tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66339449544028987592024-02-07T01:53:18.523-07:00Ed's ArmyA blog about the progress of Ed's Army, along with some painting tips and other morsels of delight about miniature figures.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-20429641589839112942016-01-14T17:11:00.002-07:002016-01-14T17:11:37.656-07:0028mm Russians in Central Asia Game<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4vfaEiDnF5nZLSTinKc-CjnixgYYltG6XOqgu_oKN5jDZjnBjvoI6MVZR8EXh-odQrkY3zHA8qFyLf6f8YUyQYjj9r5CinqYUWytEm3ZSH_1P9voQt9aQdZddFUe8iBWT78mwSoKGQ4/s320/CA-Game-5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turcomen attack the Cossacks</td></tr>
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On New Year's Day we played a Two Hour Wargames Colonial Adventures Central Asian game, with Russians, Bokharans, Pathans, Turcomen and even Turks.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.askari-minis.com/index.php/ranges/russians/435-central-asia-game">Read the BATREP here.</a><br /><br />It was a good chance to put the new Turkish Gatling Crew in action. Lots of pictures!Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-53765594046179277862011-11-26T16:19:00.004-07:002011-11-26T16:24:16.350-07:00Mountaineers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdI5Ho83ZlxEgElBEhVzgvdqeRM50IOokiZ3F1gKJzT60XDk22d6hxWIGQSXxiY-lbucwweQRonEarFdTE8SA5UExlG0XHmj06gypjO4bE49J1taw8uoKbnklOY06mUCom9C_mWKvaig/s1600/Mountaineers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdI5Ho83ZlxEgElBEhVzgvdqeRM50IOokiZ3F1gKJzT60XDk22d6hxWIGQSXxiY-lbucwweQRonEarFdTE8SA5UExlG0XHmj06gypjO4bE49J1taw8uoKbnklOY06mUCom9C_mWKvaig/s400/Mountaineers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679448330561858002" border="0" /></a><br />These aren't Ed's figures, they're mine. And I didn't paint them, Sean Tobin did. And then he put them on this cool base for display. He's a real artist!<br /><br />Click on the image to see it really large. Figures are from a couple of different sets of <a href="http://www.pulpfigures.com/new.php?">Pulp Figures</a>.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-36692937078209472182010-05-16T16:48:00.005-06:002010-05-16T17:11:21.478-06:00Adventures in Lost Lands<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIfOayYapOkjiMmfXYVGC4NE9j-6cK4mYs-tun12TJ912Hi0W7oUJpGMpuH3ce3E2svbyWdTISxPlOE_rLMwq_uZe6yW6AcvmYAKeI13oQGM5rvq5qGPWHpl8V08VguLUch53vJdbhw0/s1600/Hunters2ptd.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIfOayYapOkjiMmfXYVGC4NE9j-6cK4mYs-tun12TJ912Hi0W7oUJpGMpuH3ce3E2svbyWdTISxPlOE_rLMwq_uZe6yW6AcvmYAKeI13oQGM5rvq5qGPWHpl8V08VguLUch53vJdbhw0/s320/Hunters2ptd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472007552734484754" border="0" /></a><br />Ed has just released "Adventures in the Lost Lands" and needed some figures to game with. Ed gave me quite a list of figure ideas that could be used for any African safari game, whether going after <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">dinos</span> or wildebeest. The first two are above : a typical British retired colonel out to shoot anything that moves. He's firing his double-barreled shotgun while his gun-bearer totes the long rifle and all-important whiskey bottle.<br /><br />From existing ranges we started out with some Ethiopians with rifles, below. They are painted in the standard way I paint basically all-white figures, just like the Foreign Legion in whites. Some have a light khaki color mixed in instead of the usual gray.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHCBuEgI37JJlLwHd73uVA8S2qtI5R0C6lP5n2ccbqg2jPkJWqnpZ_lzy9-6HArXkdBYPVdKYPDuyb2TGXq11pJ0_hiyF1-5cwYvkvae9CJKiJ5TYbEZ5rpKq993H9RQ9Uov0xxp0xUQ/s1600/ed-Ethiopians.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHCBuEgI37JJlLwHd73uVA8S2qtI5R0C6lP5n2ccbqg2jPkJWqnpZ_lzy9-6HArXkdBYPVdKYPDuyb2TGXq11pJ0_hiyF1-5cwYvkvae9CJKiJ5TYbEZ5rpKq993H9RQ9Uov0xxp0xUQ/s320/ed-Ethiopians.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472003977606994914" border="0" /></a><br />Then, since the Lost Lands are a bit primitive, I did up a number of Ethiopians with spears or swords. I had a good time making up as many different combinations of arms as possible.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-JcZmfqhjEnF8wjVfPKl8Tg4zuP4sJHxey2yvLYFABhm1qbHRQpjCKIQr_bUDyIBaDYtv593iepNVcHwQZKCVu644ssKw4_fIJ18dMOASLQipijb-bvMTOiWTuQCIUx_zDP5TWdb0hc/s1600/ETH-4ptd.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-JcZmfqhjEnF8wjVfPKl8Tg4zuP4sJHxey2yvLYFABhm1qbHRQpjCKIQr_bUDyIBaDYtv593iepNVcHwQZKCVu644ssKw4_fIJ18dMOASLQipijb-bvMTOiWTuQCIUx_zDP5TWdb0hc/s320/ETH-4ptd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472005839799966898" border="0" /></a><br />Then we needed some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">askaris</span>. The Italian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Askaris</span> in shorts make a good all-around generic <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">askari</span>, so we used those. Base coat is dark gray, followed by Teddy Bear Tan and Linen highlights. I painted the fezzes with khaki covers but I might have painted them their natural maroon red. The figure on the left is from the Camel set, the three middle figures from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ITA</span>-2 Somali <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Askaris</span>, and the NCO from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">ITA</span>-10 command pack.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfOqnYDv83pk7-C6uiELbJ4TQ-RRUJBZ-BUqmmBJxxo-WJZn3Kk0Y1NsdzxCJzx1j435B4yrCumPhZjJLhkr5lNXqqHqhEdXf7VqXlWakLNyLsvAAd89F4UmpBaV6b0SVIgSetO0_ZNA/s1600/ed-Askari.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfOqnYDv83pk7-C6uiELbJ4TQ-RRUJBZ-BUqmmBJxxo-WJZn3Kk0Y1NsdzxCJzx1j435B4yrCumPhZjJLhkr5lNXqqHqhEdXf7VqXlWakLNyLsvAAd89F4UmpBaV6b0SVIgSetO0_ZNA/s320/ed-Askari.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472003972569144370" border="0" /></a><br />All told, Ed has 25 figures so far. There are some more figures on the way. Happy hunting!Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-34478719339267869742009-06-15T09:30:00.003-06:002009-06-15T09:37:37.205-06:00Egyptians for Ed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_IFdl1hYhuwMMa4cr5caqtCnSdgEhlJZ7iZcQ8dE7tur8eFLc1rh-lnYwn1Flwe1A6q9b8Bj7LZLk4NUCedIleaMiSePd-r8_6iJmmIHST2l3d02ttHQC5b76ooxY4rOjHS_xCI9TtY/s1600-h/EG-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_IFdl1hYhuwMMa4cr5caqtCnSdgEhlJZ7iZcQ8dE7tur8eFLc1rh-lnYwn1Flwe1A6q9b8Bj7LZLk4NUCedIleaMiSePd-r8_6iJmmIHST2l3d02ttHQC5b76ooxY4rOjHS_xCI9TtY/s320/EG-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347577315686222050" border="0" /></a>Ed is about to get some of the new Egyptians I've just released. I think he's going to use them for the Larger than Life rules. It's a great pulp-type rule set.<br /><br />Some of these guys are dressed in the Egyptian <span style="font-style: italic;">galibeyah</span>, a loose nightshirt-looking kind of garment, while others are dressed in a hooded <span style="font-style: italic;">djellabah</span>. Some wear turbans and others a fez--some fezzes have tassels and some not. Fezzes are always maroon, turbans white. The <span style="font-style: italic;">djellabahs </span>are usually brow or gray. The <span style="font-style: italic;">galibeyahs </span>can be white or colored with stripes. I'll do some of each.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-80453345567195687812009-04-26T21:31:00.002-06:002009-04-26T22:11:43.962-06:00Postscript: the animals<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjIXmzblsLUtzryLuPIR3JPHK0QKcP-vPO2JOgG5PCPVd6gJSl5M5QQghWOo0vQ74LnwWAeJ0-DpBnX6-QtAr6ets1ebZkGwl9Qt_0kXCv6VBY025ueiIoI5qkEup6KdEARO0fs1JLlw/s1600-h/ed-_mules.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjIXmzblsLUtzryLuPIR3JPHK0QKcP-vPO2JOgG5PCPVd6gJSl5M5QQghWOo0vQ74LnwWAeJ0-DpBnX6-QtAr6ets1ebZkGwl9Qt_0kXCv6VBY025ueiIoI5qkEup6KdEARO0fs1JLlw/s320/ed-_mules.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329209047587012178" border="0" /></a>After finishing the "people" figures I did the animals--mules and donkeys. The Foreign Legion used quite a few mules in North Africa for carrying supplies, ammunition, mountain guns--even for troops in mule-mounted companies. These are general-purpose mules: and who doesn't need mules?<br /><br />I painted these in a traditional overall brown color. I first painted the whole animal, base and all, in a very dark brown: Dark Burnt Umber in Folk Art colors or Nubian Flesh in Howard Hues (to my eyes they're identical except for the price.) Then I lighten mule with a mix of Burnt Umber, Yellow Ochre and a touch of Alizarin Crimson. It's the same combination as for a bay horse. The mane and tail are almost black with dark gray highlights. The muzzles and maybe the socks are light gray, the eyes are black and the hooves a dark gunmetal gray.