East Indian Company Cavalry [I]

Hi Guys,

 

it is a long time ago i bought this box from perry twins. There are britishg napoleonic hussars. I have thought a long time. First i want build some Kings German Legions. With an special command sprue ein do some, but this was not my world.

 

I have an affinity about British Indian and the Indian of the East Indian Company too. So I thought to build the Indian cavalry for games in the period 1810-1840. I know that the guys before the Great Mutiny have some funny hats and helmets. More like the European Soldiers.

First Problem I have to handle was easy. Change from european-british Cavalry Sabres in indian Tulwars. I have to cut of the Handle Guard of the Sabres. It is an easy conversion with an big effect for the units i will build.




There you can see the result. For the Hats I use the Caps withou the peak so it looks like an Indian Sowar of the EIC Troops.

 

 

You can see the TULWAR Sabre in the Hand of the Rissaldar-Major.

 

I have attach the scabbard on the saddles of the horses. I have cut of the bags and most of the belts.

 

There a the first 6 finished modells....

 

I think i will do some Skinner Horses. That means yellow jackets. But i also think about Madras Cavalry in an smart blue, ore Bombay/Bengal Cavalry for red shirts. What do you think ?

 

Cheerio,

Gordon

Quentin Durward - Movie Review 12

Hello all over the Modelling World !
Hi guys,

there is the last Review of Knight Movie with Robert Taylor. I love the film, because in this historic drama is so much fun and joke. I hope you enjoy.

The Adventures of Quentin Durward, known also as Quentin Durward, is a 1955 historical film released by MGM. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Pandro S. Berman. The screenplay was by Robert Ardrey, adapted by George Froeschel from the novel Quentin Durward by Sir Walter Scott.
The film was the third in an unofficial trilogy made by the same director and producer and starring Robert Taylor. The first two were Ivanhoe (1952) and Knights of the Round Table (1953). All three were made at MGM's British Studios at Elstree, near London. The film had the distinction of a soundtrack composed by studio music mainstay Bronislau Kaper rather than Miklos Rozsa, who was busy on other projects at the time the film was ready for scoring.
The film was the first big-budget film for the English comedienne Kay Kendall, and it featured a large contingent of distinguished British players, including Robert Morley.

Plot

In 1465, honorable but penniless Scottish knight Quentin Durward (Robert Taylor) agrees to go to France to find out if the beautiful young heiress, Isabelle, Countess of Marcroy (Kay Kendall), would be a suitable wife for his aged uncle (that is, if she is as rich as is claimed). The marriage has been arranged by Charles, Duke of Burgundy (Alec Clunes) for his ward to cement an alliance with Scotland, but she wants nothing to do with it, so she runs away and seeks the protection of Charles' great rival, Louis XI (Robert Morley), the King of France. Quentin pursues and manages to foil an attempted robbery by brigands under the command of Count William de La Marck (Duncan Lamont), though Isabelle continues on her way unaware of her protector's identity.
Nearing the court of King Louis, Quentin tries, but fails, to save the life of a gypsy. However, the dead man's brother, Hayraddin (George Cole), is grateful for his efforts. Louis, who had ordered the man's hanging as a Burgundian spy, and distrusts such honest men as Quentin, orders him to leave France. However, the Scotsman is not easily deterred. He sneaks into the heavily guarded castle and awakens the king in his bed with a dagger at his throat. Louis is impressed and enlists Quentin in his service.
Upon the unexpected arrival of Count Phillip de Creville (Marius Goring), a Burgundian ambassador seeking Isabelle, Louis orders Quentin to guard her and to keep her presence secret. During the time they spend together, she and Quentin begin to fall in love.
Having lied about Isabelle being there, Louis commands her to depart. She tells him that she will seek sanctuary with an old friend, the Bishop of Liege (Harcourt Williams). Louis concocts a plan to have De la Marck kidnap and forcibly marry Isabelle to keep her strategically important lands out of Burgundian hands. He has Hayraddin, who is a spy in his employ, take the information and a large bribe to De la Marck. Louis provides Isabelle with a detailed itinerary (the better for De la Marck to find her). He also lends her a few guards, including Quentin, so that when they are killed, it will divert any suspicion away from him. Hayraddin is also sent as a guide. However, when he discovers that Quentin is to be one of the victims, he switches sides and warns the Scotsman. The three manage to escape the trap and reach Liège, though Quentin is wounded.
When he has recovered, he finally tells Isabelle of his obligation to his uncle, which prevents him from courting her himself, and leaves. De la Marck attacks the castle, captures Isabelle, and kills the bishop when he refuses to marry them. Hearing the sounds of battle, Quentin rescues his love. He slays De la Marck in an unusual duel involving swinging from ropes normally used to ring the church bells.
Meanwhile, the Duke of Burgundy arrests Louis when he comes to continue peace negotiations, accusing him of orchestrating the murder of the bishop. However, Quentin arrives and exonerates the king, providing as proof De la Marck's severed head. Out of gratitude (and in France's best interests), Louis tricks Charles into letting Isabelle decide who she will marry. Quentin has received news that his uncle has died, so he is free to follow his heart.


