The Light! The Light!

After some intense brushwork during the weekend, I can report happily that we are approaching the end of work on my version of Austria's Wied Infantry, which has been in progress, albeit haltingly, since, oh. . . Last August? In short, I can see light at the end of the painting tunnel with these 60+ figures.

After fumbling my way through the regiment's three drummers (shoulder wings, drum cords, hops, etc.) on Saturday, and retouching poor ol' Drummer#3 yesterday afternoon, I moved onto touching up the dark brown musket stocks on all musketeers across the three companies. I organize my units more or less according to the guidelines laid out by Young and Lawford in Charge! Or How to Play War Games (1967) for those who might be scratching their heads.

I next moved onto the officers' and NCOs' swords and/or scabbards yesterday evening after the Young Master's bedtime. 45 minutes, or so, later and the unit began to sparkle. All of this is simply a long-winded, bloated, and even self-important way of saying that we are now at the fine detailing stage for the entire unit.

Ahem.

Officers' gloves, hundreds of brass buttons, a few mustaches, and a few small touch-ups here and there before glossing. Once I overpaint and gloss the beautifully striped flags, the better to help them fit in with my general painting style, it will be time for permanent basing. They might, just might be ready to go for the Christmas Week game between the Young Master and myself.

Afterwards, I am torn between jumping right into another 60-figure Reichsarmee infantry unit, a 30-figure cavalry regiment, or perhaps the Russian dragoon squadron of 14-15 figures, which was a gift to my son for Christmas 2021. He has been very patient with 'Bad Dad' (his nickname for me), and my conscience hurts for not getting to them sooner, so I suppose these should be my first hobby priority in the new year.

-- Stokes

Comments

Duke of Baylen said…

These are looking good and I look forward to seeing them complete.

You could let your conscience be your guide - I've gone back to some figures my daughter bought me for Christmas at least 2 years ago!

Alternatively, you could let the roll of a dice make the decision for you!

Merry Christmas,

Stephen

6:12 AM

Comfortable Rules for Games of Glossy Toy Soldiers in the Old Style. . .

Introduction A Tangled Mass is a game of toy soldiers in the old style, set more or less in the middle part of the 18 th century. Our miniature forces are colorful and, we hope, glossy. Although the latter, like so much else, is up to the discretion of the players. But it is the modeling, brushwork, and unit organization of hobby greats like Gilder, Mason, and Robinson that provide our visual touchstone and continue to inform "the look of the thing" even now. Tabletop armies in A Tangled Mass can be historic, semi-historic, or whimsically fictitious, but the more flags and mounted officers, the better. Formations, while bearing some resemblance to their historic precedents, are generic: column, line, or extended order for lighter types. Squares, while possible, are less common than during all of that later Napoleonic madness with its guillotines and Spanish ulcers. And we'll simply choose not to mention patent leather dancing pumps, or that unseemly bedr

Prussian 3rd Garrison Regt. Update. . .

Still a few small things to do, including apply fleshtone to a left hand on an officer that I somehow missed at some point plus lace on the drummers and officers , but we're very close to the glossing stage. L ots of painstaking work to clean up edges, highlight folds, and touch up various bits and pieces the last few evenings. My trusty little Sony Cybershot, I fear, has gone to that big electronics place in the sky and no longer seems to be working. Well, I've had it since 2013, and small electronics don't last forever, so I cannot complain. With that little hiccup in mind, I snapped today's shot with my iPhone, brightened, and cropped it in Fotor before sharing it here. Again, the blue is not quite so bright in reality, but the auto-improve, or whatever they call it, makes for nice bright photographs in which everything shows up. Not long before these are done, and The Young Master was suitably please when I asked him to have a look a few minutes ago. -- Sto

A Break in the Radio Silence. . .

S till plugging away at the 60 or so Wied Infantry currently on the painting bench as and when work and family life permit. Using three different whites for the clothing, shoulder belts, and officers' wigs plus trying some Army Painter quick washes. My friend and one-time online magazine co-editor Greg Horne (the man behind The Duchy of Alzheim , still one of my blog and hobby touchstones) suggested I give washes a try a month or two ago, and I think he might be onto something. Admittedly, he suggested the Citadel contrast range, but what I purchased eventually is in that general direction. I am especially pleased with the Army Painter flesh wash, which picks out the facial details on the Minden figures very nicely. I've applied it on top of my usual Windsor & Newton alkyd oil fleshtone and then highlighted the brows, bridges of noses, cheeks, chins, lower lips, and knuckles/thumbs the next day with more of the fleshtone. Suddenly, and with relative ease, my paint

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

Search This Blog