R is for the Rest of the Rabble Regularly Re-Registering

The bulk of the Connoisseur Range designed by Barry Minot for Ron Spencer Smith (see Wednesday's post for the Napoleonic quad) were aimed at the American War of Independence, although they covered other conflicts of the era; the Seven Years War, 'French & Indian' wars etc.

As sculpts they have carried at least four sets of stock codes, so they are not the easiest to label-up, either for the collection, or for this post, so bear with me. The figure pictures following have a large-font code which is the code given me when I ordered some from the maker in 1996, and a small-font code which is the code they now carry as metal castings on the old metal website.

There are also three generations of material, not including the current white-metal; the early figures (red and blue here) were in a quite tough polymer, which could be soft polystyrene or a harder polyethylene, intermediate production after the move to Norfolk was shot with a more brittle material which could be an ethylene, polypropylene or even a nylon/rayon type, they would have been buying relatively small quantities, and price would have been key, those figures are the white, fawn and neutral/granule colours above, while the grey ones (late production) are in a pretty standard polyethylene of the same soapy softness as current Russian/Ukrainian figure production, think Strellets*R or Orion.

When I ordered the figures back in 1996 I asked Peter Johnson (who inherited the range) if he would label the figures, which he kindly did, but there is now one glaring difference between those late plastic numberings and the extant metal versions; B3 vs. B6 who have apparently been switched? I don't know if this was a kind of 'typo' or just 'one of those things', given some of the other number-changes over the years, it doesn't really matter, but the annotation above is how they've 'happened' to me!

Other than that, the numbering for the metal range is the same as the late plastic range up to B5, then there is the B6 query, B7-metal is another switch (see below), but from B7-plastic, the metal version is one digit higher . . .

. . . through to B15-plastic/B16-metal. I have yet to find a B14 in plastic but he is listed as B15 in metal, and I guess he was around - you just can't have everything! Again, the red and yellow are early, the grey is late, the rest intermediate production.

The last figure is the other query, he is now listed as B7-metal (American Light Infantry Firing), but was never apparently in the listing of the late plastic range, however, there is a 'missing' figure or two from the original 1970's listings, one of which is 'German Fusilier' - as I have a picture of a Hesse-Cassel fusilier in similar head-gear; I wonder if the current B7 is he? And might he have been B16, given that he was clearly made in plastic?

However the preceding was only half the confusion and Wednesday's table with the arrows was cropped from this larger table, where the arrows for the AWI are a lot busier!

[And it's only a few days since I stated "I don't usually obsess to this level"! But then these aren't modern, contract-manufactured,  mass-produced vinyl crap from the world's biggest toy-seller; they are vintage, collectable and an important part of war-gaming history - a whole different kettle of ball-game fish!]

This table will get worse before it gets better! Most of the arrows from the left-hand (pink) column to the next (raspberry, early 1990's) have yet to be worked-out, I could add a few from the descriptions, but that's not empirical research! I'm hoping that when I get my Military Modelling magazines out of storage there will be a few more illustrated in the review sections of the older issues, from which I can work out a few more of the connections.

Likewise there is a hope that the early-90's column can be more closely tied to the later 90's column (mauve), and I can then move stuff around in the first two columns to run back from the current metal designations (green) - simple!

The other 'missing' figure (I think the rest in the first two columns will 'shake-out' eventually) is the German with espontoon/M-figure (sergeant with halberd) who seems to have been lost in the mid-1990's - tearful emoticon!

Note also that I was - in the 1996 purchase - also sold B13 (what is now B14-metal) as B1-plastic, this points to a possible/similar 'typo' with the 3/6 thing, but also; in John Mollo's Uniforms of the American Revolution, (Blandford - Macmillan 1975 then Stirling 1991) it's clear that different regiments have similar headdress, while headdress' differ between companies, or troop types, or are the same between different troop types, so they were always going to be open to interpretation and remain open to future re-numbering . . . nooooooooo!

The point is that most of the figures can be painted-up for all sides or all of the figures can be painted-up for most sides - in several wars!

Indeed - sticking with the old Blandford for a second; although I've never been - particularly -an aficionado of the period, it's arguable that the uniforms of the later period (the earlier 'Marlborough' seems to have been all about facings with Infantry and Cavalry otherwise similarly clothed?) are actually more colourful than the following Napoleonic period? Is that anathema to the nappy-fans?

