Prussian Artillery Equipment from Fife & Drum

New Prussian Artillery Models (from L to R): 12-pdr, 10-pd Howitzer, 6-pdr, and 3-pdr. Click pix to enlarge.

Prussian 12-pounder (left) and 10-pound howitzer (right) shown with Minden Miniatures SYW Prussian artillery crewmen for size comparison.

The Fife & Drum artillery works has been busy these past couple of months designing, forging and assembling and painting the new Prussian SYW artillery equipment that we have added to our range of 18th Century artillery equipment. The artillery range is done in 1/56 scale, which means that they are utterly and completely compatible with the Minden Miniatures range of SYW figures. These cannon models were designed with the Minden range in mind, as I needed some cannon for my own armies of Minden Miniatures Prussians.

A special thanks goes to Christian Rogge for his tireless work in creating drawings of all of the French and Prussian SYW era artillery equipment. Christian's work made it all possible to have the sculpts made and the pieces put into production.

The range also includes the necessary limbers and horse teams to go with your Prussian (and French) artillery, and we also added a munitions wagon and pontoon wagon, both of which could be used with any European army in the 18th Century.

Prussian 6-pounder (left) with light 6-pounder limber, and 3-pounder (right) M1740 Holtzmann model. Click pix to enlarge.

Munitions wagon (left) to provide ammo for your artillery and a pontoon wagon with pontoon (right) for all of those river crossings. You can also purchase an extra pair of pontoons and a pair of draft horses with civilian driver. Click pix to enlarge.

Prussian 12-pounder with limber. Minden Miniatures artillery crew shown for sizing purposes.

Here is a list of the new product codes for the Prussian artillery equipment:

AE-008   Pair of limber horses and civilian driver  ($8.00)
AE-017   Pair of pontoons only ($8.00)
AE-018   Pontoon wagon with one pontoon   ($10.00)
AE-019   Munitions wagon (wicker-sided with canvas cover) ($10.00)
AE-020   Prussian 12-pounder  ($6.00)
AE-021   Prussian 10-pound Howitzer  ($6.00)
AE-022   Prussian 6-pounder  ($6.00)
AE-023   Prussian 3-pounder M1740 Holtzmann model  ($5.00)
AE-024   Prussian light limber with ammo chest (use with 6-pdr and 3-pdr)  ($5.00)
AE-025   Prussian heavy A-Frame artillery limber  ($5.00)
AE-026   Pair of civilian limber horse riders only - 1 brimmed hat & 1 tricorne ($4.00)

For more information, click on the Fife & Drum link below to go to the web page:

Fife & Drum Miniatures


In the future, we will add the Prussian Brummer and the 7-pound howitzer to the range.


In a few more days, I will post pictures and product codes for all of the new French Valliere artillery equipment that we now have in the Fife & Drum range.

Hessians Are Coming Too!

Minden Prussians, shown to conceptualize what AWI Hessians might look like. Click to enlarge.

Just a little bit of an update on the Fife & Drum Kickstarter Project. As of today, we have pledges in the  amount of $9,329 from 32 backers. If you would like to contribute and become a member of "The Fife & Drum Corps", then click the link below:

Fife & Drum Kickstarter

With 25 days remaining, it looks like we have a reasonable chance of hitting the Stretch Goal No. 2 at the $12,000 pledge level, and this will unlock the first 16 Hessian musketeer infantry. Grenadiers and jagers and artillery crew would follow thereafter.

As previously announced, the first Stretch Goal No. 1 of $8,000 has been achieved, so this means that the British Legion cavalry of Banastre Tarleton will become unlocked. We will probably release the 3rd Continental Light Dragoons at the same time to balance out the range a little bit.

Tarleton Is Coming!

Banastre Tarleton, after portrait by Joshua Reynolds.

The Fife & Drum Kickstarter Project is progressing very well, having reached and passed the initial funding goal of $5,000. We are now within $615 of hitting our first Stretch Goal of $8,000 and this will unlock the Tarleton personality figure as well as his British Legion cavalry figures.

