Marshal Marmont & staff

A recently completed bit of "Classic Shinyness". These lads are by Elite miniatures , a mix of the ordinary and Collectors ranges. The figure used for the Marshal had some conversion work done to him adding a sash, order badge on chest from green stuff, twisted wire lanyards , and flattened wire into the hand to create a better finish the reins. Horses were done with a mix or wiping and proper colour blending. The base blue was the ever dependable Andrea Blue. A real treat to top it off with Gloss , really makes the colour shine - so unfashionable...but i love it. Proper toys!

cheers
Dave

74th Line

I have been working on clearing off the prep desks ready for new stuff post hols. So I have completed some old school classic shiny Elite miniatures Napoleonic . The 74th line , a highland unit from the Peninsula without kilts.

Also completed another piece for the Old West Railroad as I finally laid my hands on a Denver & Rio Grande passenger car - now you never know who may turn up in town on the train. This just needed a decent bit of dutsy weathering.

Still a few things left to clear off - but getting there.

Chasseurs à Cheval - Work Completed

After what seems like an age , these two regiments are now complete as far as I am taking them - looking forward to seeing them based & flagged. Very happy with the end results. The "Elite" miniatures give some real life to a unit. I think you have to remember these are designed to be fielded as large units en masse , all mixed in with a load of their mates. They are not hyper detailed, super anatomically correct - and i love them all the more for that. I see loads of Perry Napoleonics,all beautifully sculpted and individually well painted  yet very few have really struck me as delivering units that really look the business - but maybe it is my "old school" goggles that cause that.

One thing for sure is that these two units are truly individual with the extra conversion work done, so no other collector or gamer will have ones quite like them.

 24th CaC

 

 24th CaC

24th & 23rd CaC

Work progresses on the 18mm AB miniatures French Line Lancers - very nice they are too. So here are the trumpeters as a little taster.

Also next up is a Connoisseur British Line battalion - proper old school miniatures. 

 Also taken delivery of some Fireforge Mounted Teutonic Knights , and some Testudo Personalities (from PD Miniatures in the UK) to go with them.

Also got my eye on the Great Escape type Stalag Luft set by E-BOB - you gotta love the personalities. Sometimes you just have to paint for the fun of it.

Personality set picture taken from the EBOB website

Doug C will be pleased to hear his AWI Highlanders are about to get a serious looking at too ...

And less than 2 weeks to Salute - who knows what goodies that will turn up..

Chasseurs à Cheval - Work in Progress part 3

The first regiment - the 23rd has now been completed as far as I am taking taking them apart from a further coat of varnish and I will wait and do both units together to ensure a consistent finish. I will get a photo back of them based and flagged.

The 23rd Chasseurs were commanded by a certain Major Marbot in 1812 and i was asked to do some conversions on the unit commander. His head was replaced with one with a a Colpack and plume on (from the spares box), A sword was made to and placed in hand as the original is just waving , add  loose sword knots from wire, and a flying scabbard was added. A rather nice individual creation.

I have had a few queries on the greens to be used. The main colour is Vallejo Model Colour Military Green (975) as the overall base, this is then highlighted with VMC Flat Green (968), and VMC Light Green (942), with some mixing between them . It gives a pleasing result to eye I think.

Of course the other fun with these is that French colour "aurore" , which seems to vary from a yellow to scarlet - although can be orange to salmon pink! So in the end I went with a VMC scarlet base mixed with a little VGC 028 Orange Fire and highlighted with a touch of the pure orange.

Also been doing something a little smaller - some AB miniatures French Lancers are on table once the 24th chasseurs are done.

so a little taster - and just to put things in scale

These AB are 18mm - but they seem a lot smaller than that. However the casting quality and detail is superb making them a real joy to paint. more next time.

Chasseurs à Cheval - Work in Progress part 2

So work on the two Chasseur units continues, now starting to get toward the serious painting end of things. Conversions always take a serious amount of time compared to just wielding the brushes.

All conversions and sword replacement pinning done, first regiment horses finished , riders all mounted and ready for painting, The commander has had a sword added with wire sword knots created, replaced the scabbard with shaped metal one and this is made flying loose form the body. In addition the horses tail was completely remade in solder replacing the one that was cast down one of the rear legs - it gives more movement and life to the end result. The standard bearer  has had his shako helmet removed and bandaged head created using the iron and dremel., One of the two  trumpeters has been  converted from original casting to be made as blowing his trumpet.

Second regiment horses oiled ready for highlights, riders undercoated ready to be affixed once horses done - I have done the standard bearer on this one as a falling casualty. The horse completely repositioned with legs altered and soldered to the base, a  new tail made from solder as the cast one was wrapped around the leg. The rider himself has both arms removed from the casting and repositioned and soldered on , reins added on into a remade outstretched hand. The commander is made firing a pistol and again one trumpeter is converted to be blowing it in a more forward and upward position than the first regiment one. Twisted cooper wire cords are made and attached to the home made trumpet and passed around the figure under the arm.

Photos of the trumpeter conversion showing the "as is it is cast" propped up and what it now looks like - you can't beat blowing your trumpet..... oooo  er..

Also had some 18mm AB French Lancers turn up - I had forgotten just how good those castings are - a little job for completion in April ..
.


 The are all "Elite Miniatures"

Chasseurs à Cheval - Work in Progress

Currently working on a couple of units 23rd & 24th. Some conversion work with replaced swords , one trumpeter made to be blowing his trumpet (starts cast to leg) .The officer on rearing horse has been made with pistol added into to hand and the other hand freed from his body to hold the reins. The standard bearer has had shako removed and head & hair remade with a bandage around forehead. Horses are base coloured ready for oiling up. so that's the first regiment on the go - on with the second lot of conversion over the weekend.

Used a range of base colours ready for oiling the horses.

