NZNAM is for New Zealand's National Army Museum - Other Exhibits

Brain also sent me shots of other items of interest within the museum, along with some items from the gift shop (next post), and what we have here are a set of probably commercial metal kit figures painted to represent New Zealand military uniforms through the ages.

Colonising and 'colonial period in the two full line-ups with WWI ANZAC uniforms visible below. I don't know enough to start attributing units/eras, but the Cavalryman looks like the sort who might have been sent to help against the Zulu's or Boars?

I rather like the cavalry guards uniform - middle left - which looks like the Hampshire Yeomanry mess-dress, although I think the local version was more ostentatious with even greater swathes of silver-braid! The Victorian period seems to have made a big thing of formal dress . . . 'All those parties - don't you know, what-what!'

And what's Windsor Davis doing next to him . . . "Luverlyboy-luverlyboy"!

Some modern uniforms here, I don't know enough about metal production either, but would imagine some Stadden's, New Hope and Under Two Flags to be here, maybe the odd Cavalier or even a Scrubby? Anyone recognise any of them? I like the knackered dog.

The whole display; gluing them to a mirror is a brilliant idea, by moving your head slightly you get to view all the backs of the figures, so the equal effort the painter went to isn't wasted! Mr. B didn't get the artists name, but they all look to be by the same hand, and a different hand to those of the dioramist we saw earlier.

Note also the 'Lemon Squeezer' hat, from mentions in posts on the NZNAM fund-raising figures, which we saw after Glenn Sibald generously sent them to the Blog at the beginning of the year.

Another; from an alternate angle, you can see it's different to the US or Canadian versions, I think, with a taller, sharper point and wider head-band area? While it lacks the turned-up side of its neighbouring Aussie, smooth-peaked one (shared - with detail differences - with the Ghurkhas). However, it is similar to the old boy-scout version, but then Baden Powell would have worked with colonial troops?

There's a book in there somewhere? One of the little Shire Albums perhaps, or a rather esoteric Osprey! It would be interesting to know when which version was adopted, by whom and why, formally or casually.

The metal figure of the colonial cavalryman in jodhpurs (first image) has one more like the Australian slouch-hat, suggesting a common 'colonial troop' heritage, but was the Canadian Mounties' shorter-version also born out of 'Empire & Africa;, or taken from the US 'Smokey Bear'.

Or did the Americans take it from the Canadians? Were ex-colonial troops wearing their old hats while working on the railways, being built 'out west', or while rushing for gold? An 'etymology' of the squeezed-peak and/or slouch-hat, would be an amusing read, and not less than a little interesting!

I suppose the 'cowboy hat', Stetson and Fedora must be on earlier branches of the family tree, and the leather forerunner of Richelieu's musketeers or Cap'n Jack are ultimately to blame!

And thanks again to Brain for the images.