Ros 25mm Napoleonic Scots Greys

Continuing the renovation of my Ros 25mm collection, it is the turn of my Scots Greys for a brush up.  These figures are from my original collection purchased in 1975, so nearly 50 years old!  They have been involved in countless table top battles and much of the paintwork was scratched and worn.

Another Cuirassier regiment is on the painting table also receiving a full refurbishment.  It is great seeing these old figures gaining a new lease of life once completed.

Minifigs Scots Greys

Taking a break from renovating ancients, I decided to finish off these Napoleonic British cavalry figures. They were started over a year ago and kept getting pushed to the end of the queue. They are lovely figures and were a joy to paint.  They are 25mm Minifigs Scots Greys painted using gloss paints, toy soldier style:

Scots Grey - Commanding Officer

This figure depicts Lieutenant Colonel Henry Darby Griffith, Commanding Officer of the 2nd Royal North British Dragoons, or Scots Greys. Griffith led the Regiment at the Battle of Balaclava, during the charge of the Heavy Brigade. Sadly, Griffith was one of the first casualties of the Greys as they started their charge. Unfortunately he was struck in the head, probably by a carbine bullet fired by a Russian cavalryman. So he only took part in the very first minutes of the action. That said, he seemed to have survived, because a check of the Balaclava casualty roll lists him as slightly wounded during the battle.

The figure is a Strelets plastic Scots Greys officer from the "Charge of the Heavy Brigade" box. He is mounted on a Douglas Miniatures metal horse:

The Scots Greys    

The latest addition to the British cavalry force is a painted unit of Douglas Miniatures B2, Scots Greys. These were fun to paint being a bit different, but I had real trouble with the swords. Most broke off and had to be replaced. The way I did this was to drill a hole into the sword hand having filed down the stump of the old sword. This hole can be carefully opened up to form a groove. The new sword is made from a thin strip of metal from the lid of a bean can, which can be cut with a good pair of scissors. The point is shaped with a quick trim and the new sword slots into the groove with some super glue to hold it in place. I decided that one figure should carry a guidon. This was sourced from the internet, sized and duplicated to get both sides. I added some cotton tassels, which were painted gold.

Scots Greys 

Douglas Miniatures have two types of British heavy cavalry, the dragoons, already examined below, and the Scots Greys. Listed as B2 Scots Grey, the figure depicts this branch of the cavalry in campaign dress, wearing the distinctive fur bearskin. The horse is BH1, which is common to all the British cavalry figures in the Douglas range.