SYW Hessians

This is my third Challenge post for the week.  Continuing on with my SYW Sharp Practice project I have 13 members of the Hessian Freywald Militia Regiment.  The Hessian Militia was originally used to patrol roads in Hesse-Kassel, but were reorganized in 1760 as Garrison Regiments and then used in the field.  The Freywald regiment became the  Von Kuntzleben Regiment in 1760 with a change in Colonel.  They fought (and were roughed up) at Sandershausen in 1758 and with much better results at Langensalza in 1760.  I chose this Militia unit because I like the yellow facings.

The figures are (no surprises here) from the Perry AWI range, Hessian Garrison Regiment at ease.  I love the relaxed pose to these troops.  I think all that's missing is a guy scratching his backside, another picking his nose and a Sergeant storming across the field to snap them back into line.  I picked them up mainly because I liked the figures, but also because the SP campaign guide Dawns and Departures uses Militia as support troops and I thought these would fit the bill on the Anglo-Allied side.

Not my best photos.

I used the two officer figures from the command pack for these troops earlier, one became a civilian with a book and the other an artillery officer with telescope.  So I've re-purposed a standard bearer to fill in as officer.   The figure was cast with the standard cover wrapped around his torso, which I have tried to repaint as an overcoat.  Mostly though I hope people ignore it!   It is not even clear if the regiment carried colours in the SYW, although it did carry them later on in the AWI.  The gloves seem to fit an aged Militia officer and I gave him grey hair to fit that role.

I find that these figures give a much different feel from most SYW troops.  The Prussian cut coats and bicorns are more modern (but less practical) then the standard SYW garb.  Plus the blue pants, yellow facings and slacker poses remind me of a French Revolution era Leger unit.

Excuse the dark photo.

In Sharp Practice terms, militia units are 10 strong and conscripts 8 strong.  I could count this unit as either type depending on need, so have based them in one base of 4, three of two and two single plus the officer.  I normally base my SP units on the plastic Renendra bases that come with Perry plastics (I am cheap and impatient and these were readily at hand), but realized that my supply of these is running low.  Therefore I used the three 2 up bases, again from the Perry boxes.  Since my original bases are deeper than they are wide, to make the double bases fit the same depth I ended up doing them as files of two instead of a single rank of two.  I quite that the effect and may use it for future units.  There are also 2 privates on single bases (washers) that can be used as sentries, added to gun crews or combined into another group in the future.  The officer is mounted on a larger washer so that he stands out from the rank and filers.