So, thats all on Movie Monday. Nexttime i will go back to victorian England. We speak about the new bbc series Ripper Street.

 

 

Cheerio!

Gordon aka Andreas

NEW BLOG

Hi Friends,

i wan´t to show you an new blog, namend
 
http://thevictoriancentury.blogspot.de/
 
in which I present the background to all i present here.
 
I therefore use this blog as an archive which I can refer me. There I can also store information that would just overwhelm the main blog.

However, I will collect mainly information about people and places on earth in reality and the fiction. Thus, real people, such as Burnaby, Kitchener and Lord Curzon find just as fictional persons, as Flashman, Sherlock Holmes, or time travelers from HG Wells book The Time Machine. I hope you will find the blog informative.
 
Cheerio !
Gordon aka Andreas

New Perry Stuff

Cheerio !!

 

There he is:

Colonel Frederick Gustavus Burnaby (3 March 1842 – 17 January 1885) was an English traveller and British Army officer, died in the second Battle of Abu Klea 1885, Sudan.

 

The Petty Twins had make a brant new mini and Warlord Games give us a brand new rule book for black powder rules in Sudan War.

 

 

The book is amazing, many pics from minis and good reading rules.

 

Greetings,

Gordon aka Andreas

Knights of the Round Table - Movie Review 11

Hello Guys,

hope you are all well all over the world. So i will start with the next movie monday review. My first dream was "the red knight" with the lion....Lancelot du Lac, Son of King Ban of Benwick. I love the movie colourful and amazing.

 

Knights of the Round Table is a 1953 Cinemascope historical film made by MGM. Directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Pandro S. Berman, it was the first film in Cinemascope made by that studio. The screenplay was by Talbot Jennings, Jan Lustig and Noel Langley from the book Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory.

 

The film was the second in an unofficial trilogy made by the same director and producer and starring Robert Taylor, coming between Ivanhoe (1952) and The Adventures of Quentin Durward (1955). All three were made at MGM's British Studios at Elstree, near London and partly filmed on location. The cast included Robert Taylor as Sir Lancelot, Ava Gardner as Queen Guinevere, Mel Ferrer as King Arthur, Stanley Baker as Mordred, Anne Crawford as Morgan Le Fay, Felix Aylmer as Merlin.

 

The Story:

 

With the land in anarchy, warring overlords, Arthur Pendragon (Mel Ferrer) and his half-sister Morgan LeFay (Anne Crawford) meet as arranged by the sorcerer Merlin (Felix Aylmer) to discuss how to end the bloodshed. Morgan maintains that as she is the only legitimate offspring of the late king, the throne belongs to her, but Merlin puts the adversaries to a test to determine England's rightful ruler. Merlin leads them to Excalbur, a sword embedded in an anvil, and says that according to legend, whoever can remove the sword shall be England's true sovereign. Morgan's knight champion Mordred (Stanley Baker) tries in vain to extract the sword, but Arthur removes it easily. Mordred accuses Merlin of witchcraft, and a hearing is arranged with the Council of Kings at the circle of the stone. After advising Arthur that he must prove himself worthy of the throne by his deeds, Merlin instructs him to return the sword to the stone.



