New Figures Have Arrived - Bosniaken, Prussian Guards, French Gendarmerie

I am really excited about the latest batch of new Minden SYW figures that arrived from the caster yesterday. Richard Ansell has really hit the ball out of the park with these figures and I thinkk that you are really going to like them.

The new figures include the IR15/II and IR15/III 2nd and 3rd battalions, respectively, of the Prussian Garde; the elite Gendarmerie de France cavalry; a Hanoverian infantry officer carrying a musket rather than a pole arm; and finally, those exotic Prussian Bosniaken Lancers.

You can purchase the new figures through the Fife and Drum Miniatures webstore by clicking on the link below:

Fife and Drum Miniatures webstore

Prussian Garde regiment IR15

The first group of new figures, shown below, are the Prussian Garde of IR15. The first battalion of the Garde (or designated IR/I) was the ceremonial battalion decked out in fine silver lace. They only fought at one battle during the SYW - at Kolin.

The second battalion of the Garde (IR15/II) wore tricorn hats and the third battalion of the Garde (IR15/III) wore miter hats. Note that officers in both regiments always wore the tricorn hat, so officers in the 3rd battalion wear tricorn hats rather than grenadier miters.

Prussian Garde - 3rd Battalion

MP-023 3rd Battalion of the Garde, wearing grenadier miters.

MP-022 3rd Battalion of the Garde, in miters, except for the officers who wore tricorn hats.

Prussian Garde - 2nd Battalion

MP-020 2nd Battalion of the Garde Command group

MP-021 2nd Battalion of the Garde, wearing tricorn hats.

Prussian Bosniaken Lancers

Christopher Duffy refers to the Bosniaken as "the comical performance of the Bosniaken", so that might hint at the quality of this unit, which eventually numbered TEN squadrons. Yikes! The Bosniaken were usually attached to the HR5 von Reusch (Black Hussars) Hussar Regiment. 

MPC-010 Bosniaken Command

MPC-011, side view

MPC-011 Bosniaken Lancers (2 figures per pack, even though the picture shows three lancers)

Side view of the Lancers.

The Bosniaken wore black coats and trousers edged in red and they wore white turbans that gave them an exotic Turkish appearance. Each of the ten squadrons had different colored lances, done in a striped "barbershop pole" pattern. That should challenge your painting skills, but I might post a striped flag pole, lance pole tutorial on this blog.

Gendarmerie de France

This elite cavalry unit was ranked a half-step below the Maison du Roi French cavalry and were an awesome unit to behold on the battlefield.  They were raised in troops (half squadrons, in effect) each with different names of princes of the kingdom. Two troops were brigaded together to form a squadron of cavalry. There were 8 companies of Gendarmes and 8 companies of Cheveaux-legers, and thus 8 squadrons in the entire fighting force. The Gendarmerie de France made a valiant charge at the battle of Minden, but they were decimated by the steady British regiments' accurate musketry. The Gendarmes were one of the few French cavalry units to break through the British battle line.

Kronoskaf - Gendarmerie de France

MFC-014 Gendarmerie de France Command

Rear view of the Gendarmerie Command figures.

Side view of the Gendarmes. The officer on the right wears his cuirasse outside of his coat  and is a magnificent work of sculptural art by Richard Ansell.

MFC-015 Gendarmerie de France troopers.

MFC-015 Gendarmerie de France troopers.

And finally, something completely different 

One of my steady customers over the years has been asking me to add a Hanoverian infantry officer that is carrying a musket rather than the pole arm figure that is in the Minden range. Officers in regiments of many countries began to discard their pole arms during the war and carry a musket or a short fusil instead. Good idea guys! I might add similar poses for French, British and Austrian officers in the future.

I plan on adding this figure to the Hanoverian infantry command packs, but will also offer the figure as a single figure with a product code of "MH-008" in case you only need one or two in your existing Hanoverian battalions.

MH-008 Hanoverian infantry officer with musket

And Even More New Figures Are on the Way!

As I post this blog, Richard Ansell has finished the greens for 15 more new SYW figures plus two different sprues of muskets.

Prussian Hussars in both busby and mirliton in a shouldered sword at rest pose. He has also made a new hussar horse for these figures and they sport the appropriate horse tack bling. I've also added a dismounted Prussian hussar firing his carbine, busby and mirliton versions, and these figures will be added to the dismounted Prussian hussar figure packs.

Russian Horse Grenadiers: five poses with one of the troopers wearing the summer waistcoat rather than the regular green coat (although we have that figure too)

Ferdinand of Brunswick has arrived to lead your Allied army in western Germany. Ferdinand is mounted on a horse - we already had a dismounted version of Ferdinand in the Minden range.

Finally, a mounted Croat officer with an attitude! He is wearing a tricorn hat and his cape is draped over his shoulders.

I will post pictures of the new greens within a couple of days, on this blog.