<br /><br />All the leather is, well, leather-colored brown with brass highlights on the buckles. (Hey, those buckles took a long time to model, so you'd better paint them!) Actually, the buckles are easy to paint by dry-brushing them. The wooden boxes are dry-brushed a medium brown, leaving that overall dark brown in the lines between the "planks." Paint the bags a variety of browns and beiges.<br /><br />The donkeys, below, come in basically two colors. The most common is brown, much like the mules. Occasionally there's a white one--I did that one in light gray because the white mules are never really a pure white. The bags (as I saw them) were a kind of loosely-woven canvas or hemp in one piece that formed two large bags over the donkey's back. These could contain grain or dirt or any number of things that need to be moved. I painted these a light beige color for grain. The donkeys are patient and long-suffering little creatures that plod slowly along, prodded occasionally with the stick of the owner. No bridle or halter is used (or modeled).<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlDJcSC8KicvxT-Nb7iIfO4K1jo2ihpAz64M8qE5qyUD-O5zQaNA0FqSEal6zC43-LEAzHtP_usYA0MwEwEGu3WdvPc4yrtXwxFbfWcm7MkSw1k1VvQiwJL0bvfe6NEOT0vg1rGJML9Y/s1600-h/ed-_donkeys.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlDJcSC8KicvxT-Nb7iIfO4K1jo2ihpAz64M8qE5qyUD-O5zQaNA0FqSEal6zC43-LEAzHtP_usYA0MwEwEGu3WdvPc4yrtXwxFbfWcm7MkSw1k1VvQiwJL0bvfe6NEOT0vg1rGJML9Y/s320/ed-_donkeys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329209047118984354" border="0" /></a>Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-76985116877176371882009-03-16T21:58:00.008-06:002009-03-16T22:55:20.891-06:00French Command Figures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAUKjRAkPEjo7alzeiKIBF3LyUNlqMN5BVxeF9ehYqDZVnPz8PbMcZ816pLz8BPzivP-Q3TrhvQZ3b2C5h8zR-i2ePNM0OAhKXivGednFQ6poB06X04TVR7uFQTGUDno6kdUB4XbHXOo/s1600-h/ed-_FFL_Officers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAUKjRAkPEjo7alzeiKIBF3LyUNlqMN5BVxeF9ehYqDZVnPz8PbMcZ816pLz8BPzivP-Q3TrhvQZ3b2C5h8zR-i2ePNM0OAhKXivGednFQ6poB06X04TVR7uFQTGUDno6kdUB4XbHXOo/s320/ed-_FFL_Officers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314002570227521042" border="0" /></a><br />I tend to paint the command figures last, all together. This is partly because they lack the equipment of the troops and partly because the uniforms themselves are different. The officers above both have white-covered kepis, although you could just as easily paint them blue and red. The officer on the left wears a shorter tunic while the one on the right wears a different model--one often worn by senior NCOs. In fact, I've painted him as an NCO with a gold stripe near the cuff. NCOs in the Legion carried a whistle which he is blowing. And while the figure on the left wears white trousers over his boots, the one on the right has red riding breeches and boots. They could as easily be red and khaki or white, respectively. With khaki breeches and brown boots, he makes a nice post-WWI Legion figure. Lots of options.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOy1gKlLg_-wDsmuP181HVe2RWsIM7Q4ZyH_DkUXLywPJNm9oqdMJdTwjN6pzpC-u7JWcQ4k9KHguhydH5f93gyiKMl2WS2ZktSTSJS0QrULHE67oMJewc5cPbhk55ix5Huc1G0gXLeQ/s1600-h/ed-_FFL_Bugler.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 182px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOy1gKlLg_-wDsmuP181HVe2RWsIM7Q4ZyH_DkUXLywPJNm9oqdMJdTwjN6pzpC-u7JWcQ4k9KHguhydH5f93gyiKMl2WS2ZktSTSJS0QrULHE67oMJewc5cPbhk55ix5Huc1G0gXLeQ/s320/ed-_FFL_Bugler.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314008567056223170" border="0" /></a><br />The Legion bugler (and corporal carrying the company <span style="font-style: italic;">fanion</span>) really do have the same uniform as the troops and I painted them all together. But I did save the bugle, flag and drum for painting all together. The bugle cords are first painted all white then dabbed with blue and red to produce a red-white-blue twisted cord effect.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSzf6TPGELuXHlO5QaKjeWnbbFcMGz7gH0cU5OuJgqEXP_2izDjhMmNfaVnmeyZEg6hcQrCjNCl_RpuIb8VZkBa8JJ6tg4ndAV22srr0hBh6tpSS7nBYJUdFI3AmekHkDDs1LaOLq7aY/s1600-h/ed-_TA_Cmd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSzf6TPGELuXHlO5QaKjeWnbbFcMGz7gH0cU5OuJgqEXP_2izDjhMmNfaVnmeyZEg6hcQrCjNCl_RpuIb8VZkBa8JJ6tg4ndAV22srr0hBh6tpSS7nBYJUdFI3AmekHkDDs1LaOLq7aY/s320/ed-_TA_Cmd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314009535752263938" border="0" /></a>The Tirailleur command figures are also finished at this time. Like the bugler, I painted the drummer along with the troops but saved the brass-colored drum to do along with the bugle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSduHzKhdkiy9LnVSFU0mSlszBTuDpnO7GJS2_tgk_QMKNcG1ASyftTJGjo5mxe4P4tjpCeLsW4IhNPULEz0RGzx7HKRd-EQ3i_VcC3UIqM2mY1WRWVVUhcTndEnqDi_vpFJSbSoZoNRE/s1600-h/ed-_General.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSduHzKhdkiy9LnVSFU0mSlszBTuDpnO7GJS2_tgk_QMKNcG1ASyftTJGjo5mxe4P4tjpCeLsW4IhNPULEz0RGzx7HKRd-EQ3i_VcC3UIqM2mY1WRWVVUhcTndEnqDi_vpFJSbSoZoNRE/s320/ed-_General.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314009539194170386" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCxYiSetmGNiN2nOWv6NtOhVjOJyZfGzeKBpxnf6WIEo8aqTaFnlj6CTds_d8sF1fD2w5qYFs_3lSbpAVFUGy7jhLK9WwFjdSR0q2zObAyQW_OsrlWN-uTus9zD8sl2GajSuhinUyyG8/s1600-h/ed-_FFL_Bugler.jpg"><br /></a>Finally, I finish the General. His uniform is the standard blue-black tunic with red breeches, red waist sash worn under the coat and a blue/red kepi. I chose not to paint the tunic as dark as I could have so that the black frogging would stand out more. As with the foot officers, the breeches or kepi could just as easily have been white. I hadn't painted one this way yet; hence my choice. The figure comes with a pompom on the kepi. That's useful if he's going to be painted as a cavalry officer; for a general, just clip it off.<br /><br />I had glued the rider to the horse--something I don't usually do--and painted the horse first. So although the men are all complete, the animals are not. They're up next.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-11639627049728693032009-03-07T07:51:00.007-07:002009-03-07T09:16:05.572-07:00Last unit: the Tirailleurs Algerien<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMHFsdtYjtCDSuKNJcTFV1g-8mxubtytxJ8Ae4EunO8CcrqY4MlBrcyNNxFEUQ3u8h3QWtiQiA2wXVPrMgrc22lg2wlUXKzXkMbpOwLWunR6H3rkvPGIgZwQbbk64TRMGcUZFgnyhRBE/s1600-h/ed-_TA1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 373px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMHFsdtYjtCDSuKNJcTFV1g-8mxubtytxJ8Ae4EunO8CcrqY4MlBrcyNNxFEUQ3u8h3QWtiQiA2wXVPrMgrc22lg2wlUXKzXkMbpOwLWunR6H3rkvPGIgZwQbbk64TRMGcUZFgnyhRBE/s400/ed-_TA1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310462038759649650" border="0" /></a><br />I saved this unit for last because I thought they were going t0 take the longest to complete and I wanted to get "warmed up" with the other units first.<br /><br />Ed helped me out here. I asked whether he wanted the blue or white trousers and he definitely wanted white. After about 1882, all the units in Africa--Legion, Tirailleurs, Zouaves--wore white cotton trousers on campaign and also for daily wear in garrison or on exercises. The red or blue colored ones were still retained, however, as you can see in this postcard.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1H7AtkiBphFb0jYFsVEdNInUBoT3ozVRcVDIqibdiziOEwpxEAxehVMjGovlXTIHCF7oK87h7USgXP1tqt9UZCFWYDTVLCJNZMS-couV2-vkZ42rSdFmDxOq-epkWPrWTZ9_ayZtPsX0/s1600-h/photo_ruthproduction_alb_mil197.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1H7AtkiBphFb0jYFsVEdNInUBoT3ozVRcVDIqibdiziOEwpxEAxehVMjGovlXTIHCF7oK87h7USgXP1tqt9UZCFWYDTVLCJNZMS-couV2-vkZ42rSdFmDxOq-epkWPrWTZ9_ayZtPsX0/s320/photo_ruthproduction_alb_mil197.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310463970356350354" border="0" /></a><br />So what makes these Tirailleurs (and the Zouaves) so time consuming to paint? It's all that zouave-style trim on the coats and trousers. And not so much the trim itself as the color. Yellow just doesn't paint over blue (or almost any other color). So what I end up doing is painting the trim white, sometimes fairly sloppily. Then I go over the white with yellow. Finally, the light blue. If you look closely at the coats you will notice that the trim you see is mostly around the edges. That being the case, I do save some time by not painting the blue at all until the trim is done. If the trim around the false pockets or on the back seam is visible, the white and yellow sequence must be done after the blue--and then the blue might have to be touched up again.<br /><br />The same is true for the red waist sash: it comes out much better undercoated with white. It's fairly prominent in the photo but the figures' stances do obscure it and the yellow trim somewhat. You can see different bits visible on the two different figures in the photos.