Tag Archives: scale modelling

French and Indian War: French Regulars from AW Miniatures

The majority of my French figures for my French and Indian War collection tend toward irregular Canadian miltia and Compagnies Franches de la Marine troops. To supplement them, I’ve endevoured to add some models to represent more regular French troops to the mix that became a greater battlefield presence particularly as the war went on.

For my French regular troops, I first turned to UK-based AW Miniatures for their stout 28mm scupts which scale well with most of my other figures. To create two units, I picked up two of their eight-packs of French regular infantry (FIW30) and supplemented them with a three-pack of French regular command (FIW31) and one additional standard bearer (FIW37).

Together, this gave me two ten-figure units of French regulars. I like the mix of poses and headwear, as well as their bayonets tipping their muskets. One officer, my favorite of the bunch, sports a broad mustache with a sword at the ready and a commanding hand pointing his troops forward. For the standard bearers, I printed period French flags on paper, attached and stiffened them with white glue.

I am not generally a fan of painting white uniforms, but the blue waistcoats, lapels and cuffs, as well as the yellow-trimmed tricornes, provide a pretty stunningly graphic contrast. Once deployed, twenty of these French regulars on the table in a double-ranked firing line really present an imposing force as they must have in the many of the pivotal FIW battles in which they fought.

French and Indian War: Compagnie Franches de la Marine from Galloping Major Wargames

Fan favorite Galloping Major Wargames launched its second Kickstarter campaign in July 2017 with a line featuring Compagnies Franches de la Marine. Billed as “regular soldiers recruited in France for colonial service,” this 28mm campaign added seven new packs to their catalog, plus a single character figure which instantly became one of my favorite.

I ordered three packs of figures (FIW FCFI, FIW FCF2 and FIW FC3) featuring soldiers and command clad in “Canadian/outpost” clothes and wearing a mix of bonnets and tuques. I chose to paint them up in a variety of colors so they mix equally well with my Canadian militia units or stand alone as recruited French soldiers.

These soldiers were commonly posted at forts and fought in battles all across the French and Indian War era, so they come in pretty useful in a lot of gaming scenarios. Overall the poses are pretty basic in loading, at the ready, advancing and firing, with a little extra personality in the command figures. Other figures in the Kickstarter featured more formal short jackets and tricorne hats, and the entire range is now available for sale through the company’s website.

The gem of the entire offering is the individual Daniel Hyacinthe de Lienard de Beaujeau figure. A Canadian officer and veteran of King George’s War, Beaujeau was an inspiration to his men and often led them into battle bare-chested and dressed in Indian garb. He died in the opening minutes of the Battle of the Monongahela in July 1755 and remains a somewhat legendary character of the FIW period.

I’m always glad to add more Galloping Major figures to my collection, and the Beaujeau figure really made this campaign worth it.

French and Indian War: Civilians and Working Pioneers from Redoubt Enterprises

I’m always on the hunt for different kinds of figures, poses and little stories to tell by scouring through the offerings of as many manufacturers I can find. I’ve been adding more figures from Redoubt Enterprises to my French and Indian War collection, and I’ve found a number of their civilians to be good additions.

A pack of six figures of standing and firing settlers has a nice amount of diversity in poses. Two men stand at the ready, two are firing and another is waving them on in encouragement. My favorite in the set is the sculpt of the rather distinguished gentleman with a pistol extended at arm’s length to calmyly fire. I also like that half the figures are not wearing hats like the vast majority of figures found for this 18th-century colonial era.

Another kind of figure that is hard to come by is basic laborers, like those so important to the wilderness campaigns of the FIW period. Luckily, Redoubt has a very specific set of working pioneers found deep into their exetensive catalog. The package comes with two men moving fallen timber and another swinging an axe. All three wear the heavy leather aprons that worn by men doing this rough forest-clearing work.

Overseeing them and on guard are three soldiers, also included in the pack. I’ve painted them up as somewhat generic British provincials, and I usually field them with other colonial units. The six of them together on the table can find their way into a number of scenarios, especially as the lead units in the Braddock Expedition at the Battle of the Monongahela.

Combined with my wagons and other workers, these figures create opportunities to tell more of the story of the FIW. Beyond soldiers, it was the average settlers who were rallied to work or fight for both the French and British during the war. It’s great to discover more figures to act as characters in these tabletop wargaming dramas.

French and Indian War: Civilians and Settlers from Galloping Major Wargames

Gaming the scerios in the 18th-century wilderness settlement period of the French and Indian War period necessitates having some civilians models on hand. Aside from hacking an existence out of the American wilderness, settlers were often pressed into service as hastily organized militia. Incorporating this part of the era’s story into tabletop wargames makes for a lot of interest for fans of the period.

One of the most popular modern manufacturers of FIW 28mm metal miniatures is the UK-based Galloping Major Wargames. Born from the artistic skill of Lance Cawkwell, the company offers a big, ever-expanding line of figures for the period. Aside from the usual fighting units of British, French and Indian, Galloping Major carries a small selection of civilian settlers defending their homes and families, all of which I’ve snapped up.

