Saturday, December 26, 2015

The Toad Hall Fencible Legion

"In Days of Old,
When Toads Were Bold,
And Ancestors Were Great,
They Used to Pop Off Early,
A Most Remarkable Rate"

- Mr. Toad's Ghost Song



In the 1980's television production of "Wind the Willows", dear Mister Toad sang a song about his ancestors and their ghostly comings and goings. I must confess the notion of Bold Toads has never left me since.

All these years later and my latest troopship from Scotland has brought one of those Toads to Toy Soldier Life.

I present to you The Toad Hall Fencible Legion!


An all arms force the legion boasts forty or so musketeers, two light artillery pieces, and and ten light horse...well "ram" really. 

The Legion was originally raised to deal with some unpleasantness in the Wild Wood. Despite its Fencible origin the Legion has been taken into the Line and has now seen action in Joccia, Guinalea, and Al Garvey, as well as having dealt with various Leveler. Luddite, and plain old Looters back home. 


"Uncle Hector,
He's the Specter,
On Dark and Stormy Nights,
Who Wails and Moans,
And Rattles his Bones,
And Puts Out All the Lights"

- Mr. Toad's Ghost Song


Sir Hector Toad is the Colonel commanding and of course spares no expense in kitting out his lads. Sir Hector is ably assisted by his good friend and loyal subordinate, Major Badger.


The Legion Foot, "The Wild Wooders" are formed in three companies of 13 figures each. Private soldiers are drawn from the stoats, weasels, and ferrets that so trouble honest folk in the environs of Toad Hall. These "scum of the wood" are drilled and kept in line by officers and NCO's drawn from the River Bank and towns; rats, orcs, and...Sir Hector's nephew, Mungo.

Truth be told young Mungo is a bit of a...well that might just be a bit on the nose!


The battalion is rounded out by a colour guard of two weasels, and an orc NCO led by a rat Officer, an orc RSM, and two light guns crewed by rats. Sir Hector imagines that Wild Wooders could be trained to work the guns. However erring on the side of caution, gunners are recruited solely from River Bankers.


The small force of hussars operate in two squadrons of five each, being in the main, ferrets, led by a rat Officer.

The figures arrived on Christmas Eve, in company with three other orders from Alternative Armies, more on those in another post! They are painted to Alternative Armies' usual high standards and Major Badger was converted from General Davvie McBaird by the very kind and talented Sam Croes. The other "stoats, weasels, and ferrets" are simply paint conversions of Joccian Rat models.

I created the standards on Christmas Day and attached them this morning. The battalion colour bears the Toad clan motto "Semper Bufo!" while the cavalry guidon bears an image of the god Pan, said to be the Piper at the Gates of Dawn by folk about the River Bank and Wild Wood.

These figures will primarily be used with Young and Lawford's "Charge!" rules but of course will see use with any number of rule sets over the coming months.

Hope you enjoyed a peek at the wee fellows and thanks for stopping by!

15 comments:

  1. Great idea! I think I might have to watch that old movie again today.

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    1. Thanks. Love that movie and series. Well worth watching again.

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  2. Great idea! I think I might have to watch that old movie again today.

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  3. Those are absolutely wonderful MCMD. Mrs. Kinch thought they were charming too.

    Though I must say, I am a friend to the common weasel (and to the stoat, as the weasel is not native here) and feel they are an unfairly maligned creature.

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  4. Greetings of the Season my good Fellow! Please present my compliments and a tip of the hat to your Dear Lady Wife.

    I quite agree about weasels. Small predators tend to get a bad rep in fiction. I suppose that in a rural society where one's chickens go missing and its a blow to your larder and pantry both it's a fair cop.

    In our age of supermarkets and such weasels, shrews, and foxes help keep the mice away from my basement and for that I am truly thankful!

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  5. This isn't really my thing but I can't resist the whimsy and creativity of it - I am sure I would play in a game with these figures and keep a big grin on all the way through. Lovely work.

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    1. Thank you. I am well pleased with the way they turned out.

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  6. Greetings. I'm currently revisiting my Flintloque collection with a view to playing games of Black Powder with them. As such, in terms of spirit and tone, I have taken to perusing your blog posts again for inspiration!

    I see you have the Officer from the artillery crew on duty! I have that figure and always felt (as you have) that he should be promoted to a more senior position, which he will when he is painted!

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    1. The artillery officers are some of the best officer figures available. Worth looking at for each nation. Best of luck with the project!

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