Advice from John Adams

As election time approaches here in the United States, it is good to reflect on how our Founding Fathers advised us.  This quote comes from John Adams "Posterity! you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it."


Meme created by yours truly from his personal collection of figures.

Beyond the Mask--54mm Plastic Soldiers

 The American Revolution-era movie Beyond the Mask was released earlier this year.  I recreated four of its characters with 54mm plastic soldiers.  I hand painted all of them, and a few were converted with a knife and some sculpting.  Clicking on a picture will enlarge it.

Will Reynolds

At one point in the movie, Reynolds becomes a masked highwayman, battling Loyalists and keeping Philadelphia firmly in the grasp of the Americans.  The original figure is by BMC.  I cut off the original figure’s knapsack to create Reynolds.

Mr. Harrison

Harrison is a Loyalist ringleader in Philadelphia.  He recruits his friends to thwart the city’s rebels by intimidation and sabotage.  While the picture shows Mr. Harrison in brown, there is one scene in the movie where he wears a gray overcoat.  The original figure is by Accurate.  The figure was originally standing firing a musket, but I cut the musket off, bent his arms, and added a pistol.

Benjamin Franklin

In the movie, Franklin runs a printing business and manages to avoid any Loyalist attacks on his print shop.  He employs Edmund Bentley and William Reynolds.  The original figure is by Accurate and was sculpted to look like Franklin.  I just cut his musket off and added a cane.

Edmund Bentley

A minor character, Bentley is fired from Franklin’s print shop.  He then joins Mr. Harrison’s Loyalist band, and appears to be Harrison’s trusted assistant.  While the picture shows him in a brown coat, he more often appears in his cream-colored waistcoat.  The original figure is by Marx and was intended to represent Johnny Tremaine.  No conversion was required on him.

Monongahela with John Jenkins Designs

These are a few pictures I took featuring my John Jenkins figures.  These pictures attempt to recreate some scenes during Braddock's defeat at the Monongahela (July 9, 1755).  The first one shows a close-up of Captain Robert Orme with some infantrymen of Halkett's 44th Foot in the background.

The second picture is from the point of view of a French-Canadian soldier, as he reloads his musket for another shot at the British invaders.

To see more of Mr. Jenkins work, I recommend that you visit www.JohnJenkinsDesigns.com

Will Reynolds of Beyond the Mask

This fellow is my first painted soldier who is not strictly historical.  His name is Will Reynolds, the hero of the movie Beyond the Mask.  His dress is closely copied from the picture at right.  With his purple coat and decorative brass buckles, he was a very interesting and enjoyable figure to paint.  The figure was produced by BMC as an artillery commander.  I cut off his backpack and canteen, but left the cartridge box, so that his pistol has more than one shot.
Figure by BMC, paints by Testors, painted by myself.

Lord Rawdon's Volunteers of Ireland

The Volunteers of Ireland were a Loyalist unit raised during the American Revolution by Lord Francis Rawdon.  They fought at the Battles of Camden and Hobkirk's Hill.  The Volunteers of Ireland were one of only two Loyalist units to be granted the status of a British regular regiment (the other unit was the Royal Highland Emigrants).  When they became a British regiment, they were numbered the 105th Foot.

Their uniform consisted of a light-infantry cap with an Irish Harp on the front, a red coat with an unusual style of lapels and lace, white breeches and brown marching gaiters.  While not recorded, I painted shamrock turnbacks on one soldier.

The soldier loading is a conversion from BMC's British grenadier fixing bayonet.

Figures by BMC, painted by me.

Song of the Volunteers of Ireland

Yesterday, (in Honour of the Anniversary of ST. PATRICK, tutelar Saint of that Kingdom) the regiment of Volunteers of Ireland, quartered on Jamaica, (Long–Island) were munificently entertained by their Colonel, the Right Honourable Lord RAWDON.

A SONG,
Sung Yesterday at Jamaica before the Volunteers of
Ireland, it being St. Patrick’s Day.
By BARNY THOMSON,
Piper to that Regiment.

SUCCESS to the shamrogue, and all those who wear it,
Be honour their portion wherever they go,
May riches attend them, and store of good claret,
For how to employ them sure none better know;
Every foe surveys them with terror,
But every silk petticoat wishes them nearer,
So Yankee keep off, or you’ll soon learn your error,
For Paddy shall prostrate lay ev’ry foe.

This day, (but the year I can’t rightly determine)
St. Patrick the vipers did chase from this land,
Let’s see if like him we can’t sweep off the vermin
Who dare ‘gainst the sons of the shamrogue to stand;
Hand in hand! let’s carrol this chorus,
   “As long as the blessings of Ireland hang o’er us,
   “The crest of rebellion shall tremble before us,
   “Like brothers while thus we march hand in hand!”

St. George & St. Patrick, St. Andrew, St. David,
Together may laugh at all Europe in arms,
Fair conquest her standard has o’er their heads waved
And glory has on them conferr’d all her charms!
War’s alarms! to us are a pleasure,
Since honour our danger repays in full measure,
And all those who join us shall find we have leisure,
To think of our sport ev’n in war’s alarms!  

Text from http://royalprovincial.com/history/music/voisong.shtml.  The Volunteers of Ireland were a Loyalist unit in the American Revolution.

This fellow is an officer of the elite Continental Light Infantry.  Serving with the young French general the Marquis de Lafayette, this gentleman has seen much of Virginia through the summer's campaign of 1781.  But neither he--nor anyone else--expects that this campaign will play a critical role in the American Revolution.  For Lafayette's maneuvering would lead Cornwallis to encamp at Yorktown, and Generals Washington and Rochambeau would entrap him there.  The American victory at Yorktown would mark the end of all major battles in what would later become the United States.

Figure by BMC; paints by Testors; varnish by Winsor & Dammar.

American Revolution Light Infantrymen

Here is the complete group of 6 Continental Light Infantrymen.  Light infantry were an elite corps generally used as advanced guards and skirmishers.  They were very useful in the forested continent of North America.  Figures by BMC, painted by the author.  Plumes made from pipe cleaners.

54mm Soldiers--AWI Light Infantry Sergeant

One of my interests is painting 54mm plastic soldiers.  This fellow is painted as a sergeant of the Continental Light Infantry during the American Revolution.  He originally came from a bag of poorly-cast American Revolution soldiers that I bought at Williamsburg.  For two years he was shuffled around in the closet, until I embarked on painting him.  But I ran out of steam quickly and back to the closet he went.  Finally, last year I pulled him out of the closet and painted him.  But he is not my only light infantryman.  He has five comrades, whom I hope to show soon (as soon as I glue on their red-and-black plumes).

Figure by BMC, paints by Testors, varnish by Winsor & Dammar.  The plume is made of two pipe cleaners connected by model cement.