Tag: 1/72 metals

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miniatures painting wargaming

A tale of two painting events

Winter 2023/2024 proved to be quite productive painting wise. I don’t keep stats on numbers painted although I do record my painting colours and techniques in case I wish to replicate a figure/unit.

“Paint What You Got” by Dave Stone and “Analogue Hobbies Painting Competition” (AHPC) by Curtis Campbell and Co. both provided a big push to my painting in a very positive way.

In both cases I had planned a limited involvment to secure yet more mid 19th century completed units for my Danish and Germanic forces of the 1st Schleswig Holstein War.

Initially all went well and the fruits of my work can be seen on the AHPC14 site and in previous posts on this blog.

Paint What You Got

Paint What You Got II – better late than never

Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge 2023/24

Then I fully succumbed to the “Library Challenge” on offer with the AHPC event.

So out went the 19th century and in came whatever thematic library section I found myself in next.

The result?

  • One 1/72 Reconnaisance Spitfire – now gifted to a lover of all things aerial.
  • One 28mm Noggin the Nog super hero from the 1960’s childrens black and white TV. Bought from the Little Toy Soldier online shop.
  • One 28mm General Siskorski hero of the free Polish during World War 2: A Partizan Newark freebie.
  • One 25mm veteran (1980’s) games workshop fantasy Cyclops: found at Doncaster Toy Fair.
  • One 28mm Empress Matilda (12th century): A Partizan Newark freebie
  • One home built “button monster” (DeathZap Pastor created these inspiring SciFi/Fantasy creatures)
  • One home built “Nissen Hut” left behind in some village in the East of England after world war 2 “upcycled” – before the term was invented – to a village library.

Quite a haul and it was a very satisfying period of painting and making. The AHPC served up some great contact with the other painters as well.

After what was in effect for me a serious 12 week painting/creating blast – I literally hung up my paint brushes. March has rapidly become April and I have been drifting: I cannot blame outdoor activities like gardening as spring has been one soggy wet mess and still is.

So much for getting on with the 1st Schleswig Holstein War forces. That project has been a case of two or three steps forward yet now stopped.

Maybe that stop was coming anyway. My Wargame projects have that way of shuddering to a halt for no good reason.

1940 France – mk1 spitfire in camomint camouflage
1980’s games workshop fantasy cyclops rescued from Doncaster toy fair!
12th century Empress Matilda – a freebie from Newark partizan show
Just squeezing onto the painting pedestal is a scratch built ww2 Nissen hut library from the post war
Polish General Siskorski again a Newark Partizan freebie and the link is double in that Newark was home to polish air squadrons during ww2 and after General Siskorski and his family died in an unexpected plane crash over Gibraltar in 1943 the general was buried in Newark until repatriated in the 1990’s
Noggin the nog
A German ww2 magazine freebie with mods to make a sci fi character of sorts
A button monster made from a 54mm ww2 soldier.
AHPC 14 proved to be very productive!
Categories
miniatures painting wargaming

Blog Influences 4 Pauls Bods

Pauls Bods is a blog that celebrates 1/72 plastic wargames figures. Yet it is so much more because Paul as an ace modeller who can turn even unpromising sculpts into fantastic pieces of the wargamers art.

His head, body and everything else swops are inspiring.

He also has a great sense of humour which appears often in his creations.

The headline image is of my own work prompted by Paul’s bods. Taking a leaf from his book I painted some mini art medieval cavalry that were given a searingly negative plastic soldier review.

Here are some posts highlighting the range of his work.

http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2010/10/run-rabbit-run.html

http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2010/10/houstonbeepwe-have-problembeep.html

http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2010/12/airfix-acw-infantry.html

http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2010/12/world-war-ii-deserters.html

http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2011/03/dalek-command-post.html

http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2011/01/after-sandstorm.html

http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2011/04/new-set-from-e-bay.html

http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2011/04/bear-fight.html

http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2011/04/airfix-guards-band.html

http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/2011/08/fantasy-island.html

Sadly I think his work is disappearing as some of it was in paid storage products that no longer operate.

Categories
miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 24d The Cavalry

From the 1970’s era I have had three cavalry types – Cuirassiers, Hussars and Lancers in my collection.

They are all minifig.

The Lancers and Hussars have done sterling service especially in more recent times appearing as mid 19th century units for my Italian Wars of Independence forces and their Fauxterre equivalents.