Mojo.

So how is your painting mojo doing? Looking around a few blogs some people seem to be losing thier painting mojo as the days lighten (well for us N Hemisphere lot). So what is you recipe for keeping those brushes working?

Mine is doing just fine I could happily paint all day - damn the day job! Having had a long break from hobby  I have come back and I actually really enjoy it , more so than gaming I guess . The community of shared interest enabled by blogs and forums seems to put like minded people in touch which can be very inspirational . I enjoy the challenge of creating new units something with a bit of unique value. Variety does help as i am sure you will have seen from me of late there has been more than usual Napoleonic fare - I have to thank Curt from Analogue Hobbies for this his Winter Painting Challenge has been fun, and I look forward to catching up with some of the guys at Salute.

A few people have asked me about how to keep focus when doing larger units so here you are :-

Method 1
Do all the prep and undercoat on them all , and then some major block work. I will then split in to sections , suchs as the officers , the grendiers and lights , then the others to finish them off, this breaks it into manageable chunks.

Method 2
 I paint listening to music , or radio - i love BBC iplayer and after a while just end up tuning out of concentrating on progress and before i know it another chunk is done.

Method 3
Plan how I am going to paint the unit. Write down all the individual processes or colours that need to be done and then start ticking them off as they go. I find this sometimes help to structure the way I paint the figure , and can mean less rework - rework and touching up is all wasted time and effort which you can mostly get rid of with planning and it also speeds up the overall process.

Method 4
Reward yourself by having something you really want to paint up next, a special , or command stand.

Mehod 5
Don't stress too much if you don't make the progress you want - enjoy the journey - it is supposed to be FUN!

So how about you? Any stratgies for getting through "the block" you would like to share?


Oh and here is the picture. I completed the 2nd Vistula Infantry (Elite Miniatures) for John D back in Janaury (thanks for the photo) , and he's got them based and flagged - and very nicely done that is too.

Proper old school gloss boys.. go on you know you want too..

Photo courtesy of JohnD

And my inane ramblings are coming up on it's first birthday - I will have to work out a giveaway for those of you mad enough to stick with me.


cheers

Mamaluke progress - part 2

I have now done the main horse colours and the faces, headdress and some of the main blocks of colour. They are going to be very colourful when done.Horses were done in what was for me a fairly old oil and enamel mix technique - this gives plenty of time to shade and highlight to get he result I wanted. I undercoated the horses in range of differing colour shades and gave them a light oil wash and left them overnight. Next day I again did another light oil wash of Burnt Umber or Burnt Sienna or Indian Red and then used Enamel white and leather brown and some white spirit blended the colours with oil to get a whole range of shades and finishes.

I have then just worked on one to finish it , to work out the various colours and processes that need to done for the rest.

He has come up rather well I think.

In between all this colourfulness I have also knocked off a French Legere - they seem to have been popular recently! 

 

Aim is to complete the Mamalukes this week - there is the sound of Sudan drums - there is an order on the way! 

Vistula Lancer - completed

After a final push over this week these lads are now completed. There was more work to castings overall getting the unit composed and the conversion work sorted than the final paint jobs.No figure is just an original casting & no two are the same. 2 squadrons modelled at the charge and two ready to support.  Each has wire reins added and soldered into hands. Each officer was remodelled from the original casting,with replaced pin swords. There was major work on 3 of the 4 trumpeters. Each trooper has the lance soldered in to the hand with arms re-positioned, the straps from the lance added around the arms as well. Overall a fully unique unit , which I am very happy with. Flag and pennants from GMB.(Yes i know they lost the colours in Spain - but ya need a nice flag!). Lances made from 0.8mm piano wire.Horses were a mix of Elite, Connoisseur and Bicorne to provide variation. Based up for Grand Manner 20mm per figure frontage , 45mm depth.

The full unit

There have been some interesting modelling challenges , all over come and skills enhanced with the soldering iron. I will be adding the Lancers of Berg next year i feel.

Vistula Legion Lancers - getting there

It has been a very busy week in the real world! I have completed the officers to go with the trumpeters for the Vistula Lancers and part based them (ready for colours to be applied),  also the first of the men with pointy sticks.So for your delictation.

 

Holding steady.

 Sound the charge!

 
 Hacking their way through

Flying czapka! and crashing trumpter.
"Who's idea was this charge?"

First of the lancers

I have had some different requests come in for the brushes so there may a short delay on finishing these lads while i sort out painting an Anglo Saxon warband! - that's different!

Repairs to an old friend "Mamaluke"

While down at the WHC last weekend I picked up a figure I originally converted and painted about 12 years ago. He was in need of a little bit of a refresh and repair as there was some damage to the rear legs and sword. This has all now been sorted out. The figure is a "Bicorne" miniatures one on a Bicorne heavy horse which has had wire reins added & been cut free at the front so it appears to be leaping.

In addition i have completed the trumpeters for the Vistula lancers. All have had extra wire reins added. Trumpets were made for 3 of them from scratch and then added to the converted  figures as required .

The one on the left is pretty much the standard figure with just the head turned more to its right. The falling one is the same figure and horse. I must thank Doug Mason for the knowledge & teach in of how to do this with the soldering iron (watching him create a splayed out hand just using a soldering iron is incredible)  and the inspiration of looking at his own creations.

This one had his arm released from the casting , the existing trumpet was cut away and replaced by a scratch one. The head repositioned by twisting, then the trumpet was then soldered to the hand and positioned as if being blown. The the arm is then cut & bent to match it and soldered back on . The cord of the trumpet is created from 3 strands of twisted copper wire from a normal piece of household electrical flex. This is passed around the figure and soldered to the trumpet.

This one has his sword out as if to slash down on some poor infantryman and trumpet flung behind him.












Almost finished the officers too.