You know how some figures seem to almost paint themselves and others take ages and ages? Well slot these Plains warriors into the latter category... seems like it's been over a month of saying to myself "I will get those guys done THIS WEEKEND" and it never seemed to happen. But I buckled down and now they are done.
They are of course the excellent Foundry models. Here we see the model I've painted as Crazy Horse, flanked by two compatriots. I found a suitable model for Crazy Horse (he had to be wearing a breechclout only, no war bonnet, and wielding a carbine - the Foundry model is "Walks Alone") and converted him to hold a pistol in his left hand. The pistol is from an excellent Wild West sprue from Wargames Atlantic which also came in handy later. The other two with Crazy Horse are Touch the Sky and Voice Like Thunder.
Here are Bear Licks with Tongue, New Fire, and Holds Fire. The models were painted with my indigenous skin recipe of Doombull Brown highlighted Ratskin Flesh. The horses seemed to take a long time as I painted several as Appaloosas. Also there was some warpaint on the horses and warriors. I should do more of that but it can be a lot!
Here are Lazy Boy, Fish Arrow, and Little Crow.
And finally Walking Rain and Strikes Like Bear.
Finally here are some excellent models sculpted by my friend Paul Hicks and sold by Brigade Games. They are from the civilians pack but converted by me to have revolvers, which came from Wargames Atlantic. Easy conversions. Here I've painted the models as Antelope Woman and Moving Robe Woman, both of whom participated in the battle. Antelope Woman (also known as Kate Big Head) was a Cheyenne woman present at the Little Bighorn battle. She was the sister of White Bull and participated in the battle by encouraging the warriors, helping the wounded, and gathering horses and weapons.
Moving Robe Woman (aka Her Eagle Robe) was later known as Mary Crawler (her father was Crawler, a Hunkpapa) and her little brother Deeds was killed early in the Reno fight. Moving Robe Woman took up a revolver and rode into the fight to seek revenge. She got it - killing a Seventh Cavalry soldier with her knife and shooting interpreter Isaiah Dorman with her revolver. This was pretty well documented as Dorman was the only black man in the battle and his fate drew some special attention. He was married to a Hunkpapa woman himself and was well-known to some of the Hunkpapa at the Little Bighorn, some of whom referred to him familiarly as "Teat". Although Moving Robe Woman didn't personally recount killing Dorman (his body was mutilated by his killer and others in a pretty grisly fashion) she did say "in this narrative I have not boasted of my conquests" and did not disclose her whereabouts when Dorman was killed. The Oglala Eagle Elk (cousin of Crazy Horse) said that Her Eagle Robe had a conversation with Dorman before she killed him with some enthusiasm. It is entirely likely that Moving Robe Woman didn't fully disclose her actions on the battlefield out of concern for later retribution by whites. You can read her own recollection of the battle in Richard Hardorff's book "Lakota Recollections of the Custer Fight" and a description of her encounter with Dorman in Greg Michno's excellent time-study "Lakota Noon," among other places.
Lastly, as Moving Robe Woman herself said to her interviewer in 1931... Eyes Hen La! I have said everything!
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