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Re: Boer'd by the war

Ahh yes mules ??? That perhaps could be used as pack animals as well ?even by British and other eras as everyone used them but not really any made in plastic certainly not a whole pack? Would go great with any of the wagon sets as a supply echelon perhaps with generic supply personnel ?

Re: Boer'd by the war

Andy
Ahh yes mules ??? That perhaps could be used as pack animals as well ?even by British and other eras as everyone used them but not really any made in plastic certainly not a whole pack? Would go great with any of the wagon sets as a supply echelon perhaps with generic supply personnel ?
Hi Andy,

Just like their camels (which have appeared in several sets now), if Mr Strelets produced a set of generic mules (lets say 12 with 3-4 different poses) plus accessories which can be added to the body/saddle area such as blanket rolls, bags/sacks/baggage, small ammo or generic wooden boxes, heck even a disassembled small cannon, then these could be used as mules for their mounted FFL figures or as an additional supply train for use in any campaign from Colonial Africa to Arabia to WWII Far East and beyond, across a multitude of eras/dioramas...

Re: Boer'd by the war

Yes, good - then it's even simpler for Mr Strelets to do this if they still have those sculpts. Just restyle/improve, add an accessories sprue, repackage in a new box. I'm sure they'll sell like hotcakes.

Until then, I can't afford to spend US$10 to get just 4 mules from one of those sets. I'd rather spend that amount on a full set of 48 figures...or 12 mules! :wink: lol

Re: Boer'd by the war

"...I can't afford to spend US$10 to get just 4 mules from one of those sets..."

Oh, you poor creature ... :cry:

:smirk:

Re: Boer'd by the war

True they could just combine the moulds and add some generic "baggage" great additions that could be used even up to present day? I would like to see a set of porters etc like the "hat"ruga ruga that could be used for different eras using either specific or generic porters a definite must have and useful addition to all games or dioramas

Re: Boer'd by the war

Really good idea and addition

Re: Horse holders

That's a missing component for most cavalry sets of the period, and I've used assorted standing horse from the spares box to represent them: my ACW ones have three standing or walking horses on a base fixed so their noses are close together as if hitched with the link strap supplied for that purpose. I can then have a singly based mounted figure with no drawn weapons or just a sidearm to represent the trooper leading them.

By the book, every fourth trooper was designated horse holder and he took the reins of the 1st horse with numbers 2 and 3 linked at the bridle and led them away to cover, or if no cover was available, kept them moving in a broad circle (horses don't like standing still under fire. If you've ever tried to control one nervous steed from the ground (let alone four!) while guns are going off all round, you will quickly understand why the horse holders remained mounted :)

However from what I've read, the Boers didn't use this system and picketed their animals nearby presumably with some sort of guard.

Re: Horse holders

The above are great suggestions! Strelets' "Wild West" US Cavalry set has great unique poses of Troopers shooting their carbines from the hip while riding.

It's a great unique set that could really benefit with a matching set of Dismounted Skirmishers. Like the first set for the Indian Wars they need to be wearing Stetson hats and maybe 3 poses dismounted horse holders and 9 Troopers in a firing line - 1/2 standing and 1/2 kneeling firing carbines with the 9th guy an Officer firing his pistol.

This would be a nice set to help fill-in the Indian Wars theme. I already love the ACW Gettysburg Skirmishers set which has all these poses, but ACW uniformed and not appropriate for the Indian Wars. With head swops from the Mexican-American War the Gettysburg Cavalry make great looking Dragoons from the early days of the US Cavalry just getting created.

Hope you consider adding to your Wild West Indian Wars US Cavalry theme Strelets with a set of Skirmishers! Please keep up your outstanding work- GC

Re: Horse holders

Agreed, but no DISMOUNTED horse holders, please! They are a toy soldier "ism" with no historical basis in fact (see my above post). These are not to be confused with aides or grooms holding a senior officer's horse while he mounts up - cavalry troopers fighting on foot are a completely different subject.

Re: Horse holders

Stuart Jarman
Agreed, but no DISMOUNTED horse holders, please! They are a toy soldier \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"ism\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" with no historical basis in fact (see my above post). These are not to be confused with aides or grooms holding a senior officer\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s horse while he mounts up - cavalry troopers fighting on foot are a completely different subject.
Hi Stuart,

I watched some scenes on YouTube with US Cavalry skirmishers such as "The Glory Guys" and "Son of Morning Star", plus rifled through Google images for Gettysburg skirmishing, and in both cases there were both mounted and dismounted horse-holders. I'm the last equestrian expert on the planet when it comes to Cavalry regulations. Personally, I'd like to see 1 or 2 standing and 1 or 2 mounted horse holders if Strelets makes such a set. This way they can be used for multiple situations, not just skirmishing as you mention. No matter what, either way, I'd buy them!

By the way, speaking of US Cavalry, before Strelets marvelous sets, IMEX Union Cavalry Set #503 comes with a pose carrying his saddle. He's wearing a kepi, but I've done a couple of conversions with a Stetson and a Dragoons hat. Together with another pose in the set of a Trooper working with a pitchfork and hay, they look really cool in a Stockade or just a camp setting. The real thing looks much better than a digital image. I would never have come up with that idea for a pose to include in a set, but now for me he's/they're must haves for my various US Cavalry collections.

Enjoy & Cheers - GC

Re: Horse holders

Hi GC! I don't claim to be an equestrian expert either but I did do mounted ACW cavalry for 12 years as a reenactor, so I do have a little experience as well as having studied the all the most commonly used period manuals out of necessity. There was simply no drill where the horse holders dismounted.

Verbal Order: "Prepare to fight - ON FOOT"

..Dismounted Troopers: The dismounted troopers hook up the saber, unsling the carbine, and move to form double ranks 12 paces in front of the linked horses, and come to the position of Carry - ARMS. (The commander may fight dismounted in a double rank formation, or he may advance the dismounted men as skirmishers.) Horse Holders: The commander places a junior officer or NCO in charge of the horse holders, who remain mounted and have control of the linked horses.”

There an absolutely great source for ACW cavalry drill here (I've worked with these guys a lot back before I retired) https://www.secondcavalry.net/drill

'Son of the Morning Star' is one of my all time favorite movies, so realistic for the most part you can almost smell the saddle soap! There is that scene where some warriors try to scare the led horses and the trooper in charge of them dismounts and he's suddenly not a hose holder any more as all four gallop away.....The army doesn't like this happening over much. :face_with_rolling_eyes: But as a rule I would caution against using movie and TV scenes as reference material because those scenes are shot using professional wranglers in uniforms supplied by the wardrobe dept.

Re: Horse holders

I'd wholeheartedly support Garrison's call for dismounted, skirmishing Plains Wars cavalrymen.:+1: