Not much from me recently, painting has been rather disrupted as my sister and brother in law have moved in , so I have to be sociable in the evenings and weekends, which means not painting! They retired to Loire in France twenty years ago and in Jacks case even got French citizenship but they've decided to be closer to family and buy a retirement flat in Hertford, so they've sold up in France and are over here finding a flat which is nice. So not much of a post , more an amuse buche ,as I think I could do with maybe four more Landwehr units, money is tight after the rather excessive spending earlier in the year so I have been looking through my bits box and having a bit of a think and I've come up with these two chaps.
They're home cast Prince August late Roman bodies with Perry plastic heads and Victrix backpacks and arms, they don't sell this mould anymore for some reason. In the last photo they're next to a stand of Perry metal and plastic wargames Atlantic Grenzers, I think they'll do, what do you think?
They're ( loosely) based on these chaps, with thigh length jacket and black equipment, I've got various caps ( and heads) from the American War of Independence , the war of three Kingdoms and the American Civil war that will give me a bit of variety and stop them being too uniform as they're a militia unit.
The price is definitely right so I'm aiming to cast up about 100 to give me my four units, the metal is either recycled from cleaning up figures or some lead weights for fishing ( which are of course now illegal to use) and my mains water supply pipe which I have replaced with plastic but have retained the lead to cast toy soldiers from, for some reason that seems old school?
Anyway two more Napoleonics for the total, so 406 this year, as I've said before, we aim for adequate and sometimes achieve it!
All the best
Iain
Bugger me you’ve got a lot going on matey. Loving that you’ll be casting your own figures, what a great idea. Holding on to a bit of lead pipe is exactly what I’d do - just in case it came in useful. lol. The figures you’ve worked on here look ace by the way.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mark, it'll be a few years till you move back to the UK I guess? Thanks and yes Miss Violet in the drawing room with the lead pipe I guess?
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Interesting stuff Iain and a lot going on. It’s your hobby so if you are happy that’s what matters. As you’ve asked, personally I would hold out till Christmas and get some nice Perrys figures. I find too much compromise on figure quality and you will regret it , I’ve done it myself I bought some ‘cheaper’ dark age figures a while ago and now find myself reluctantly deploying them at the back as even if nobody else notices they aren’t quite right.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the input Matt and youre right, that's what I was concerned with, which is why I only did two and not my usual modus operandi of doing all 100 and realising my mistake! On balance I am happy enough with what I've got , although like you I have got some dodgy looking dark age types that Peter said looked like zombies, he had a point!
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Love the idea of home casting and using re-cycled metal, a great way to add 100 to the army. Can you use the lead ‘as is’ or does it need some tin for strength?
ReplyDeleteI had a go in the past (45 +years ago!) with the lead weights and it was alright, what I'm casting isn't especially detailed which helps?
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That's all pretty ingenious Iain and took me back 50 years (FFS) to when I had a couple of the 40mm (?) Prinz August semi flat moulds - I had exactly the same source of almost limitless lead - redundant lead water piping!
ReplyDeleteI now, long ago and far away! I remember damaging the kitchen work top with molten lead,whoops!
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You are getting quite creative and the results look great!
ReplyDeleteWell ,thank you very much Jonathan!
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I wouldn't have known the donor bodies for the figures, quite ingenious. Austrian Landwehr so much more interesting than the Prussians, lots of different uniforms to do.
ReplyDeleteThanks Donnie, yes lots more variety in the 1809 Austrian Landwehr, having said that I am working on some 1813 Prussian landwehr!
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Excellent creativity Iain, and very ingenious to use a castable body, with the spare parts from other kits, they look store bought when painted up.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave,yes pretty pleased with the end result!
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Great work sir!
ReplyDeleteThanks Michal!
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Well done on your resourcefulness, Iain.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Richard!
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Certainly Landwehr that are just a bit slapdash is nothing less than a reflection of reality - great idea! I have done Militia units in particular with odds and ends myself!
ReplyDeleteThanks Peter, glad I have you're approval!
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Hi Iain, another good looking unit and what a great custom job!
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris, well, the start of a unit anyway!
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The figures came together really well Iain. Great use of spares and they look suitably militia-like to me. I wonder how the lead pipe will go? I tried it once with roofing lead but it was very thick and sluggish.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lawrence, I've used the fishing weights succesfully before, I've got some roofing lead as well, as Norm says I might need some tin?
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Great idea for using your new and old skills to produce the look of the new units.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joe, yes a nice mix to produce something useful!
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Your ability to repurpose materials is truly amazing. I was to say that I find it interesting that you used Late Romans, but then I read about you casting your own minis and I'm now in shock. I can't wait for you to illusrtate the whole process!
ReplyDeleteThanks Suber, not as bog an alchemist as you but I try!
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Well don eyou on giving home casting a go, not something I'd contemplate at all! Personally I'd stick it out in France rather than move back to Blighty, given how much we enjoyed our petite sojourn there this year. Not something that's ever likely to happen, but if our daughter gets citizenship in maybe 5 years, you never know...
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve, I think the fear is ,when one of uou goes being left alone and too old to make the move to be closer to the family, but I know what you mean!
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Interesting looking "old school" figures, Iain. Nice of you to take care of your family while they re-establish themselves.
ReplyDeleteYes a mix of old and new? Got to stick together when you're family!
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