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JournalThe British Flat Figure Society

No 129 Summer 2018

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BFFS Journal No 129 - SUMMER 2018

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Front Cover: Burgundian Marriage.Mohr figures from Gianpaolo Bistulfi.3. Photographing the ShogunJapanese history from Rod Johnson.6. What's New.Figures from the pages of Die Zinnfigur.8. Knowle 2018.Pictures from Knowle10. The Burgundian Court.Beautifully painted flats by Gianpaolo Bistulfi.12. Practical Painting Tips.by Pat Deluhery14. What's New Too.Western Miniatures, Benedikt Widmann and Berliner Zinnfiguren.16. The Raid On Pound Ridge.American History from Martin Cook.19. Society Contacts.Who is who and Society information.Rear cover: The Raid on Pound Ridge.Kieler figures.

The opinions expressed within this Journal are not necessarily those of the

Editor, the Committee, other officials, or the British Flat Figure Society.

Enjoyed the Annual Meeting. Nice to chat to old friends again. Some nice flats on display.Some interesting articles in this issue, hope you all find something you like. Many thanks to all contributors.Off on holiday to Scotland shortly, something to look forward to.Nick Ball and Gerry Larkin are off to the Athens Model Show for the weekend 26-27 May. Good luck in the competitions, guys. of

The British Flat FigureSociety

Journal No 129 Summer 2018

Journal

Printed by: The Print Edge Ltd Unit 2, The Old Reservoir, Buckland Road, Bideford, Devon EX39 5EU

Dutch Model Soldier Society Model Figure Day, 8th September at Fort Vechten near Utrecht.http://modelfiguren.nl/Figurendag/english.htm

Euro Miniature Expo 2018 will be held at the Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone, on 22-23 September

Photographing the Last ShogunTwo events coincided in the mid part of the 19th century that were to enable the recording of a significant part of history and also to form the basis of the special miniseries to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Shogun AG. These two events were the “opening” of Japan and the development of photography.

Sir Harry Smyth Parkes, HM Minister to Japan, landed at Yokohama on 18 July 1865 where he was to meet two members of his staff who were also to play significant roles in the emergence of Japan. These were Ernest Satow, Inter-preter to the British Legation and Algernon Mitford, Second Secretary. This group, together with Charles Wirgman, artist of the Illustrated London News, were to have many experiences with tales to tell. This is but one of them!

In 1866, Tokugawa Yoshinobu (1837-1913) became the 15th Shogun of Japan. Immediately upon Yoshinobu’s ascension as Shogun, major changes were initiated brought about by the Shogun’s need to adapt to “Western” ways and his interest in technology. A massive govern-ment overhaul was undertaken to initiate reforms that would strengthen the Toku-gawa government and adapt to the future.

In April 1867, the new Shogun in-vited Sir Harry Parkes and Léon Roches, the French Minister to Japan, to Osaka Castle to discuss the opening of Kobe and Osaka ports to the Europeans and the development of the Japanese Army and Navy. Parkes arrived in Osaka Bay in HMS Basilisk a first-class paddle sloop of the Royal Navy accompanied by Lady Parkes, a mounted escort and 50 infantry of the 9th Regt., Leycock (Legation Secretary), Satow, Milford, Wirgman and Dr. Willis and a staff of 30 Chinese and Japanese. It was quite a delegation to be housed and entertained.

It is easily assumed that with the Shogun’s interest in technology that the subject of photography was mentioned. Captain Applin RN of the Basilisk would have been aware that the survey vessel HMS Serpent was also harboured in Osaka with an amateur photographer on board who had made some excellent photographs whilst in China. The Shogun extended an invitation to this naval officer, Chief Engineer Sutton, to join the formal meeting which was to follow later in the week.

Frederick William Sutton (1832-83) joined the engineering branch of the Royal Navy in 1854 and made steady progress. He served throughout the Crimean War gaining experience on troopships. By April 1865

he had reached the rank of chief engineer and was assigned to HMS Serpent, which was about to join the China Station on a four-year tour as a surveying vessel. He was also an enthusiastic amateur photographer with a camera of his own and during the tour, Sutton would visit many countries in the Far East, and in a number of them he used his camera to capture important im-ages. Thanks to recent discoveries in private and institutional collections, a significant number of his early works have been traced.

