Napoleon's Army by Lucien Rousselot

Hello folks,

Finally I got my first Napoleonic reference book.  I decided to pay a handsome sum of money so my fellow figure painters would stop laughing at me.  (you know who you are...Randall and Sascha!)

Most of my books are about painting.  However, this is my first reference book and I am quite excited about it.  I haven't the time to look through it but I just want to proof to my dear friends I finally got a reference book on what I am painting lol~  Which most of the time I rely on the gents' expertise above mentioned.   I want to thank them for their tremendous help.

Well, this post is not about the book review, but just by flipping through the page it start to give me the idea on more advanced level of painting such as more dramatic light and shadow and NMM.  If you are interested in this book, check out the reviews here:

NAPOLEONS ARMY-1790 Lucien Rousselot

Best regards,

VS

28mm Offensive Miniature British Rifleman

Hello Folks,

After looking at the voting, I can not contain my excitement even though I know the result is not in...  I don't care.  I decide to start working on it anyway LOL~

British Rifle is one of my favorite unit in Napoleonic era and I'm glad I finally paint one.

The contempt and grimy look

 Facial detail

Original sculpt

 hand painted numbers.

The challenge this time is all about the face.  I am no longer satisfied with the blank stare.  So I decide to paint face with expression from now on.

After careful consideration with his posture, I decide to give this gent an arrogance look.  With the British long and proud history of military tradition, this fellow is defiant and contempt of the mighty French empire.

As a clinical painter (I love clean work),  This time I decide to add some mud to the trouser.  Mixing baking soda and paint, I paint it to simulate mud with texture.  However, I decide to only paint mud on one knee.  Logically, we humans usually kneel on the same knee.  Afterall, we are creatures of habit.

Offensive Miniatures did an excellent job on their figures.  IMHO they are good is because the animation of the sculptures are believable and natural, not to mention interesting.  However, if you want to push the even further then watch out for the missing details such as buckles and cuff buttons.  Also, this figure is a tad smaller than Perry and Victrix figures.

As you can see, the Offensive Miniature figure is smaller next to Victrix plastic.

How ever, I don't think it makes too much difference for gamers. But you can clearly see the difference. Since I only have one set from OM, I can not speak for other figures from their company.

The reason I have not done the base is because I decide to custom order them.  Once they arrived I will build them.

Anyways, rambling on again. but hopefully this explain my train of thought.  Whether plain or complex uniform, there is always a challenge waiting for us.

Best regards,

VS

Meet My New Assistant...

Hello Folks,

Everyone knows we paint slow.  But still, the fire is burning in our hearts.  To solve the problem, I introduce my newest assistance.  Jerry the "Masterclass" Doberman.

Inspecting the troops.

Let see... 20 hours per figure and there are roughly 1,500 figures so far... so I think three of us will finish painting all these figures about 30,000 hours... Gents, that is 41 years.  Not bad!

PS: Will trade some Perry infantry box fig for Victrix infantry box fig.

VS

Got Halflings?

Hello Folks,

Just want to share one of my favorite nastalgic set today.  Still getting the hang of using this blog thing lol.  Today Postmaster Phil came by and dropped off  this sets of figures.

This set is the now discontinued Halfling Hotpot team from Games Workshop.  From what I understand this set is rather hard to find now.  I won it on eBay few days ago for a fairly good price.  When they arrive they were painted but it does show some age so I decide to strip the paint off and who knows, maybe one day give them a new sets of color.  Even though I hardly paint fantasy subject, I do have affinity for these little guys.  Perhaps they were in the first issue of White Dwarf Magazine I ever bought.  As a child, those painted example in the magazine were things to dream about.  I would spend days looking at them but never have the courage nor finance to follow through.  Now giving a second chance and alot older, I decide to acquire this little gem.

This is the example from Games Workshop.  The same sample on my old White Dwarf Magazine.

Here's the figure set I got after the paint were stripped.  They look brand new without any sign of wear and tear.  The seller was generous enough to include an extra Halfling.  Yeah, I am happy!

If you guys know what year they were made of, please kindly let me know.  And with any  luck, Jen might paint them. :)

VS

28mm Victrix 92nd Gordon Highlander Flank Regiment of Foot

Hello Folks,

Here's my 2nd 28mm.  This time it is the plastic Victrix 92nd Gordon Highlanders regiment of foot:

The kilt is going for the muted look because of wool.

 To break up the disc like shape of the pot, I decided to add some dents to it.

 The B.O. stands for Board of Ordnance.  The up arrow is the marking, 92 is the regiment number.

 Chest details, the canteen strap buckle is not sculpted on, so you need to add it yourself

All four buckles on the backpack needs to be paint it on.

 More sensible distance.

 Notice the lip on the face sculpt is thicker, so decided to paint it open mouth.

 The Gordon Highlander tartan pattern.

Size comparison with Reaper Master Series paint.

My humble thoughts on the Victrix plastic highlander figures:

Victrix did a beautiful job sculpting and provide an oppotunity for us be able to purchase large amount of these multi-pose figures at a good price.  I like the dynamic poses and freedom to assemble these men in action rather than all marching.  Another great thing about this box is that there are kneeling figures, which, in my limited knowledge in the world of 28mm plastic figures, Kneeling figures are not common in other box sets.

About the scuplting, the figure is well porportioned with crisp details easily able to recognise what you are painting.  So for a detail fan like me is a true joy.

My favorite part of the whole sculpt is the head dress, which natually flows with deep nice details and rich textures.  Although a bit difficult to express black with highlight, the sculpting itself help to define it for me with out having to resort to drybrushing.

The backpack I also liked.  The box offered four different styles: with shoes, with pot, with a small bag, and plain.  I think its fantastic that Victrix offer such variety of options rather than just a plain one.  After some thought, I decide to use the backpack with pot.  Now after examing I realise the pot is done in a perfect circular shape almost like a disc.  Therefore need to rough it up a little and added dents to it to give a little more character.  Another thing worth noting on the backpack is that there are no sculpted buckles on the straps, which something you might consider adding when painting this figure.

The water canteen have nice texture wood grain on it.  I decide to paint the Board of Ordnance with the arrow marking and regiment number on it.  In my  research it is not necessary to have, but does gives a contrast to the blue background and the ease of recognition on the battlefield.  However, I wish Victrix include the waterslide decals with the kit like some of the 1/35 figure kit offer.  That would be nice.  Again, there are no buckle sculpted on the strap, you might want to paint that on there for accuracy reasons.

The face is something to watch out for.  The lower lip of the sculpt is a bit large so I decided to paint him open mouthed.  The nose is also a bit wide but could easily disguise with shadow to make it narrower. As for the of the head, the hat, the visor, the ears, all top notch.  The ribbon on the back is even sculpted!  Fantastic.

Anyways, I am rambling on.  As you might able to tell,  I am quite excited about the world of 28mm .  I want to thank you all for reading if you get this far, and thank my partner Jen.  Without her, all our projects could not be such joy and realised.

Comments and criticisms are most welcome.

VS