Taking advantage of the long bank holiday weekend, I sat down determined to do something. After endless Spencer Smith painting I wanted to do something different, but whatever I dug out just didn't appeal. Fighting off apathy and low mood (if I don't make use of my time off I find I'm prone to slipping into depressive thoughts) I forced myself to get on with something.....anything!
Despite wanting to do something different, I found my mind is still stuck in Soldier King mode, so gave in to where what little enthusiasm I had was residing.
Pulling the next box file off the pile I found was Banst. An Imperial Electoral state, this one has diverged slightly. The Elector has turned out to be militarily gifted but not well disposed to his neighbours (there is some hint of a scandalous past). I decided this army would be very loosely modelled on De Saxe's ideas: there would be legions in classical helmets, dragoons and lancers. The uniforms would be green, buff and red.
The downside, is that unfortunately, almost every figure would need to be converted....
The origins lie in when the idea came of representing each state in the game to include the neutral provinces, I simply didn't have enough figures of the standard types and poses. What I did have were some spare figures: lancers and Napoleonic cavalry in helmet, plus some later Spencer Smith figures (not the Barry Minot Connoisseur) of a smaller stature, including light infantry, grenadiers and highlanders. I'd bought unseen from Peter Johnstone.
The idea came to use these "leftovers" . Part of me however, rebelled and I thought it would not quite fit. As time went on, I have been able to acquire more plastic Spencer Smiths and hit on the idea of head conversions, as Peter Johnstone has done with the replacement metal Spencer Smiths. I have used the grenadier in mitre for some of the Electoral army. The army of Banst makes use of the light infantry head. Grenadiers in fur cap were decapitated and a replacement head added with painfully inserted pins. Here they are awaiting glue. A sole experimental skirmisher stands at front (from Napoleonic grenadier). Just for Jonathan, the crude sketches and some other inspiration material sits behind them.
A belated welcome to some new followers who have joined in the last few weeks. I hope you find something of interest.
Your “crude” sketches are works of art to me.
ReplyDeleteThat's very kind Jonathan, but they are simple doodles to work out what colours work. As the figures are very crude and with little detail, it's all I need!
ReplyDeleteNeil
I hope the progress improved the mood. Are you saying you converted 48 figs (that’s what counted in the picture) with head swaps? Crazy! 😀
ReplyDeleteStew, only 37 head swaps! ☺
ReplyDeleteThe mood did improve once I had got on and accomplished something! I also slightly converted 2 gun carriages (not shown) and practiced a lancer conversion (cutting crude czapska down into plumed helmet. So another 7 light infantry head swaps + 10 artillery (once I work out what head to give them) + 3 lancers to carve headgear and add Greenstuff + 8 cavalry headswaps once I decide which head. So only another 25 heads to go (as well as the normal cleaning up of flash which is hard work on these figures). It's just as well I have plenty of scalpel blades, shame the patience wears thin!
Neil