Curiously enough this cast (unpainted) was one of the first minis I ever painted myself (as it was mean to be… red tunic & all… and there it is still in my collection). One day I noticed I did not have thought of buying from DUCAL a RSM… so… I bought from Tradition of London the kit again and have painted in a new version with pace stick (a bit of steel paper clip).
There you have it hope you like it.
There… it only lacks the gloss finish… will add when dry!
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…
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)
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!
BoxesTirailleurs SenegalaisTurcosZouavesBritish Colonials & AlliesStaff car and a gift!“My” XIX Corps d’Afrique… now complete!“My” British Colonials now complete (+ Allies)
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!
ParcelCarefully packedContentsNice models…Properly checked… and with a 42MM gift sample!
I have a lot of ideas and pics to post this days… but those arrived yesterday and have got priority no matter what… My FFL order to complete an Army is underway and in good hands… simply ask Antony!… he will deliver… this is as silly as commending a good Restaurant… afterwards no way to book a table for you!… but he deserves it in spades… ask Scott Lesch if in doubt!
Hope you enjoy the pics as much as I do.
FFL bugler charging!Another view of the same figure!FFL ensign or standard bearer charging!FFL Officer charging on foot!
