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

French Infantry Campaign style

Sometimes it seems the old workhorses don't get that much of a look in so here are some plain old PBI lads in greatcoat. You would think these are easier to do then a full uniform, but no there is just as much shading and highlighting required overall. I found these part done when I uncovered the caisson team so seemed like an idea to finish them off. The figures are Front Rank - nice again excellent quality of casting  They do a mix of head dress which adds a bit of variety , and I had turned some heads slightly to break up the completely uniform look.

 Something a little different up next "The Red Air Force"- to add to Gerry's madness over at The Situation Room - More 10mm soldiers than you can count on a massive playing area.  He's also currently working on building up a Napoleonic force and has taken delivery of 32,000!!! painted figures.

- then its back to some guys in Red...

Prep work also continues on items for the The 3rd Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge run by Curt with talented painters from around the world sharing their work, with a little bit of healthy competition to spur each other on. Looking forward to it - and few good entries planned already. Well done Curt on setting it up again with all the work it entails. Well all those long dark night in Canada you need something to keep you busy right?

French Caisson team

This is other of those long ago started projects which i wanted to finish off this week. This is a nice Front Rank set of the Gribeauval artillery caisson and horse team. All were excellent casts - the horses in particular i thought were actually the best Front Rank ones I have dealt with. These have been completed with full oil painting - not just a rub, but actually using the medium fully with other mixed colours to provide shade and highlight. One of the reasons it had been parked so long was I had left it alone to dry and then got distracted by cowboys.

 Nice to see it finally completed. I think the winter period will see a lot more Napoleonic it's drawing me back - if there is one era you can't beat for colourful lads its this!

It's that man again.

The return of Napoleon to the blog  especially for Kawe at Westfalia Miniatures & Grossbeeren 1813..  I have had these guys kicking around for a while mostly painted with just final highlights and the table details to do . Oh the maps and the orders were fun to do , thank heaven for reading glasses (happens to us all !). They are a mix of 4 Perry metal sets. Now traditionally i have not been a great fan , and I do think they could still improve the casting quality a little sometimes, they were a devil to clean up all the bits of flash. They are however once you have done lovely to paint - very taken with the various facial details. Of course they took an age as every figure is an individual 

 Marshal Ney decidng where to charge next  my favourite figure of the lot (probably because he's my favourite Marshal)

 

 The staff write out the orders - just check what time it is.

Meanwhile the Emperors personal staff await his commands

   

Napoleon as First Consul

Well enough of musing , more painting required. So here we have Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul, Reviewing his Troops after the Battle of Marengo. From the painting by  Jean-Antoine Gros.

I found this Trent Miniatures figure I had aquired at York earlier this year and it was already undercoated , so while doing prep work on the first lot of Salute purchases decided to finish him off. Nice and colourful with the red coat. A very nice figure to paint.I used the Andrea Red set for for the coat.

 

 

Also been working on the first of the Old West building - check out the "One man and his trowel" tab

French Line Lancer - a change of scale

It's been a productive Easter break - mainly with the weather being bad I have been able to focus on clearing off the table with a number of items coming to completion.

I showed you the 18mm AB trumpeters last time , well they have now be joined by their mates. I have been really impressed with the quality of the casting - really makes the painters job easier.

Basically exactly the same colour mix for the greens as the Chasseurs - Vallejo Military Green , and Flat Green. The horses were done in oils bar the trumpeter and the officers. I undercoated the bays in Humbrol 62 Leather and painted on the furniture in black Vallejo - I highlighted some of the flanks with a little Dark Flesh or Ochre , just to give a little variation as well. After 24 hours they were given an oil rub using Burnt Umber , Burnt Sienna , and mixing some black in on some. I did use my more expensive better quality oils for this as the pigment is finer and given the actual size of the figure it was needed to give a fine finish.

For the basing I used Minatur moss tufts due to size required - these were fairly dark so i gave them a light drybrush of a yellow ochre just to lighten them slightly while they were still attached to sticky sheet.

Time for a bit of something not green based i think.

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 ..
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 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.