Reaper miniatures Davey Crockett 50105

So I have finally grinded my way through the last of my Empire Hand Gunners Yesterday. At least with the Empire Spear men I have the Command group to go to town on, and the rank filler saved some sanity but with the Hand gunnaers I had none of that!

 

I needed something to draw the eye away from the rest on the figures (and restore my sanity) so I walked straight over to the Reaper section of the Miniature Empire, and there he was with a halo round him "Davey Crockett".

Ever since I based my General on George Custer I wanted a Wild West / Great plains figure in there somewhere from Custoras' insurrection days. Basically I wanted a "Hawk Eye", last of the Mohicans type character as the Hand Gunners sharpshooter.

 

This figure was an ABSOLUTE PLEASURE to paint and I knocked it out from top to bottom in under 2 hours. I wish I could have had a unit of these!

As is in keeping with the whole "Tale of 4 Gamers" this fella has a back story.

Nathan Running Elk soon become a legend within the camp. On his first tour of the camp walls an Elf scout had felled Nathans guide. In a heart beat he had returned fire and dropped the Elf at 150 paces while the elf was concealed in the tree line.

A patrol dragged the Elf body into camp. On inspection of the body they found a perfectly round musket ball hole just to the left of the bridge of the Elf's nose. As the hand gunners surrounded the body, chattering in awe and excitment at the impossible shot Nathan had simply walked up, inspected the shot, and then calmly adjusted his sights!

Nathan Running Elk was raised by the tribes of the great plains after he was found as a baby amoung the carnage of a massacre of a settler convoy. Nathan was adopted by "Death Wind" a renowned hunter of the Kuron tribe.

Nathans tribe were one of the few tribes to side with the Empire during the seperast wars of the Great Plains and were renowned as scouts and trackers without peers amoung the Empire forces. This legend was only solidified after their being armed with Hochland long rifles.

Nathans father was lead scout of the Empires forces at the Big Little Horn and literally begged the force commander not to proceed towards the enemy camp. Death Wind later died holding a pass which gave the Empire forces time to regroup after the rout.

Maybe it was their both feeling like fish out of water but a strong affinity soon sprung up between Nathan and Custoras which grew into a strong friendship during the campaign.

Nathan had arrived in Lustria, now anything which walked, flew or swam on this cursed isle would fear the report of "Death wind", his rifle!