Perry Bengal Lancers now available to order!

[Will Bailie]

I received my new lancers a few weeks ago, and naturally they charged to the front of the painting queue.  So I put on some good cavalry painting music


and got to work.

Inspirational art print


And the result (obviously, I haven't decided what to do about basing yet, but that will come)





I would have preferred  if the officer had also been given a lungi instead of a helmet, but that is my only complaint. I even liked the "bamboo" lances, as it meant I didn't have to fabricate an alternate solution!

Cheers

Will

[commissarmoody]

nice paint job, and I digged the music videos also, reminded me of some pics of my great grandfather dearing the Mexican border insadent

[Gluteus Maximus]

I'm still not convinced about the lances - far too "knobbly" for me, but they are lovely figures. I'm a bit leery of all those stripes on the turbans etc, but I'll have to bite the bullet and try and match your excellent results   

[Galloping Major]

I'm still not convinced about the lances - far too "knobbly" for me, but they are lovely figures.

I agree, I once handled quite a lot of original Indian Army bamboo lances, and they were very straight and the ridges were quite subtle. However, I also agree that the figures are lovely. I wonder how well they'll mix in with the Bengal Lancers the Perrys sculpted for Foundry some years ago.... quite well by the look of it.

[Captain Blood]

Yes, I picked them up at SELWG last week, and they are a perfect match for the earlier figures for the Foundry NW Frontier range. In fact, truth be told, they are almost exactly the same figures remade, and so slightly better - but more or less the same.

I will add them to my existing lancers in the same colour scheme - but I won't be using the knobbly (and too short to my eye) lances provided, but good old piano wire 

Here are my originals.

[Hammers]

Yes, I picked them up at SELWG last week, and they are a perfect match for the earlier figures for the Foundry NW Frontier range. In fact, truth be told, they are almost exactly the same figures remade, and so slightly better - but more or less the same.

I will add them to my existing lancers in the same colour scheme - but I won't be using the knobbly (and too short to my eye) lances provided, but good old piano wire 

Here are my originals.

But the new Perries come in two variants don't they? Sikh plus another kind of fancy head wrap.
EDIT:Muslim, apparently.

[Plynkes]

Odd how our perceptions differ, isn't it. The Perry ones are bit on the knobbly side but to my eye the Captain's lances look too long and too smooth.   

[Galloping Major]

But the new Perries come in two variants don't they? Sikh plus another kind of fancy head wrap.

I believe so, so do the Foundry ones: Bengal Lancers & Guides Cavalry, in the "North-West Frontier" range. Sounds like a mix of Perry and Foundry (earlier Perry) would work well.

Beautifully painted unit BTW Richard, Skinner's Horse?

[Will Bailie]

Re the Perry cavarly - there are three packs, with three mounted figures each:  a command pack, Sikh sowars, and Muslim sowars.  Command has a British officer, a Sikh Rissaldar or Daffadar and a Muslim bugler.  I chose to go with Muslim sowars as there seem to often be entire armies of Sikhs and Gurkhas, and other sepoys end up completely ignored. 

Cheers!
W

[Captain Blood]

I believe so, so do the Foundry ones: Bengal Lancers & Guides Cavalry, in the "North-West Frontier" range. Sounds like a mix of Perry and Foundry (earlier Perry) would work well.

Beautifully painted unit BTW Richard, Skinner's Horse?

Yes indeed. That was the idea anyway 

Odd how our perceptions differ, isn't it. The Perry ones are bit on the knobbly side but to my eye the Captain's lances look too long and too smooth.   

My dear Plynkes, long and smooth is preferable to most people
(Actually, you might be right, they probably are a tad overlong - I shall make the next ones a wee bit shorter...)
What were the originals? 10-12 feet? I think I might have used 14ft 'pikes' as stand ins...

[Gluteus Maximus]

Odd how our perceptions differ, isn't it. The Perry ones are bit on the knobbly side but to my eye the Captain's lances look too long and too smooth.   

There's a simple trick to doing effective bamboo using smooth wire or whatever, by painting slightly darker rings around the lances. It looks very good, giving the illusion of slight knobbliness on a perfectly smooth shaft. Even when done by an average painter like myself it is still effective. The idea came from the WAB "El Cid" supplement for painting the various muslim spearman.

I'm sure all you true artists could improve it by adding a couple of highlight rings to the shade one or using some other cunning trick.

Those "full dress" lancers do look splendid by the way and I'm tempted to do some in that uniform, even though I know they really should be in khaki.