AHPC IX French SYW Dragoons

First post of this year’s challenge for me, I think this makes it 7 for me but my numbers are often wrong.  I am firmly in the by drips and drabs camp and will be bringing units to the table piecemeal, since that’s what works to keep me motivated.  I started work on Boxing Day, and have these four Dragoons complete plus other projects in various stages of completion.  I’ll be focusing on my SYW project, one that started two years ago on the Challenge.  Originally planned as a side project for a Sharp Practice, I found I loved working in the lace wars era and have expanded it to my main horse and musket project.

These are four members of the French Orléans Dragoon Regiment.  The figures are old Foundry ones, sold under their Casting Room line.  I don’t normally spring for Foundry prices but got taken in by a deal.  Even so they’re out of my normal budget when shipping and exchange rates are factored in.  However, the figures have a lot of character and look rough and ready which suits the French Dragoons of the era.

French Dragoons were far more a Dragoony than other nations’, and were expected to fight on horse and foot.  They carry muskets not carbines, wear shoes and gaiters  instead of boots and have axes for  impromptu pioneer work.  The dragoons did were very useful in the Kleine Krieg and also appeared in the bigger battles.

I do like that the Foundry sculpts are carrying full sized muskets.

Dragoon regiments had drummers instead of trumpeters as befit their origins as mounted infantry.  Many regiments also had mounted oboists (hautebois), but sadly no one makes such a figure.  As my daughter both plays oboe and did horse riding, it would be great to have one.  But having seen both oboes and horses close up, I have to say that playing oboe on horseback took balls - it looks like a recipe for having a sharp reed embedded in your upper palette.

I fudged the lace work here to keep myself sane.  The picture of the regiment's lace from kronoskaf (the go-to online SYW site) is shown below.  This appears on a shoulder strap, the saddlecloths and the drummer's coat.

Once the whole regiment is complete, I will add unit labels along the back edge of each base - I've left an un-sculpted strip to hold these tables.  You can see the axes with covers on the horse tack on the right shoulders.

I have two picture references in uniform books showing a shoulder straps with a simplified version with blue and white stripes, which could well be the effect from a distance.  However looking at things again I misinterpreted the direction of the striping and should probably redo it (or not depending).

The drummer figure looks grumpy, I wonder if he's dealing with a sore head after a night carousing!