Cromwell was a Royalist! Well, he soon will be!

[paulsmodellingworkshop]

Hello all,Obviously I collect for King and Country  - down with rebel scum! - however I couldn't resist that lovely new sculpt of Oliver Cromwell (boo!) and wanted to incorporate it in my royalist army.Obviously I could have just painted it with a Red sash but I would consider that a bit of a cheat so I decided to convert him (pun intended) to something more appropriate.I decided to demote him (hurrah!) to be my standard bearer for Prince Rupert's regiment.As you can see I have changed his arm and horse and added a hat with feathers! I will post a couple of more pics when painted. Now where did I leave those Black Tom and Fairfax models.......time to convert them to the cause!!  Paul.

[westwaller]

God's wounds!!!! Tis devilry indeed...Looks good though. As look as the rest of your Royalist scum don't get confused and run him through...

[westwaller]

Opps, I meant as LONG…

[BigMike]

At last, he has a legitimate cause to fight for - pitiful rebel scum!

[John at Warlord Games]

Now all we need is Fairfax to be  converted to ruperts'Boot cleaner and all will be well again ..Huzzah! Lovely job mate.  Did you file off all the warts by hand? woopert of the whine.

[paulsmodellingworkshop]

John, I doubt it would be possible to remove that many! Thanks guys, will post completed pictures when done.

[TheGreatMarquis]

It's a brilliant idea - Fairfax and Essex next perhaps. But have you got the holster the wrong way round? Wagner's book often referred to in these forums has a drawing showing how the right hand draws the pistol on the left side of the horse, and vice versa. That is only posible if the pistol butt is angled forwards. The illustrations on the boxes of all three cavalry sets - Royalists, Parliamentarians and Scots Lancers - all show the holsters that way around.Hope this is helpful!Rob

[paulsmodellingworkshop]

Hello Rob,Good point! and I thought about it when I put the holster on. I decided that he would draw his pistol with his left hand because there was no way he would ever let go of that standard! (the shame...the shame!) and he is left-handed  I didn't put a holster on the other side for this reason.As a wider question, is there a definitive answer to this? because having ridden horses quite a bit and practiced drawing guns from holsters, I find (due to the reigns) the left hand holster feels better reversed and the right hand holster feels better with the pistol butt backwards. Would there be variation in styles? and what about left handers?....and yes I have just ordered both of those crop head traitors and will be converting them to the cause asap.

[TheGreatMarquis]

Hello Paul,I don't claim your experience of drawing guns from holsters on horseback (if only...) but from the Wagner illustration, my distant these days memory of riding and a bit of logic, if you accept the principle of drawing across the horse's neck I think the butt needs to be angled forwards. If you are drawing the pistol on the same side the opposite should apply. Your leftie would struggle to draw a forward inclined pistol from the left holster with the left hand - though by that reasoning you could give him a forward - inclined holster on the right side of the saddle - and on that basis you are of course right.The reason drawing across the saddle is easier is down to the length of the seventeenth century horse pistol - the same principle on a smaller scale as a right handed man needing to draw a sword from the left side.I look forward to seeing the remaining two rebels duly converted to the straight and narrow. Both figures are way too good for the traitors!Rob

[paulsmodellingworkshop]

Hello Rob,Yes you're right – the one crucial fact being the length of the weapons!! – that one slipped me by, my experience (thankfully for all) is not with real guns nor any where near that length. I guess due to my riding style (reins held high in left hand usually) I was attributing my mental problem of never being sure whether to go over or under the left to reach anything on the left side on everyone else!Allthough that means we are presuming the reins were swapped between hands whilst riding and they fired pistols with both left and right hands – I guess I would be more comfortable firing both pistols with my right hand – but with those weapons not practical. So basically if I'm claiming him to be a leftie and only using his right hand for the cornet I should reattach the holster on the right, butt forward. …..and I think the picture of painted figures on the back of the cavalry box might need changing ;-)......now I'm getting really confused! my prince rupert and cromwell horses have two pistols with both butts facing the saddle (?)