Pioneers!

Today my order from Scale Creep arrived with Pioneers. Lots of them, and Dick Turpin at the Crossroads. This latter is not really for the Oobleckistan project, at least so far as I know, but it sounded cool. When I get him painted a picture will of course appear.

Allong with Pioneers I recieved the Fantassin Austrian General and ADC. These complete my command roster. 1 CinC and 3 subcommanders.

On to the subject at hand. The pioneers I was for the most part ordering blind. The Fantassin ones are huge! 4 big hulking lads with axes are in the pack. One or two of them on a base and I have a very good marker. ( Pack KN-28)

The others I ordered from Hallmark, (Packs MC-1 and AE25) and despite searching could find no pictures to guide me. These are an entirely different order of men. Compared to the Fantassin they are tiny! Not on the same base, not in the same unit, probably not in the same army, maybe not even on the same table tiny! The sculpting is well up to Hallmark's usual fanastic standard. These men are individuals, some are balding, some thin, some stocky, great stuff. The men are all in shirtsleeves as befits labourers at work, save for one armoured "supervisor". There is a nicely done coat on a post piece included in the pack, a fun touch. The men are equiped with a variety of shoves and rakes and implements of destruction. One man is driving his shovel into the ground, another has a spadefull of earth he is about to fling. There is a wheel barrow loaded with earth, and two more of the same empty. The shirts have lace collars and look like the (in)famous "poofy shirt" of Seinfeld fame. So I judge the men to be late 17th or early 18th Century, but could pass for earlier or later with a bit of file and putty work, or just appropriate painting.

I am quite pleased with the lot and what doesn't get used for Napoleonics in the Thirty Days Project, sold or traded to other members of my club, will be painted and used for 18th Century gaming. Indeed I will probably order more of these so as to do a large scale seige game with proper sappers.