Scots bonnets

[brownpants]

Hi

I have finally got around to painting my first scots regiment. At last! A ragged mix of plastics, highland regular troops and some irish brigade figures. These will be in my Montrose army.

I'm really struggling to find a suitable colour for the bonnets though. Can anyone suggest a particular shade of blue that will work well? (I will be dipping using strong tone). The colours I have tried so far seem too vivid or too grey.

What shades have you used on your scots figures?

cheers
Mark

[Cubster]

I'm using a pale-ish blue-grey not a million miles away from GW's Shadow Grey, but for realism a mix of differing shades of grey, blue, blue-grey etc.. is probably more accurate than a single shade.

[Invisible officer]

As you know they used natural dyes, not modern industrial colours. So every batch got a slightly different colour. And it was not UV resistant , so on campaign it will fade. Many old colours are not waterproof so rain would wash it out.

So best use a mix of shades in the unit. Not too bright, perhaps some even with a bit of brown or grey.

[brownpants]

I think i'm just going to paint up different shades in batches varying from blue to grey. otherwise I'm going to spend hours stressing about it! Non-wargamers just wouldn't understand would they!

My next task is to paint belted plaids... Do I go for dull and muted, or do I copy the patterns from the shortbread tins in the kitchen pantry...

[Cubster]

My next task is to paint belted plaids... Do I go for dull and muted, or do I copy the patterns from the shortbread tins in the kitchen pantry...

Personally I enjoy a little fun with the patterns, but try not to go for anything too ornate. The strict rules about clan tartan patterns are a later invention and previous to that it's likely that the checkered pattern was just a product of the weaver's imagination and the wearer's fancy. I guess you could argue that a clan living in a certain area might wear similar colours if the local dyes were limited or the kilt maker had a favourite style of pattern, but that's kind of iffy.

My recommendation for dealing with any criticism of your choice of patterns would be along the lines of "I don't care, they're my toys and I'll paint them how I like." Should this prove insufficient then some form of hand gesture and/or flinging of body waste may be appropriate.

[brownpants]

I might deliberately go for something modern in that case. Black Watch tartan is cool. Royal Stuart tartan is also sure to upset people.

[Invisible officer]

Well, I would avoid the Black Watch Government (No.1) tartan. It was chosen because it had no local connections and from start on produced in big scale. In ECW times a lot of cloth was still produced in the local settlements, every maker had his own colours and tartans, depending on the materials. Not every plant grows everywhere.

Modern tartan names are fiction if you want to know about the earlier times. Since 1770 Wilson & Sons in Bannockburn was the largest producer and their pattern book had a No. 250 that was first sold as Argyle and later as Campbell of Cawdor. That's just one sample, there are many more. Just marketing.
The 1831 book by John Logan is a bit better but the Sobiesky Vestiarium Scoticum is pure fantasy. Many books have been written about the Tartans and far too often the man who paid for it was a cloth maker who needed a good story.

[sas_mike]

On a related note, I too am finally painting up my Scots Covenanters. Box says 40 figures in tha pack, that's 3 x 13 figures spruces= 39 plus 4metal officers, ensigns etc.

I assume the armoured pikemen is not realevent, and is a happy bonus.

However, my concern is that the box only contains 16 bonnets, 4 x metal spruces of 4. Even with the additional bonnet on each plastic spud that leaves me 19 bonnets for 40 figures.

Am I unlucky in getting a box that is short on bonnets? Or is expectation we have to buy more bonnets separately to complete each Covenenter regiment.

Great figures though and paint up really nice - so easy when the plastic is already grey!!!! After dip and garish spray they look good.

[mikeland]

Sas-mike

You have been short changed on your bonnet allocation. I got 8x metal bonnet sprues, plus the 3 on the plastic sprues: 35 bonnets, this was just enough with the few others spare and a couple of guys in metal pike man hats.

I would email or ring up warlord games and explain to them, usually they are fantastic at correcting such mistakes.

[sas_mike]

Sas-mike

You have been short changed on your bonnet allocation. I got 8x metal bonnet sprues, plus the 3 on the plastic sprues: 35 bonnets, this was just enough with the few others spare and a couple of guys in metal pike man hats.

I would email or ring up warlord games and explain to them, usually they are fantastic at correcting such mistakes.

Ok thanks, it did seem odd for there not to be enough bonnets!

I'll ask them about it when I put an order in for some more figures.