03/07/2013

A Slight Diversion

As I mentioned in my last post, I thought I would make an attempt to paint something different, just to shake me out of a bit of a rut, so I bought just a few 15/18mm AB Miniatures Napoleonic range from 'Fighting 15s' here in the UK. I put up some pics of some of them unpainted, but having spoiled a few with paint, I decided, possibly against my better judgement, to post some pictures for your amusement (and probably 'abusement'!). I know that there will almost definitely be historical inaccuracies in both colour and uniform adornments, but for those of you out there who have a much greater knowledge of uniforms of the period, be kind- these figures merely represent a little diversion from the norm, but I have enjoyed painting them.

First up, some reclining marksmen from the 95th Rifles:

I still have to varnish and apply static grass, so the bases look a little bare.

There were 3 poses of Riflemen in the prone position in a pack of 9 minis- the other was a mixture of these two- reaching for a cartridge to reload, but wearing a shako and not bareheaded.

These other two pictures are, obviously, Royal Artillery. This was in small part a labour of love for me because it was my father's regiment in WW2, although I believe he had weapons that were slightly more sophisticated! RIP Dad.



I think the challenge of painting something completely different was good for me. I had to be more disciplined to get close to something historical, and it was nice to use some brighter colours. One of my sons bought me the Vallejo Napoleonic paint set for Fathers' Day, so that is all I used, apart from the brass on the barrel of the 9 pounder.

I think I will go off on a tangent every now and then and try something different- I have some WW2 vehicles and figures, Peter Pig Moderns, and I took advantage of the offer from 15mm.co.uk and ordered their Use Me ruleset for zombies, which included a set of zombie figures. It seems that my blog is incorporating more than Sci Fi, but only in a very small way.

I have an idea for running some solo Sci Fi games, and writing them up as a running narrative with pictures from the games, to produce an ongoing story- would there be any interest in that do you think?

Thanks for reading!

14 comments:

  1. Wow! These are very cool...

    I don't know much about the uniforms and such either, but I love what you've done here. Very characterful.

    I also think it's a good idea to do something out of the norm every now and then... provides inspiration and gets you out of your comfort zone.

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    1. Thanks very much Mr. H! You are quite right, it does stir you up a bit! I have to say, I thought I had replied to your comment earlier, but it seems to have disappeared into the ether- perhaps I pushed a wrong button! Thanks anyway!

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  2. Yes.. the colour thing can be an issue if you paint WW2/modern military stuff. So boring. Sci-Fi is a bit better, but if you used colour schemes like this they would look like clowns. Anyway, good on you for breaking out of your comfort zone and trying something totally different! I think your second marksman might be my favorite of these.

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    1. Hi Allison. Very kind of you. It does give you a kick up the, ahem, to try something a little more exacting, and I'm with you on the colour thing- khaki and green , although probably authentic, can lose their appeal after the first thousand figures!

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  3. Love AB miniatures. Your rifleman looks good. The gun crews are great as well.

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    1. Hey Chris, thanks a lot. These are the first AB Miniatures I have painted, and I'm blown away by the detail. They are good anatomically as well, and a lot of the poses are quite dynamic. Thanks for commenting!

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  4. Great job, Gunny! The 1st reclined trooper is my favorite. You can be proud of these guys.

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  5. Howdee Jay, my main man! You are too kind- I did have a blast doing these, they made a nice change, but they were quite demanding for one so undisciplined!

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  6. Very nice, great paintjob and basing!

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    1. Thanks very much, Phil! I did paint a lot of 1/72 scale Napoleonics back in the 70s, but they were poor quality compared with today's figures. I even had a kit to cast my own- Prince August was the name of the company I believe. A bit limited though. Thanks for looking in!

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  7. I regularly switch projects even from sci fi....otherwise I'd simply get bored of it! I often go for naps, however none are even close to being as clean as these. Really top job, I've had pro painters do work not half as good as these and I'm honestly not just saying that!

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  8. To add....I'd be happy to follow the solo games! I love people's fluff, always helps me with a lot of my own ideas.

    Secondly, what greys did you use. Really great trousers? Do you layer and mix the paint till you have a milk consistently?

    Keith

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    1. Whilst I try to hide my blushing behind my hand, the grey on the trousers was Vallejo Basalt Grey,70.869, from their Napoleonic Set, a wash of Army Painter Dark Tone, heavy highlights with the original grey, then top highlights with Vallejo Light Grey, 990, or it may even have been Vallejo Pale Grey Blue, 70.907, probably the former. For the games, I'll see if I can work up a story line that is sufficiently informative without rambling on for aeons, but the plan is to pit your Rusk figures (in a different guise) against your Brit figures, with others thrown in here and there, but Armies Army figures will be the main protagonists. There will be a rebel insurgent element (Rusks) with alien mercenary allies (Rebel Minis Pangalactic Legion). Many thanks for taking an interest!

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    2. Also, I did thin the paint fairly well, probably to about the consistency of milk, especially whilst doing the top highlights.

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