After the preliminary meeting at Osaka castle on 29 April, a more formal audience was held two days later, at which the captains of the Royal Navy vessels in Osaka Bay were presented to the Shogun. Chief Engineer Frederick Sutton was also present with the delegation as requested, and was invited to take portraits of Yosh-inobu. An officer in Parkes’ military escort later described the sitting:

“The Tycoon was splendidly and becomingly dressed, with perhaps the ex-ception of the state cap, which was a most peculiar shape, made of paper, it rested on the very summit of his head, and was kept in its position by strings, which fastened under his chin. His outer robe was of rich white silk, ornamented with medallions in mauve colour, and his stockings also white silk ... After the ceremony of presentation was over, the Tycoon retired, but shortly reappeared in another dress, consisting

Fig. 2. One of Sutton’s two original pho-tographs of the Shogun.

Fig.1. Sir Harry Parkes and the British delegation’s audience with the Shogun.

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of a black silk jacket, or hao, trousers of dark blue silk with a gold pattern running through, and a rich obe, or belt, in which a handsome short sword was thrust. In both dresses he was photographed by Mr. Sutton.”

Sutton managed to take to formal portraits but in a relatively small size. He had intended to take several photographs but as reported below he had an incident on the trip to the castle:

The Daily Japan Herald on May 16th, 1867 reported: “Captain Sutton of H.M. surveying ship “Serpent” had the honour of a sitting from the Tycoon, and

has taken a capital photographic likeness of him. It is small, for unfortunately the boat, in which the larger lenses and some of the chemicals were in, was upset, and they were lost.”

One of the two photographs was turned into engravings and published in the Illustrated London News based on a report from Charles Wirgman. One of the British present describes the shogun like this:

"The tycoon (sic!) Was great and appropriately dressed, with the possible exception of the yard cap, which was made of paper and had a very odd shape. It crowned the top of his head and was held

in position by various bands tied under the chin. His upper garment was of rich white silk with medallions in light violet ("mauve"), and his trousers, too, were made of white silk ... After the performance ceremony was over, the tycoon retreated to return in altered clothing shortly thereafter. This consisted of a black silk jacket, called "hao", trousers of dark blue silk with a continuous gold pattern and a valuable obi, the belt, in which a pretty sword was inserted. He was picked up by Mr. Sutton in both suits."

Sutton returned to England in Au-gust 1869 and was reassigned to the Naval

Reserve. He was happy to return to Japan in July 1873, as a member of the newly formed British naval training mission, based at the Imperial Naval College at Tsukiji, Tokyo as Director of Engineering on a three year contract. He then went on to act as an adviser to the Imperial Navy. Sutton became fluent in the language and toured the countryside taking photographs. In early 1879 his health broke down and he returned to England and retired, giving magic lantern talks with his photographs.SHOGUN-Series 46: The creration of the 30mm mini series, “The Photo of the Shogun” Design team: Werner David, Till Weber and Rod Johnson.

The zinnfigur scene shows; a). The Shogun sitting in court robes, looking very ridgid since the camera exposure was slow and the pose had to last for several seconds. b). Chief Engineer F. W. Sutton, in naval uniform, with his head under the cloth of the camera. c). The Japanese assistant removing a photographic plate from a box of equipment. And d). Minister, Sir Harry Parkes, elegant in a frock coat, watching the process.

There were several returns of drawings, each one correcting some minor flaw or position until the final drawings could be sent off to the engraver, in this case the ubiquitous, Regina Sonntag. Below is the Final agreed art work, coloured for illustration after submission to the engraver.

Fig. 3. Right: Sir Harry Parkes, Sutton, Sutton’s Assistant and Shogun in ceremonial dress in a creative digital reconstruction of the portrait session which was to form the basis of the 30th Anniversary Series.

Fig.3 The final casting: Artist/designer: Sascha Lunyakov Engraver: Regina Sonntag

Fig. 4. The Original concept mock-up as a starting point.

Fig. 5. The first drawings produced by the artist with comments added from design team.

Fig. 6. The final artwork, water coloured by Werner David

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Figures from the pages of Die Zinnfigur. All figures 30mm unless

otherwise stated.This page top: An interesting series on the Namamugi Incident in Japan in 1862. A group of British traders were riding through Namamugi village when they encounterd the retinue of Shimazu Hisamitsu. One of the British party, Charles Lennox Richardson, refused to dismount and show respect for Hisamitsu, and tried to ride through the retinue. He was slashed at by one of the samurai and was badly wounded. Falling from his horse he was killed by the samurai.Designed by Sascha Lunyakov and engraved by Rolf Grünewald. Painted by Martin Lothar. Available from:Thomas Körner, Hegermühlstrasse 9c, 14344 Strausberg. Email: [email protected]: Boozy Greek philosophers from Wolfgang Unger. Socrates, Aristotle, Euclid, Heraclitus, Plato on wine cask, Diogenes in cask and Democritus. Based on an old drinking song 'The Tippling Philosophers'. Designed by Sascha Lunyakov and engraved by Werner Otto. Available from :Wolfgang Unger, Feuerbachstrasse 21, 04105 Leipzig. Email [email protected].

