28mm 19th century sappers in plastic

[sultanbev]

Hi all, have nearly finished my 28mm 1877 Turkish army, and just want to add some sappers. Although most of my army is Outpost metals, I reckon I can do conversions of ACW plastic zouaves.

What I'm after from the collective hive mind is a source of plastic right arms with hefty axes, possibly from a Napoleonic command set? that would suit. Or arm/hand sets with spades or pickaxes.

I should be able to do aprons from paper.

Mark

[italwars]

hello Sultanbev
why do'nt you have a look at Irregular Miniatures 28mm Italian Wars of Indipendance/FPW range..they are not in plastic but the list include a sapper type with choice of tool (pick, axe) for many troop types and with different uniforms all  belonging to similary dressed 19 C types. ..even a Pontifical Zouave sapper that could be  easily transformed in a Turkish infantryman..i suppose that swapping heads should prove easier  than  converting arms..about the aprons probably some or all the figures are'nt equipped with it but, according to my knowledge, majority of armies in campaign dress (as the Neapolitans,Piedmontese,  Austrians or  Pontificals for example) did'nt wear it on campaign uniform.

[sultanbev]

That's great, thanks for the headsup. There appears these:
IWUF14    French Zouave engineer marching with pick or axe
IWU41    Papal zouave marching with axe or pick

The pictures show the Papal Zouave in kepi and axe in left hand, but there's no picture of the French one, but in theory should have a fez. I'll drop Ian a line and see what he says,

Mark

[italwars]

That's great, thanks for the headsup. There appears these:
IWUF14    French Zouave engineer marching with pick or axe
IWU41    Papal zouave marching with axe or pick

The pictures show the Papal Zouave in kepi and axe in left hand, but there's no picture of the French one, but in theory should have a fez. I'll drop Ian a line and see what he says,

Mark

Probably  it's the same doll for the two subjects..i'll go with the French zuoave and, in any case, a Perry plastic ACW spare fez head  should be in the usual realistic/small size..so probably OK also for smaller 28mm  "heroic style" Irregular Miniatures heads..
another info..Mirliton (Italy) sell (singly) some nice posed French napoleonic sapper in beautiful aprons that i converted, with head swapps and putty on the trousers,  in 19 c. Neapolitan sappers in parade dress.

[sultanbev]

Ian at Irregular tells me the French Zouave sapper has a fez, so I ordered a battalion's worth 
16 figures, in 4 company detachments of 4 figures.

In our rules if you attach a company of sappers to an infantry battalion or battery, it allows the unit to dig/build field fortifications over a few turns. They can also lead infantry battalion storming columns and count the sapper combat factors rather than the line infantry combat factors.

Mark

[Donkeymilkman]

Forgive me for asking I am not greatly versed in this area. But why the choice of a papal/french Zouave? I believed the Ottoman military had a series of reforms following the surprisingly quick defeat of the French in the Franco-Prussian war. These reforms moved the army away from their French uniformed model army (like that in the Crimean war) to a Prussian uniformed model army (Russo-Turkish War 1877). Would it not make sense to use a Prussian sapper with a head swap or did sappers in the Ottoman army have a more ragged ununiformed look?

Apologies if that's all just waffle. Was just interested.

[sultanbev]

The "Europeanised" uniforms of the post-Crimea period had switched back to the Zouave style by the 1870s, then back again to A Prussian style by 1890.

[Donkeymilkman]

Ah makes sense, thank you very much.