HussarBob Miniatures Gallery

Having spent quite some time looking at various flats manufacturers (called editors in flats land!!) I have finally placed an order for a couple of items......30mm French Guard lancers, (I'll do both the 1st and 2nd and maybe even the little painted 3rd regiments), and I also went for a 70mm bust which will completely put me out of my comfort zone!  I thought the figure looked really interesting and if a make a reasonable effort of it, it may look nice framed up

I almost didn't buy anything as all the suppliers I could find were in mainland Europe and the postage was astronomical!!  If I end up really falling for the flat painting malarky it would be cheaper to fly over to Germany, stock up and fly home again.

I am looking forward to having a go at the figures, especially the larger scale one.  He is an officer of the Red Lancers and should make a nice display piece for sure.  However I don't think I will be entering Euro Militaire and running away with a gold medal!  I can almost hear the judges sniggering behind there hands just thinking about it.

I havn't lifted a brush in weeks now and I can't see much time on the horizon either!  All very frustrating really.

I have been looking at flats/zinnfiguren with a view to making a small order sometime soon.  I will probably go for some 30mm French Napoleonic cavalry with a view to mounting them in a frame.  I have always found this method of presentation very pleasing to the eye.  I have been tempted by a couple of larger scale busts in the flat format but may wait and see how I get on with the smaller ones first.

How much of a different technique is involved I'm not yet sure but the challenge is quite exciting really.  And I'm not too sure as to how much detail is actually on this type of figure.  Oils seem popular but I'll stick to my usual acrylics as I don't want to fork out even more money on new paints just to find out I can't paint with the darn stuff!

If I do take the plunge into flats I will post the results whether they turn out successful or not.

.........for painting!  It seems ages since I lifted a brush and unfortunately the next few weeks are pretty full of real life which will leave me no windows of opportunity for frivolous hobby pleasures!

So I have decided to post some images of the uhlans without their horses.  I usually like to only post completed figures but I just don't know when I will get chance to do their mounts.

On the flats front......I found a couple of rather nice busts on the internet, one of a Red Lancer officer and one of Lasalles.  They are 70mm so would mean not only me having to tackle a new type of figure, it would also be a totally new scale aswell. Very tempted to have a go at these......and also some 30mm casts aswell.  Just need to justify splashing out more money on figures when I already have a fair sized lead/resin mountain already!

Here are a couple of links to some beautifully painted 30mm flats from the CMON site.  The votes score, in my opinion, is scandalously low!!

http://www.coolminiornot.com/173908

http://www.coolminiornot.com/173911

http://www.coolminiornot.com/173912

Stunning brushwork.

I have recently had an urge to try some flat figures!  I have seen these in many places over the years but last years trip to Waterloo really whet my appetite as there was an excellent collection of them at Caillou.

Now I know nothing about these figures and have been trawling the net for manufacturers etc and there would seem to be some excellent figures available.  I find the idea of a couple of small framed sets hanging on the wall quite appealing.  So I think I might just take the plunge and treat myself to a few at some point soon.

I'm not too sure exactly how much detail is actually on such figures or if a lot of the shading effect is purely freehand so to speak.  So they could be quite a challenge for me.  I will probably go for 30mm figures, though larger scales are available.  I really need to know which are the best figures for display so will continue to research the subject for a while yet before parting with my money.

I fancy doing some lancers but my main concern is that most images of unpainted figure show all the lances themselves to be horribly bent and I doubt if they could ever be properly straightened out again!  So maybe some pretty hussars or chasseur a cheval of the French guard would be in order.

..........but not the horses!  Hopefully one more session should see them finished, just need to find that one more session!  I had an idea of basing them together and posing them as if in a shooting competition.....you'll understand why when I finally get them posted.  They would then possibly be an entry in next years Colours vignette category. Thought I would have them shooting bottles off a fence or maybe a cockerell or a duck.  However I can't seem to find any suitable fowl for the job in 28mm ie none at all!  Bottles also seem a bit tricky to locate so it may have to be time to break out the green putty!

I have also been having a bit of a think about trying to make my own mameluke seeing as I can't find a decent one on the market.  I would probably just Frankenstein monster something out of a number of figures and greentuff over the joints and do some baggy trousers.  I did try to do a French marine of the Garde a few months ago but got nowhere with it at all, totally rubbish.  Hats off to those quality sculptors who seem to produce great looking figures week in week out.

Hey!  Maybe I should employ someone like Paul Hicks to do a couple for me and cast them up and sell them!!  Could I be on the verge of making my fortune here????  Very doubtful, I'd need to sell thousands of Beys to just get my investment back.

Now with half an eye on the latest Perry plastic cuirassier/carabinier set, I had a bit of an inkling in doing a carabinier officer.  They wore a copper cuirass as opposed to the brass of the troopers.  However I have stumbled into a minefield as to the colour of their helmets!  Was it copper aswell.....or all brass....or a bit of both!

So far I have come across the following different references:-

Hourtoulle shows all copper

Rousselot print seems to show all brass....if the colour of the cuirass is accurate.

The old Osprey book seems to show all brass

The new Osprey book shows one all copper and one with copper skull and brass comb!

To confuse the matter further the following online sources show thus:-

Grossegeneralstab - the colour seems to match the cuirass and appears all brass

NYPL - One seems to show all brass and another as copper with....wait for it.....a silver comb!  This latter confusing little image could be just all reflection on the metal and doesn't help me whatsoever.

