Thursday, April 10, 2008

Green Troops, part 2

Further progress on greens. My hope/plan is to make base figures without arms, cast copies and add arms and more details, such as the indispensible bagpiper every Highland regiment needs. Of course, as Robbie Burns said, "the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley", so we shall see where this all goes.

Somewhere in here I decided the bodies were looking a bit long and the minis would end up too tall so I snipped a bit off the top.

6. added vests/waistcoats
7. added buttons to vest/waistcoat (using a small diameter brass pipe to "punch" holes in fresh putty - although, the buttons still end up very large, but so what); added the sock garter ends on the far right mini)
8. started adding the jackets and cravats
9. added more jacket details, buttons, buttonholes and such
10. added part of the great kilt's extra material on 2 and brought the coats up to the same level of finish
Hopefully more to follow in the next few weeks.

7 comments:

abdul666 said...

Such an enterprise, once successful as is obviously the case, leaves me in pure merriments...
Compliments,
Jean-Louis

MurdocK said...

WOW you are getting aggressive with your plans!

Looking forward to your continued progress!

I do not know if you have seen this already but there is another sculpt demo available thru Musketeer Miniatures.

It may be worth a look.

Bluebear Jeff said...

Ah, to mis-quote a Kipling poem, "you're a braver man than I am".


-- Jeff

Fitz-Badger said...

Thanks for the comments and the link!

I've been looking at my Osprey French and Indian War Highlanders book and I think I'll remove the extra length for the great plaid on the base figures. Then I can keep them as short kilts or add great kilts later.

One key step will be whether or not I can learn to cast decent base figures (or, failing that, getting some cast by a professional). The crossing of that bridge will be attempted later. :-)

abdul666 said...

Great kilts are more 'spectacular and exotic' -and somehow more characteristic of the Lace Wars?
Yet I understand your cautious approach.
Best wishes,
Jean-Louis

Martin said...

Hi Fitz,

Wow! Those will be some fierce looking laddies when you're done with them. The Markgraaf is "green" with envy at your artistic ability. He doesn't have any, but he recognizes and admires it when he sees it! Impressive!

Yours,

Martin

Fitz-Badger said...

Thanks, Martin! (but you haven't seen me attempt faces or hands yet - lol)

Yeah, Jean Louis, but leaving it off for now gives me more flexibility later. And according to the Osprey book as the great kilts wore out (or maybe while they were being used for stretchers, blankets, and sails) the soldiers wore the small kilt and were adopting it as the standard everyday wear as early as 1758. So it wouldn't be out of place to mix it up. But maybe that was more true outside of Europe (and maybe more so in warmer climes?).

Or, maybe I'll do enough with great kilts for 1 unit and some in short kilts to mix in for campaigns. Or maybe have summer (small kilts, aka philabeg or feileadh beag) vs. winter (great plaid or feileadh mor; and maybe leggings) uniforms.

I had guests and a bit of travelling, but I'm getting back to the sculpting. Also have some basic casting supplies on order.