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrF-_VUENqGZODwREi-93ccv-FJ_HbiUr-uaeMOwGWCYPNlQSpHmm5JVmjLFBBsdMu6T_CaRiIvGQYHzVEU_1VLJvZ2UZ_G6_xtaXVDDKuewpZpqKqpAndrYYBOC7h9waRjQVdGn1DR_o/s1600-h/ed-_TA2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 343px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrF-_VUENqGZODwREi-93ccv-FJ_HbiUr-uaeMOwGWCYPNlQSpHmm5JVmjLFBBsdMu6T_CaRiIvGQYHzVEU_1VLJvZ2UZ_G6_xtaXVDDKuewpZpqKqpAndrYYBOC7h9waRjQVdGn1DR_o/s400/ed-_TA2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310462041413289858" border="0" /></a><br />The order of painting follows the usual technique: inside to outside, light to dark. Here also we can divide the figure into upper (face and head) and lower (trousers down to base) and work alternately on these areas. This used to be important with slower-drying enamel paints but can also be helpful if the acrylic paints are still wet in crevasses or you really don't want alternate colors to blend.<br /><br />Painting the equipment follows the usual technique for the French. The light blue color of the coat is painted everywhere on the top part since it is also the color of the roll around the pack. Then the pack itself and most of the equipment is painted black, followed by gunmetal gray for the metallic parts. Note again how the buttons and seams on the gaiters just pop out when a light drybrush of light gray is applied over the dark gray base.<br /><br />Despite the time it takes to paint them, the Algerians are one of my top-selling units, as are the Zouaves, whose uniforms are identical except for the colors. In fact, I've actually worn out the first set of their molds and remade them this fall.<br /><br />Numerically, the Algerians formed the largest body of troops in the Army of Africa and fought everywhere the Legion and the Zouaves did, even being combined with them in <span style="font-style: italic;">regiments de marche, </span>temporary regiments formed for specific campaigns like Madagascar.<br /><br />Ed did well to pick them for his army.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-7898006231981253912009-02-22T20:03:00.005-07:002009-02-22T21:06:03.613-07:00More Foreign Legion<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqv0Z6SyRePFtWN7VQUnUrzCClu4GquZ8iKB9MMyGl0ohY1HNldP46Cu9RTWIKgdwh0I-C0j8aJZDISJl2vK_Tmu_mpt6OfmU0yhyphenhyphenfKZA16iUHSnSEc8YI1PWMMQ1q-9d1x_HKx3U0lsk/s1600-h/ed-_FFL3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 372px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqv0Z6SyRePFtWN7VQUnUrzCClu4GquZ8iKB9MMyGl0ohY1HNldP46Cu9RTWIKgdwh0I-C0j8aJZDISJl2vK_Tmu_mpt6OfmU0yhyphenhyphenfKZA16iUHSnSEc8YI1PWMMQ1q-9d1x_HKx3U0lsk/s400/ed-_FFL3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305825290723056002" border="0" /></a><br />Ed's second French unit is Foreign Legion in their blue overcoats (FR-9). The trousers are the usual white painted in light gray with some white highlights. The kepis, like the other FFL unit, are bright white.<br /><br />The <span style="font-style: italic;">capote </span>is dark blue. There was a fairly pointless discussion online recently about exactly <span style="font-style: italic;">which </span>shade of blue they were: the main point is, they were the same as the rest of the French infantry of the time. But likely faded by the desert sun and full of desert sand. So your choice, really, as to what you make them look like. I undercoat the central part of the figure with a dark blue, then mix it with a bit of white to create highlights.<br /><br />So far, the figures don't take long to paint. What really takes the time is all that equipment the Europeans are carrying. Jeez, hadn't they heard of traveling light? Guess not.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMLE7CYeXj9I17ud1OqjIOkHQSzaM3p95Xo039Q0QVtUvtQOVLNA2KRXYGl5mtvA-_mfwhOxSiFFFcXeJBtORcbR6kouynhMpqPt_RNQ4J52r4wNzjuvghq2xORN-yMUXFp05Pk6btVY/s1600-h/ed-_FFL4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMLE7CYeXj9I17ud1OqjIOkHQSzaM3p95Xo039Q0QVtUvtQOVLNA2KRXYGl5mtvA-_mfwhOxSiFFFcXeJBtORcbR6kouynhMpqPt_RNQ4J52r4wNzjuvghq2xORN-yMUXFp05Pk6btVY/s400/ed-_FFL4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305825293919617538" border="0" /></a>I painted the blue waist sash a bit brighter than it should be so that it will show up nicely over the dark blue <span style="font-style: italic;">capote</span>. The haversack is off-white; I used a light tan. Much of the equipment is black--like the pack and the ammunition boxes--and some of the rest is gunmetal gray and I undercoat that black, too.<br /><br />For speed, the sequence goes something like this: the tan haversack, gray blanket roll (around the pack), black just about everywhere else. The rifle somewhere in there is painted overall brown. I don't try to paint all the black with the same brush: I find it's simpler to paint all the things that require the same size brush at the same time. When all the black is done, I go over all the gunmetal gray parts--the rifle barrel, mess tin and canteen. Silver on the bayonet and brass belt buckle up front and you're just about done. One really nice touch is drybrushing a little dark gray over the black parts like the ammo boxes to highlight the edges, straps and such.<br /><br />The hands were painted dark brown along with the rifle (right?). Now is the time to drybrush the flesh tone over it. That brown is a little different than the undercoat used on the face but no one will ever notice. And it's a good speedy shortcut.<br /><br />There are 21 figures in this unit because there are 3 x 6 privates, a bugler, <span style="font-style: italic;">fanion </span>corporal and officer/NCO. The officer I save to paint with the officer from the other FFL unit since their uniforms are the same. The bugler and corporal I paint along with the privates but I don't do the flag or bugle. I could but I'm going to save all the command figures to finish up as a group.<br /><br />I'm getting close to the end and I'm all about speed right now.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-63846458003463002862009-02-17T19:14:00.004-07:002009-02-17T19:56:45.849-07:00I Begin the French<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5JbvHfLpqVt0_Qi9L2wuFdUUusNmA1P3CNHhSzHq8xIwk_0AaNNml4pgm4Bcfxgvs2XqSgIQyQbsV5sFX0q8Me_TTTIo7maYiATGD2K2jIdSTqSxStoZ1sSbJekpOmKg5oguNZdEgwg/s1600-h/ed-_FFL1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5JbvHfLpqVt0_Qi9L2wuFdUUusNmA1P3CNHhSzHq8xIwk_0AaNNml4pgm4Bcfxgvs2XqSgIQyQbsV5sFX0q8Me_TTTIo7maYiATGD2K2jIdSTqSxStoZ1sSbJekpOmKg5oguNZdEgwg/s400/ed-_FFL1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303957184353271330" border="0" /></a><br />With the Berbers finished, it's time to do the French.<br /><br />I decided to "warm up" with the Foreign Legion in their white uniforms. These are exactly the same uniforms as the classic blue overcoats--except that the legionnaires are not wearing them. This is, most of the period postcards I've seen, the more common uniform worn in the heat of the North African desert. The <span style="font-style: italic;">bourgeron</span>, pants, and kepi cover are all white. Like the Berbers, I start with dark gray and lighten with light gray and dry brush with some white.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OnJdMziM6RxOb78pAcxAM5MbEZm4qWvtgfqkTfx2N8G3fGFoGDUmB5VPam0Gjkol683tLBhkF_D_kqLKpgPKG162mDJ0Bt7VGS-YWpNUdMtzqL3DN09bmdmLk8n_wkXTmg1HnIHs6H0/s1600-h/ed-_FFL2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 368px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OnJdMziM6RxOb78pAcxAM5MbEZm4qWvtgfqkTfx2N8G3fGFoGDUmB5VPam0Gjkol683tLBhkF_D_kqLKpgPKG162mDJ0Bt7VGS-YWpNUdMtzqL3DN09bmdmLk8n_wkXTmg1HnIHs6H0/s400/ed-_FFL2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303957190713325346" border="0" /></a>The "on guard" figure above is one of my all-time favorite figures. Notice how the buttons on the gaiters stand out by not applying too much light gray over the dark base. The kepi is pure white. This is probably a-historical but I like the effect. (The "cult of the kepi" really began with General Rollet in the inter-war period.) One way to really make the white stand out is to paint a base coat of light blue under it. For this tip I am indebted to Bob Bowling of RLBPS.<br /><br />The standard FR-8 unit pack comes with half of the figures in gaiters and no packs and the other half in long pants without gaiters and with packs. If you like, you can ask for all one or the other but almost no one does. I've done those without the packs first, including the bugler. Except for the bugle (which I didn't finish--but easily could have) his uniform is identical to theirs.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-81171209887140209952009-02-07T09:20:00.006-07:002009-02-07T09:52:13.631-07:00Berber Leaders<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBl5mIb9kO1frGs5C1P_89UL0oOblcvPk-zyezdxdThFJ2xn0ZU0ynIiA2PoSz3knd07vLArlKOJOc71YfPCNt6Vxb1MyYs-xMnX-dUPp0OFj_iAUg__k3h9ovJtHUqyaOhfXuNJRrgoI/s1600-h/ed-_Berber_leader.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBl5mIb9kO1frGs5C1P_89UL0oOblcvPk-zyezdxdThFJ2xn0ZU0ynIiA2PoSz3knd07vLArlKOJOc71YfPCNt6Vxb1MyYs-xMnX-dUPp0OFj_iAUg__k3h9ovJtHUqyaOhfXuNJRrgoI/s320/ed-_Berber_leader.