So I will probably just pick which one I think will look prettiest and at present it would be either all copper or copper skull with brass comb.

Maybe I should stick to High Elves and just make it all up as I go along

I have had a couple of good sessions on the Helion & Company Prussian uhlans from 1866 and they are taking forever to paint!  I'm only doing two figures but I still have plenty to do on the troopers before I even make a start on the mounts.

I think I was misguided into thinking that the relatively plain uniform would be quick to do but how wrong was I??!  So much piping all over the place, plus I decided to do two different regiments which doesn't exactly speed up the process!  And they have quite a lot of equipment on them, plus both black and brown leather bits, lances and pistols......I'll need to make metal foil pennants.......so still a good few hours to go on them yet.  It doesn't help with me being such a fussy and picky perfectionist either!!  I mean how many people use three different shades of yellow on tunic piping all on top of a light brown base!!  On a 28mm figure!!

They are very nice figures and the poses are a little different from the norm.  Overall the detail is good but with the odd bit here and there which is a little rough and difficult to make out what is what.  It will be interesting to see just how far Helion intend to take the range, it is a relative fringe period in gaming circles.  Now I would be interested in seeing Prussian hussars and cuirassiers from this period if they are of the same standard as the uhlans.  These would definately be high on my wants list and would have me thumbing thru' my Funcken 19th century tomes........which are in German and reading the language was never my strong point!!

I have decided that it is the Helion & Company Prussian uhlans of 1866 next.  I picked them up last year at a show in Reading.  The sculpts are generally very nice with some good detail, but there are a couple of places where the detail is a little rough which spoils the overall appearance.  Maybe I'm being a bit too critical as in the main they are good.  I am going to use them as an experiment with different blue paints than I normally use so it may all go horribly wrong!!  Not too much painting time available to me over the coming weeks so they won't appear too quickly on the site.

I do like the uniforms of the mid 19th century and there aren't too many figures to choose from out there.  I'd really like to find some British hussars and lancers in full dress but they just havn't  been produced in 28mm scale.  Maybe one day. I do have a Foundry figure that may well be Lord Cardigan and that is all I have managed to find.

Now if I was to have a wish list for figures it would also include mamalukes of the Guard.......preferably by Front Rank.  A few companies have produced these figures, most recently Foundry, but they just aren't up to scratch IMO.  Ooh, now Perry plastic mameIukes would be nice!  I  would also like to see Front Rank do marines of the Guard aswell.  Again Foundry now produce some, and I do have some of the Foundry casts, but they are really not very good at all, very poor detail and I will probably never paint them up.

Well, thats enough rambling for now, time to hunt out some Prussian uhlan uniform references!

Henry VIII and the Perrys posted today.  I used decals on the Perrys and really like the added detail it gives a figure.  I seem to remember a company talking about producing some other Napoleonic decals such as imperial "N"s and eagles for use on saddlecloths etc.  Wish I could remember which company though!  Now I do like to add fancy details to my figures and have usually frowned upon decals but now after the Perry's, I have changed my mind!

Maybe there isn't a market for such things other than for shield designs as done by LBM.  I have some LBM transfers and I am mightily impressed by their artwork.  I really must do those Musketeer Saxon figures one day!  Now I would definately use quite a few Napoleonic decals if some were produced.  Preferably in colours that didn't need overpainting!  I used some decal solution which worked a treat in hiding the film that transfers usually leave behind.....a nasty visible join effect always seemed to ruin the overall appearance.

Rummaging through my vast horde of unpainted stuff I found all sorts that I had forgotten about....Empress Zulu War again came to the top, Great War Miniatures British and some Christmas figures....yes, it's nearly that time again!!!  I am also fancying doing a mounted knight of some sorts as I want to have a bit of a go at some heradlry..........I have some very old decals which would help me in this!!  I seem to have gone decal crazy!

Ooh, just found some Helion & Company Prussian uhlans!  Very nice figures, maybe I'll do one of them.

......will be up either tomorrow or Monday.  Henry is finished and I am just doing the Perry bases. Henry has been photographed and looks quite nice on the camera, the fancy detail shows up ok.  I have used some decals on the riflemens canteens and knapsacks.   Now they were slippery tiny little buggers but I think they have really helped in how they have finally looked.  I hope one day someone creates decal sheets of Napoleonic eagles and "N"s for saddlecloths and trumpet banners of various units.

Now I was very impressed with the plastic Perry figures.  They had good detail, in places even better than some of their metal figures.  They were so nice to paint that I am very tempted to get their new cuirassier and carabinier figures......and if the proposed box of hussars can match the riflemen then they will be a definate!

If the Perry twins could sculpt like mad and really expand their plastics figures I think they could conquer not only the plastic market but also the metal companies aswell!  Now Messrs Perry could you please do some mamelukes of the guard?  Please?  Pretty please??!!  Also some pretty Guard lancers, some dragoons...maybe a nice staff group with Murat and Lassalles in it....ooh and Chasseur a Cheval of the Guard.

BUT MAMELUKES FIRST PLEASE!

Next on the painting table will be either Guard Polish Lancer officer or a new Colbert....I gave the first one away and quite fancy one myself again!