"Not the comfy chair!"

 This post looks at a vignette I have just finished using an old kit from Wargames Foundry.

Horse carried sedan chair - 28mm kit from Wargames Foundry

Tabletop Garnish

I have to admit that this model is table-top 'garnish', rather than being a direct part of an army.  I suppose it may feature as an objective in a small action game at some point, but I really like things like this to add 'flavour' to the tabletop. It has always been something that attracts me to a table set up and it is definitely something I focus on more and more when planning games and tables.  The down-side is that this type of table-top garnish is not always at the top of the priority list for painting.  

History of Sedan Chairs

Litters, palanquins and sedan chairs have been a common form of transport throughout history, from the Americas to China.  In 1630s London, where they proved a convenient means of transport in the narrow streets, they were popular enough for their hire to be licensed by Royal consent.   Sedan chairs were commonly carried by both people and animals.

Illustration from Wagner's European Weapons and Warfare 1618 - 1648.

The Pile of Potential

This set of figures came to light during a very deep dive in to my ‘pile of potential’.  This set was at the very bottom, probably the oldest item in the pile. I can still remember buying it.  I bought the set at a muster of the Sealed Knot reenactment society in what must have been either the late 80s or very early 90s.  The larger SK musters featured numerous traders, mostly catering to reenactment equipment, but also some who realised that many reenactors are also gamers. I don’t remember the trader, but this was the early days for Wargames Foundry when product was still sold ‘loose’ and not yet packaged. For over thirty years the kit has been in a random paper bag buried in the pile of models waiting for attention.

The mysterious paper bag, hidden at the very bottom of my ‘pile of potential’.

All pieces present and correct, thanks to the paper bag!

Foundry still sell this set (link) but I was able to refer to my treasured hard-copy catalogue, of a similar vintage to the figures, to check on how the finished product was meant to appear. 

A prized possession: an original hardcopy catalogue of the Foundry English Civil War and Thirty Years War ranges. 

The kit illustration from the catalogue - no fancy product photos back in the day! 

I can remember that one of the ground breaking things about this Perry-sculpted range was that it included sets of models that were not necessarily intended to be rank and file parts of the army, but rather to create less usual vignettes.  Thankfully this idea is quite common now and many ranges have this sort of kit available.

Building The Kit

Fortunately all the pieces of the kit had survived the many years in the bottom of a box in a paper bag.  As you would expect from an all metal kit, a fair bit of filing, scrapping and filling was required to get the kit together. I painted the passengers, riders and horses separately to the chair.  Once painted the parts were carefully glued together and small touch-ups made.  The final piece is fixed on a handy Warbases 2mm MDF base.

Riders and passengers ready for assembly.

The beasts of burden ready for the harness.

The chair ready for passengers.

The Final Model

I am very pleased to have this model table-ready after more than three decades wait. It just shows there is always hope for things in the unpainted pile.

Detail with the male passenger giving directions to the lead 'chairman'.

With the oldest item in the pile painted this must mean there is room for something new to be added! In the next post I will cover the next project I’m starting that will require some new orders to top up the pile of potential.

A glimpse of the other passenger.

Until next time!

Andy @ FOGH (The Friends of General Haig).

 

Tribute: Bryan Ansell (1955-2023)

It was poignant that I was preparing this Wargames Foundry (link) kit, and writing this post, when I heard the very sad news that Bryan Ansell had died.  (Bryan’s family have run Wargames Foundry on and off for over thirty years.) Bryan has had a massive influence on the wargaming hobby. Fellow Friend of General Haig, John Stallard, has written a fine tribute to Bryan here: https://warlord-community.warlordgames.com/in-memoriam-bryan-charles-ansell/ .  Thank you, Bryan, and may you rest in peace.