Having nearly three complete sets of B15-plastic (40+ figures), I may paint a bunch of them up in a variety of the nations/units one day, one of each - Yankee insurgents, Minutemen, Mountain Boys (lovely green & cream combo.) Provincials, Loyalists, Saxons, Hessians, Brunswickers, French and the Brits; line and marines!

Comparing B4 (plastic and metal) with the B7-metal, the figure with a pack makes sense for the German, as he has to carry his home around with him, the terrorist insurgent can go home occasionally (or raid a farmstead - I know; they all raided farmsteads!), so only needs a blanket-roll for short-term comfort.

These seem (from the website pictures) to be the original infantry from the non-Connoisseur range of Spencer Smith, which we will look at shortly. Taken from Holgar Eriksson (Comet/Authenticast, SAE and Tradition) sculpts, now sold individually in metal, the image is included here for completion; just in case you're copying the tables into your own files.

Listing - Connoisseur AWI-SYW Only

Mid 1970’s Production (approximately 1974)

- Bag of 48 American War of Independence

Early 1980’s Production (approximately 1981)

- Bag of 30 American War of Independence

Press Listings

AWI1 - Staff Officer

AWI2 - British Grenadier Officer

AWI3 - British Light Infantry Officer

AWI4 - Company Officer

AWI5 - American La Fayette’s D.I. (?) Officer [L.I.?]

AWI6 - Loyalist Light Infantry Officer

AWI7 - British Grenadier Private

AWI8 - British Light Infantry Private

AWI9 - British battalion Company Private

AWI10            - Loyalist Light Infantry Private

AWI11            - American L.I. La Fayette’s Private

AWI12            - American Ranger in Hunting Shirt

? - German Officer with Espontoon

? - German Fusilier

The 'Old Rectory' Years (circa 1992)

Plastic Sample Packs (contents differ)
SP5 - Connoisseur - American War of Independence/Napoleonic (10 AWI, 4 Napoleonic, all foot)

1^st listing, 1991/2

D - Officer in Advance Position

E - Officer with Sword and Pistol

F - Private in Firing Position

G - Officer with Sword

H - Private at Ease

J - Private in Firing Position

K - Officer with Sword in Air (became B11)

L - Private Advancing (became B15)

M - Sergeant with Halberd

N - Officer with Cloak (became B7)

O - Private with Slope Arms

2^nd listing, 1995/6

B1 - British Grenadier Private Firing

B2 - British Grenadier Officer

B3 - British Light Infantry Officer

B4 - British Light Infantry Firing

B5 - British Battalion Company Private Firing

B6 - American Light Infantry Officer

B7 - Staff Officer in Cloak (was N)

B8 - American La Fayette’s Regiment, Light Infantry Firing

B9 - American La Fayette’s Regiment, Light Infantry Officer

B10 - American Ranger in Hunting Shirt

B11 - French Officer Sword Raised (was K)

B12 - Company Officer [any army]

B13 - German Grenadier Firing

B14 - German Grenadier Standing at the Ready

B15 - French Infantryman Standing at the Ready (was L)

Internet Era Plastic/Metal Changeover Years

B1 - British Grenadier, private firing

B2 - British Grenadier, officer

B3 - British Light Infantry officer

B4 - British Light Infantry firing

B5 - British battalion Co. private firing

B6 - American Light Infantry Officer

B7 - American Light Infantry firing

B8 - Staff Officer (in cloak)

B9 - American La Fayette’s Light Infantry firing

B10 - American La Fayette’s Light infantry Officer

B11 - American Ranger in hunting shirt

B12 - French Officer, sword raised

B13 - Company Officer (any army)

B14 - German Grenadier firing

B15 - German Musketeer, standing at the ready

B16 - French Infantryman, standing at the ready

Current (June 2017)

B1 - British Grenadier, private firing

B2 - British Grenadier, officer

B3 - British Light Infantry officer

B4 - British Light Infantry firing

B5 - British battalion Co. private firing

B6 - American Light Infantry Officer

B7 - American Light Infantry firing

B8 - Staff Officer (in cloak)

B9 - American La Fayette’s Light Infantry firing

B10 - American La Fayette’s Light infantry Officer

B11 - American Ranger in hunting shirt

B12 - French Officer, sword raised

B13 - Company Officer (any army)

B14 - German Grenadier firing

B15 - German Musketeer, standing at the ready

B16 - French Infantryman, standing at the ready

B17 - Private advancing (AWI)

B18 - Grenadier advancing (AWI)

B19 - Light Infantry advancing (AWI)

B20 - Hessian advancing (AWI)

B21 - Highlander advancing