Thursday 18 July 2024

AWI British Foot Guards and 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers

The latest two battalions completed are a battalion comprised of Foot Guard detachments and the 23rd Royal Welsh (or Welch for the purists) fusiliers:











The Guards battalion is the largest British unit I'll do for this project, comprised of 30 figures. I knew that they didn't take their colours with them as they were comprised of detachments from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd regiments of Guards, but mistakenly thought the Perrys had included a couple of standard bearers in their command pack so I now have a spare set of GMB flags I'll never use. Never mind.











The reason this unit is so large is because I included a company of grenadiers:











And also the lights which I have put on the slightly larger skirmish bases:











The command pack includes the usual nicely animated variety of poses, even if there weren't any standard bearers to accommodate my now surplus flags:





















The 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers have always been a favourite of mine as their regimental headquarters is in Caernarfon, not from where we lived in North Wales for a couple of years. I still have distinct memories of going there when I was seven or eight years of age and think it was the first military museum I ever visited:


The 23rd were engaged in many of the battles through the War of Independence. Most of the OOBs I have only call for no more than sixteen or eighteen figures, so this is one of the smallest regiments I'll do. The figures are in the rather unflattering roundabouts:


And include a nice mixture of firing line poses:


No problem with finding a home for the rather beautiful GMB flags here though:


I also finished the last of the British casualty dials:


That's fourteen battalions now completed:

Next up, two Scottish regiments including one in kilts. I had to tackle tartan sooner or later, I suppose...

20 comments:

  1. Another two lovely units Lawrence - they are all metal, I assume?
    I too have the 23rd but mine are unrealistically all wearing grenadier style bearskins - they are, in fact, Front Rank grenadiers - so really, their bearskins are too tall for fuzileers - but who cares?!

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    1. Yes, all metal Keith. I have to agree with you, fusileer regiments look much better in bearskins. The 7th has always been one of my favourites as well, and always seemed to perform well in the few Napoleonic games I have fielded them.

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  2. Beautiful work Lawrence, there is just enough scope in AWI to create a little bit of variation in the appearance of each unit, different hats etc. you are being a bit more careful than me on historical accuracy 👍

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    1. Cheers Matt. No doubt a few egregious errors in there, but I have enjoyed the bits of research I have done. I had no idea before I started on this that there was so much variation possible in an AWI British army.

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  3. Outstanding work, Lawrence, but I like the look of the roundabout. You are a painting machine.

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    1. Thanks Jonathan. Even though it feels to me like it is taking forever I think I am finally getting somewhere.

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  4. 30 figures for a unit is big. You’ve crushed it with the painting on these as they look great. You’re gonna have an outstanding AWI collection. 😀

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    1. Thanks Stew. Only a couple more regular British units to go, then on to the Hessians.

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  5. Painting to a fantastic standard as usual. Nicely done Lawrence.

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    1. Cheers Richard. Even though the roundabout is not my favourite British uniform these figures were fun to do.

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  6. Beautiful brushwork Lawrence!

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  7. Thanks Ray, I was pleased with the way they all turned out.

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  8. Great work with these Lawrence. The army must be getting to parade stage soon?!

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    1. Thanks Mark. I'll wait until the Hessians are done until I put them on parade, so a little while to go yet.

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  9. Excellent painting Lawrence! I especially love your flags and casualty counters.

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    1. Thanks Vol. The GMB flags are very eyecatching.

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  10. Gorgeous looking units, lovely painting as usual, Bruce Castle in Totenham North London was the first regimental museum I went to, the Middlesex regiments, the die hards!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks Iain. Some of the regimental museums are very well done and house some terrific exhibits. The 23rd's museum has stuck with me all these years and I made a return visit twenty or so years ago.

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  11. A painting machine, as Jonathan noted; and an extremely well-oiled one too!
    Regards, James

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    1. Thanks James. I do wish I was even quicker at times though given how much I have left to get through.

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