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300093013181503730" border="0" /></a><br />Finished the Berber leaders and with that, the native side is complete!<br /><br />I often pull out the leader figures to paint separately as they may have different uniforms or other parts that are unique like drums. In this case it wasn't really necessary but it did help keep the batch size down to 9 and added one extra batch of seven. If the batches get too big, the paint starts to dry on the brush before you get done and that's a very bad thing for the life of the brush.<br /><br />Same technique as used on the other Berbers. The main difference here is the color of the turban. It was recorded by European observers that Abd el Krim's leaders of units wore orange turbans and his personal bodyguard green ones. So I made the leaders with orange or green turbans. What orange? I couldn't stand the thought of a bright Halloween orange so I went with a more Texas A&M burnt orange--Raw Sienna & Alizarin Crimson pretty much. For the green, a mid-green the color of the prophet.<br /><br />The figure at the top is (if you'll recall) that unreleased Berber/Riffi leader figure. I rather like him. OK, Ed, you've got the only painted one of him so far. The figure in the foreground below is holding a standard pole--I'll add the standard last. The <a href="http://www.warflag.com">Warflag </a>site has a number of authentic-looking flags with Arabic characters on them but they're pulled from the movies, a dubious source at best. Abd el Krim, being trained by the Spanish, sought to create an independent Moroccan state and in so doing he created a flag for his Riffian republic. Could use that, too. I'll have to ask Ed what he wants.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ggJuk10RDpF2VdJyKZbk44daHshptnbVbBSBBbjwYD8m6I9vira1MGaAIfOm1DArvRHYxgZsmVDzJEP3x-d8Cg6i7w4_xAlx15kw0e597rgN8nlBHDoci0WwU6faNKCkQGd0DUCYbW4/s1600-h/ed-_Berber_leaders.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ggJuk10RDpF2VdJyKZbk44daHshptnbVbBSBBbjwYD8m6I9vira1MGaAIfOm1DArvRHYxgZsmVDzJEP3x-d8Cg6i7w4_xAlx15kw0e597rgN8nlBHDoci0WwU6faNKCkQGd0DUCYbW4/s400/ed-_Berber_leaders.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300094072745500994" border="0" /></a>Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-4651184188234700332009-02-01T19:27:00.005-07:002009-02-17T19:13:50.944-07:00More Berbers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AGN1ewL2-_IRXB-P_uPzcCVol7axvGENLg8clln9o0KAgPfP8Nd4X3vWRAe4rbq1Zxu2MhxMdS7HJLHn6dyqM0qjUzGZFU3y_Mvx70CKbueMnp5ttMegNa_6F-hTSdBEHSg5Xo57C3c/s1600-h/ed-_Berbers_djellabah3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AGN1ewL2-_IRXB-P_uPzcCVol7axvGENLg8clln9o0KAgPfP8Nd4X3vWRAe4rbq1Zxu2MhxMdS7HJLHn6dyqM0qjUzGZFU3y_Mvx70CKbueMnp5ttMegNa_6F-hTSdBEHSg5Xo57C3c/s400/ed-_Berbers_djellabah3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298022727929188578" border="0" /></a><br />There are four batches of Berbers plus one more of the leaders. I like to do all one pose at the same time: it seems to go faster that way. The leaders go at the end because they often have different things to paint, like swords or drums. I'm liking the 9-figure batch a lot. I'd rather finish 9 figures in one sitting than half-finish 18 figures. Plus, with the larger batches, the paint starts to dry on the brush before you get all the way to the end of the line. That's not good for the life of the brush.<br /><br />Not much to add to describe these figures. I used a little more of the yellow-brown highlight on these.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwu0L38jdMuMC6nMRyiPBzEWMMFYNTCHNk1drO85MRBgtF0fFWlKf8Pvk8E2LMNWZcPzfPCr5f6Sk216Q8cGSvzxY__R8sX9gWAw_exp_K4t_B3yp3_iNBT53z8yiAEIMQUe_8MyIyrD0/s1600-h/ed-_Berbers_djellabah_compa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 335px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwu0L38jdMuMC6nMRyiPBzEWMMFYNTCHNk1drO85MRBgtF0fFWlKf8Pvk8E2LMNWZcPzfPCr5f6Sk216Q8cGSvzxY__R8sX9gWAw_exp_K4t_B3yp3_iNBT53z8yiAEIMQUe_8MyIyrD0/s400/ed-_Berbers_djellabah_compa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298022730496707378" border="0" /></a><br />Here's a comparison of Ed's Berber (left) with one of mine. Damn, Ed, yours look better than mine! You might be able to see that I didn't paint the eyes on mine--they looked awfully close to the turban. I gotta tell you: in maybe 20 demo games, nobody has ever picked up one of these and said, "You didn't paint the eyes!"<br /><br />After four years and all those games, my Berbers are showing their wear, especially the bases. I had used matt board (cheap) with acrylic spackling and self-stick magnet on the bottom. Guess why I switched to a metal base with pumice?<br /><br />Only the leaders to go and I'm done with the Berber side.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-51042065553797652262009-02-01T19:00:00.008-07:002009-02-01T19:59:59.180-07:00Back to the Berbers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidc1_FmFTqQA8Gstr9BKvF0QoG72UovYUGGupleVivm3-TZei_mbHD_jNU71ni3I2tVYernUQsStDoXjH-BJy8Hvnk_maIIP9pG-4rnLecV959TiHplacLnRpxiyb4htfU4LEulJ8xA9M/s1600-h/ed-_Berbers_djellabah.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 324px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidc1_FmFTqQA8Gstr9BKvF0QoG72UovYUGGupleVivm3-TZei_mbHD_jNU71ni3I2tVYernUQsStDoXjH-BJy8Hvnk_maIIP9pG-4rnLecV959TiHplacLnRpxiyb4htfU4LEulJ8xA9M/s400/ed-_Berbers_djellabah.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298014303772680338" border="0" /></a><br />Having finished the first unit, it's time to tackle the Berbers in their more traditional dress. Remember the Jawas from Star Wars? Guess where Spielberg go the idea?<br /><br />I've cheated a bit here. Hey, anything to make the painting go quicker! Started with the usual dark gray undercoat and some dark gray touching up. Here's the cheat: almost the whole figure is painted burnt umber. The paint is a bit on the thin side and you might be able to see it pooling in the shadows, which is what we want. I've left the face unpainted so I can do the red-brown base coat, but the legs and hands are painted over, too. The rifles are not painted because I usually use Rifle Butt, but I have covered the rifles, too.<br /><br />Next, I use light gray where the <span style="font-style: italic;">gandoura </span>shows in the front and I'm well on my way.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgOULFPsAf36kL3dH7TmBDvADv4qwg-NPpycx3VT0jLCPVpJHiXHTGzeDy8ntKFVCn4jtx9dCAbWx0YAKwh_BBHNPY60r4t0f8eizO3u260R0Im4DvaFCgDUnSJ2k1k2ol8MgpRwj80A/s1600-h/ed-_Berbers_djellabah2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgOULFPsAf36kL3dH7TmBDvADv4qwg-NPpycx3VT0jLCPVpJHiXHTGzeDy8ntKFVCn4jtx9dCAbWx0YAKwh_BBHNPY60r4t0f8eizO3u260R0Im4DvaFCgDUnSJ2k1k2ol8MgpRwj80A/s400/ed-_Berbers_djellabah2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298017735835858930" border="0" /></a><br />Here they are complete. The face, hands and rifle are done in the usual way. The light colored parts are all light gray, not white. There are two highlight colors over the burnt umber: a yellowish color like Teddy Bear Tan is good. The string or piece of leather catches the dark color along the base and the lighter ones on the top. You may not even need to go over it later.<br /><br />I did a couple of variations on different batches including starting with Nubian/Dark Umber instead of Burnt Umber. On that batch I even painted the base at the start.<br /><br />By the way, this figure is modeled after a Berber in a period photograph.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-37803372388514163732009-01-29T08:41:00.001-07:002009-01-29T08:50:23.985-07:00Ruturn of the Mummies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ839cLDqdtg3gt9RANKzp2-m11fRw7-QammgQ68QSwmURlH-RBUyfkJ3IQCKmPVi8sJJfCfckUtfIp2LWreIQ5mVk8Fp3aiQKYW-AkHGFUCa6sXOQRpEOB0GdxjzB-uHmQvuHOeQBtkQ/s1600-h/ed-_mummies2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ839cLDqdtg3gt9RANKzp2-m11fRw7-QammgQ68QSwmURlH-RBUyfkJ3IQCKmPVi8sJJfCfckUtfIp2LWreIQ5mVk8Fp3aiQKYW-AkHGFUCa6sXOQRpEOB0GdxjzB-uHmQvuHOeQBtkQ/s400/ed-_mummies2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293031063898391138" border="0" /></a><br />Yes, they're back. And for one simple reason: to illustrate the value of drybrushing. These figures took me not more and ten minutes to paint and I think the result is spectacular. I have to give the sculptor all the credit. Well, that and the dry brush technique.<br /><br />Originally, mummies were wrapped in white linen but over the centuries it becomes a very dark brown so I gave it a base coat of a fairly thin Burnt Umber. This is something like a wash coat, where the paint collects in the deep spots. Then the drybrush with--what else?--Linen.