The Next Model - III

The partially built model of the Dragoon has now been given a thin and uneven undercoat in grey primer.
Masking tape has been removed and now the whole is ready for painting.

Note the uneven finish, this is to help give the thin washes that will give the coat colour some shade variation - to make it seem 'real' and not one constant shade all over as is the case with toy soldiers.
This can be seen to effect on the curved fold on the left of the figure.

The Dragoon figure is not yet glued to the base - I have just put it here to hold it steady for the picture.


Here is a view of the front.



Now, there may well be a slight delay in starting the painting - and a slight delay before the next series of posts.

In two weeks time I am getting married so life is getting a little hectic now and, apparently, there are more important things to do than paint models ;-)

But please come back regularly, I will be posting as soon as I can.

The Next Model - II

The lower edge of the coat has been attacked with a pair of pliers to "blow the bottom of the coat in the wind" a little bit more.
In other places cuts / tears have been elongated a little and the original very visible joint up the middle of the back and front has been filled and filed.
The joint looks a little rough in this photo, but it is actually very smooth and will cover nicely.

Before finally gluing these two parts together I gave the inside of the coat a dark red wash - it is so much easier to do so when the body is in two halves.



This red lining will later be washed with grey / black / browns to simulate accumulated dirt.

I have also put a heavy black wash over his boots (and have purposely missed out what will be rags wrapped around his boots).
Again, these boots will be covered later in a range of washes to simulate dirt.

Before any further work is done I will mask off the painted parts and apply a fine undercoat to where I have been working on the metal.

The next model - The Retreat from Moscow

The next model is going to be completely different. It will depict a Dragoon, on foot, on the retreat from Moscow in 1812.

His horse has been abandonned and in order to try to stave off frost bite he has wrapped his boots and hands in whatever rags or strips of cloth that he could find.

The Dragoon still holds onto his musket and his once white greatcoat, still lined with red, is all he has to keep away the sub zero temperatures that they faced.

This greatcoat was once carefully rolled up, inside out to show the red lining, on the back of his saddle. Now it is the only thing to keep him warm.





This shows the partially assembled figure from the back. One leg is just visible below the cloak which is shown blowing in the wind.

In the picture I have sprayed the parts with white undercoat (better for photography than shiney whitemetal) and I am holding them together whilst the glue dries. Note the large gap along the join line, particularly at the top. That will require filling and filing until it cannot be seen.



The white gloves are to keep any oil / sweat from my fingers getting onto the model.

More pictures to follow..................
Again, comments most welcome.

First attempt.

My first 54mm scale model, although I have done 100s of 15 mm.

This depicts a private of the British 6th Line running past a dead French Grenadier at the battle of La Coruña in Spain 1809.



Painted in water soluble acrylics and finsihed in a matt varnish to help protect it.
The base is original, but I have mounted it on a home turned and polished wooden plinth.


Initially I was very happy with the way this model turned out. Then I coated it with a thin coat of clear, matt varnish.

This unfortunately gave the whole a 'shiny' look, a bit like a toy soldier.

Does anyone know of a truely clear and matt varnish out there?

Comments on the model most welcome. Suggestions for improvements or any other modelling tips welcome too!

My next project is a figure depicting a French Dragoon, on foot, during the retreat from Moscow. I will put up a step by step picture record of how the preperation and painting of the figure progresses.