zaterdag 23 september 2023

92nd Gordon Highlander during Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland 1799

 This is quite a challenging project.

I can’t just use a Waterloo highlander because that uniform  appeared after 1800, so I had to do a lot of research to create a 1799 Highlander.

 The 92 nd Gordon Highlanders landed together with British and Russian troops in the north of Holland in 1799.

After searching on the internet I found some illustrations of Highlanders of that time



Then I realized that I had to make the figure almost completely new from different parts.
Basicly I used the Airfix Highlander, the American soldier and a head from the spares- box.



At first I used the  upper half of the Airfix Highlander but that felt wrong. It was possible that some regiments already had the new uniform, but my guess was that old uniforms had a "long life"in the army. So I decided to use the upper part of the American soldier. That needed a lot of reworking.


The bonnet is made of Green Stuff. Soldiers didn't have the great plume of feathers they wore during Waterloo. Instead I used a bunch of feathers from the spares-box.





I used a new method for the straps and belts: Insulation tape. I read something about on FB and thought of giving it a try.
It worked fine for me. Because it's self-adhesive it sticks to the figure quite easily and I only use some super-glue at the ends.
Next time I will use white tape.





In an old Airfix Magazine I found an interesting article about the Scottish uniform. Turned out to be a great help.
I wanted to make my Highlander" "fully loaded"wit backpack, canteen, haversack etc. All items from the spares-box.



After completing the figure I gave it an undercoat of grey primer. So I could check for things I overlooked.
Painting is a challenge! The checkered  bonnet and trousers, the kilt, the face
Painting is done entirely in acrylics and contrast paint









Highlander is ready now.
Painting was a challenge because of the red white pattern of the bonnet and the trousers. It’s not perfect but it’s okay for me