<br /><br />The drybrush technique is pretty simple. It's called "dry brush" because there isn't much paint on the brush. I wipe it off on the paper towel. Dry brushing is hard on brushes for some reason, so I usually use an older brush that has lost its point an spreads a bit. If there are a series of lines (as in these bandages) or folds, then brush perpendicular to them. That catches the edges and misses the deep parts. On these, I brushed mostly from bottom to top or from the hands in toward the shoulders.<br /><br />Practice a bit with the amount of paint on the brush. The paint itself should be on the thick side. That's really all there is to it. I like simple.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-28329560221327471762009-01-18T21:08:00.002-07:002009-01-18T21:28:36.567-07:00Next batch complete<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukxjyLHRaoEeBT0Gj0MBEs7_ndHd5pYXHM1bJdd2rQsyBIXJNhK8bMsVsjeOZNw34lgviswY0NxTQwz_654fnr8ZGiqKutC3FDqUcATyULHEoEYnELk4fIguI4lLvVJA90h4dEXFccxo/s1600-h/ed-_Berbers5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukxjyLHRaoEeBT0Gj0MBEs7_ndHd5pYXHM1bJdd2rQsyBIXJNhK8bMsVsjeOZNw34lgviswY0NxTQwz_654fnr8ZGiqKutC3FDqUcATyULHEoEYnELk4fIguI4lLvVJA90h4dEXFccxo/s400/ed-_Berbers5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292852499190270018" border="0" /></a><br />Here's the other half of the unit. Not much different to report about them. The <span style="font-style: italic;">burnous</span> was white, probably unbleached wool. White cotton <span style="font-style: italic;">gandoura</span>, white <span style="font-style: italic;">burnous</span>, white turban. Fairly simple. Notice the lighter colored bands on the musket--really highlights it well. Notice also the eye, described in a previous post. If the eye looks too big you can always trim off the excess with a bit of flesh around the edges or even cover it over and try again. Basically, though, I don't find it's worth the effort. Just give it a good try and move on.<br /><br />These and the previous figures are meant to portray Moroccan Berbers who live on the western edge of the Sahara, like the Ain Atta. With the influence of the Arabs of the Sahara, their dress is more like theirs than their Berber cousins of the Atlas. You could certainly use these as Arabs from Algeria. In the winter they might dress warmer by putting on multiple <span style="font-style: italic;">gandoura</span>s or even another <span style="font-style: italic;">burnous</span>.<br /><br />That's almost one Berber unit down and two to go. I like to do all the same or related poses at once: you get into a pattern and it's faster that way. So I'll save all six command figures plus that extra leader to make a separate batch at the end.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-48219484948113688462009-01-17T10:11:00.000-07:002009-01-17T10:16:37.118-07:00Painting Tools<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotj_zy2rtltuWYePlGV0ZovLiLu_Rs9V45y5I_AzgxFqBFI4jT5O7Zhbo98RUbs6w-DmJZiImAB_hWgCP8KiIxWoJxM-Yw24jNAfXehpQN_h-7cizv6Vzh5tqIfPdfXaxyyhYsKl03jc/s1600-h/ed-_tools.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotj_zy2rtltuWYePlGV0ZovLiLu_Rs9V45y5I_AzgxFqBFI4jT5O7Zhbo98RUbs6w-DmJZiImAB_hWgCP8KiIxWoJxM-Yw24jNAfXehpQN_h-7cizv6Vzh5tqIfPdfXaxyyhYsKl03jc/s400/ed-_tools.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292301356409607394" border="0" /></a><br />Sure, brushes are the basic painting tool. But what else is helpful? I took a pic of my painting tray just to see what I've collected over the years.<br /><br />The tray itself is just a piece of plywood, an off-cut from a long-discarded project. I think it's really helpful to have a solid base like this: all the lead and paints get heavy and I do have to move it around a bit. At the back is a little wooden tray I made to hold paint jars; there's a shoebox as well that I set on the right. Doesn't matter <span style="font-style: italic;">how </span>you organize your paints, but being able to put your hand on just the right bottle quickly is a real plus.<br /><br />At the back of the paint tray is a piece of paper. I've made notes about the colors I use. "Which blue did I use on the tunic of the Chasseurs d'Afrique?" Very helpful. Although you can't see it really, I've also made "chip charts" on 3x5 cards and stuck those to the left of the tray. Useful because the dried color hue is different than the wet one. But now that I've gone to using the artist colors more I find I don't have as many paints and don't do that as much. When I do, now I'm using bigger swatches and painting them on high-quality bright white paper. I have one for the khakis and tans I use a lot.<br /><br />With acrylics, water is the essential clean-up medium. I have two little plastic tubs there. Got these from drinking a whole lotta powdered tea mix and I have an almost unlimited supply. One contains clean water for adding to the paint with the eye dropper and the other one is for cleaning the brushes. You'll note the bottle of acrylic cleaner--plain water isn't enough to keep your brushes clean, but regular dish detergent works just as well. When the dirty water gets really dirty I've been known to use it as a dark wash. There: now you know my dirty little secret.<br /><br />The pliers is for opening stuck lids and the X-acto is for cleaning the dried paint from around the tops. Another little tea tub holds all the toothpicks I use to stir the paint. I get a lot of "Do you paint with the toothpicks?" from non-painters so one day I tried it. Not bad to quickly "patch" a spot. When my brushes are ready for the trash I cut off the ferrule and viola'! A bigger and longer paint stirrer for the deep bottles.<br /><br />A paper towel for cleaning and drying the brushes is on the right. I used to use old t-shirts in the enamel paint days but they don't absorb water well. I'll have to get rid of that one I just noticed. They tray tends to get so crowded sometimes it's hard to fit the figures on it. I also use the paper towels to take off extra paint when I'm dry brushing. If I continue to use the same spot, sometimes I go back there instead of the paint source for just a little bit.<br /><br />Where to paint from? You can just dip your brush in the paint jar or sometimes the lid but as you can see to the left, the little bottles really make you squeeze out a couple of drops at a time. This helps preserve the paint from drying out so that's nice. Whenever I'm using that kind of bottle or just mixing colors, I put it all on the pickle jar lid you see in the center. They're a good size and I tend to make a color wheel of it as I go along. My wife really likes pickles so there's a never-ending supply of those, too.<br /><br />Oh, one last thing. Glasses. 2.5X magnifiers from Walmart to be exact. I actually took a figure in to the store to try out the best magnification. Once upon a time I used to amaze all by telling those who asked that yes, I did paint all that detail with the naked eye. Alas, age has caught up with me and I would no longer be able to see all the detail on these little buggers much less paint it without some help.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-30917254425994455022009-01-14T09:28:00.007-07:002009-01-17T09:27:16.065-07:00Finishing off the Berbers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmjxynVITTSypPmebJ0vp7d4xFA3TtOv_7igF9GGY94UUwXRjRBuG-I3SOW6n2GC_TD27NTPEbH8lERMjLc8tssRKunU-NpFpJWCy9oWmeiAr2IZRDsEGGgOBR0Dq_8B6rbVDMLMH3vA/s1600-h/ed-_Berbers4a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmjxynVITTSypPmebJ0vp7d4xFA3TtOv_7igF9GGY94UUwXRjRBuG-I3SOW6n2GC_TD27NTPEbH8lERMjLc8tssRKunU-NpFpJWCy9oWmeiAr2IZRDsEGGgOBR0Dq_8B6rbVDMLMH3vA/s320/ed-_Berbers4a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292299252823931794" border="0" /></a><br />Finished painting! (What did you think the title meant?)<br /><br />When I last posted, just a few things to go. I painted the base brown and let that dry while working on the rifles and such. The rifles are painted overall Rifle Butt, but sometimes Burnt Umber is close enough. I've found it's important to paint the whole thing, as later the gunmetal looks and covers much better over the dark undercoat. Also, if you haven't done the dark undercoat for the hands (I did this time because of the forearms), just breeze right over them, too. Good time saver. Next, paint the gunmetal on the top part. If it's a musket with rings or has sights, I'll do those with a "steel" or other mid to light metallic color. Really makes the weapon stand out and takes almost no time. Didn't have that on this rifle.<br /><br />The hands are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">drybrushed</span> with a color the same or maybe a bit darker than the face. Notice on the figure on the right you can see the individual fingers. That's because 1) Tony made them (including fingernails) and 2) the fingers were <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">drybrushed</span> ever so lightly, leaving the dark spaces between the fingers intact. Great look, little effort. I like that.<br /><br />The pouches are made of--what else?