Like him or hate him, the man certainly had a lot of dash and style as exemplified by Joshua Reynolds' famous portrait of Tarleton. This is one of the iconic pictures of the AWI and the British Legion uniform is a real piece of eye candy, as we would say today. I am excited by the probability that we will be able to add these figures to Fife & Drum Miniatures. We are so close, but we need just a little more help from you to get across the Stretch Goal finish line. 

So please click on the link to our Kickstarter Project and take a look at our story

Fife & Drum Kickstarter Project Page

You can make contributions as little as $1.00 or if you back the project at the $50.00 level then you also get a free Spirit of '76 vignette. In any event, many small contributions often add up to a big number. 

best regards,

Fritz

Fife & Drum Miniatures Launches AWI Dragoon Kickstarter Project

Kickstarter Reward shown: Spirit of '76 Vignette. The other vignette is from the Minden Miniatures range of figures (not part of Kickstarter). Also shown is the new Ammo Wagon and our existing Continental Artillery crew and Swedish 4-pounders. Click pix to enlarge.

Fife & Drum Miniatures is pleased to announce that we have just launched a Kickstarter Project to help put our proposed British and American Light Dragoons into production. Our initial goal of $5,000 will cover the cost of sculpting 16 greens and making the master and production moulds.

Fife & Drum Kickstarter Link

I talked with Richard Ansell today and he is very keen to get started on the dragoon project, which will initially feature a selection of 8 British dragoons and 8 Continental dragoons. Eventually, we want to create the British 16th and 17th Light Dragoons, Tarleton's British Legion cavalry, the 1st and 3rd Continental Light Dragoons, some South Carolina mounted partisans (Pinkney and Marion) and a whole other host of cavalry goodies. 

As you can see, we will do nothing in small measures as I want to produce one of the most comprehensive ranges of AWI cavalry to the Fife & Drum range of figures. I am particularly excited by the cavalry project, because once the figures go into production (around January 2014), we will have achieved our Phase I goal of getting all three combat arms into production so that our customers can field complete AWI armies for both sides of the conflict.

We have some interesting stretch goals too, as you can see from our link. There will be Hessians, Highlanders and even French infantry for Savannah finding their way into our product line over the next several years.

So go ahead and look at our project. You can contribute as little as $1.00 or qualify for the Spirit of '76 Vignette with a minimum contribution of $50.00. Any contribution will be gratefully accepted.

I want to thank everyone for the encouragement and support that you have given the Fife & Drum range so far. I also want to thank our talented design team including Richard Ansell, Alan Marsh and the exsquisite casting work done by Griffin Moulds.

respectfully yours,

Jim Purky (Der Alte Fritz)

Finished Spirit of '76 Vignette and some Jagers

Minden civilians carrying ammo chest, Fife & Drum Spirit of '76 vignette, and F&D equipment and artillery crew shown (click pix to enlarge the view).

Hesse Seewald Jagers - Fife & Drum Continentals and Militia painted as an Imaginations Army: 28 figures representing a Light Battalion in Charles Grant's "The Wargame" rules.

It has been a busy weekend here in Hesse Seewald. First of all, the Erbprinz was assembling and kitting out two companies of light infantry to serve as his escort to his ultimate destination where he will learn the Art of Warfare under the tutelage of one of Europe's foremost military tacticians. Who that person is, I cannot say just yet, but eventually the Erbprinz's destination will be revealed. The light battalion is comprised of two companies of the Hesse Seewald von Birckebeil Regiment that are on detached duty to guard the Erbprinz as he travels across central Germany.

The figures are all from the Fife & Drum AWI range of figures. I used Continentals mostly, as well as several militia standing firing and wearing tricorn hats (you can see them on the left hand side of the picture). The point is, that Fife & Drum figures can be used for both AWI and for your Imaginations armies, to equal good effect.

The picture on the top depicts the new Spirit of '76 vignette that we have just added to the Fife & Drum range. While my intention was to give away the figures at Historicon and/or as part of a Kickstarter reward, I have decided that I will sell the Spirit vignette via mail order. Any order worth at least $8.00 (that is four infantry figures) will receive a free Spirit of '76 vignette along with your order.