Lancelot and Guinevere



Meanwhile, the French knight Lancelot (Robert Taylor) and his men ride toward the circle of stone, hoping to offer their services to Arthur. On the road, Lancelot encounters a young woman named Elaine (Maureen Swanson), who quickly falls in love with him. They are waylaid by Mordred's men, and Lancelot bravely does battle with all of them. Arthur arrives and joins in the battle. Lancelot, claiming he needed no help, challenges Arthur, unaware of his identity. After a long, exhausting fight, Lancelot finally asks his opponent's name, and when he learns that it is Arthur, he breaks his sword against a tree and kneels before him. They are joined by Elaine's brother Percival (Gabriel Woolf), who asks to be Arthur's knight errant.

Later, at the circle of stone, Arthur and Mordred debate before the Council of Kings. When the crowd turns against Arthur and Lancelot, they are forced to flee, vowing to take the kingdom on the battlefield. Arthur and his men lie low throughout the cruel winter, then launch their attack against Mordred's men in the spring. Despite being greatly outnumbered, Arthur's men win and he is crowned the King of England. In the interest of peace, Arthur immediately pardons all his former enemies, but when Lancelot objects to Mordred's pardon, the two men angrily part ways.

Following the battle, Lancelot discovers that the lovely Guinevere (Ava Gardner) has been kidnapped and rescues her, unaware that she is Arthur's fiancee. Following Arthur and Guinevere's wedding, the king's joy is complete when Lancelot arrives at Camelot and pledges his allegiance anew. Arthur swears to join the select group of knights at the Round Table and England enjoys a period of peace and prosperity. One day, Percival brings Elaine to court and asks Guinevere to make her a lady-in-waiting.

Meanwhile, Morgan and Mordred continue to harbor ill feelings against Arthur, and note with interest the growing warmth between Lancelot and Guinevere. Merlin privately warns Guinevere that Mordred will attempt to show her suspicion and love of Lancelot. Because of this, Guinevere tells Lancelot she knows of his secret love for her and urges him to marry Elaine. Lancelot proposes to Elaine and asks Arthur to let him go to fight the Picts on the Scottish borders.

One night, Lancelot and Elaine are visited by Percival, who relates how a heavenly vision instructed him to go on a quest for the Holy Grail, the cup from which Christ drank at the Last Supper.

Mordred calls a meeting of Arthur's enemies in Scotland and urges them to make peace so that Lancelot will be forced to return to Camelot, where he will eventually be exposed as Guinevere's lover. Word of peace reaches Arthur at Camelot at the same time that Lancelot's infant son Galahad, whose mother died in childbirth, is brought to court with instructions that he be sent to Lancelot's father. Sensing a plot, Merlin argues against bringing Lancelot back to Camelot, but Morgan poisons him, and the knight returns amid great fanfare.

Late one night, jealous after seeing Lancelot kiss another woman, Guinevere goes to his rooms, unaware that is being spied on by Morgan and Mordred. Lancelot angrily denounces Guinevere's folly in coming to him, and Mordred's men soon arrive to arrest them for high treason. Lancelot fights them off and flees with Guinevere.

Lancelot and Guinevere are tried in absentia at the Round Table and declared guilty. Lancelot suddenly walks in and surrenders, and when he confesses his chaste love for Guinevere, Arthur revokes their death sentence. Over Mordred's protest, Arthur orders that Guinevere be confined and banishes Lancelot from England.

Outraged at this show of mercy, Mordred succeeds in turning the other knights against Arthur, and civil war returns to the land. Arthur meets with Mordred and agrees to his terms for ending the war, which include disbanding the Round Table. When one of Arthur's men draws his sword to kill a snake, however, the battle cry is sounded.

Arthur is mortally wounded, and Lancelot returns from exile to be at his side. With his dying breath, Arthur commands Lancelot to destroy Mordred and give Guinevere his love and forgiveness. Pausing only to hurl Excalibur into a lake, Lancelot calls on Guinevere at the convent and conveys Arthur's message, then kills Mordred after a fierce battle.

Lancelot then meets Percival at the Round Table and weeps, blaming himself for the noble fellowship's demise. After Percival receives another holy vision of the Grail, he hears a divine voice telling him that Lancelot's son Galahad will be a worthy knight, and that Lancelot is forgiven and will now know peace.

 

I have the text from wikipedia. But i can´t do it better then this. I hope you enjoy. Have good week.

Greetings, Gordon