Left: A rather complicated figure of a Native American bear hunt. Overall height 115mm. Designed and painted by Francis Quiquerez and engraved by Daniel Lepeltier. Available from:G.u.H. Maier, Berghauser Strasse 1a, 67373 Dudenhofen.Email: [email protected]: A couple of nice 54mm 30 Years War dragoons. Foot dragoon designed by Martin Block and engraved by Regina Sonntag. Mounted dragoon designed by Martin Block and engraved by Werner Rieger. Painted by Gerd Wiemers. Available from:Hans-Jorg Rammelt, Steinstrasse 3, 06844 Dessau-Rosslau.Below: More Tylinski dinosaurs - Yippee!These are 55mm and 90mm high. Designed by Michael Behring and engraved by Rolf Grünewald. Photo Bernd Schultz.Available from:Horst Tylinski, Achtermannstrasse 53, 13187 Berlin.Tel: (030) 47 54 03 80.

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BFFS Knowle 2018Top, French command at Agincourt by John Russell.

Top right, 'Men of Flint' by Ed Hum-phreys.

Bottom far right, Peter Young.

Bottom right, Brian Keywood.

Above, Peter Biddulph's knights, painted by Jon Redley.

Left, Gerry Larkin and Dick Jenkins, Brian Keywood in the cap, Nick Ball, John Russell and Peter Young on the other side of the table, Rod Johnson sell-ing his Shogun figures. By the windows, Ed Humphreys and Peter Biddulph.

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On the Journal No 128 I read with great interest Martin Cook's article on the Battle of Murten and the story of the production of flat figures on the subject.

Apart from the description of the battle, I found particularly interesting the reconstruction of the events related to the design and editing of the various sets of figures that then became the Gottstein series, for many years marketed by the editor Paul Krog.

This complete news about the series' projects, the editors, the engravers, the various passages and actions of the great collectors (Gottstein, Paul Gerard, Blum, Kolbrunner, etc.) are rare enough to find in a single source and give us an idea of the strength of a passion.

Apart from the representation of the various characters in battle,for which many articles have been written, I find that the civil fashion around the middle of the 15th century was very charming, with bright colors and great imagination in both male and female clothing.

Therefore I propose here some non-combatants subjects from the court of Burgundy, selected from the series of Neckel and the series of Mohr of Marriage in Burgundy.

As for Neckel's series, I had several double figures and I thought of using them equally by painting them on the other side in different costumes. Furthermore, I added a set of Turks figures coming from RETTER editor, by imagining a visit by a Turkish delegation presenting gifts to the Duke of Burgundy.

For the Mohr series "Hochzeit in Burgund" I set the wedding scene for a Savoy nobleman (shields carried by pages).

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What follows are some of the lessons I have learned in the College of Hard Knocks of Painting – in no particular order. I’ve included some ideas for acrylic painters and for those who also do round figures.I claim no special expertise or insights – these things just work for me. If they work for you, use them! Got some of your own? Share them!It’s a Small World, But I Wouldn’t Want to Paint It! Always blend the darker color into the lighter color. It takes less paint to make a light color dark than to make a dark color light.K-I-S-S! If you use more than three colors in a mix you are apt to end up with a dark gray mess.Shake! Do I have to say it? Shake or mix well before using – even if you used it today.It’s the BLOB! I try to mix all my colors using some set portion, for example: drops or “roughly equal blobs.” That way I can create formulas I can write down, so that when I screw up an area that was finished I can re-mix a touch up color. Mixing colors like Julia Child is very artsy-fartsy, but you will NEVER be able to do it twice. Keep a record of the mixes you use most often and of all the mixes you use on a project until that project is completed. It’s ALIVE! I don’t throw away my “live” oil paint mixes made on cards or my palette until my project is complete. It’s easier to work with the “revived” original mix than to re-mix something again. Store unused portions of important mixes in airtight plastic containers and/or wet palettes until the project is completed.Chip Away. Make a color chip chart for all your paints. You can see what they look like after they dry. Paints often lighten or darken when they are finally dry. Organize your Shop! Arrange your paints on your workbench by colors: all reds, blues, etc together. This makes it a lot easier to find a color. All Together Now! Keep the colors (tubes, bottles, etc.) you are using for a particular project together until you are done. That

way you don’t have to remember which of the 37 blues you own was used to mix that main color you just screwed up.Basic Formulas: base coat 1:1; layering: 2:1; wash: 5:1; glaze: 10:1 (first # is water/thinner). These are starting points, and may vary further by color or the affect you want to achieve. Whatta Drip! Paint mix getting a little too thick? Turn your brush over and dip the handle into thinner or water, and then let the drop fall off the handle into the paint for thinning on the go. Brush handle size = size of drop. Flat Oils. To achieve a flat finish with oils: a) place your oil color out of the tube on a card or other absorbent surface for at least .5 hour before using – to soak out excess oil

carrier in the paint; b) mix a small amount of this paint with turps or other thinner to the consistency of skim milk and paint with that; c) use a dry box, crock pot or other artificial drying mechanism to evaporate any remaining oil. Coat of Many Layers. Several thin coats of paint will dry faster and look better than one thick coat, whether the paint is acrylic or oil. Always apply less paint on the figure than you think you need – it’s easy to add more but very hard to get excess paint off the figure.Keep it Clean! Clean your brushes well after each use. Store your brushes vertically. After cleaning, dip them into a good-quality hair conditioner, form the point and let them dry. The conditioner will dissolve by itself in thinner when you use it next. I use Pantene Pro-V – because

I’m worth it!Separate but Equal. Use a separate brush and thinner for metallic paints. The “flecks” of metallic paints will contaminate your other paints if you use the same brush or thinner for non-metallics. If you’re a “multi-media” person, use separate brushes for acrylics and oils as well as metals.Old Brushes Never Die. Use an old brush to mix paint, not the fine-pointed one you happen to be using (to paint gnat’s eyelashes) at the time. Beat it! If you use oil paints, mix them vigorously out of the tube until they become like warm butter, let them sit on a card or absorbent surface for at least 30 minutes before use. A small paint knife (impasto knife) is very good for mixing oils.

Whatta Crock! Use a drying box or crock pot to speed drying oils and ensure a flat finish. I set my crock pot on “low” and leave the lid slightly ajar (to avoid overheating and provide an airflow). Oils will dry flat (unless there’s too much oil in the paint) in about 6 - 8 hours. Use a timer to control the crock pot. DO NOT use this crock pot for food. Favor the Darkside! Acrylic paint colors (depending on the color) have a range of 2-3 darker shades down from the bottle color and 10 or more lighter shades. Use this to your advantage and

paint from dark to light. Formula for Acrylic “Magic Wash:” 3-4 parts water and 1 part Future Floor Wax. Add this mix to your color for a glaze or a wash. Note: leaves a semi-glossy finish.Alcohol is the Answer! Using a mix of windshield washer fluid or rubbing alcohol mixed with water as a thinner (an alternative to magic wash) will break the surface tension of your water-based acrylic paint and allow for a smoother flow for washes or glazes. CAUTION: may also break up the pigment if used in too great a proportion to the paint. Stow it! Acrylic color storage: mix color (approximately 1/3) with an acrylic drying extender (Liquitex, Golden or other brand) and store in an airtight plastic container as proportionate as possible in size to the

amount of paint so that the inside air is reduced to a minimum. Better When Wet. My own acrylic “wet on wet” painting technique: Mix any acrylic paint with approximately 1/3 drying extender, apply the paint; then mix the adjacent color the same way. When applying the second color, you can (in effect) paint “wet on wet” and blend the two colors together where they meet. Once it’s dry, the process is fixed. Both adjacent areas should be done in the same session. Calvin Tan’s (noted painter: See his blog at: http://zyclyon.blogspot.com/) technique is to first apply a solution of 50% water/50% drying extender to the area intended to be painted, then paint up as usual, blending the adjacent areas with a dry brush.Still better wet. Always use a wet palette. Cryo Colors. Preserve oil mixes and colors by popping your palette in the freezer between painting sessions – store in a plastic bag to prevent contamination of food. Hold it! Use a painting base, card with slit or holding stick when you paint anything to avoid touching the painted surface. Tacky Idea. Use modeling clay or blu-tack to hold small pieces or sub assemblies while you work on them or glue them to larger pieces. Also great to hold figures to temporary bases while you paint. It’s ALIVE! Most acrylics that have been dry for a day or two (longer depending on the brand) can be revived with water and airbrush mix or water and alcohol. Oils can be revived with turps or turps + linseed oil if they have not been heat-dried. Put a drop of thinner on the dried paint and let it sit for 10 minutes. This is the reverse of what happens when you apply that wash that takes part of the underlying finish off. Try this method for next day cleanup of mistakes you didn’t notice when the paint was wet.Brush Off! Synthetic brushes develop a curve at the tip after some use. Dip the whole bristle into hot water a little less than boiling for a few seconds, then reshape the tip and let it cool. Works sometimes; not always.Tip Off. NEVER rest any brush on its tip in any solution, be it water, paint or thinner. Always suspend the brush in the solution.Edgy Painting. When painting a line or an edge (e.g. eyelashes or eye opening)

