I have several boxes of French infantry that I am using to create rifle squads for Bolt Action. The problem is that I have need for only a 2 officers. What to do with all the rest? There is 1 officer for each sprue, so I have lots of unused figures.
What to do with extra French officers?
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Hudson Adams ModeratorThrow them away. They're extras.
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@Don Williams What part of the world are you in? cause if your in the states I am more then welling to take the them off your hands😉 (no serously I am intrested).
You could also use them for sludge armies, other industral fantasy game armies, or armed police for pulp gaming. For history I would say IndoChina war french but thats a no go (they seemed to dress in WW2 allied surplus), could mix them with Boxers and do Warlord era Chinese type troops I suppose.
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@Don Williams
You could try and convert them to Dragoons:
https://wargamesatlantic.com/community/xenforum/topic/44479/question-regarding-the-french-for-ww2
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Convert Them.
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@Brian Van De Walker I live in the states, too.
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This French officer's body is in the military generic fashion of the 20's : pockets and high falling collar ("col saxe" in french).
By modifying just the head, you could evoke many soldiers and policemen (NCOs) of the 1920's, from South America to Poland, via the United States, Ireland, Germany (Schutzpolizei), China and Japan... We are also not far from the cut of British khaki colonial uniforms, from 1890 to 1930 approx. (before shirts or open collars and ties).
Give them, swap them, or keep them preciously. I'm sure that THE GOOD IDEA will come in a short time...
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Also a pretty good fit for many pulp adventurer types. Pith helmet and heavy rifle = great white hunter. rolled up or ripped sleeve arms and tousled hair = square jawed hero. Fez head (you have spares of those as well) and rifle = well equipped Askari. Turban head and Lee-Enfield rifle = stalwart Sikh.
If you don't expect to ever do any projects like that, swap or sell them.
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This body indeed presents very interesting possibilities. The only problem is that our comrade ends up with exactly the same body, X times, in the same attitude. Boring.
To do something interesting, with variety, he will have to do plastic surgery (using saw, scalpel...), at is it common in the world of historical miniatures at 1/35th or 54mm.
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@Don Williams Well,well, let me know if you want them off your hands via PM😉 How many extra bodies are we talking here?
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Kitbashing Dragons/Chasseurs Portés would yield better results by mixing French heads, arms and guns with the bodies of the WW1 German kit. The D/CP uniforms didn't have prominent pockets like this.
Still, coming back to the officer bodies, you could use them for:
-Belgians ! Adrian helmets, Mauser rifles, BARs.
-Gendarmes ! Especially with the Berthier carbine. These would look good for a Paris Uprising army.
-Early WW2 Germans if you file down the boots to a small surface ! But then, you'll need German heads, guns and accessories.
Or, in the worst case scenario, you can send them to me. 😁
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Paul Cziganj is right.
Making French "gendarmes" is a very good idea. This uniform, with the collar "saxe" or "demi-saxe" is valid from 1916-18 to 1945-48 : first, "bleu horizon", then "bleu de France" (in Métropole, continental part of France) or "sable" (tan, in Mediterranean areas and colonies). In war-time, military khaki was possible around the fighting zones (eventually with helmets and weapons).
The common "Gendarmes" were all treated as NCOs in the army. They were (an still are) the corps of police in rural areas (gendarmerie départementale) and in the Army (Prévôté militaire). We can add the corps of "gendarmes mobiles" (hard security tasks : evacuation of areas, actions against riots, insurrections, strikes and violent troubles) : carbines, helmets...
The gaiters and riding pants were in use in all corps of "gendarmerie" before WW2 (the tradition of the corps is Cavalry - silver buttons, braids an marks of ranks). They were not considered as infantry, but as motorized units.
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Gendarmes may be the best answer. Saw this awesome conversion online:
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@JTam Very nice job they`ve made there.
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Very bright.
Let's just change the heads (Tschakos, Mützen or Stahlhelme), weapons (MP 35 or 38, K.98k, P08 or P38) and colour of the uniforms, and we can have members of the Ordnungs or Schutzpolizei (des Reiches, der Gemeinden, der Gendarmerie) in Germany, Austria, Alsace, Luxembourg, Czechia, General Government in Poland (Grossdeutsches Reich)...
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i have made a French Milice officer for a Vichy force as opponent to my Resistants.
Using arms and head from their box.
The troopers will be done with the Pz Leher box and the Resistant head with berets.
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@BUYCK Eric
Sorry for the late reply. This is a great conversion and a fantastic idea.
The Milice are an ideal opposition force for the Resistance.
The Wargames Atlantic French Infantry Officer makes a fine Milice Officer as you demonstrated. The use of the Panzer Lehr minis as Milice troopers is genius.
If you can score some Enfield and Sten Gun arms/weapons from the Wargames Atlantic British Commandos kit (or similar) you could use them with the Panzer Lehr bodies as well. The use of captured airdrop arms (Enfields and Sten guns) by Milice forces is well documented.
I hope you will update us on project progress. This idea/project really deserves its own thread.
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I am looking for more officers. If you have any spares officer bodies and officer kepis I'd gladly take them off your hands!
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