Corporal Cecil Wormsborough St.
John Nobbs (Nobby)
& Sergeant Frederick Colon
Corporal Cecil Wormsborough St. John Nobbs (Nobby)
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I had already built my own version of Nobby before
the Clarecraft figure was introduced. I was not happy
with the general look of their figure but did like
the head, with its zits and fag.
My figure is based on the body of a plastic goblin which has a nice bent leg look of the Kidby drawings. The body armour and cape were modelled from milliput and the sword, morning star and halberd head were taken from other figures. The halberd shaft is a length of wire. I replace the original head of my version with Clarecraft's and added feathers to his helmet cut from the foil from the top of a wine bottle. |
Sergeant Frederick Colon
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This figure was also built before Clarecraft produced
their own Colon, and like Nobby, I was not really
happy with what they had produced.
My figure was based on a plastic halberdier's body and after shortening the legs by cutting a small section out of them the bulk of the torso was remodelled using milliput. The hardest part was trying to get the embossed pectoral muscles on the breastplate to look right. The original boots were then carved to look like sandals. The Clarecraft head had more character than the one I had originally used so I swapped the heads. |
Design Notes
Nobby
Nobby at 4’ tall is smaller than many dwarfs. He is 25 years old approx. when first encountered, and says he's probably 34 in the Truth. Pigeon chested, with very thin arms, bandy legged, and the muscle tone of an elastic band. He is spotty and has facial boils like a join the dots puzzle. He smokes incessantly, but the weird thing is that any cigarette smoked by Nobby becomes a dog-end almost instantly and remains a dog-end indefinitely or until lodged behind his ear, which is a sort of nicotine Elephants Graveyard. He has a tattoo on his arm of crossed daggers and WUM (The perils of having a tattoo done while drunk). Tends to speak out of corner of mouth. In appearance, Corporal Nobbs has been described as a monkey, presumably on the grounds of his remarkable dissimilarity to the Librarian. Other descriptions include "a face like a blind cobbler's thumb" and, on fashion sense, "a bit of a peacock. A peacock that had been repeatedly hit with something heavy, yes, but a peacock nonetheless."Wears corroded breastplate, steel capped boots and ill fitting helmet. When in plain clothes looks like a peacock -(GG p87).
He has a leather thong round neck with gold seal ring on it with coat of arms (FoC p72) which lead to him being given the title "The Right Honourable the Earl of Ankh " during this story.
Nobby is known to carry a certificate to his species signed by the Patrician himself along with a variety of interesting cigarette ends and various other items "found" over the years. He is rumoured to have terrible personal habits, although these appear to be no more than a penchant for petty theft (usually from people too unconscious or, for preference, too dead to argue), an ability to do tricks with his facial boils and a liking for folk dancing. He is also a member of the Peeled Nuts (Ankh-Morpork Civil War Reconstruction Society).
Nobby's normal method of locomotion is a species of sidle; in times of danger he has a way of propelling himself from place to place without apparently moving through the intervening space.
Men like Nobby can be found in any armed force, they take good care never to be promoted beyond, perhaps, Corporal. He served as a quartermaster in the army of the Duke of Pseudopolis. There are rumours that he had to join the watch after items missing from the stores were found in his kit. Since the items were the entirety of the store inventory, Nobby's kit at the time consisted of two warehouses. Nobby reckons he has been in uniform since probably the age of 10.
He has an unnerving liking for weapons and related magazines, such as 'Bows and Ammo', 'Warrior of Fortune' and Practical Seige Weapons'. When the armoury was raided in MAA he equipped himself with all manner of edged weaponry and a morning star - a single iron ball with spikes. Nobby was given a white goose feather of cowardice in Jingo and not knowing the true reason goes round collecting them to make a mattress. He puts first one in his helmet.
He lives in the New Watch House in Pseudopolis Yard, moving from room to room as he fills them up. In the Fifth Elephant was stationed at Chitterling Street.