worry about getting only one side correct at a time – the final side. For example: after I have the eyelash correct on the side closest to the eye, I use flesh to correct the other side of the line– again worrying about only one side. Liquid Eraser! I always keep a clean brush, damp with thinner, handy to correct those little things that happen in fine detail work. If I correct it right away I can’t forget about it, and I don’t have to worry about the mistake drying before I can get back to it. Seal the Deal. Seal the area with a different-based clear (flat or dull) cote before trying that difficult line, or drawing heraldry etc. If I screw it up I can just wipe it off without ruining the underlying work. Alternative – let the underlying area dry fully before attempting the fiddly part.Slowhand! I use paints or mixtures with a longer drying time (oils or acrylics with extender added) on difficult areas such as lines, faces or applied artwork. If I screw it up, a clean brush that is damp with thinner or water will clean up what I messed up without the need to erase the whole thing.Face First. On figures, do the face first. If that’s not right, the rest does not matter. I like to do the eyes first or early in painting the face. To paint eyes, I use the previous technique. Inside Out. Painting progression on figures: I paint from inside to outside – as you would dress. I start with the skin and work outward. The only exception is when I need to complete an area that will be covered by another part. I assemble the figure as much as possible before painting. I have never been able to paint unassembled parts and have them look good together. Shadows, etc are always off. Also, seams cannot be properly filled after painting unless you re-touch. Light It Up. Be aware of the light used at your painting area – it should be actual daylight or a daylight color-balanced lamp. If you wonder why your work looks different elsewhere than it does on your workbench, this is why.Speed It Up. Speed acrylic paint drying times with a hairdryer.Prime Your Work! Always use a prime. I prefer priming with white instead of gray or black; but it’s your choice. Colors have more vibrancy with an underlying white,

but for darker subjects gray or black is handy.Use Pins or Get the Needle! I pin everything when assembling a piece. The nature and magnitude of the forces applied to a project in the trunk of a car on the way to a show are the last unknown frontier of science. Paper clip wire works well and is easy to manipulate. To locate a pin, put the two parts together as they will be in final assembly, draw four hatch marks on the outer edge across both parts, separate the parts and connect the marks on the inside (where the glue will be) with an “X” . Drill your hole in the middle of the X. Hide the Evidence! Easy-Off “No Fumes” oven cleaner will remove any kind of paint regardless of how long it has been there. Spray the piece, let stand for 20 – 30 minutes, brush with toothbrush and wash with good dish detergent. Never had a problem with metal, plastic or resin figures with this method. Also removes unwanted people and animals from a room, at least temporarily! Caution: Don’t breathe the fumes, even though they seem harmless. Corollary to the above: Sometimes it’s just easier to start over if things are not going as I planned. I can then apply all the lessons learned so far just as if I knew them all along! FOCUS! Work on one thing at a time. Too many unfinished projects clog the production space and deplete the spirit. If something has been on my bench 2 months, I either finish it or dump it. Otherwise, you may find that you have gotten to the choke point on several projects, and instead of solving the problem you just moved on to another piece. (I know others work on many things at once and finish them. This is just how I work.)Friends don’t let friends…… Do not drink hard liquor while working with toxic paints or solvents. If you are LUCKY, you will end up with a 2-day headache!USE Protection! WEAR the freak’n mask, gloves, etc when using toxic substances! What’s toxic? If you would not add it to your evening stew, then consider it toxic. Much of what we handle can be toxic or induce allergic reactions with repeated use. Going “commando” with toxic materials is not worth the risk; beautiful women cannot see your manliness and are apt to deride you at your wake.

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Below, "Chinese Warlord" General Guan Yu, died in 220AD, scale 54mm from Jupiter Miniatures (Benedikt Widmann). Contact Brian Keywood for details.Right, two more NMT fairies from Dick Jenkins at Western Miniatures. Privet and Snapdragon are £8 each. Dick has also got the second set of Pixie Dell kids now available at £15 for the set of 3, two examples shown painted by Jon Redley.

New figures from the web and other sources. All figures 30mm unless other-

wise stated.