To myself and many others, Galloping Major sculpts carry two main identifying characterics: size and personality. As 28mm models, these are defintely among some of the largest being made today. The casts are big and chunky — models hefty to hold, a joy to paint and a wonder on the table. While they may outsize some other manufacturers that veer more toward a thinner 28mm or 25mm scale, I find nothing about these models that ever makes them look too out of place with other figures once on the table.

In terms of detail and character, the company’s models are among some of the best. Particularly with these civilian figures, there is a lot of indiviuality here. The Settlers Defending packs (FIW AAC 1 and FIW AAC 2) contain a total of a dozen figures armed with guns, clad in everday clothes and topped with tricorne or broad round hats.

The real prize are the six figures in the Command and Characters pack (FIW AAC3) which contains an aproned baker or butcher armed with a blunderbuss, a preacher toting a bible and pistol, and, a man on the run with a knife drawn with a gun at the ready. The other three figures, perhaps local community leaders, are more formally dressed in long, lapelled coats and armed with pistols and swords. I chose to paint them up in provincial officer uniforms.

Having dozens of Galloping Major models, including all these civilian settlers, in my collection provides a variety of options and play opportunity, and I’m always looking forward to painting the next one.

French and Indian War: Woodland Indians from Sash and Saber Castings

In the summer of 2018, Sash and Saber Castings launched a Kickstarter for one of the most massively comprehensive lines of French and Indian War miniatures available. Owner and designer Chris Hughes has proven himself over the past 20 years in creating a huge catalog of metal 40mm and 28mm miniatures spanning hundreds of years of military history. His 28mm FIW launch was quickly funded by campaign backers, unlocked a number of stretch goals along the way, and shipping proceeded at a swift pace by the spring of 2019.

The miniatures in the Sash and Saber FIW collection cover British, French, Indian soldiers, warriors, mounted leaders, casualties, artillery and civilians of all types over some 100 different packs of four figures each. Less common models such as figures in winter clothes on snowshoes and some much-needed women and children help make this offering one of the most welcome and unique offerings for the period.

I ordered a bunch of British Provincials and several of the Indian packs, including Iroquois Firing (FW11), Iroquois Advancing (FW13), Iroquois with Clubs and Tomahawks, and Iroquois Leaders (FW1201). The figures carry a lot of detail in sculpts that lean a bit on a more natural scale tipping a bit toward 25mm rather than the chunkier, heroic figures found in other manufacturer lines. Many of the Iroquois come dressed in more European-influenced trade clothes while some wear more traditional bucksin leggings and loincloths, both styles reflecting the evolving culture clash of the 18th-century frontier.

The full line is now available on the company’s website, retailing for $8 a pack. With some of these models already gracing my tabletop scenarios, I’ll be certain to be slowly adding more to my collection over time.

French and Indian War: Woodland Indians from AW Miniatures

The relative newcomer AW Miniatures has been at it for about ten years, producing unique ranges of metal figures for familiar periods. This largely one-man, UK company has put out lines for the American Civil War, the Samurai period, the Seven Years War, the Zulu War and the Sudan War.

The French and Indian War line is fairly broad, and I have a number of their figures to my collection. The Indian War Party pack offers a nice mix of 20 Indians, including bowmen and figures armed with muskets and hatchets. The bowmen are a bit on the chucky side and the other figures are a bit thinner, all falling within a 25 to 28mm scale.

Many of the casts are obviously modelled off a similar base sculpt with additions and alterations to details like headwear. The figures on the run come with arms to be glued on, allowing for a bit of variety in final poses. To create some additional personality, I chose to empahisize body paint on my models which fit in nicely with my other units on the table.

French and Indian War: Woodland Indians from Redoubt Enterprises

The UK-based Redoubt Enterprises carries an enormous variety of metal miniatures including pirates, ancients, Renaissance, English Civil War, American Civil War, Napoleonics and several ranges of colonials figures, icluding nearly 200 separate choices of models for the French and Indian War.

Their FIW line includes vast selections of British, French and Indian models, including warriors, canoes and civillians. Sculpts from Redoubt tend toward a traditional, heroic scale that tips heavily toward 28mm with chunky casts filled with unique personality that are a joy to paint and really pop on the table.

The ‘warriors with firebrands’ pack includes a raiding party, armed with blazing torches and a leader drinking from a clay vessel. The models are great for attacks on villages, farms and fortifications on the frontier. These are unique, ferocious characters modelled to bring high drama to the tabletop.

Another favorite is the ‘sachems and warchiefs’ set. These models are a mix of calm Indian leaders wrapped in a blanket with a mystical crow’s wing, holding forth a wampum belt and standing gracefully in a commanding pose. Others in the pack show more agressive leaders on the run and commanding their people in the field, looking to roll back the onslaught of European incurisions into their lands.

Both sets have brought a great deal of variety and personality to the regular warrior models from other manufacturers in my collection — moreso than just about almost any other company. For miniatures wargaming, they offer an opportunity to inject roleplay into games with the story each sculpt looks to tell — a welcome place in any gaming session with a wide range of characters to act.