Category: Military Modeling

The Second US Cavalry as portrayed in SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (I)

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Finally I am doing them, it has been a busy task to drill the holes to fit the heads, and also put the arms in place. A normal procedure when buying casts and a bit of DIY. Of course that is after gluing together the two parts of the horse (YES the casts come in two parts and you have to glue them). Had to add pistol holster (from DORSET SOLDIERS) and add the guidon from my spares box (Old DUCAL lance). Not complaining at all but it is not my favourite time with them… I enjoy painting but the assembly part is like work in a way…

Now, the pots of Vallejo painting have been buyed long ago… I will prim the figures and let them dry. And then it would be the usual Henry Ford approach of painting in a “line of production”. That way when you have finished the last figure (54mm REPLICA) the first is already dry and so on.

Really it is more fun to show what I am doing instead of simply posting what others have done (syndrome of “look Ma what I have done!”).

You can simply skip those Posts if not interested.

2023 was a very chaotic tasks jumble with the production of the Baccus proxies for the Brigade of British Guards in the Crimean War interrupting all the time work in other scales. With them finished and out of the way finally able to do Nathan Brittles Second US Cavalry patrol.

The need to add them to my collection has always been there… but until Andrew Stevenson produced the sample (see bottom) I was not able to locate the casts at all (with my own specifications and variations).

Hope you enjoy.

General view
Priming up
On the waiting line.
Just finished assembling.
Original sample provided by REPLICA!

Trying my hand at 6mm proxies by Baccus slightly modified

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It was somewhat an ordeal, maybe because I am 71, but the delays due to Postal Services mishaps did not help at all.

I first tried pestering Peter Berry about them (to no use), meaning why not a proper Baccus Crimean range?… wishful thinking of course!

Then I finally (and stubborn in a way) followed the Proxies Way!… that meant eliminating with a cutter the “French” parts of the minis (obvious even in 6MM).

Painting them was fast and true… the minor step of the way… you maybe do not believe how fast it is to paint 6MM!

Gluing them into bases was easy.

Then something I have not done for years… sculpting the bases or stands… an awful mess I did of it. To the credit of the Baccus basing system the old pots where still quite useful (except the wash who had evaporated more than 5 years later).

And finally the sets of colours (Napoleonic in fact).

This is my last effort of DIY in 6MM… my daughter has forbidden me to paint less than 54MM (LOL).

Enjoy!

Marching in paralel columns
One Regiment
Brigade Command in the background!
The Three Regiments in Line
Detail 1 Coldstream Guards
Scots Fusiliers Detail 2
Grenadier Guards (Detail 3)
Battle of the Alma deployment
Lateral view.

Working on small conversion

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Probably one of my longest affair with 54MM Toy Soldiers. I wanted to do Nathan Brittles patrol (SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON – John Ford film)… I know I have done it in 6MM… but those are different efforts.

Finally got some weeks ago the casts from REPLICA (Andrew Stevenson)… then I waited for some pistol holsters from DORSET, meanwhile I was cleaning the casts of bits here and there… and gluing the two part kits of horses together… yes… superglue again.

The more difficult model was the troop standard bearer (guidon), Andrew supplied a lancers arm (quite nice on its own I have them on the 9th British Lancers at Kandahar) but it was not what I had in mind… luckily I never throw away discarded parts… so I had a very promissing lance from DUCAL Life Guards I converted to sword carriyng troopers… a bit of paint…

And then an arm (it is a left arm glued as a right arm and would need a bit of putty to disguise the fact)… I was able today of drilling a hole in the hand to receive the guidon… and then I glued all the parts to the body and the horse (it still lacks pistol holster and head).

Was not easy… and I am quite satisfied with my work… so until I finish assembling and painting them… quite a long process because I can do this just an hour a day (and not every day) you will have to wait for more Posts and pics…

Enjoy!

Assembled but a lot of work pending.
Long ago I did a very good inversion on that! A good mini drill…

Lieutenants Chard & Bromhead by DORSET SOLDIERS (54MM) . (Or maybe Stanley Baker & Michael Caine)

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I added those casts as an afterthought to my order and have been painting them on and off while doing other things.

They look more Military Modeling than I thought… my intention was to use them as Toy Soldiers… but I do not know… the casts are truly excellent… practically they painted themselves!… such detail for a 54MM… what you find at default is probably my painting job…

Now… to gloss varnish or not… that is the question! (Finally did varnish them)

Enjoy!

Dorset Soldiers Parcel Arrival

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To make a long story short… they are finally here!… you need to have some considerations when placing an order in painted 54MM Toy Soldiers.

In my experience the waiting list is always long. Not always mind, but other factors get in the way… Toy Soldiers Shows… the circumstances of real life delays and not scheduled normal activities… whatever…

In this particular case relations been top notch and cordial I asked politely in November 2022 about the possibility of having a shiny Toy Soldiers Box a month starting February 2023 (note my prudence!)… and so I placed my orders to get five boxes painted and some casts (unpainted) here and there.

Casts of the French Foreign Legion missing items to complete units arrived quite fast (and thanks for that) and also more exotic things as ADC’s and Policemen on Bikes… I dutifully painted those when waiting for February to start things arriving… well, they did not, my carefully arranged shedule of a box a month never worked out and I got the whole lot in a single parcel just at the limit of the time span (meaning February-March-April-May-June)… by the end of June and a couple of days of July I did not mind at all… everything was ready… pics sent to me of the painted units… and parcel dispatched via DHL (Fast&true).

So in the end all worked out alright for me… excepting the “intervals”.

The quality of the Toy Soldiers is TipTop, true to my specifications (some quite complicated because they were necessary to fill gaps on an existing collection). And all is well what it ends well.

I just thought to make this post to clarify the process and to let you know the true value of patience!

If ordering from DORSET SOLDIERS / IMPERIAL MINIATURES say hello to Antony Spencer!… a genial chap and really helpful!

Same thing can be said about REPLICA (Andrew Stevenson) and other manufacturers as Tradition of London or RPWorldModels.

Just have lots of patience and then ENJOY!

Boxes
Tirailleurs Senegalais
Turcos
Zouaves
British Colonials & Allies
Staff car and a gift!
“My” XIX Corps d’Afrique… now complete!
“My” British Colonials now complete (+ Allies)

REPLICA PARCEL!

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It is always a big pleasure when a parcel containing Toy Soldiers arrives… if they are old looking casts a la Britains to paint myself even better!

Not that it did not include a box of Grenadiers painted (to serve as a guide for painting).

Months ahead of what I am doing they are scheduled for the next future, I have learned to stock ahead… because if not you get lapses of void time (between ordering and delivery sometimes MONTHS elapse!).

Enjoy!

Parcel
Carefully packed
Contents
Nice models…
Properly checked… and with a 42MM gift sample!

“MY” Royal West Kent Regiment

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It sounds silly maybe, but I first bought a box of them in the old Tradition of London shop (no longer there I fear). And it expanded… and grow… and I even painted some casts myself… and asked for specials to Jack Duke (DUCAL) who obliged… and then he did the Colours… and the Band… and I did the Pioneers… and it took years to complete as it is now… and had lots of FUN doing it!

So here you have it (I did a Post showing a close up of the Band no long ago), A General’s Inspection of The Royal West Kent in 54mm (Three shelves in the small cabinet in Pal).

Enjoy!

The full set (minus some “action” minis).