First: Some history of the musketeer figure. East Asiatic Expedition Corps = Ostasiatischen Expedition Korps

1. Osprey Imperial German Colonial and Overseas Troops 1885 – 1918, MAA 490. Musketier of 1st East Asian Infantry Regiment, ca. 1900 to 1914, B1 illustration, with bicycle.

Excerpts from a couple of web sites and the Osprey book above.

The East Asian Expeditionary Corps was hurriedly formed from volunteers of the regular German army and hastily equipped. The summer uniform worn by the cyclist is a variation on the army’s Drillichrock tunic, dyed yellow-khaki, with matching trousers. Enlisted ranks shoulder straps were white with red regimental numbers. This soldier has a marksmanship lanyard in Imperial colors. The Strohut (straw hat) had a large Imperial above a small state cockade on the turned-up right brim and a narrow band in company color. The band indicates that this musketeer is part of 4th company of 1st East Asian Infantry Regiment. Equipment and footwear were black leather. The musketeer has 1895 ammunition pouches and a Gewehr 98 rifle.

Other sources.

2. The German Colonial Troops from 1889 to 1918, Verlag Militaria, 2009.

3. Uniforms of the German Colonial Troops 1884 to 1918, Schiffer Military History, 2009.

Materials – Head and rifle from Reedee’s. Neither were modified, but the Strohut was added on the head. WW2 German bicycle from Battleground Miniatures on Shapeways. The bike was modified by removing the carrier rack at the rear and a tool box. The Battleground bicycle is made of white opaque resin.

The Strohut was made using MagicSculpt and Kneadatite mix for the crown and lead-tin sheet for the brim. Both the crown and brim were embossed with a pattern approximating the rough straw. The pattern was made by a clean round metal knife handle rolled and pressed into both repeatedly.

The bicycle has a lantern mounted on the front fork. I guessed that it was a Haeckel kerosene burning lantern and sculpted a master which is being cast now.

Sculpting done using MagicSculpt and Kneadatite mixes.

Apologies for my crap painting and photography. The painting work is incomplete and the photography is barely good enough for WIP.
Lots of work left. Hope you like it!
All the best,
Dan

Nice work Dan - just my sort of thing!

Thank you Steve! Always enjoy your work too!!

All the best,
Dan

Looking good Dan! Beautiful work.

I really appreciate the history and construction details. I believe providing this information is very helpful to others on the forum.

Thanks,
Ken

Another fantastic and new subject Dan. Lovely work both in making and painting it.

Chris

Excellent build! I apologize but I think I missed it--what scale is this?

Prost!
Brad

Many thanks Ken Boyle, Chrisr and Brad!

Ken - I really enjoy researching the figures I build and collecting all the needed data, photos, etc. It's as much fun as actually building them.

Chrisr - Thanks for complimenting my painting particularly. I would like to think I'm slowly improving. Learning to use an airbrush to apply the base colors has helped; I can get paint on more smoothly and cleanly vs. a brush.

No - you didn't miss it Brad. I failed to mention that it is 1/16th scale. That's about the only scale my eyesight allows.

All the best,
Dan

Great subject,history,reference material and of course execution.

Oda.

As always an unusual theme but very good. I like it very much

Thanks Oda and Ulrich! Lots more unusual themes to choose from.

All the best,
Dan

Very nice indeed Dan, love the choice of subject.

Cheers Roger! Don't know whether it was the bicycle or the straw hat that caught my eye first! The hat was fun to make, particularly working out the rough straw texture. The texture is hard to see in my poor photos but it's there. When completely finished I'll try to get some quality photographs.

All the best,
Dan

Nice to see something different. Well done.

Cheers

Huw


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Thanks Huw! Much obliged!

All the best,
Dan

lovely job and it's nice to see something different
Phil

Thanks Phil!! And there are so many, many possible subjects it is easy to do something different. Although it is arguable whether two or three of these are all that different, I'm considering...

• a USMC Sgt ca. 1900 at the time of the Boxer Rebellion in China, with the 1895 Lee Rifle. The Lee could be a conversion maybe.
• a French Colonial Moroccan officer wearing a djebella and helmet, post WW1
• German III Seebattalion, 5th Company, mounted, Tsingtao, China ca. 1914
• a French Colonial Chasseur d'Afrique officer, mounted, wearing the 1900 uniform
• German Sudwest Afrika Private, horse-mounted charging in rough country, 1914
• Scottish private in kilt, 51st Highland ID in a pose similar to their monument near Beaumont Hamel

All the best,
Dan

Nicely done Dan, very unusual subject and not often figures seen with bicycle.

Cheers
Steve

Cheers Steve! Sometimes things just come together, don't they?

All the best,
Dan