--Moroccan leather so I painted them red-brown. Burnt Sienna of course. Beginning to see a pattern here? The artist colors are very versatile. The fringes at the bottom were decorative; I painted these a mid-green. The cords holding the pouches were little more than strings and Tony has made these appropriately fine. When I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">drybrushed</span> the <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">gandoura</span></span>, at least one side of the cords was left dark. No need to outline these in a dark color as people do (especially outlining Napoleonic belting!). Just barely touch the tops with the color you want and you're good to go. In fact, some of the cords had picked up a little of the tan-shaded <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">drybrush</span> color and I was tempted to do nothing.<br /><br />Back to the base. An indeterminate brown on the feet: could be slippers, could be sun-browned and dusty feet. The base brown is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">drybrushed</span> Raw Sienna and then again with Yellow Ochre. I could have stopped with the Raw Sienna but it was looking a little too <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Halloweeny</span> for my taste and the Yellow Ochre really brightened up not only the base but the whole figure. After all, these Berbers are mostly gray and brown--a little color can't hurt.<br /><br />There you go--first batch done! I think it's taken me as long to write these two blogs as it did to paint the figures. I definitely think finishing 9 figures in one sitting is more satisfying than doing half of 18 figures.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-57916703367949404452009-01-13T20:52:00.006-07:002009-01-17T09:18:28.797-07:00Painting the First Berbers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4i-ORhe_2tb6z8m4DDgthund9BJ57tk6kGBbbxj5qZSc2AuEsO49_Ndpkfy63u2tWJwEpzdUNiPYAtIM49fx2ZWv5yn88JvvPWPzMDdpIRwvbhtIPGp4aPiyGVp28g9g8P0fFHppL9uQ/s1600-h/ed-_Berbers1a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4i-ORhe_2tb6z8m4DDgthund9BJ57tk6kGBbbxj5qZSc2AuEsO49_Ndpkfy63u2tWJwEpzdUNiPYAtIM49fx2ZWv5yn88JvvPWPzMDdpIRwvbhtIPGp4aPiyGVp28g9g8P0fFHppL9uQ/s320/ed-_Berbers1a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292297559020818146" border="0" /></a><br />Let's start this out easy--sort of "warming up" as it were.<br /><br />I usually like to paint in batches of 8-12 but with colonial units being around 20...well, the temptation is great to do them all in one go. This time, though, I'm going to do half of the Berbers in <span style="font-style: italic;">gandouras</span>. Ought to be pretty quick.<br /><br />I learned over time that it's the overall result you want, not the exact colors or whether you've "colored within the lines." For these Berbers I'm looking for a dirty, scruffy look. Their <span style="font-style: italic;">gandouras </span>were made of unbleached cotton or wool and they wouldn't get washed very often. The turbans were just a long strip of cloth wound about a white skull cap--the hair cropped short. Prince Harry didn't refer to them as "rag heads" without cause.<br /><br />You're generally going to paint them from the inside out, as if they were getting dressed. So we start with the fleshy bits.<br /><br />In the pic above, I've undercoated the faces and arms with "Dark Fleshtone" (which I'd never buy again: at $2.99 a bottle it is indistinguishable from Burnt Sienna which I can get 4x as much for 97 cts, 58 on sale). The next step is to dry brush a medium flesh tone over that. The Berbers are thought to be descendants of the Carthaginians who in turn came from Asia Minor. They're quite Caucasian although dark from the sun.<br /><br />When you do the drybrushing, make sure there's not too much paint on the brush. Better to go over an area twice than obliterate the color underneath. On these figures, drybrushing left the eye sockets dark, but no matter. Catching the edges of the ears makes them stand out nicely. Be sure to highlight the nose. Tony puts a lot of facial detail into these--they deserve to be painted.<br /><br />Eyes are a technique I learned from doing larger figures. I don't always do eyes, but Ed's in luck 'cause this is after all a tutorial. You start near the nose and make a small oval or slightly more rectangular patch of white on each side. Practice gets it pretty quickly. Next--and this is key--a black line or blob from top to bottom for the iris. It looks right if the black is oval and covers a good bit of the white. Round and it looks like the figure has a case of the big eye; if both white and black are round it looks like a toy soldier. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes not. In the end, you'll get better at it and trust me: in the heat of the game no one will notice.<br /><br />Once you've done the eyes, paint on the beard and a bit of hair at the back of the head. Tony likes to put on the facial hair. I use a fairly fine brush and am sure to leave space between mustaches and beard for the mouth. You can leave it there or mix a little red with the flesh tone to paint lips. But don't overdo! You don't want the dreaded Toy Soldier look.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zhpGXt-jgHoMNgtyqXvli9jS6-jeUbdcO8ynCXZrIY3y0-hKVOWwVfVSi3LxaTPf_gpD7oKaSxQ324GFYQSxhzB4E75Lqpx1dOcx-7VWXz9Lo1w_2Sk0T1mVBwC9cz60Kv1guNuEzNo/s1600-h/ed-_Berbers2a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zhpGXt-jgHoMNgtyqXvli9jS6-jeUbdcO8ynCXZrIY3y0-hKVOWwVfVSi3LxaTPf_gpD7oKaSxQ324GFYQSxhzB4E75Lqpx1dOcx-7VWXz9Lo1w_2Sk0T1mVBwC9cz60Kv1guNuEzNo/s320/ed-_Berbers2a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292295012877773570" border="0" /></a><br />We've gotten to that point above. Have left the arms alone; we'll get to those in a bit. Time to do the <span style="font-style: italic;">gandouras </span>and turbans. Fortunately the dark gray primer is a nice shade to start with. Remember: black and white are too harsh. No "soot and chalk" for these lads. I take Charcoal and paint it in the shaded parts: under the arms, behind the rifle, inside the wide sleeves and in the folds of the cloth. I clean up the messiness on the turbans from painting the face as well. I'm also making sure I cover those hidden areas where the sprayed undercoat might not have reached well.<br /><br />Then I drybrush a light gray over all, making sure not to get it into the folds of the cloth and such. Again, less is more. I start on the "brightest" parts of the cloth like the upper back and arms when I have the most paint on the brush. I very lightly highlight the turban. Frankly, the light gray <span style="font-style: italic;">looks </span>white to the eye and that's the last we have to touch it. It would also be the last we have to touch the <span style="font-style: italic;">gandoura </span>as well, but I'm really thinking dirt, so I mix a little tan into the gray and drybrush it in a few outer spots as well. No right or wrong here, just do what pleases you.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhZ3FRHDjysy9Yw6OeWGv8WZnYkmF5IYcbIET1Fo_tV4h1Uk8eSJ_ZYSIg9wlVQO8-_nL0T5oN_WehgVXb1Hajstigdo4NjKlTQSIFjh5qU51jCTOWzNspa9ax6_g56jvLdtskKskah0/s1600-h/ed-_Berbers3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 116px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhZ3FRHDjysy9Yw6OeWGv8WZnYkmF5IYcbIET1Fo_tV4h1Uk8eSJ_ZYSIg9wlVQO8-_nL0T5oN_WehgVXb1Hajstigdo4NjKlTQSIFjh5qU51jCTOWzNspa9ax6_g56jvLdtskKskah0/s320/ed-_Berbers3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291005226527566642" border="0" /></a>The camera seems to have squished this guy a bit, but here he is at that stage. We're almost done already: just arms, feet, rifle, bag, and base and he's done. I finished them all in one go but this post is getting a bit long and I want to take the final picture in daylight, so I'll finish this tomorrow.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-89709202922717681432009-01-01T12:29:00.006-07:002009-01-01T12:51:14.834-07:00Mummies!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7X6hWVLekbbS-_FgT2HnLVeiha3vt9knhGfWlxUq2Cf8uSz0SDqJjq08G5mnR8hcA9G_kM-qXjetQsWS4oWqwuvHjRZFLwHrI1Xwvk8TLesDL3ebW-O2M-1_-_Uerc-oFfIQ3GDF4P2E/s1600-h/ed-_mummies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 141px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7X6hWVLekbbS-_FgT2HnLVeiha3vt9knhGfWlxUq2Cf8uSz0SDqJjq08G5mnR8hcA9G_kM-qXjetQsWS4oWqwuvHjRZFLwHrI1Xwvk8TLesDL3ebW-O2M-1_-_Uerc-oFfIQ3GDF4P2E/s320/ed-_mummies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286409941323475666" border="0" /></a>What are mummies doing on Ed's Army page?!<br /><br />I wanted to share a new idea I had the other day. I bought a few mummies for an Egyptian-Foreign Legion game (think opening scene of "The Mummy"). I figure I can use THW's "Warrior Heroes" to play the semi-fantasy game or maybe even "All Things Zombie," treating the mummies like zombies.