S Range FPW French Chasseur Bugler

I am currently converting a number of figures to make drummers for the Franco Prussian S range available from John Cunningham.

These are basically copies of figures I have shown elsewhere on this blog.  I take the basic line infantry figure, remove his rifle; drill holes through the hands for drumsticks, made from brass rod or a paperclip if supplies are running low; make a drum from some wooden dowel, drill a hole in it; attach a piece of brass rod; drill a hole in the figures leg; push the 'drum' with its brass rod into the hole; superglue it and then gently reposition the 'free arm' (if necessary) to move the drumstick into position. 

John sent me the figures and in amongst them was the French Chasseur.

Whilst I am making the drummer using the technique briefly set out above, I thought that in all honesty they probably relied more on trumpet calls - the same with the Silesian Rifles.  I have mulled over before how I could convert figures to produce buglers.  Followers of this blog will know that by means of a simple head swap I have done this to make a Turkish bugler and a Scots bugler in trews for the Crimean War range, based on the British Rifles and the Caucasian Rifles figures.  Both of these John is going to add to his range and make available.  However, when it comes to this figure and others in the FPW range it is no good as it requires far more work than I have skills.  The FPW French back pack in particular is a thing to behold and I just couldn't imagine how I could recreate it on the back of either the existing British or Caucasian bugler figures.

So I wondered if I could put the buglers arm on the FPW figure?  This would require the least work - in theory.  The first problem was the rifle.  It runs across the body and is held in both hands.  By using my pin dill I was able to drill a few holes and using my scalpel I was able to free the arm fixed to the body. I then cut through the arm itself just above the hand.

This then enabled me to move the arm holding the rifle to rest the stock against the figure's leg.  I 'shaved' the hand still on the rifle with my scalpel and rubbed it down with wet and dry sandpaper and I got left with what looked like a reasonable rifle.

I drilled both the Chasseur's arm and the arm I removed from the bugler, inserted a bit of brass rod pushed and superglued the two together.

Painted up it doesn't look too bad.  

Before and after