Hi to all on PF ,

A day off from work today and what better way of spending it than to be on PF and do some reviews .......................

A while back there was a boxer called Mohammed Ali .....who at many interviews said ..... "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee" and what better phrase to apply also to the recent release from Linjo:

3rd New Jersy Cavalry or "The Butterflies"

So before we look in detail at the model itself its that time of the day for a small bit of history about this renowned and flamboyant unit ...so sit up straight and pay attention :

The New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry, was recruited originally as the I st United States Hussars, and used both titles during the war. New Jersey's state Quartermaster General sought approval for a distinctive uniform from the U.S. Army's Quartermaster General's office in late November of 1863, "to encourage recruiting."

This uniform was very similar in cut to the United States cavalry," it would cost about $3 more than the regulation cavalry uniform because of its extra trimmings and decorations, The extra cost was to be passed on to the recruits. By the end of November the federal Quartermaster granted approval.

Regimental headquarters was established at Camp Bayard, near Trenton. From January through March of 1864, recruits flocked to become Hussars, not just mere cavalrymen, and on April 5, 1864 the regiment, completely mounted and equipped, rode from New Jersey to join the 9th Corps under Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside. With 47 officers and 1131 enlisted men the regiment passed through the District of Columbia, where they were reviewed by President Lincoln himself and their bright uniforrns attracted immediate attention from the newspapers.

Their uniforms were featured in a woodcut in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper soon after the unit began recruiting. In that account it was described as "a showy attractive one, based on ... the Austrian Hussars." In a history of the 3rd's Company H, the uniform was more precisely described:
... privates wore pantaloons of sky-blue cloth with yellow stripes. Jackets were dark blue with a profusion of yellow cords across the breast and on the front of the collar on an orange-- colored ground. Three rows of large, burnished bell buttons adorned the breast with a braiding of cord. On the seams of the back and sleeves there was an elegant braiding of cord. Offi cer.v' uniform were still gayer with gold cord and trappings.

The men also received unusual caps. Of dark blue and braided in yellow about the band, the bodies of the caps tilted sideways, to the left. On the front of the enlisted caps was a wreath encircling the numeral 3. Made without visors, the caps offered scant protection from the elements and in photos are frequently seen replaced with more orthodox forage caps and other headgear. An additional distinctive item of clothing in the regiment was a yellow-lined sky-blue talma issued in lieu of the overcoat. The talma closed with three cloth tabs rather than buttons and featured a tasseled hood.

Naturally the colorful uniform immediately earned the regiment a nickname; for the duration of their service they were popularly and appropriately called "The Butterflies!"

Armed initially with three types of breech loading carbines -- Sharps, Joslyn and Burnside -- the Hussars were ready for war. Sidearms included Whitney and Colt revolvers, and their Colonel, Andrew Morrison, was wisely ignored when he requested that the 3rd be armed only with the saber. In November of 1864 the regiment received Spencer repeating carbines.
The Spencers were much needed, for these Hussars were not parade ground soldiers. Transferred in May to the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac, the 3rd New Jersey saw duty in the Shenandoah Valley. In September, along with the 2nd Ohio Cavalry, the regiment captured the entire 8th South Carolina Infantry Regiment. The 3rd's list of battle honors includes Winchester, Cedar Creek, Five Forks, Saylor's Creek and Appomattox. When the Hussars mustered out in June of 1865, they had lost three officers and forty-seven enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and two officers and 105 men to disease.

There is reference to a "butterfly" flag being carried in addition to the state colour .

Other units had been formed during the war which called themselves hussars, but it seems that only the 3rd New Jersey was a full regiment and dressed as hussars. The unit had proudly carried out the light cavalry traditions of the European hussars and proved that these particular Butterflies had a sting!


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On now to the best bit ...the model itself :


What do we get in the box :


Subject title: 3rd New Jersey Cavalry (1st US Cavalry)

Scale: 200mm

Parts: 5

Material : Resin

Sculpted by : Chunmei Zhou

Box Art by : Hongwei Qin

Reference: LJ20015

The model comes in the distinctive and very strong black cardboard box , with the parts being secured between 2 thick pieces of foam (great for resting your wrists on as you paint the model ...bit of Health and Safety there !!!) . With this amount of packing there is no chance whatsoever of any piece being received damaged .

Consisting of 5 parts , these being the torso , the head (head enclosed in the hood), the tassel and a piece of copper wire to form the cord (these 2 are secured in a clear plastic bag) and of course a pedastal base , parts are cast in a light cream resin colour .

