If you're going to have guards misicians, you might as well have guards marching with rifles, and a few setries to march past! The is one of the more unusual sets from Airfix in that there are a large number of duplicates of a single figure and just a few other pieces.
The second type artwork, again - courtesy of Greek contributor Kostas - and the catalogue images he sent me. A colour wouldn't lead a quarter-guard like this, but it's a fine piece of artwork none-the-less, with everyone looking stern and determined!
A few shots of the 'pink' figures. I have delt with the pink in detail with the
Guards Band in the 'newer post' (above this one on a scroll), but you can see here, quite clearly that they are not pink, but rather faded-out red, with this set the red is clinging to the recesses of the detail, folds in the cloths and - obvious on the sentry-box - larger flat areas.
The make-up of a Colour Guard, varies from army to army and unit to unit and I can't remember ours that well, but an officer with drawn-sword or sabre leads, two young subalterns (sub-lieutenants), or Second Lieutenants referred-to as 'Ensigns' carry the colours (flags), one being the Queens Colour the other the Regimental Colour. They are escorted by Colour Sergeant's, the rank above Sergeant in the regular infantry, and they may be accompanied by the Regimental Sergeant-major (RSM) or similar, making up to six 'chaps'.
There are so many exceptions and variations to this that the collecting of military bands and colour parties is a whole hobby in itself. Suffice to say that the above vignette is attempt to picture a Colour Guard, with Captain, sword drawn, between two Ensigns followed by two Company Sergeant-majors (CSM's) with rifles shouldered.
The upper shot shows the main colour variations of the plastic for this set, basically the same as the
Guards Band set.
I was getting-on to rendering 2D on my CAD course when I was photographing these (about two years ago; where does it go!), so quickly knocked-up this 'palace' frontage for the photo-session. The unit accompanying the colour is known as the Escort
for the Colour/s (while the colour/s is/are being presented) and Escort
to the Colour, once the Colour/s has/have joined their ranks.
Here the upper photograph shows the changing of the guard, with an escorting officer or senior NCO bringing the replacement sentries or stags, at each post a small ceremony with much stamping of feet will ensue. the chap to the far left is counting out his prowl, usually this is done in tandem, and they count out so they turn or stop at the same time.
The unit mounting ceremonial guard changes quite regularly, at Windsor castle for instance, it's every two days.
Useful Link for
Guard's ceremony in London.
I also CAD'ed some tree 'flats' and took the Regimental Colour on patrol!
The carded Guards from Hong Kong, are not really copies of the Airfix figures at all, or at least; only the legs have been used, so...
...they're worth a quick look. As you can see, there are four poses, with long and short 'pop-guns' held to the left shoulder or to the right. I covered the set
Here on the main blog. The long-weapons are sort of 'Port Arms' and the short ones are sort of 'Shouldered'?
Unknown nation's troops represented here with a bit of a bearskin-cut! Naples? Nassau? Anywhere beginning with N! Back in the day there were loads of these conversions, they were very useful for both Napoleonic and Crimean war gaming, and I seem to recall Terry Wise had a page of them in his 'Introduction to Battlegaming'. Scan of an old photograph, so not the best quality.
A few years later, and some better shots of the four in green, with four others in
Feldtgrau, so maybe one of the Germanic states prior to unification, some fought with Nappy, some fought against, some hedged their bets and did both! Or are they Prussians? The 30/40-somthing war gamers need to realise this is what war gamers had in the 1970's, this or hideously expensive lead/whitemetal figures which only grown men with sports-shop franchises could afford!
Comparison between the Airfix and Spencer Smith 'Royal Salute Presnt Arms' poses, there's no piracy involved with the 30mm figure, just the same pose, it's like a big-brother home on leave showing little-brother how to do it with the Airfix SLR and disappearing bayonet!
Classic 'Blue Box' artwork, front and rear, with no real constructions like artillery pieces, you get a line drawn vignette, with the two part sentry-box, just in case you're struggling to get the parts the right way round!
The earlier, first type box with its more cartoony artwork and a list of the contents on the reverse. Figures are on the runners and in a stable red, but the insert-card, designed to show a row of figures against a plain background, is missing.
Artwork from an early
AHM catalogue in the States, at that time I think the
USAirfix concern was probably up-and-running, so there would have some marking-up through the supply chain, hence the quite high price of fifty-cents, while they were still around nine or ten 'new pence', an old shilling (?) over here, no more that the equivalent of about twenty-cents?.
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