MV – Warlord Bossman John Stallard has been beavering away at his hobby desk, and with all the excitement surrounding the upcoming launch of Black Powder Epic Battles: Revolution!, it’s no surprise that he’s gone ‘across the pond’ to paint up some American War of Independence goodness! What’ve you been up to, boss?
JS – What we’ve got here is a standard regiment of British redcoats, plus a mounted commander, and a base of skirmishing light infantry (or ‘Light Bobs’, as they were known). All in all, these took me about ten hours to paint, and I’d initially only planned to do these to dip my toe into the period. Of course, I should have known – now I want to do a whole army! I can’t just have British, either (given that there weren’t actually that many of them in America), so I’ll need to do some Hessians as well. Time for another project – oh, what a hardship!
MV – While we’ve already covered the basic infantry in our first sprue focus, you can find out more about the light infantry and mounted commander in an upcoming article very soon. Still, we couldn’t leave you without any juicy new previews, so here’s a very early look at the prototype British Foot Guards, who’ll be following hot on the heels of the main Epic Battles: Revolution! release:
These elite troops sport rounded hats with a fancy feather plume – these are actually their tricorns, which have had their brims bashed flat to make a more comfortable and practical piece of campaigning headgear. You can also use these chaps to make Royal Welsh Fusiliers – the only difference is the colour of the plume: black for Guards, white for Fusiliers. You could also easily trim the plumes off to create regular infantry with a more ‘hardened campaigner’ appearance.
The Foot Guards famously didn’t carry colours into battle, but we know how much everyone enjoys a good flag. We’ve followed the same principle as our other sprues, leaving a gap on the command strip that can be filled with a standard bearer or ordinary infantryman, as you prefer, which further adds to the versatility of these figures.
That’s not all, though – accompanying the Foot Guards are their own light infantry skirmishers, and if you listen carefully, you might be able to hear the skirling of bagpipes – the Highlanders are coming! Clad in their distinctive bonnets and marching to the sound of their (optional) piper, these doughty Scotsmen are certain to make for a colourful addition to any British force. Naturally, they’re accompanied by light infantry of their own as well!
Has all this talk of Foot Guards and Scotsmen given you a hankering to head to the colonies?
Revolution! Battle Set
This awesome battle set gives you everything you need to begin fighting the American War of Independence on your tabletop. Containing 2,097 soldiers (if you factor in everything, including extras), the box gives you a huge force for both the British and their Hessian and Native American allies, and the American Continental Army, including infantry, cavalry, and artillery, as well as famous personalities and ‘generic’ commanders to lead them. Also included is the full-length A5 rulebook to get you playing, flag sheets to decorate your units, an assembly and painting guide, and an MDF watchtower for your troops to fight over!
