Workbench Tools, Part 1

This is my first installment of workbench tools that have helped me over the years.

First off are paint trays. These plastic paint trays are cheap and can be found in any craft or art store. I wrap these trays in aluminum foil (heavy duty) and carefully press the foil into the cups of the tray... But not all the way! Just deep enough to mix the paint. I use five trays, this way I can paint for several hours before making "new" trays. When done, simply toss them out. Don't forget to use the rim of the trays for small mixes! The use of foil is much cleaner than washing the trays out in the sink after every use. And it will keep you on the good side of the people who share the sink with you!

Lighting is a huge tool in our hobby. For years I've been using standard desk lamps with 75 watt Reveal light bulbs. But now I've switched to the OTT-LITE. And what a difference! These lamps show colors in a true light. There's no glare and that yellow glow. Yes, even the Reveal bulbs produce a yellow glow. I did a test. I painted for an hour under the OTT-LITE then switched to the old lamps. Wow, my eyes actually hurt when I looked at my project under the Reveal bulbs and made me strain to see my work! So the great thing about the OTT-LITE is there's no eye strain. Colors are true and there's NO heat from them. When I worked under the Reveals, I begin sweating after a few minutes. Now, you should invest in two of these lamps. One will not be enough light for painting. They're not cheap at $50+ a pop. I lucked out when I bought these at Micheals at 40% off.

For sculpting, I use a 4x6 piece of glass that came from an old picture frame. I coat this with a very thin film of baby powder to keep the putty from sticking. I have a bowl of water in which to dip my toothpick in to keep the "tool" lubricated. And I use a baby wipes to wipe off putty residue.

Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick

I finished this guy just before the MFCA show. It's a Puchala 54mm I got of ebay a year or so ago. The pose really appealed to me... and was cheap! I've been working on him off and on for the past few months. The casting was bad and the head didn't have much character, so I decided to go with a head from MIG. It fit pretty well. Whether it looks like the Duke is up to the viewer. Sorry for the poor pics.

Some of these Puchala figures are real gems. I have the Margrave of Baden itching to be painted.

Hessian Jaeger, 1777

My latest figure is of a Hessian Jaeger in British service during the American Revolution. These were elite troops recruited from hunters and gamekeepers and were famous for their skills as riflemen and skirmishers.

The figure itself is more 1/35th scale rather than 54mm. The head is from Hornet and the "rifle" is a Wolf conversion. The trigger guard was a bear to make. Made of sheet lead, it was tough to manipulate because of the guards unique shape.

I originally planned to have this figure posed lying down firing over a stump but decided he really should be shown upright. I wanted to place him in a wooded environment so I combed through my stash and found a stump by Armand Bayardi. The stump was tad small for what I wanted so I added about an inch and a half. To add the extra length I drilled a hole in the center of the casting and used paper clip wire as an armatrue. Applied putty to the armature and sculpted the bark using a knife and toothpick. The whole process was much quicker and easier than I thought.

Thanks a ton again to Gary Dombrowski for his help.

Osceola

My latest figure is of the great Seminole Chief Osceola (1803-38). The figure is from Romeo Models and was wonderfully sculpted by Maurizo Bruno. It's not my era or subject of choice but I was commissioned and took the challenge.

The casting was one of the best I've come across. The only problem is that I can be an impatient painter. I put together the entire figure before painting....bad idea. The feathers, of course, got in the way, as well as the right arm which got in the way of painting the pouch. For a figure that could have multiple patterns on it's clothing this was a difficult paint job. In hindsight, I should have left the feather and the right arm off and made myself paint the entire figure first.

This subject could be painted a hundred different ways. The patterns for the clothing I used came from a mixture of examples from a period textile website.

Although a headache at times it was a fun figure to paint. I apologize for the lousy pic's. Having the dial-up and camera I have, it's difficult to see the true quality of the picture.

Veteran Continentals, 1781

My latest vignette depicts veteran Continental infantrymen during the later part of the American Revolution. Two of the soldiers wear the popular and
practical "hunting" shirt. Their weapons & gear is a variety of foreign import and American made. The muskets, for example, are the model 1766, French Charleville. By the close of the war, most soldiers in the Continental Army were armed with this weapon. The central figure carries a tin cartridge canister. These were issued to overcome a shortage of leather boxes.

The officer, trying to retain a more military appearance, wears a uniform coat which was made up at his expense.

The figures were sculpted with Aves. Heads are from the 1/32 scale Hornet line. The muskets are Shenandoah conversions.

A big thanks goes to Gary Dombrowski for his help with uniform and gear information.

French General of Division, 1810

Here's my latest. A Napoleonic French General of Division. Inspired by a study done by Edouard Detaille. Various accessories found it's way into this figure. The chapeau is a Historex piece with alot of modification. The sword, along with the animal head belt buckles, are also from Historex. The head, which fit the subject perfectly, is from Hornet. In fact the head, in my opinion, makes this particular figure pop. Any other head, from any other line, would have made this figure look rather boring. Thank you Mr. Saunders! For making such wonderfully character filled heads.
This figure unfortunately is a WIP. I cannot find documentation on the tails of this officers coat. Whether it had lace, false turbacks, etc. Or if the sash detail is correct. Till then...

Trooper, Lauzun's Legion

This figure was inspired by a Don Troiani study. The horse is from Historex and the head from Hornet.
After tackling this project it's no wonder I don't do more mounted subjects. I was feeling burn-out big time throughout this project but I was determined to finish it.
I envy modeler's that have several projects on hand and go from to the other so as to not feel "burn-out".
Now that it's done I may take a little break. I do have a couple projects in mind. One is a Napoleonic subject the other a large battle vignette from the American Revolution. More details later...

Brunswick Grenadier~Regiment Von Riedesel

I've been a figure modeling fool this past month! Completing three figures in a little under six weeks.

First off is a Grenadier from the Brunswick Regiment Von Riedesel. This figure was a bear to do. I originally was going to paint the mitre cap plate a brass color, using the Trioani study as a guide. Having a feeling his illustration of the mitre cap was to show "sheen", I decided to use all possible resources. Further research led me to the "Perry Minature's" website and the description for the Von Riedesel mitre plate was similiar to the Regiment Prinz Friedrich-white metal plate with yellow bag and white tape. It was interesting to find that the Brunswick Grenadier plates were all stamped the same according to it's principality. With the cipher of Carl I, Duke of Brunswick and the running or leaping horse being a dominate feature. I would have liked to find a period illustration of these German soldiers ticking overalls (painting this figure's overalls took over six hours!), but one has to be content with contemporary images and period descriptions.

The head is from Hornet's 1/32 scale heads. The Musket is a Shenandoah coversion.

Minute Man

This figure was a inspired by a Peter Copeland caricature study of a Continental Minuteman.

These caricature figures are a joy to do and I plan doing more in the near future.

The head is from MIG. I chose this head because of it's wonderful character, so it practicaly painted itself. Not sure where the rifle came from. Just another spare that I picked up over the years.

"The Kid"

"There's many a man with face fine and fair
Who starts out in life with a chance to be square
But just like poor Billy, he wonders astray
And loses his life in the very same way"

From~"Ballad of Billy the Kid"

Andrea 54mm. Painted in acrylics.

Through Hell for Glory- A vignette of "Pickett's Charge"

"The Ashen hue that lingered upon every cheek showed the accuracy with which the magnitude of the task before us was estimated, while the firm grasp that fixed itself upon every musket, & the look of steady determination that lurked in every eye, bespoke an unflinching resolution to "do or die"~ Lieutenant William Peel, 11th Mississippi Infantry