28mm figures – The Wargaming Erratic

Paint what you got – cowboys

These figures are by Dixon except The leader who is none other than Jesse James modelled by Blue Moon 2007 slice of americana distributed by old glory in the uk.

Both ranges remain the cowboy figures of choice in my view. They have superb character even if they are slightly oversized.

Rusty Maguire’s Iron Ore gang all together the blue moon Jesse james figure centre is slightly slimmer and taller than the fulsome Dixon figures.

Facial details on these figures remain stunning given these mouldings are decades old.

The gang is led by Rusty Maguire…..

My figures were bought at the last Sheffield triples show. And then they joined the lead pile.

The bauxite brothers

During lockdown they finally got white primed and then craft paint red sienna washed.

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/tag/contrast-paints/

Now they have had some extra washing with Windsor and Newton sepia ink plus the odd brown/cream clothing picked out.

The original very Matt sienna paint reminded me of Rusty iron so that gave me an idea for names – after all you have to give these wonderful characters names!

The ore brothers

I varnished them with Vallejo Matt varnish and then top coat of Vallejo super Matt varnish.

Not sure when these guys will get out and about – but watch out – they carry a lot of lead😁

Based on old coins they received a pva coating then “games workshop” era stoney sand.

The gang……..

Rusty Maguire gang leader

The ore brothers

Limonite (Lim)

Siderite (Sid)

Magnetite (Magnus)

The bauxite brothers

Pinky

Red (Rhett)

Tangent – Crash Test Dummies

What are 28mm figures good for? Well if your a 1/72 figure follower then they are fantastic to paint!

Or rather in my case to experiment with. Recently Wargames Illustrated ran a contrast paints article while Wargames Soldiers and Strategy dealt with slap chop.

I have been edging towards these products simply because I bought a load on impulse. This is normal behaviour for an Erratic: A solution looking for a problem.

The problem has been I could not bring myself to use them in anger on my 1/72, 20-25mm figures without knowing their possibilities for me including my failures. Clearly they have been a great success for others.

And then there was the Wargames Illustrated article on “what a cowboy”, next minute I dug out some Dixon and Blue Moon figures from the dim and distant past, gathering dust in the great figure vault.

And then “ping” what if I experimented with these new paints and methods (new for me) on these figures?

They were definitely bought at Triples in Sheffield but around 2011!!! I think that means they were on the back burner……..

Anyway this is as far as I got and maybe I might not get much further – back on the painting table……

Big turf out and a surprising number of figures – they were already based and undercoated white. I sloshed cheap burnt sienna over them….

I realised some were prohibition era gangsters while I also found a couple of freebies – Rasputin and Karl Marx. I primed these black. I then did some slap chop white dusting – at least I used a stolen make up brush on the gangsters……it worked quite nicely. Need to buy some.

And then I simply ignored all the video and magazine advice I had gathered recently and got paint on the figures! Which was very pleasing. Note the appalling slap chop white work on Mr red hats arm – never mind.

Well this Tangent may develop or simply become another Icarus episode in the world of the wargaming erratic.