an officer character figure in capote.
Les Francais
French regular infantry for the French & Indian War and the Seven Years War in Europe will be released as early as we can with 16 new packs of fusiliers and grenadiers plus a special pack of a mounted/dismounted senior officer.
A word about our planned French grenadiers: there are packs in both tricorns and fur mitres, all will, of course, sport moustaches and their own distinctive cartridge boxes and swords, distinguishing them from the fusiliers. The grenadiers will not be distinguished from the fusiliers simply by head swaps.