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Looking 1st at the torso :

Sculpted with great skill he is wearing the "Talma" cloak over the very ornately braided jacket .

There is a casting plug to deal with on the right hand side but nothing too difficult as normal with Linjo .
In the neck area there is a cutout which allows you to fit the headpiece without any fear of mis-alignment....like this idea a lot .

The overall finish is very impressive indeed , the undersides being extremely smooth , detailing is 1st class with some of the best braiding I have seen , totally in scale , belts are well represented with fine undercuts in all area's , the cloak has really nice folds with one edge brought up to expose the lining colour.

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Moving on now to the 2nd main piece ..the head itself :

This has been sculpted enclosed in the hood of the Talma wearing the distinctive peakless kepi secured by the chin strap which is sculpted onto the face itself .

We have a small cast line to remove from the left side of the hood , easily done with wet and dry or sanding pads , on the top there is a small casting block to remove , again quite easily done ..

Again sculpting is 1st class and I take my hat off to both sculptor and caster for achieving this so successfully .

Painting this will be a challenge but the end result will be worth it .

In keeping with the cloak itself , folds are naturally done and achieved well , the collar detail is all there , together with the regimental number enclosed in a wreath although the company letter was also used on the front of the cap .

Facial features are also well done , perhaps the ear that is showing is a little too prominant but hey maybe our cavalryman had sticking out ears ..or the hood is pushing the ear forward with the movement .

The facial features are of a young cavalryman IMO , so a chance to show the innocent side of a soldier ..or age him a little by giving him a shaving shadow as in the box art .

Fit of this to the torso is spot on , no filler will be needed so fellow planeteers enjoy the skill that has resulted in this piece .

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Now looking at the final pieces now :

As with the Zouave bust I reviewed (http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/showpost.php?p=446804&postcount=1 ) the tassel is nicely done (very difficult to photo but rest assured the cords of it are well done!!!) , although some might want to make their own , copper wire is provided to twist into a cord again some might want replace this with sculpting putty , however there is nothing wrong whatsover using the items provided ..its a personal choice .

To fit the tassel and cord a fine hole will need to be drilled on the end of the hood tail.


The base is a simple peadastal type which needs a litle work on the lower edges to tidy up , once this is done it will provide a secure fit (dry fitting is very accurate into the base) , I would recommend pinning as well for additional peace of mind .

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Final thoughts from yours truely :

A subject that has been done before but not as well as Linjo , the pose is great , a typical "look at me in my fine uniform" , sculpting is as we would expect 1st class as always from Linjo .

Particularly mention must also be made of the hooded face a triumph of sculpting and casting providing a challenge to the painter .

This coupled with excellent fit and presentation that shouts QUALITY , QUALITY to me everytime I open a Linjo box gives the modeller something special that will no doubt have pride of place in the display cabinet and also I am sure be seen at many shows around the world ...WELL DONE AGAIN to Linjo.


Thanks to Linjo for the review model and WELL DONE..another great bust


Another one I am pleased to recommended .

In the UK it can be got from El Greco of course at a cost of £30 plus shipping

Note El Greco are the sole distributor in UK

Phone: +44 (0)1280 840364

Email: info@elgrecominiatures.co.uk

Home Page: http://www.elgrecominiatures.co.uk


Go to the Linjo website at www.linjomodels.com for more information on other worldwide suppliers


or contact them by e mail at linjomodles@sina.com

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Hi Noel ,

It is indeed a beautiful bust as you posted .

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Hi Jim ,
Now stop it I am going all red and not worthy

Glad members enjoy the reviews

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Hi Chris ,

Thanks for the comments ref the features , perhaps you could highlight why you think this is so as Linjo would be interested I am sure ....although maybe its a personal viewpoint as looking at it again I think this and the others are in character .

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Chris ,
I respect your views and note the comments however I would like to set the record straight on one thing ...............

I AM NOT THE "OFFICIAL" REVIEWER FOR LINJO , THEY CAN CHOOSE ANYONE BUT I HAVE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO DO THEM .

In NO way are my reviews biased , they are constructive, hopefully informative, and my own thoughts , I do them because I like to show new busts to all on PF

I am pleased that you have contacted Linjo with some details , we all can learn from others , like you I also work for a international company , I wish I could just do modelling as a job but its not to be.

I look forward to your posts on future Linjo and other company reviews that I will do .

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