These days I'm not in the mood to paint regiments (you can say I've never been), or even soldiers of only one era or conflict. What I want to do is to paint some very old figures - to catch childhood memories maybe, or to see what the veteran figures look like with a proper paintjob, I mean: not with Playmobil colors :)
Among the most loved figures I still own are Washington's soldiers by Airfix, the first Airfix set I've seen, and received as a gift, when I was 10. They've seen more than one battle in my parent's garden, and received color using the famous Playmobil pens, but I never tried to paint them, and now it's time...
Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of documentation about the American War of Independence, so I have to look for pictures on the web. The pictures I mostly use are those of reenactors, because I usually try to represent the men with the dress they actually wore rather than regulation dress. In this case, I found a very nice painting by Don Troiani representing a Private of the 9th Massachusetts Regiment in 1782. As far as I know, Don Troiani's painting are regarded as accurate by the painting community, good thing. And again, I was interested in the color scheme: white and blue, not that original, but with buff trousers, which allows to add some sort of yellow in the color scheme.
First, the test shot figure (direct from the 70s):
And then the reference painting:
What do you think of it ? Is it close enough ?
If find the mini rather convincing so I am going to paint some more. The question I ask you this time, fellow painters, is this: do the soldiers of this regiment all wear the same uniform in 1782 (after the 1779 regulation), or are there still many differences between the men - the variations that we could find in a French Napoleonic regiment during the Peninsula war, for instance, or even more variations ?
Thank you for reading this post, all comments and opinions welcome !
Among the most loved figures I still own are Washington's soldiers by Airfix, the first Airfix set I've seen, and received as a gift, when I was 10. They've seen more than one battle in my parent's garden, and received color using the famous Playmobil pens, but I never tried to paint them, and now it's time...
Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of documentation about the American War of Independence, so I have to look for pictures on the web. The pictures I mostly use are those of reenactors, because I usually try to represent the men with the dress they actually wore rather than regulation dress. In this case, I found a very nice painting by Don Troiani representing a Private of the 9th Massachusetts Regiment in 1782. As far as I know, Don Troiani's painting are regarded as accurate by the painting community, good thing. And again, I was interested in the color scheme: white and blue, not that original, but with buff trousers, which allows to add some sort of yellow in the color scheme.
First, the test shot figure (direct from the 70s):
And then the reference painting:
What do you think of it ? Is it close enough ?
If find the mini rather convincing so I am going to paint some more. The question I ask you this time, fellow painters, is this: do the soldiers of this regiment all wear the same uniform in 1782 (after the 1779 regulation), or are there still many differences between the men - the variations that we could find in a French Napoleonic regiment during the Peninsula war, for instance, or even more variations ?
Thank you for reading this post, all comments and opinions welcome !
First, The painted figure looks great to me!
RépondreSupprimerSecond, This is one of my favourite sets too and I have painted more than one over the years.
Third. Supply was difficult and living in the field hard so there were many variations and while uniform was the ideal, men wore what they could get. So yes variations would be OK and most of the time more realistic.
Ok Ross, thank you for the comment and for your advice. I should try to mix several sets to represent troops in the field.
SupprimerI remember this figure very well. Painted up enough of the Airfix plastics in mid-70s to refight Bunker Hill. Great fun and great memories. Fab. painting on this soldier.
RépondreSupprimerThank you Jonathan. I wish I can paint enough of them to play at least a small confrontation.
SupprimerThat's a classic Airfix figure from one of my favourite periods.
RépondreSupprimerThat is the finest painting of that figure I have ever seen sir. Superb!
I have run out of words to describe how beautifully you finish these plastic miniatures.
You make the cheapest plastic look like the best lead figures with your painting style. Superb!
Ton travail est simplement fantastique
Merci Duc pour ce commentaire très sympathique.
SupprimerThe sculpting job is very good in my opinion, so it helps for the painting.
I had these figurines too!
RépondreSupprimerExcellent work.
I wish you still have some of them, I would be very curious to see what a pro painter like can do with these figures.
SupprimerSuperb painting. A great set with lots of good poses and plenty of scope for conversions too.
RépondreSupprimerThank you! About conversions you're right... I remember that the mounted officer in my first set has been converted to Napoleon himself !
SupprimerTrès réussie cette figurine, bravo!
RépondreSupprimerMerci Phil.
SupprimerTres bien comme toujours Philotep!
RépondreSupprimerMerci mille fois Maudlin!
SupprimerExcellent painting.
RépondreSupprimerI lost more figs (both 1/32nd and 1/72nd) in my mothers back garden than I have so far painted. For years after I left to start my life elsewhere the Flower beds kept producing a decent crop of lost Souls every time they were dug over.
Terrible thought. It makes me think of the funeral song of Eowyn when Theoden's son is buried among his ancestors whose tombs are coverd with white flowers.
SupprimerVery nice scene by the way.
Perfect painting; the face...absoluty perfect; what technique?
RépondreSupprimerSometimes I think of buying them in ebay...perhaps adding taller legs they can match with figures from other brands...
Congratulations!
Hi Antonio. From the AWI modelling master, this comment is highly appreciated. For the painting of the face, a short answer: I use GW flesh color, then red wash, the 1st enlightenment with the previous color, then 2nd enlightenment with the same color mixed with white (and a 3rd enlightenment if necessary). I can give you as many details as wanted, don't hesitate to ask for more :)
SupprimerWow such an old Airfix veteran, Phil :)
RépondreSupprimerHe is almost so old as the AWI itself.. nice work, good that you gave him a chance after so many years! I should do the same fo
Thank you Sceavus... you've found an excellent way to tell me I'm really old :-D That's the way you know that you can rely on your friends :-D
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