<br /><br />The figures came with slotta-bases. A guy at the shop suggested cutting off the slot and gluing the figure on a metal base--which worked great. I wanted to use my standard 3/4" base but although the figure's feet fit, the base looked too small. So I bought 1" fender washers and just stuck the whole thing on top. The thin Gamecrafter's base doesn't add much height and actually helps by covering the hole in the fender washer. I'll cover the base with the usual pumice and maybe some stones.<br /><br />Very cool.<br /><br />As I worked with these lead-free figures I was reminded of why I chose a metal containing some lead for Askari Miniatures. The feet and legs gave off this crackling sound as I tried to adjust them. One of the mummies (not shown) was cast pretty much two-dimensionally and it wasn't possible to move the arms much out of that plane. It's also much harder to clean lead-free figures with knife or file.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-41128342546259648542008-12-27T14:45:00.006-07:002008-12-27T15:27:48.439-07:00Ready for Prime Time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeEzp1kfphm4TG5i2t1RlUCW-bSnst4AUOkx713lsHc3szZDr0HgzRLK0xSyijfGJYyXS1t6_wY9i_LvYq2IqPSb5qmj76rnHZNzFMuQclfJ50ZOaOJ97ZFsvl1IgKZZW5O7tIm9w4rY/s1600-h/ed-_primed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeEzp1kfphm4TG5i2t1RlUCW-bSnst4AUOkx713lsHc3szZDr0HgzRLK0xSyijfGJYyXS1t6_wY9i_LvYq2IqPSb5qmj76rnHZNzFMuQclfJ50ZOaOJ97ZFsvl1IgKZZW5O7tIm9w4rY/s320/ed-_primed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284590528992602178" border="0" /></a><br />Ah, the serried ranks of primed figures!<br /><br />Clausewitz said, "Everything in strategy is simple, but that does not mean that everything is easy." Every step of the way we've had simple tasks but all have called for decisions and some detailed follow-through. Fortunately, in the priming step our only decision is which primer to use. A metal primer, obviously. Tamiya, the Armory, Floquil and I'm sure many others make fine primers that you can find at the hobby or crafts store. Auto paint makers also make primers that you can find in the auto parts store. They all have the right colors: be concerned about the fineness of the pigment and how well it adheres.<br /><br />Priming is essential because 1) you want to prevent "lead rot" and 2) to help the paint adhere to the metal. Plain old spray paint won't cut it. Invest in a nice can of primer--you're about to spend a lot of time and energy on a great paint job so lay the right foundation.<br /><br />What color? There's a shaft of light coming in from the left of the photo above making it look like there's three colors, but in fact there are only two that I use these days. I can't see the detail if I use black (although a lot of people like it) and white is just too hard to cover up. (You'll see when I get to painting that I avoid black and white there, too.) Use light grey and dark grey.<br /><br />If the figures are in a light-colored uniform, I use light grey primer. In this batch, the Turcos and Legion in whites are primed light grey. (I also prime all the figures I photograph for the Askari website in light grey--it shows off the detail best. If I go on to paint those figures I may well coat them again in dark grey paint or primer.) All the Berbers and the Foreign Legion in their blue overcoats are primed dark grey, as are the mules and donkeys. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISn-DZpXLsVB9gNuBYoq88PpBF1Jf3Ijrb_ZdTs9gbwcSx9EEsTo9F2nOtIUte4DV-ymNBuRl8MDxGVyAxV9iQ_8gf-FgJtEAa6zhn9xPjMJMHwZM_ckxNRG-_BcYEjTdvUZ7C6XEB_8/s1600-h/ed-_primeGeneral.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISn-DZpXLsVB9gNuBYoq88PpBF1Jf3Ijrb_ZdTs9gbwcSx9EEsTo9F2nOtIUte4DV-ymNBuRl8MDxGVyAxV9iQ_8gf-FgJtEAa6zhn9xPjMJMHwZM_ckxNRG-_BcYEjTdvUZ7C6XEB_8/s320/ed-_primeGeneral.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284597011988225394" border="0" /></a><br />The French general was a bit of a compromise: normally I'd prime all the horses dark grey but I wanted the general "bright" so I primed them light. Maybe I'll make the horse a grey.<br /><br />This is all, of course, a matter of judgment and experience. I just don't like dull blues and reds and yellows and if I use a dark primer, then I'm going to spend a lot of extra time adding a light grey or white undercoat to the uniform parts. On the other hand, the Berbers wore white and off-white cotton and woolen clothes yet I primed them dark. We'll see why later in the painting phase, but for now let's just say there's a difference between pipe-clayed white and Berber crawling-around-in-the-dirt white.<br /><br />When you see them all in a mass like the photo, the task of painting them doesn't seem too daunting.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-30715598575938347112008-12-26T12:09:00.007-07:002008-12-26T12:34:16.629-07:00Pumice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiPTpLwcjC30IPw0FbG_chlclruXW4FivTsRVmDGb9DQ8_0UhtFMDUZ6FTk8HmbmlOfnYtaguuUrAekjIhTMVwOSWOBLsbZ-d3_vR9xnPIg9F_qiNSfAT-IGfa9z_EogIolgONcpepHM/s1600-h/ed-_pumice.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiPTpLwcjC30IPw0FbG_chlclruXW4FivTsRVmDGb9DQ8_0UhtFMDUZ6FTk8HmbmlOfnYtaguuUrAekjIhTMVwOSWOBLsbZ-d3_vR9xnPIg9F_qiNSfAT-IGfa9z_EogIolgONcpepHM/s320/ed-_pumice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284183754555011746" border="0" /></a><br />The idea here is to disguise the figure's base and make the whole stand look a little like a mini-diorama. Caution: it is possible to go overboard here.<br /><br />I like the grey pumice from Vallejo because it's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pre</span>-mixed with glue, goes on nicely and dries hard as a rock with a nice, sandy grain to it. The one thing I don't like is the tendency to form annoying pinholes around the edge of the base. If these are a problem, it requires a second pass to cover them up. This usually happens the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">deeper</span> you pile the pumice on--but remember, you don't have to cover every square inch of the stand and you don't want an even coat.<br /><br />I applied it with a Starbucks wooden stirring stick I sharpened a bit. It was plenty long, so when the tip got encrusted with dried pumice, I just cut it off and carried on. You can buy a whole bagful of these sticks at Hobby Lobby...but then you wouldn't get any coffee.<br /><br />If you don't want to spend the money on the pumice, you can always use sand, cat litter, model railroad scatter or grass, sawdust, dried coffee grounds...I use all of these plus <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">acrylic</span> patching plaster. Experiment and find a glue that works well on the metal surface.<br /><br />Once the pumice is on and dry, it's time to prime.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-23123838405350808432008-12-22T07:57:00.006-07:002008-12-22T08:28:55.313-07:00Cleaning and basing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZDtkTqNpkoPiJ99uQClTVDLl0UbQEb6eoo5EwQdJRsMNitBPlfkZkOlHi50v1fJtO9AjVduNos5-o4DBnkT8aHcZtILzEsECRgIWVX1dN4p6qpJZSk9YU_9TVBb3H-GFZ5YftuiP2Lk/s1600-h/ed-_based.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZDtkTqNpkoPiJ99uQClTVDLl0UbQEb6eoo5EwQdJRsMNitBPlfkZkOlHi50v1fJtO9AjVduNos5-o4DBnkT8aHcZtILzEsECRgIWVX1dN4p6qpJZSk9YU_9TVBb3H-GFZ5YftuiP2Lk/s320/ed-_based.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282628805401739874" border="0" /></a>Here's a sample of the figures cleaned and based.<br /><br />In the cleaning process I remove the mold lines, flatten the bases and straighten out rifles, bayonets and such. I work hard to make the mold lines invisible or, failing that, to make them easy to find and clean up. The metal flows into the cavity through the base, so there's always a bit to clean off where the figure attached to the sprue. These were all clean and it didn't take long to touch up the lot of them.<br /><br />Now it's time to execute the process I described in the previous post about basing. Natives and French command figures go on round Game Crafter's bases. French infantry go on #19 3/4" square bases from Wargame Accessories and the animals go on their 3/4" by 1 1/2" bases (or their 20x40mm bases, which are essentially the same size). Some people use round bases for all their Colonials; many use 1" fender washers with a hole in the middle. I don't like those because of having to fill the hole. Also, they're too big and too thick for my taste.<br /><br />I use a variety of glues. Mostly I use "Heavy Duty Welder Contact Adhesive" I found at Walmart. It holds well and takes some time to dry so that you can re-position the figure if needed. I've also used something called E6000, billed as an "Industrial Strength Craft Adhesive." It dries faster but in both cases at least overnight--the the tubes say 24 hours or more for maximum strength. For the loads on the donkeys and mules I used a two-part epoxy. This dries in 4 minutes--no need for the long cure here.