Fumes ’n Particles! Respect the fumes, particles and residues from your work. Don’t breathe filing and sanding debris or resin dust. Do not dry toxic stuff in the same oven in which you prepare food. Do not operate your crock pot or other paint drying gizmo in the same room in which you sleep or spend a lot of time while the thing is on. Do not use your favorite cereal

bowl to strip your latest mistake. Do not use a drinking glass for ANYTHING toxic – you could confuse it with something you are drinking. Keep your work area and yourself clean - wash up spills and other accidents immediately.Don’t Bogart that Brush! Check the type of paint (water vs. anything else-based) BEFORE you use your mouth to form that

perfect brush point unless you are willing to live without your taste-buds for two or three weeks. Better yet, learn to use a rag or towel to form your brush point instead of using your mouth. On Thursdays I still attend Brush Lickers Anonymous. (Note: Some of us who started painting with acrylics years ago were taught to form the brush point with our lips/mouth.)

On this page some figures from a recent Berliner Zinnfiguren catalogue.Top, re-arming and fuelling a tiger tank. 271/044. €31.95Middle, Two sets from the American Civil War.Flags of the Union and Confederacy in the American Civil War. 282/50. €54.95.

Leaders of the Union and Confederacy, American Civil War. 282/49. €38.95.Bottom, an old series by Dr.Dangschat that has resurfaced. 'Up Guards and at them'; The Foot Guards at Waterloo. Historically innacurate with the caps, should be shakos, but quite nice.271/042 €49.95.

Dick Jenkins has sold his 'Hyde Park' set of figures to Herr Dittmar.www.schmalkalder-zinnfiguren.de

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I.By the summer of 1779, the conflict between the rebels and the King’s army in the colony of New York had reached an uneasy standoff. The Royal Army controlled New York City and the surrounding villages, and the Royal Navy controlled the Hudson River as far north as the highlands near West Point. The rest of the colony was in the hands of the rebels. The territory between the two forces, the neutral ground, was populated by spies and raiding parties of loyalist marauders and rebel outlaws.

In late June, General Henry Clinton, commander of the King’s forces in New York, received information from loyalist partisans that a force of continental dra-goons and rebel militia had encamped at Pound Ridge, thirty miles to the northeast of his position at Yonkers. The dragoons, numbering about one-hundred, were from the 2nd Continental Dragoon Regiment commanded by Colonel Elisha Sheldon. The informers also reminded Clinton that Pound Ridge was home to Major Ebenezer Lockwood, a patriot serving in the Provin-cial Congress and a man upon whom the Crown had placed a bounty of 40 guineas.

Clinton, thinking he might ensnare the rebel leader and give a drubbing to the insurgent cavalry, assembled a force of two-hundred riders—roughly an equal number of 17th Light Dragoons, Queen’s Rangers, and Hessian Jaegers—and placed them under the command of Lieutenant-colonel Banastre Tarlton. The young man, twenty-four at the time, has long been reviled by the writers of American history. They have saddled him with the nickname “Bloody Ban,” and have branded him an arrogant, cold-blooded, martinet. Certainly, his strik-ing portrait painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds attests to his vanity and ambition, but recent historians have drawn a more nuanced and sympathetic picture of his character.

After mustering his cavalry, Tarle-ton set out for Pound Ridge at 11 PM on the night of July 1st. His plan was to ride all night, under cover of darkness, and surprise the sleeping continentals on the morning of July 2nd. Little did he know that spies had forewarned the rebels of his impending attack. The weather was, in Tarleton’s words, “remarkably bad,” with periods of torrential rain, and the column plodded slowly along the sodden roads, making a wrong turn at one point and hav-ing to retrace their route. As the sun rose, Tarleton’s troopers were still an hour’s ride from their destination.

Back at Pound Ridge the continental dragoons, quartered on the south-side of the village at Major Lockwood’s farm, had been up all night, their mounts saddled and in a picket line, nervously awaiting the ar-rival of Tarleton’s raiders. Finally, Colonel Sheldon ordered his men to stand down and graze their mounts in the nearby pasture. Not long afterward, one of the Sheldon’s scouts came riding furiously into the camp and breathlessly reported the imminent ar-rival of the redcoats. As the Continentals raced to saddle their mounts, the enemy column hove into view.

The 17th Light Dragoons, riding in the vanguard, unsheathed their swords, and charged the surprised Continentals. “Sur-render you damned rebel, or I’ll blow your brains out,” shouted one of the Englishmen. According to Tarleton’s report “The enemy did not stand the charge and a general rout

immediately ensued.” The 17th Light Dra-goons chased the rebel cavalry for several miles, but the “difficulty of the country & there being no possibility of obtaining their rear, enabled the greatest part of the regiment to escape,” and the rebel militia “broke & dispersed at the approach of the Kings Troops.”

