I picked up these two very nice vignette from Perry Miniatures at Cold Wars too many years ago. It went into my "to do" box and got forgotten about. When organizing my figure boxes I came across them recently. Items like these really dress up a table and add interest.
First off, a scene of some crown forces officers interrogating a captured Continental line officer. A very interesting group of figures and uniforms. But something about the set looked, well, like there was much more to the story. And after a bit of asking around here is the story I found out. This is from Giles Allison's blog, Tarleton's Quarter.
"It was noted that Alan's AWI range was nearing the magic "100 packs" mark. Shortly afterwards, I suggested on the TMP forum as a joke that a suitable way of celebrating this landmark would be for Alan to do a "National Army Museum characters" pack. It was then suggested (I'm not sure by whom, perhaps Eclaireur or Alan himself) that a suitable vignette might be a group of British/Hessian officers interrogating Alan, as an allegory of the pestering that Alan has to put with from those of us who are always demanding that he makes specific packs of obscure AWI troops.
And so pack AW100 was born. Mug-shots and measurements (our heights, obviously...) were sent to Alan early in 2006, there was a bit of discussion about what uniforms the various, er, "personalities" should be wearing and then in July I received an email from Alan with a picture of the greens he had finished. The likenesses that he has captured in such a small scale are absolutely incredible. The Perries together with other Games Workshop designers have already demonstrated their superb skill as portrait artists through their "Lord of the Rings" figures, so I suppose we should not really have been surprised at how well these figures turned out. But many thanks to Alan for being so game and taking on this capricious idea!
In front of Alan are a gesticulating Eclaireur (in the uniform of a Guards officer; of impeccable breeding is EC), Dave Brown in the yellow facings of the 44th Foot (which became the East Essex Regiment in 1782) and myself reading the captured despatches, dressed as an officer in the Black Watch. Behind Alan are two Hessians in the orange facings of the von Lossberg regiment. The tall officer is AWI expert and guru Supercilius Maximus (as he is known on TMP) whilst the sentry is a chap I think is called Norbert. I also painted a set of masters for Alan's own collection which he's put up on his site. Painted November 2006. Tree stumps and fence from Redoubt Miniatures. Base size: 100mm x 100mm. "
https://gilesallison.blogspot.com/2007/01/interrogation-vignette.html
(I would like to see a different version of this scene. Perhaps some of the same characters but this time at either Trenton or Yorktown when the show is on the other foot!)
The camp scene is a series of small set pieces. Here is a woman cooking over a fire, while a soldier brings a barrel of water. Two soldiers settle the problems of the world over a drink while another soldier gets his hair dressed. The set is full of life and very charming.
I decided to set it in an American camp. The timing is 1776 around New York city. The Continental Army is not yet field tested and their clothing has not acquired the campaign look from hard service. One soldier is in a typical New England brown faced red coat. Those Yankeesdo like abrown coat one british office said during the F&I war. The one getting his hair dressed is in the uniform of the famed Delaware regiment. The women's clothing is very well done and unlike too many miniatures correct for the time period. No "farbs" here! It is also of a better quality then you may find in camp. Hence my setting it around New York before the fighting starts.
The two continental line soldiers holding a animated conversation reminds me of two old friends from the Park Service. To me they look like my old comrades in arms from the Park Service; Eric Olsen from Morristown NHP and Joe Craig from Saratoga NHP.
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