Wanted for Service: Good, Bold Men (with an Eye for Loot)...

As the poster says!  I've been thinking of which miniatures to use for Les Hussards de Sarkozy, and have decided that the ones that best suit my particular bill are these by The Foundry, which were, I believed, designed by Mark Copplestone. 

Yes, they are cartoonish/ orcish or what have you, but they have an "over the top" look to them that I actually like for the early, wild-hussar type.

The problem is that including command figures I only need sixteen of them.  

Now while I'm certainly no cheapskate, neither am I an idiot. I realize that I've been spoiled by the excellent service from companies such as Front Rank.  And in fairness, the mail order service from the Foundry is by all accounts not to be faulted for reliability.  

But by having different "stores" depending on where you are placing the order from, the Foundry in effect charge their overseas customers twice for postage.  And God help you if you fall into the East Asia/Rest of the World category!  To add insult to injury- and unlike most all other companies I do business with- they evidently do not even see fit to deduct VAT from their prices.  

While having to grudgingly grant them a certain amount of "testicular fortitude"  for the practice, I cannot- will not- validate their unfathomable policies by holding my nose and paying those kind of prices for a handful of miniatures.

 So,  if anyone out there has sixteen to spare, along with command/  personalities,  please do drop me a line and let me know how much you want for them.  Any fair price considered!  I'd of course be paying the shipping to Japan.    

In particular I'm looking for the ones in short fur hats, but I'll consider a mix.  Preferably unpainted, but painted is okay (bear in mind that I'll be stripping off the paint so that I can paint the minis in the "correct" uniforms).

Alternatively, if someone could point my way to a cheaper source of these figures through a store who actually charges postage at a reasonable rate, please let me know. 

No recasts, though.  Aside from the poor quality I have no intention of rewarding thieves, even if it was Foundry they've ripped off!

The Sarkozy Hussars

click on image to enlarge.

In the words of M. le Marquis...

"As the French army licked its grievous wounds after the Battle of Dettingen at the newly-constructed camp at Thionville, our time was often taken up with the routine work of training and outfitting the army so that it would once again be fit to stand in the line of battle.

One warm August morning, I found myself returning from my daily hunt along with my staff, and in the midst of a lively discussion on where one could best obtain the finest truffles, when suddenly we ventured upon a remarkable sight. Riding up the road ahead of us was a rather villainous-looking band of ragged ruffians, led by one of the most fierce, feral-looking individuals upon which I have ever cast my eyes.

Yet I was struck by a pride and spirit that was evident in their hardened countenances and which impressed me, a pride which had been so dearly lacking in our men since that dreadful day by the River Main.

Count Horthy Emil Sarkozy, in the uniform of his former regiment
(when in the employ of Her Highness the Empress)

This band of apparent brigands was led by none other than Count Horthy Emil Sarkozy, a noblemen descended from an ancient House with lands in the eastern reaches of The Empress of Austria's domains. A disciple of the great Baron Trenck, his reputation for cunning, cruelty, and the pursuit of riches was known by all, but there was no greater nor more energetic leader of troops for conducting le petite guerre west of the mountains of Bohemia. He and his men were legendary for being most provident and enterprising masters of their terrible trade.

It transpired that when in service with the Pragmatic Army in the campaigns in Bavaria, he and Baron Trenck had found themselves embroiled in a bitter altercation over the apportioning of some considerable booty, and nearly came to blows; indeed, Sarkozy in his fury fired a shot at the Baron. The bullet, whilst missing its intended target, went on to hit and to wound mortally the nearby young Margrave of Groelchenburg, a close cousin and a favourite of Her Majesty.

Naturally, this act endeared the Count neither with Marshal Konigsegg nor with the House of Habsburg generally. Within days, Sarkozy found himself being strongly urged, by those of his associates who had close connections with the court in Vienna, that it would be in his best interests to flee the service of the Empress Queen.

One moonless night soon afterwards he rode out with his men to the Rhine frontier, crossing over to the west bank somewhere just north of Mainz after having successfully avoided the piquets on either side.

He later revealed that he had heard much about my exploits at the Bridge of Seligenstadt- and that I was well-known for keeping a lavish table well-provisioned with fine wines from the family estates at St. Vignobles- and that he had ridden to Thionville in order that he may offer me his services, along with those of his men.

I was touched both by his sincerity and by his martial demeanour, and duly petitioned the War Ministry. His offer was graciously accepted, and I was thus entreated and commissioned to outfit the men for the King's service.

I had a new uniform made for them in the Hungarian fashion, using the same bolts of grey and mulberry cloth that I had purchased to clothe the Regt. de Buillon-Cantinat. I also issued them with a standard- the ancient and faded guidon of the Bouillon-Cantinat Regiment of Gentlemen Volunteers, who had seen service in 1688 with the Great Louis and Turenne in their Wars in the Palatine.

Touched in turn by the sincerity and magnanimity of my gesture, Count Sarkozy swore tearfully that he and his men would honour the standard and would defend it to the last man. He then declared that all the time that he, Count Horthy Emil Sarkozy, had breath to draw in his body, he would champion the cause of France and the furtherance of the House of Bouillon-Cantinat."


Uniform plate based again on (the indispensable) templates provided by David at "Not by Appointment". Thanks, David.