These French lancers have served many a country both real and imaginary across the nineteenth century
These French hussars have also become generic as well – often appearing as Austrians
These minifigs cuirassiers don’t get out much as the battles in the mid nineteenth century were the twilight era for cavalry

In addition I have some Warrior Miniatures French dragoons. The first batch were in green and were sold years ago. Then I got inspired by a funcken image of French napoleonic dragoons in red……

These warrior metal french dragoons have been a more recent addition long after they were bought!

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/2021/10/12/the-late-running-1800-from-oxted-to-victoria-has-just-arrived-on-platform-1-45-years-late/

Categories
miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 24c More French Line

I guess these might be Hinton Hunt but I think they are early Minifigs before they ate all the pies!!!! – I simply can’t remember.

Any how they have a certain simplicity in design that I find very enjoyable.

No colours or musicians but there are a few officers present. I really ought to backfill….
Categories
miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 24b the confederacy marches….

So I will kick off the painting pedestal slot in 2024 with some more pickelhaubes.

In this case it is some Oldenburgers. These chaps are again a straightforward repaint of Hat ww1 german infantry. The pickelhaube sculpting works to my advantage having a higher crown. This gives a nod to the the Pickelhaube design prior to 1870.

And 1848 was still a time for Shakoes. Another contribution to the German Confederates is this unit of Saxons. They are SHQ Napoleonic Hanoverian’s. I have not been able to track down a suitable officer/musician/flagbearer set as it appears the SHQ ranges are incomplete.

I really like the facial sculpting on these SHQ metal figures. This is notable because with 1/72 plastics the mould line/flash and sculpting often all come up short at the face.

Of course at 3 feet – my normal viewing – this is all academic.

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metal miniatures wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 24a French Allies

I guess the Bavarians are historically often allied to the French against their northern or eastern neighbours.

These figures date from the early 1970’s and are by Hinchcliffe

Yesteryear image

Categories
miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 23i: French Infantry

These figures are by Warrior Miniatures and John@just needs varnish https://justneedsvarnish.wordpress.com/ prompted me to dig them out. They date from the mid 1970’s and they are one of a kind because I had already switched my interests to WRG Ancients plus D&D and then left the hobby altogether for a couple of decades.

I kept some of my old collection including these fine chaps. They had the weight (heft) and style I have always liked. Probably more so as 28mm ranges tend to be well overfed.

During lockdown I even managed to paint some of my Warrior figures!

https://wordpress.com/post/thewargamingerratic.home.blog/3582

Next up are some more Napoleonics of yesteryear.

Categories
Military History miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 23h: Vive L’Empereur*

It’s not often you get a major historical movie these days and even less by a mainstream producer. So Ridley Scotts “Napoleon” is a good excuse to get some figures on the pedestal.

First up is the man himself – Napoleon – as imagined back in the early 1970’s by Miniature Figurines (the Warlord of their day).

Next up is one of a kind for me…..

*the painting of the same name by edouard detaille hangs in the New South Wales art gallery showing the charge of the 4th hussars at Friedland 1807.

Categories
metal miniatures miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 23c – Danish Infantry 1864

Another batch of World War 1 Austrian Infantry became this unit of Danish. Irregular Miniatures are the source of these nicely sculpted figures.

You can see previous posts here

Now the Danish are up against the Prussians yet their uniforms will not save them from defeat and the loss of Holstein and a great chunk of Schlieswig.

Had Britain taken more notice of the Schlieswig Holstein Question consequences, maybe 80 subsequent years of Teutonic misery across Europe might have been avoided.

Back to the figures – its a paint job with the caps being cut down at the front. To match my typically 24 mm 1/72 figures I based these with a washer beneath them as Irregular sell them as 20mm and use thin base metal. Some of the figures sport a black greatcoat.

Next up some cavalry.

Categories
metal miniatures miniatures painting wargaming

The Painting Pedestal 23b – 1850 Danish Infantry

I bought some Austrian WW1 infantry from Irregular Miniatures – I thought they might work for mid 19th century forces. The peaked cap was my interest. The lower leg bindings were not desired and the baggy trousers equally did not look promising. Also the front peaks were a bit obvious.

I put them aside way back in 2020.

And then just before Xmas 2022 I had another look and decided they might work as fill in for my mid 19th century Danish tests.

In this case I had a go at painting away the errors. The only mods were to slice off the hat top and add a sliver of tapered plastic. One original test with a tall “wood” mod cap can also be seen!

Here are some 1850 infantry fresh from defeating their German adversaries.

At the start of the war the Infantry sported Red tunics and Bell Shakoes. My previous post for such a unit is here.