Colonel Sheldon’s report was remarkably similar in its description of the action. “The Enemy persued hard on our rear for more than two miles, in the course of which a scattering fire was kept up Between their advance and our rear and a Constant charge with the sword. The Country through which we passed being very mountanious & Rocky. Blundered our horses much which occasioned some to fall into the hands of the Enemy.”

Frustrated by the rebels’ escape, Tarleton returned to Pound Ridge where he ransacked Major Lockwood’s home. In one of the rooms, he discovered the rebel officers’ baggage, which contained some secret correspondence and, to his delight, the battle flag of 2nd Continental Dragoons. Tarleton gathered up the booty and then ordered his men to set Lockwood’s home and outbuildings ablaze. For good measure, he ordered the razing of the Pound Ridge Meeting House to punish the residents for sheltering the rebels.

In the meantime, the rebel militia began to reassemble on “Eminences & in Swamps” and commenced firing upon the English troops from a great distance. Fear-

ful of being surrounded in hostile territory, Tarleton ordered his men to mount and return to their camp. Enroute they plundered and burned the homes of several suspected rebel sympathizers.

Once Tarleton had returned safely to his quarters, he dashed off a report to his superior, portraying his actions in the most favorable light. He recounted the events of the sixty-four-mile sortie noting that losses on both sides were small—the English lost four men and the Continentals perhaps fifteen. Tarleton boasted of the shame that he had heaped upon the rebels by taking their flag and the officers’ cloth-ing. Then he packed the flag in his baggage and dispatched it to his home in England.

II.

Fast forward two-and-one-quarter centuries to Sotheby’s Auction House on New York’s fashionable Upper West Side, where the flag of the 2nd Continental Dragoons was offered for sale on June 14, 2006. Captain Christopher Tarleton Fagan, 70, a distant relative of Banastre Tarleton, consigned the family heirloom because, as he intimated to the press, he could no longer afford the high cost of insurance. Sotheby’s catalog described the flag as “captured” rather than looted, leaving the uninformed public with the false impres-sion that it had been bravely wrested from the hands of the rebels in the heat of battle.

The flag was clearly a unique piece of Americana. Measuring less than a square meter, it was the earliest surviv-ing American flag known to have thirteen alternating red and white stripes. Its design was loosely based upon French cavalry standards of an earlier era. In the center was a winged black cloud emitting ten orange and silver lightning bolts. Below the cloud lay a golden scroll inscribed with the Latin motto--PAT:A CONCITA FULM:NT NATI—which translated means, “When their country calls, her sons answer with thunder.”

The crowd of history buffs, celeb-rities, media, and curiosity seekers who turned out for the auction were not disap-pointed. They listened in hushed silence for fourteen minutes as six anonymous telephone bidders battled each other for the right to be the flag’s new owner. When the hammer fell, the winning bid was an astounding $12.3 million. As for the los-ers, they were like the bordello pianist, they could see the prize, they just could not have it.

III.

Collectors of flat tin figures inter-ested in the American War of Independence (AWI) will discover that the era has been almost completely ignored by the French and German editors of flats. Those inter-ested in AWI cavalry are further limited to the small selection of figures produced decades ago by Kieler Zinnfiguren and the private editor Hans Loy.

The Kieler AWI figures had an auspicious beginning. They were among the first figures produced by the Kieler company following its founding in 1924. One suspects that Kieler’s manager, Max Hahnemann, thought these new figures might stimulate some interest for flat tin figures in the United States and Great Britain. This idea did not bear fruit and Hahnemann discontinued the series after making eleven molds. Based on the series numbering, at least twenty-three molds were planned. The drawings for the figures

which were not engraved are now lost, ex-cept for a single drawing of an “American Grenadier” waving a flag. Over the years, the company went on to produce 1,000s of figures, but not another AWI figure.

The truncated series, designed by Professor Fritz Krischen and engraved by Ludwig Frank, contained a total of 25 figures---sixteen mounted and nine on foot. There were two mounted portrait figures—one of George Washington and the other of Baron von Steuben—both nicely done. The foot figures were American riflemen/militia wearing fringed buckskin jackets and included a standard-bearer. Seven of the mounted figures were Continental Dragoons defending and four were English Light Dragoons attacking. Neither had a standard-bearer, though perhaps one was planned. Overall, the series is a good example of the excellence in design and engraving which characterized the early Kieler figures. This explains their continu-ing popularity nearly one century later.

