Thursday 5 July 2018

S Range -Volontaires de l'Quest Conversions

I stumbled across this picture on the TMP page some time ago when someone was asking about the uniforms of the Papal Zouaves. 

They looked rather smart and I was determined that I should have a regiment in my FPW French army.  I also thought they could fight in any Italian campaign, for which I also have some conversions in mind.


The Ist Western Volunteer battalion Rennes July 1871
 I originally intended to use this figure  - this is actually ACW23!  



I went ahead and made some of these and them realised that the backpack is all wrong.  I had a look around and came across the French Zouaves from the FPW range.  From them on it was a simple head swap of the fez for a kepi.  




The officer is the Crimean War range Zouave Officer with a head swap.  I think that I could probably have filed/cut down the shako to make a passable kepi, but by them it was too late!

I found pictures showing the infantry in a darkish grey and them references to blue grey and the picture shows the officers in a blue grey and the line in a darker grey.  So I settled for that combination.  Apologies in advance to anyone who has better information.  Please don't tell me as I am not going to repainted them and I can do without the disappointment!!  

Anyway I give you the first half of the Volontaires de l'Oust.  I tend to work in 8's to keep me interested and feel I am making progress!  Their drummer and remaining infantrymen are ready to go.








The banner is simply taken from the picture put into Word copied and reversed to give the back of the banner and stuck back to back.  A touch of gold around the edge and the words highlighted in red paint - biro anything will do.  

The cross is simply cut from a coke tin with the help of a pair of scissors and a scalpel.  The white ribbon is a thin piece of white paper platted around the top of the pole with the end painted gold and red crosses - paint or pen whatever works for you. 

12 comments:

  1. Among the Papal Zouaves for a short time was John Sarrett, who piloted with John Wilkes Booth to kidnap President Lincoln. Their plans failed. He is suspected of being part of the assassination plot, too. He fled the United States after the assassination and joined the Papal Zouaves, until recognized and arrested. He was never found guilty of being part of the assassination plot.

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    1. Hi, firstly many thanks for taking the trouble to look and post. That's an interesting story, I think I had read something along those lines before, but thanks for the reminder.

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  2. Great conversion job. I was too "chicken" to try that with my 28mm figures, keeping them in the typical Zouave turban. But I did use the same color scheme as that is what the Osprey on the French Republican Armies and other sources have. I'll have to try your banner method to give them a different "flag" than the rest of my French Republicans.

    Jim

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    1. Hi, yes, I can see why you would hesitate with 28mm good quality figures. The great thing about these figures is that because of the time of their original casting you can play around with them a lot more easily. I make up one figure and then handcast the rest - or convert them all - depending on the number of figures I have to hand. So I can afford to mess them up. The banner really rings the changes and they according to sources I have read, they actually carried it into battle which is even better.

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  3. HA! Must be something in the air. I've just cast 1/2 dozen Papal Zouaves from a converted Britain's figure. There were some 500 Zouaves recruited in Quebec though most were too late to fight for the Pope.

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    1. Hi Ross will keep an eye out for your figures/pictures. I am sure that in 54mm they will look great.

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  4. A lovely looking conversion...
    I really like the contrast between the rank and file and command...
    I will definitely find a way of adding this unit to my own (Spencer Smith)Franco-Prussian collection.

    All the best. Aly

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    1. Hi Aly, Glad you liked the conversions. As I said I got confused about the various 'colour references' but the contrast between the line and the officers looks good even if there is a chance that I have got it wrong.

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  5. As usual, fascinating work on a wonderful range . Being unable to paint anymore I've got a number of units out for painting. I love your conversions.

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  6. Hi Hal, sorry to read that you are unable to paint any more. Great to hear that you like the conversions, I am working on a number of others from that 'Chocolate Box' period (Europe and overseas) so I can get the maximum amount of use from the figures I have with the minimum of painting from scratch for both sides if you get my meaning. Italian Wars of Independence where I can use both my Austrians and French and make some Italian conversions. Some simple Prussian Pioneers for the FPW, Danish troops etc.,

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  7. As always very nice conversions and painting. Were these figures from Old John, or are they originals?

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  8. Hi Bob. Glad you liked them your site is one of my go to list. The basic figure - the FPW Zouave is available from Old John, I did a head swap and made a mould to produce the unit.

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