Enigma Variations Continued.....

Just the briefest of brief posts this week.

Don has sent me the following pictures of his splendid DK Nassauers. After some debate we agreed that that the Nassau fusiliers are all paint conversions of DK 10: French Line Infantry 1812, receiving. This is a tremendously clever use of this figure!

I was also delighted to see the DK 10E (elite company) figure in the next shot. All of the complete DK French line infantry packs that I've come across contain 16 fusiliers and 8 elite company variants. The intent, clearly, was that they be mounted in six, four-figure companies. My own DK 10s, which were acquired painted and based, were without this variant, so I'm very pleased to have its existence confirmed.

I rather like these figures! I'd intended to paint them as French line infantry, but now that I've seen Don's I may think again.......

I also think that the Archduke's unusual charging grenadier is a rather different looking beastie. My personal opinion, for what it's worth, is that whatever it is, it's not a DK.

WM

Enigma Variations

The Archduke has sent me some photos of his enigmatic Hinton Hunt variations, but before getting to them I thought a few establishing shots of what they almost certainly are not are in order, if only to put them out of contention.

The first two shots are what I believe to be the DK and Alberken variations on Hinton Hunt FN 2: French Line Grenadier, charging. As in my previous post, in each shot the Hinton Hunt is in the centre, the DK on the left and the Alberken on the right.

The DK and Alberken figures are:

Der Kriegspielers DK 10: French Line Infantry 1812, receiving; and

Alberken  FN 29: French Line Fusilier, On Guard.

DK 10, HH FN 2 and  Alberken FN 29

Rear view

The DK, in my view, is a clear derivation from the Hinton Hunt. If one looks very carefully it's even possible to make out the traces of the cross belt that would have supported his sabre briquet and bayonet scabbards, all now removed in order to turn him into a fusilier. Unfortunately I don't have the DK 10E ('elite') grenadier/voltigeur variant, if there is such a thing. A DK 10E would have been a particularly interesting comparison, so if anybody has one, please send me a photo!

The Alberken also sports a fair few similarities, particularly in terms of legs and left arm positions, but also has some distinctions of his own. His knapsack, for example, is really rather different.

While I was sorting through the figures I also noticed that not all of the Hinton Hunt FN2s were identical. Pictured below are the two variations I discovered. The main differences are in the head, arm, musket and leg positions.

As will be seen below, the Archduke's splendidly painted examples are something else altogether! When I first saw them I thought they must be DKs (those hanging musket slings, you see), but the Archduke tells me that they are far too heavyweight and far too finely detailed to be DKs, and on studying them I can see his point.

Conventional HH FN 3 in the background, mystery variant in the foregound

HH FN 2 in front, mystery variant in the rear

Has anyone else seen anything quite like these before? Hinton Hunts or something else?

WM