Mystery Figure Stripped

I have managed to strip most of the paint from the figure, which revealed some interesting features:

 Looks like a tassel on the right side of the shako:

Closer view:

Is this a skull badge?

Rear view:

I still can't make up my mind - he could be a Brunswicker with some inaccuracies thrown in!

Another Mystery Figure

A few days ago I purchased a small lot of figures, amongst which were a small group of Minifigs 'One Piece Castings' (OPC) cavalry figures. I was particularly attracted to two Russian cavalry men that I had not seen before. One is a dragoon and the other a hussar (see last picture).  There were two other OPC figures in the group, which I initially assumed to be the British Napoleonic hussar (which I have seen before) and what I considered to be a Brunswick hussar.

However, on closer inspection the Brunswicker did not look quite right:

Looking at his shako it is easy to see why he might be considered to be a Brunswicker, but that is where the similarities end. He is not wearing a hussar tunic and the horse furniture is not right either.

Here is a picture of our man next to the British Hussar:

Our man lacks the hussar braiding across the jacket but on the other hand the pose is very similar to the British figure - assumed to be Napoleonic.

I wonder, if our figure is in fact a Crimean War figure depicting a light dragoon?  The reason I suggest this is that the British heavy dragoon and lancer OPCs have plumes (not worn in the Crimea) and in full dress the 1850s British Light Dragoon had a feathered plume as above.

I took a look at the Lone S ranger site, but alas there is no picture of a Light Dragoon.

here are the four figures from the group lined up together, with the two Russians on the end:

I would welcome any thoughts. Does anyone have another example of this figure?

Industrial Hexes

Before I begin I should explain the pause in reporting. Having taken some pictures of my latest project, I placed the camera in a location where I would not forget it and it would be safe.  Of course when I went to get it I could not find it. For several days I looked in all the likely spots to no avail.  Eventually I went back to the first place I looked and there it was under some papers - doh!

Anyway, for the last few days I have been working on a small factory and warehouse to make up two industrial hexes.  They are made from foam board and balsa, with a paper chimney, coated in pva for strength. Here is the small factory unit:

To go with it I have made a substantial warehouse building:

The two structures can be placed together to form a major strong point:

Seen here with some Russian troops defending:

The chimney is quite tapered, although this is not clear in the pictures taken from above, but is evident in this shot of the components prior to construction: