H is for How Many?

I thought my sample of Charbens Highlanders was a bit poor until I checked them against the Plastic Warrior special and found I seem to have an unlisted drummer and a 60mm flocked piper, but I still need to track down a Drum Major - you can't have everything!

The marching soldier; there's three poses here with rifle variations on the middle pair, a 60mm to the right and the original from a hollow-cast mould on the left. In the PW Special they seem to have two versions of that early one.

Pipes . . .

Again three types, the early hollow-cast to the left in three greens, the second 54mm type to the far right and the 60mm with flocked Busby second from the right. He's better painted too and would seem to be a stab at competing with Britains Herald on a more even footing? Or he may even have been used as a tourist piece?

. . . & Drums!

My drummer, I'm assuming he's Charbens as he's painted like most of the other Highlander's - Charbens don't seem to have gone in for stripes on their tartans much! Also the drum is similar to the Guardsman's drum; sort of a semi-flat sculpt? And - because it matches the lead version in Joplin's big book!

Close-up of flock-headed 'Peter' Piper! [That's a strangled-English, German joke for those who like their childhood-rhymes on the dunkle seite!] The flocking is quite thick and has a little white plume-remnant poking out of the top, so the flocking must have been done after painting - to prevent the red plastic showing-through?

The figure is a pantographic copy of the 54mm late version, although the base has then been pared-down to match, probably to fit existing bolsters or something technical like that! Chances are there are still some Charbens to find, both the drummer and Drum Major could have a possible two other versions, now we know the marching and piper have three each?

Although, looking at mine and PW's, I'd say there seem to be five marching variants; two 1st, two 2nd and a 60mm? Note also that all the first type (from hollow-cast tools) is marching off the right foot, left forward, the other versions are off the opposite step.