I only have 40 sets right now, but I will be sending in another order to Griffin Moulds for another 200-300 more sets, so I should have more than enough sets available for everyone within a couple more weeks (unless you hurry up and send in one of the next 38 orders this week).

Artillery Equipment Update

I have decided to go ahead and commission the rest of the French artillery based on the drawings of Christian Rogge, so this means that the French Valliere 16-pounder, 24-pounder and 8-pound howitzer will be added to the artillery equipment range. Christian is also working on drawings for the British artillery circa the SYW so this will allow us to add British 5.5" and 8" howitzers and 12-pound smooth bore cannon later this year. Christian is also gathering information on the Prussian Brummer cannon so I will definitely add the Brummer to the range as soon as I can. There will also be more support wagons (2-wheel and 4-wheel general purpose wagons and powder wagons). And if I can find some decent pictures of a traveling carriage, I would like to add a "Royal Carriage" to provide transportation for all of those Imaginations Dukes, Landgrafs, and Kings, etc who are roaming around Europe right now.

In a word, there is a lot more to come on the equipment side of the Fife & Drum range.

Spirit of '76 Vignette by Fife & Drum

Update: here is the vignette painted. I will have to ink and grass the base tomorrow. Click to enlarge.

Spirit of '76 Vignette will be given away with each purchase at our Historicon booth, July 18-21, 2013.

Well I have to say that Richard Ansell has outdone himself this time with these latest little gems that I just received today from our caster. That's right, you wanted it, you've asked for it, and now you've got it: the Spirit of '76 figures are now available from Fife & Drum Miniatures. We will be giving the figures away at our booth at Historicon with each purchase. So buy one bag of figures and you get the Spirit of '76 vignette included with your purchase at no extra cost.

I am really excited at how nice these figures turned out. Each figure has separate arms in order to facilitate the casting of the figure. However, the hole sockets are very deep and the arms are easy as pie to glue onto the figure. I rolled out a little sausage of green epoxy putty and placed the smallest little dab of putty into each socket, then one tiny drop of super glue, press the arms together, and Presto! You are done. I will prime and paint these guys over the weekend, so check back here around Sunday to see how they look painted.

We are also going to launch a Kickstarter Project next week and the Spirit of '76 vignette will be included as one of the rewards that backers will receive when they back our project. The Kickstarter Project's aim is to provide the funds that we need to add British and Continental light dragoons to the range.

Exciting days are ahead as we plan a major expansion of the Fife & Drum Miniatures range: both in figures and in more artillery equipment. The possibilities are endless and the future is bright.

Hesse Seewald Jagers

Hesse Seewald Jagers, using Fife & Drum AWI figures.  Click pix to enlarge.

(L-R) Jager Regimental Officer, the Erbprinz Karl Friedrich, and Captain Jakob Berkebeil.

I finished 12 light infantry figures and 3 mounted officers for my Hesse Seewald force, over the weekend. The Erbprinz and Captain Berkebeil are headed across the Pond for adventure and to learn the art of military science under the tutelage of some of Europe's finest military minds.  The Erbprinz needs an appropriate escort, so I am in the midst of painting two companies of light infantry (24 figures) to make the trip with him.

The Jager mounted officer is from the Fife & Drum AWI range of figures (the other two are from the Minden range) and I really like the way that he turned out -- he is almost too good to be a mere regimental commander, but I will let the new inhaber of the regiment make the decision.

I have always liked the color combination used in the uniforms of Napoleon's Guard Chasseurs a Cheval (green, red and tan) and so I incorporated the color scheme into my Hesse Seewald Jagers.

I apologize for the average quality of the pictures. I used my iPad and e-mailed the pix to myself to load into this blog. I wasn't able to down load them into iPhotos where I could have played around with the picture settings, etc. I also took some pix with my regular camera, but that takes awhile to download and edit, and I need to get to bed.

At any rate, I wanted to point out that the Fife & Drum Miniatures AWI figures make for fine Imaginations armies in addition to their intended use to wargame the American Revolutionary War.