The cavalry figures and riflemen can

be combined to produce a small diorama depicting Tarleton’s raid on Pound Ridge. If so desired, Kieler’s Prussian Dragoons of the SYW may be used to depict the mounted Hessian Jaegers who accompanied Tarle-ton’s force. Creating a figure of Tarleton himself is possible by converting one of Raymond Boverat’s French Chasseurs a Chevel 1786-1801. Unfortunately, the collector must obtain the Kieler figures of the English cavalry officer and trumpeter (Ga6 a+b) second-hand because the original mold was damaged and modern castings are not available.

Following the second World War, engraver Ludwig Frank collaborated with the figure designer Ludwig Madlener to cre-ate a series of AWI figures for the Munich collector Hans Loy. Little is known about

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Society ContactsPlease send all information to be published in the Journal to Jerry Mortimore. All other correspondence with the Society should be addressed to the Secretary. Membership applications and renewals go to the Membership Secretary. All addresses can be found on this page.The next JournalThe copy deadline for the next Journal is 18th April 2018 for the Summer edition.Contributions to the Journal can be typed, handwritten or digital. Images need to be high resolution; 300dpi with the long side about 1500 pixels or larger. They can be sent via Dropbox on the internet.Annual SubscriptionsFull membership including printed Journal:UK - £ 22.00 Rest of Europe - £ 27.00 Rest of World - £ 29.00Online Only, includes the Journal only as a PDF option: - £ 18.00Subscriptions are due for renewal in January or June every year.Payment of subscriptions can be made by cheque, postal order, or Paypal. We cannot accept foreign currency cheques unless drawn on a British bank.Paypal payments should be made in Sterling to [email protected]. Add £1 to cover Paypal fees.Cheques must be made payable to The British Flat Figure Society, not to the Membership Secretary or any individual person.AGMThe AGM is held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting, in April.It is requested that all matters for discussion at the AGM and nominations for posts on the committee should be made to the Hon. Secretary before the end of the January preceding the meeting for inclusion in the agenda.The AGM minutes and financial statement will be published in the Autumn Journal following the AGM, but may be made available earlier on the website.

Contact The committee and Area Representatives of the Society

Hon. Secretary:Nick Ball 2 Manor Fields, Southborough, Tunbridge Wells Kent, TN4 ORG. Email: [email protected]

Membership Secretary:Ed Humphreys, 11 Oakeley Terrace, TalwaenyddBlaenau FfestiniogGwynedd, LL41 3LYEmail: [email protected]

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Additional Committee Members:Ian Parkinson, Ashton House, Main Street, Hemingbrough, Selby, North Yorks YO8 6QE

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Mr. Loy other than that he was a pharmacist and Frank’s very close friend. It is likely that Mr. Loy was also a devotee of James Fenimore Cooper’s “Leatherstocking Tales” and Fritz Steuben’s “Tecumseh.” (Steuben’s seven volume fictional treatment of Tecumseh’s life sold nearly 1 million copies in 1930s Germany.) The large selec-tion of figures he edited for his “American Frontier” and “Native American” series were drawn directly from those novels.

Loy’s small AWI series contained four types of figures---Continental Infantry (5 figures), English Light Cavalry (7 fig-ures), English Light Infantry (19 figures)

and Continental Dragoons (23 figures.) All the figures were engraved by Frank, except the last four Continental Dragoons (no. 100-103) which were engraved by Hans Lecke. These figures were probably engraved after Frank’s death in 1957.

The assured craftsmanship of Frank and Madlener is reflected in the quality of their creations for Loy. The English cavalry are more accurately rendered than the Kieler examples and may be used to show Tarleton’s column on the march. The group of Continental Dragoons compares favorably with the well-known and highly regarded set of French Cuirassiers designed

by Lucien Rousselot and engraved by Frank for Eduard Scheibert. Collectors can use the Loy figures to create a very fine diorama depicting the Continental Dragoons encamped at Major Lockwood’s farm, especially if the campfire figures from Mr. Loy’s “American Frontier” series are included.

The German editor Tilo Maier took over Mr. Loy’s molds in 1968. His family has been selling excellent castings of the figures ever since. Today’s collector may acquire the figures by sending an email to [email protected].

Right: Loy Continental Dragoons painted by Greg diFranco

Below: Loy 17th Light Cavalry painted by Gianpaolo Bistulfi.

More pictures on page 20.

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Above, Kieler Continental riflemen - Militia

Below: Kieler British Light Dragoons and Continental Dragoons.

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