You could always hire them out to do concerts. 😉

Talking of C19th bands, I believe Queen Victoria is due to marry Prince Albert. Nice one Jenna Coleman!

So I've converted - well filed the hats actually - of three sets of bandsmen; the original no modifications are the Austrians, filed flat are the French in kepis, removed oak leaves are Saxons in shakos, filed half way down and at an angle, Prussian Jaeger bandsmen (all complete fiction of course); now its off to Fernando for painting then basing. Since the idea is to use them to represent formation attrition they'll need to be removable so I've bought some magnetic stuff from Magnetic Systems, I'll post photos when they're ready.

I sent Leon a couple of photos of my feeble efforts to produce the Austrians, but my own technical incompetence means I am incapable of posting them here. Leon... Help!

Mollinary

Come on Leon, we're waiting !!!

Whilst you're waiting, I found this picture of Techno when he was the band of the Neapolitan Chasseurs di Grimaldi 1862-1863. The unit was formed in the hills to the North of Naples, from goat herds and other such hardy hillmen. Techno had popped out for the Welsh Sunday Post and a quarter of peppermints three months before, turned left instead of right and had eventually found himself expelled from the British consulate in Naples after a disastrous afternoon in the kitchen washing the very expensive crockery - the remains of which can still be seen in the consulate cellars filled under "grrrr".

Techno had wandered into the village of Santa Maria and had misread the recruiting poster as an advert for a free cruise, so had signed up. He stood with the other recruits whilst they were picked by the officers to join their company. Techno was second to last to be picked. He would have been last, but Old Abramo's wooden leg had regrettably given up it's struggle with termites and he had keeled over whilst waiting - swearing all the time that Napoleone had done for him at last.

Techno had undergone the rigorous medical, and when the doctors had stopped laughing, they pointed out his inability for any post in the unit save perhaps tea-boy. This post too was withdrawn when the potential hazard of scalds was pointed out. Eventually, some bright spark appointed  Techno to the band. He tried many instruments, and failed with them all. He tore the snare drum. He straightened the serpentine. He de-jingled the johnny. His appointment as first triangle player led to mass resignation of any bandsmen with any  musical ability.

Undeterred, Techno decided to be the entire band.  Cleverly, the colonel decided that the band should follow rather than lead the regiment, and they were soon setting records for speed marching unsurpassed by any infantry unit - ever. Famously, they overtook the Hussars of the Guard, who could not take their revenge as their well-schooled horses bolted as Techno passed.

The cotton wool crisis caused by the American Civil War, and the resultant lack of ear defence, caused a near mutiny in the Chasseurs di Grimaldi. Regrettably the Colonel decided it was time to become a trappist regiment. Techno was given the unaccustomed homour of leading the regiment, and off he went, blowing and banging and tinkling for all he was worth. At the first crossroads, he turned left, and the regiment - with a combined sigh of relief -  turned right.

And that is how Techno became an Austrian knee doctor.  

You are SO dead, Nobby ! 

OIK !!!

Cheers - Phil

 

Here's the preview shots that Mollinary sent through to us:

Splendid.

Look great to me.

MickS

Wow

Those look great.

Cheers - Phil

 

Hardly "feeble efforts", you shouldn't be afraid to blow your own trumpet 

Very cool

160 bandsmen winging their way to Fernando, very simple headgear conversions (with a file) have produced Austrain Bands (original) Prussian Bands (in Jaeger green) French Bands and Saxon bands, going to use them to indicate formation attrition (FOB 2 rules) easier than keeping a chit and less prone to 'mistakes'.

Excellent, I'll look forward to seeing some pics of those at some point!

As a FOB2 player I find that idea intriguing.  How do you actually intend to use them for formation attrition?

I have based everything to fit in with my modified FOB 2 system, each base represents 3 integrity points, for every 3 point loss of integrity I replace a normal base with a distressed one, it has fewer figures and a few casualties on the ground. For each 3 integrity point loss I remove one bandsman from the band base (the band base depends on nationality, Austrians, Saxons and when we do the FPW, Bavarians will have one band per brigade; depending on how many bases the brigade has determines the number of bandsmen, an Austrian brigade has 18 bases including the brigade battery, so that translates into six bandsmen, a Saxon brigade has 14 bases so we give them 5 bandsmen. The Prussians and the French will have divisional bands of between 11 and 12 figures.

Sounds like a great idea. Usually find keeping track of the divisions and brigades gets forgotten about during play.