He was given a Burleigh & Stronginthearm double action triple-cantilever crossbow with polished walnut stock and engraved silver facings by the Hogfather.
On 25th May has a wilting sprig of lilac tucked behind his ear like a cigarette.
Verity Pushpram "Hammerhead" - a nice girl who runs a little seafood stall. Can never get rid of smell of fish. Eyes to far apart and squint ,arms like a stevedore and can crack a lobster with her fist.. Throws crabs at Nobby or hits him with fish as a sign of affection. Nobby hed left her for Tawneee before the start of Thud but returned because she could cook despite the fact that you didn't know which way she was looking.
Tawneee -real
name Betty nearly six feet tall, bosom like … a big
girl, big smile and generally bigitisy. Body that every
woman would hate her for, the self esteem and brain of
a caterpillar, stomach made of iron, alcohol didn't seem
to go to her head Bronzed lithe figure with two tassels
and folded hankie costume according to Colon. Had her
own pole. Was Miss May in 'Girls, Giggles and Garters'..
When 10 won Miss Deviantes' ballet and tap class. She
went out with Nobby because he was the only man to ask
her. Nobby had to let her down and return to Hammerhead
as she couldn't cook.
Colon
Colon is about 60 years old, fat with a more than adequate stomach. He has a huge red face like a harvest moon and a tendency to sweat even in frosty weather. Smokes a pipe. Always wears sandals with his uniform which as a sergeant includes a breastplate with impressive pectoral muscles embossed on it. His chest and stomach fit into the same way jelly fits into a mould. Keeps his now grimy Watch Badge in his pocket.You could describe Sergeant Colon as the sort of man who, if he took up a military career, would automatically gravitate to the post of sergeant. You couldn't imagine him ever being a corporal. As a civilian, his natural role would be something like a sausage butcher - some job where a big red face and a tendency to sweat even in frosty weather are practically part of the specification. (In 5E he had a temporary promotion to Captain and Nobby to Sergeant- but you need to read the book to know about that)
He likes the peace and quiet of the night and owes thirty years of happy marriage to the fact that Mrs Colon works all day gutting fish and he works all night. They communicate through the use of notes. No-one is sure how they managed to have three children.
Fred Colon has been in the watch for 30 years and had
been intending to retire to the country, but never really got round to it.
He has probably been in the Watch longer than anyone else; he is also the only one to never really adapt to its changing nature, and often thinks of the days when it was just him, Nobby and Captain Vimes. The Bucket in Gleam Street is his local boozer.
By the time of Thud Colon had past retirement age but was kept on as custody Officer and Watch Liaison Officer, with Nobby as assistant. He has as a room the Watch Training School,. The little office was where Sarsaparilla, Raspberry Lava and Ginger Pop had been mixed. The brass plate on the door said "The Twaddle Room" and couldn't be removed as the Historian's Guild said they had to preserve as much of the original fabric of the building as possible. Twaddle is the basic soft drink syrup. The kettle was always on and open house to all his mates, old watchmen and cons. Vimes paid for the doughnuts as their gossip was often useful.
Model Ideas:- Nobby and Colon as Laurel & Hardy and
Beti disguises J p201-216 (picture 26/1/2000)
Nobby appears to have a liking for dressing as a woman. On patrol with Angua - Swinging his handbag on a street corner with the general stance of a lady-in-waiting for Mr Right-Amount. He wore a wig, a bonnet with a rather fetching band of flowers around it and a taffeta dress/gown with a swirl of lace. Dress must have been long as he lifted the hem to step over a puddle.
Both at the guard house by the Main Gate with a dark skinned boy on an elephant and the dust of 999 others arriving.
M'Bu 12 years old, teeth sharpened to points, elephants brush and shovel, clipboard and dark glass things over eyes.
Both watch CMOT doing Singing in the Rain (MP p91)
On 25th May has a sprig of purple lilac stuck in his helmet like a plume.