<br /><br />Usually I paint horse and rider separately and then glue the rider on with PVA glue (Elmer's in the US). A couple of reasons for this: in case of dropping, the rider pops off instead of having the sword or rifle broken off. I also find it easier to paint each piece separately. Recently, for example, I had a Chasseur d'Afrique lose his sword after three trips to Historicon, one to ConQuest in LA, one to MilleniumCon in Austin and numerous treks to Denver. Just popped him off, painted another figure and mounted him on the still-good horse. Painting horses is a chore. This time, though, there was only the one mounted figure and he has no breakable appendages so I thought I'd try the glued-on method.<br /><br />I didn't find an el Krim figure lying around, so I used one of the new Berber command figures. You can see him in the center foreground of the picture, in front of the mounted French officer and just to the right of the Algerian native officer.<br /><br />Next step: apply the pumice.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-22066435542351126302008-12-20T10:35:00.008-07:002008-12-22T07:57:08.175-07:00The Lead Pile<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqYMV48hMIDXFOSNMT2FIPLyktEDrUdmWFzUPaQI2nhAm8RDEq-ok6oGMqBXpyVfo13PA9izXHFcsMGjDns6VPNE3DxHGom6khvaGbXtlprdUCwbdrpQkbtmm1YpJMBTpwr_eQKyFyRU/s1600-h/ed-_LeadPile.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqYMV48hMIDXFOSNMT2FIPLyktEDrUdmWFzUPaQI2nhAm8RDEq-ok6oGMqBXpyVfo13PA9izXHFcsMGjDns6VPNE3DxHGom6khvaGbXtlprdUCwbdrpQkbtmm1YpJMBTpwr_eQKyFyRU/s320/ed-_LeadPile.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281928540510345458" border="0" /></a>Here's Ed's Army in all it's unpainted glory.<br /><br />I pulled one pack off the pegboard, but for the rest I cast them special for him. (Don't you feel special, Ed?) Actually, I didn't see the point in packaging them only to rip them apart again...<br /><br />It took me a little time to finish casting as I had to renew one of my early molds. Over time, molds wear out--especially if you abuse them as I did at the beginning. Running them too hot makes them especially vulnerable to tearing. And now, four years later with 120 molds behind me, I'm making better molds that are less likely to tear. So on the 500th spin you get the same quality figure as the first spin. Or I'll have remade the mold.<br /><br />Here's what in the pile:<br /><br />FR-4 Tirailleurs Algerien<br />FR-8 Foreign Legion in white <span style="font-style: italic;">bourgeron</span><br />FR-9 Foreign Legion in blue overcoats (<span style="font-style: italic;">capote</span>)<br />M-1 Pack Mules<br />D-1 Donkeys<br />B-1 Berbers in <span style="font-style: italic;">djellabah</span> (two packs)<br />B-10 Berbers in <span style="font-style: italic;">gandoura </span><span>and </span><span style="font-style: italic;">burnous</span><br /><br />Not a bad start for opposing armies. The B-10 set is a 12-figure pack, so I bumped it up to 20 figures so all the units would be the same size. (I've got some Berber leaders in <span style="font-style: italic;">gandoura </span>in development--when they're ready I'll update the B-10 set on the web store.)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sacre bleu!</span> I just noticed--no army leaders! In Colonial Adventures, the rating (or as we might say in Morocco--the <span style="font-style: italic;">baraka</span>) of each leader figure is important. I'll have to go find an Abd el Krim figure and a mounted French Officer--who bears a striking resemblance to Marshall Lyautey--to add to the pile.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-60371275672120236952008-12-18T10:15:00.004-07:002008-12-18T10:36:17.785-07:00Basing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqe_wAXYCSwDlvfF3AeACYhL6TlRIvnzuK5Xqd6Fx6y2vm9n5lpjDPjE9-aqconm5qZ5Ns9R0WOKJodPAtThN-negV69q-FladKKzKFRZbm9GlkQ77dCYgsePbpQSHCPrDSLniMznnrA/s1600-h/ed-_0001_med.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqe_wAXYCSwDlvfF3AeACYhL6TlRIvnzuK5Xqd6Fx6y2vm9n5lpjDPjE9-aqconm5qZ5Ns9R0WOKJodPAtThN-negV69q-FladKKzKFRZbm9GlkQ77dCYgsePbpQSHCPrDSLniMznnrA/s320/ed-_0001_med.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281180045554252770" border="0" /></a>Basing often bedevils gamers, including me. One of the things I like about Colonial games, including Colonial Adventures, is the individual basing. No re-basing, ever. But it still does tend to be a bother, mostly left to the end when it seems like a chore to overcome before the finished figure can actually be used. I've tried many methods; here's my current favorite.<br /><br />I mount all my native figures on round bases from Game Crafter's. (I like them so much I'm selling them on the Askari web store.) The European infantry usually go on square bases, although I'm mounting some on round ones as well. European command and auxiliary figures go on round bases. Both round and square are 20mm or 3/4"(19mm) size. When I mounted my natives on square bases, players tried to line them up in formation like Napoleonic line--so now only troops who could form line have square bases. The bases stick well to magnetic sheet for transport.<br /><br />The figures are glued to the bases with epoxy. The disc and the base are blended with Grey Pumice from Vallejo. Thanks to Bob Bowling of RLBPS for that tip! It comes pre-mixed with glue. Just dab it on with a toothpick and Bingo!, you're done.<br /><br />The trick is to do that first, then prime the figure. That way, the tedious part of basing is done up front and the painting of the bases becomes part of the artistry of painting the whole figure. I undercoat the whole base with black, burnt umber, or some other dark brown like Howard Hues Nubian. I didn't really like Nubian as a color for Negroid flesh but it's found a good use as base undercoat. Drybrush a lighter shade (figure at right of photo) and you could be done. But it's really awesome if you drybrush a third color over that (figure at left).<br /><br />I've really started at the end of the painting process. The next post will take Ed's Army from the beginning.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-64299464302198816832008-12-18T09:56:00.006-07:002008-12-18T10:38:32.684-07:00A Clean Slate<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvAd1ldB5tPbsTsoSQUoUEsxc7FOzoKPMIh8a194HeQ-vlc_debZ6wlMbInqjkiuSCWMOaJYZiPwmLmNYooqDLAtTZDMFbN35Mb_WLosIc8Hboj30v8Q8CQ-I5eZ43jh5CS1pkA3XiJ8/s1600-h/ed-_0000_med.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvAd1ldB5tPbsTsoSQUoUEsxc7FOzoKPMIh8a194HeQ-vlc_debZ6wlMbInqjkiuSCWMOaJYZiPwmLmNYooqDLAtTZDMFbN35Mb_WLosIc8Hboj30v8Q8CQ-I5eZ43jh5CS1pkA3XiJ8/s320/ed-_0000_med.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281185827866170850" border="0" /></a><br />These Pathans are almost done. Not a part of Ed's Army actually, but I have to clean off the painting board before I can get started. These are the Pathans on guard and (far right) the Pathans command. They're almost done. Illinois Dan is on the left. He's slightly outnumbered.<br /><br />I do all my painting on a plywood board I had as a cut-off from a shelving project many, many years ago. You can almost see some paint bottles in the background: Model Color and Game Color in the little tubes, Howard Hues in the "tubs." But what I really like are the larger tubes of acrylic paint that you get in the crafts stores like Michael's and Hobby Lobby. Only 98 cents normally and sometimes on sale for half price, they last forever.<br /><br />The figures are mounted on some wooden blocks I picked up years ago from a scrap pile. They're beech (yes, I'm a woodworker) and just needed a little sanding at the ends to make perfect hold-ons. I used to stick the figures to the blocks with double-stick tape but a hot glue gun is a lot faster.<br /><br />The Pathans have been on my board for a very long time. They got pushed out of the way for some Tuareg I did for a game with Ed at MilleniumCon in Austin last month. Time to wipe the slate clean.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633944954402898759.post-14598445308518847282008-12-17T12:01:00.000-07:002008-12-17T12:11:32.782-07:00This blog is about Ed's ArmyEd Texiera of Two Hour Wargames needed an army to demonstrate his new Colonial Adventures rules (and great rules they are, too!).<br /><br />So he invested in what I would call a starter army from Askari Miniatures. One problem: Ed says he can't paint. I have to take him at his word since I've never seen anything he's painted. Come to think of it, that could be related to the "I can't paint" thing. Or it could just be a "Would you paint them for me?" con. Either way, I bit. Just after Thanksgiving. I might have been on a turkey high or something, who knows.<br /><br />I am the owner and operator of Askari Miniatures so--as Ed cleverly pointed out to me--it's in my interest to make sure the figures look good on the table top.<br /><br />So that's my challenge. Paint up this lead pile by sometime in January. Two months. No sweat.Al Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01084240538899540058noreply@blogger.com0