 |
| Here is the two thirds finished unit. |
In the few odd moments I get to actualy paint soldiers for my own collections I've been trying to complete some more units for the ECW collection.
One of the more radical things I decided to do was make my small and rather bitty Les Higgins 30mm "Jason" collection into something I could actually use. Now these chas have beeon out of production since the mid 70s so are a bit thin on the ground and prices have shot up , Nevertheless I've amassed around 70 or more- including 7 cavalry- which are even more scarce than the Foot . Now being on average over 40 years old some of these lads needed a good bit of TLC - parts missing and complete repaint jobs in many cases- some had been painted by a bloke who not only used a yardbrush but had a bag over his heard too - but others needed only there merest fidddling about and basing .
I decided to make them into an impression of the White Regiment of the London Trained Bands simply because they looked closest to the well equippend London Militia than to any other Civil War soldier. After all these are late 60s designs and our knowledge has moved on rather more than somewhat in the intervening half -century ! . It still remains to finish another dozen or so Musketeers and maybe 3 or 4 pikemen. There are a very few interlopers- a single Stadden pikeman and 3 figures of whose manufacture I have no idea. I'll post a separate pic of those as I'd love some more.
 |
| the completed Musketerr division- there remains another of these to complete. |
|
Some of the Broken figures needed the damaged weapons replacing- so broken halberdiers were made into pikemen and officers had new Partizans and leading staffs.
 |
| All of these are the same figure but the two central ones had no heads to thier halbards so became pikemen . |
The two ensigns have metal flags that came in one of the lots but bothactual ensign figures were origonally pikemen. The Less Higgins standard bearers are by far my least favourite figures- fringes on ECW Foot Colours ! Also the posing is rather uncomfortable.
I've also been dishing out a bit of TLC to more of the stuff I got from DC.
 |
| A bit of basing up and restoring paint chips and there you go. |
|
You may note that all of these have nice shiny varnish. I even re-varnishes some of those that had been "matted" at some time over the last 40 years . Shine on Dudes!
Never mind the age Andy, they are still beautiful figures, you jammy sod.
ReplyDeleteThanks Robbie. I'll post more pics as units get finished. . The ECW collection both "old" and "Modern" is finally getting somewhere now I've lost the urge to wear a tricorn !
ReplyDeleteVery nice, especially the hallebards and pikes to my opinion...Great job!
ReplyDeleteLovely figures Andy, especially those Les Higgins's 30mms. Great to see those again !
ReplyDeleteGreat too see some wonderful old minis getting some love and care. You've done a cracking job with them sir.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff Andy- I find myself being developing more of an interest in miniatures of, shall we say an older generation more and more.
ReplyDeleteI think that this was instigated by Shaun L's Nappy and AWI collections at the Durham club. Until recently I'd utterly discounted the mini's of an older generation- much to my folly it would seem! :>)
Darrell.
Thanks lads - mind you not all old stuff was good or suits my taste. I never really liked Douglas for instance and some of Surens work is just odd- though his best is excellent. Not all Hincliffe was up to the mark by any means- some of their Ancients were dross Most of Dixons older stuff goes where the sun does not shine. I know some blokes go a bundle on Hinton Hunt or Minifigs S range- but niether ImHO can hold a candle to Les Higgins of Stadden. I never did "get" those crude Spencer Smith plastics
ReplyDeleteI am always in 2 minds about Garrison too some of their stuff was excellent but others not so. .
The real point is that we had far less choice back then.
Perhaps it also depends on what you mean by "old" - Even some Old Glory stuff is now 25 years old and much Foundry even older. Hincliffe are still in production as are Front Rank and Garrison. I have some Essex ECW- on Old Glory Horses that I'll photgraph when the varnish dries- the castings were bought secondhandan the origonal reciept was from the Guardroom- with a late 1980s date..... the horses and the pikemen went in the pot but the troopers and other stuff still look pretty good