I've been having a play with the mounted 'general', with a bit if filing around the arm locating lug he can be given the sword from the dragoon officer (the sword should probably be filed down to a more gentlemanly epee), With three arm options, the ability to vary the arm angle, and a variety of heads there is a fair scope for making the commanders for our metal armies.
I have also taken the dragoon officer's horse and body and fitted the bare head and arm with hat from the general. Again the arm needs a bit of filing to make it fit, I decided to have the arm/hat lowered in a sort of respectful greeting - I think it works well. (He needs another coat of varnish - fell over whilst wet!)
Moving on from the mounted officers, I painted up the new foot officer as a dismounted 'general', the new figure is modeled with gaiters, however the buttons can easily filed off to allow cavalry boots to be painted on - again a nice figure.
With a little more effort it is possible to make a nice bare headed 'general' figure on foot. Cut off the sword and hand just above the cuff , then replace it with the cuffed hand and hat from the mounted officer's arm (I suspect it would work just as well using the hand and hat), and slot in the bare head. He should have a sword in his scabbard so glue on a hilt from a French infantry sword. I think the resulting figure is another cracking officer.
Next I need some commanders for the other armies.
What splendid officer conversions!
ReplyDeleteAgreed, wonderful variants! Playing with figure poses and combinations to create command figures and vignettes is but one of the more delightful sides of painting and modelling for the hobby.
ReplyDeleteKind Regards,
Stokes
Thanks - I think the ability to mix and match the parts from different moulds is the strength of this range.
ReplyDeleteI must confess I enjoy mixing and matching the parts far more than actually painting them.
I love these conversions! It's great to create such completely different looking figures from the same base.
ReplyDeleteRegards, James
I love the finish on these! Just right! I am stoutly resisting a
ReplyDeletesudden urge to repaint all of my existing figures! :)
Agreed on the usefulness of these officers. The more figures in the range are released, the more useful the swappable heads, arms, etc become.
All of the figures will be useful though I suppose the Pandour/Grenz sort will have fewer uses but do fit an important gap.
ps, I thought to use the Dragoon officer as well but am still having problems with that mould! The dragoon works but I have managed just 1 complete officer. A fall/winter project.
DeleteThanks.
DeleteThe figures are pretty much just block painted and then two coats of gloss varnish.
The first gloss coat is sprayed, I sometimes find painting on gloss lifts colours, particularly metals, so the initial spray fixes it.
After first gloss I ink just the hands, faces and hair with 'peat brown', then repaint flesh to nose cheeks and chin plus back of hands.
Then paint on high gloss varnish.
Delightful figures but have a care, too many generals spoil the plan.
ReplyDeletePlan?
Delete