Too hot to paint

It's been far too hot here to paint for the last couple of days (what an excellent excuse) so I've dug out a photo taken last year during my solo "Battle of the Farm" game.

This one shows the French cavalry massed on the Emperor's right flank at the start of the game, a stirring sight.

But here's a little quiz - which one of the cavalry squadrons is the odd one out and why?

More Drummers

Steve sent me this picture of some more of his Hinton Hunt drummer conversions.

I’m not sure exactly what they all represent but they certainly are pretty. My favourite is the Austrian one at the right of the line up. I’m starting to think that my Austrian 51st Gabriel Spleny regiment could use a chap just like this (they currently have a Clayton produced one). I think the second one from the left may be a Wurtemberger.

More food for thought, although I must not get distracted!

The Slippery Pole

Paul left a comment on my last post saying that the conversion bug was the road to insanity – I think he may be right. This evening I have broken out the green stuff once again and finished off my Polish standard bearer.

You may remember that he needed a new hand but I’ve also added a topping to the flagpole. Not quite sure how I managed it but I seem to have crafted quite a decent looking eagle even if I do say so myself. 

Who knows where all this will end?

Polish Drummer – 2

Last night I took the plunge and had a go at converting a Hinton Hunt Polish Fusilier into a drummer. I was inspired by Steve’s lovely conversion (click here) and also by Roy’s gentle nudging to “embrace the possibilities of converting”.

So I snipped off the musket from a casting of WN.13 Fusilier, advancing and glued on a drum from a Prussian drummer then added two brass rod drumsticks. Amazingly it all went very well and I’m very pleased with the result.

Now I wouldn’t normally advocate the butchering of Hinton Hunt castings but the Prussian drummer was already missing his head (someone had previously converted him into a Nassau drummer by a bit of cut and paste) and the Fusilier wasn’t actually a vintage figure – so I think it’s all o.k.

I can see all sorts of possibilities opening up now…

Polish Voltigeur

The first of my Polish Voltigeur figures is completed at last. I’ve enjoyed painting this one, in part because it’s an excellent little model, but also because I’ve been able to explore my feminine side by finally getting to use my Foundry Shadow Pink.

I seem to be in possession of a ridiculous number of pots of Foundry paint many of which remain unopened - will I ever get to use Nipple Pink or Royal Purple? The situation is not helped by the fact that I don’t use the three-shade system when painting the Hinton Hunts, I only block paint with a single shade. However, I do get almost as much pleasure from lining up my paint pots as I do from lining up the toy soldiers, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

The remaining five figures that make up the Voltigeur Company of the 8th Regiment are almost finished as well. This is good because there are ominous rumours that a large Hinton Hunt Russian force is gathering on the east banks of the Rhine and the Emperor is anxious to have the Grand Armee up to strength.

British ADC

This is the figure that Iain sent me a while back (click here to see him in his flashy state) Hinton Hunt British A.D.C – BN/261 A.D.C in cocked hat, holding letter on Horse BNH/4. You can’t actually see the letter from this angle but I’m sure it contains some vital despatch for the Duke.

I’ve had my usual problems varnishing this one and he now has so many coats of protection that a 12pdr cannonball would bounce straight off him. This is ironic because I had planned to use him to represent William DeLancey who was fatally injured at the battle of Waterloo by just such a missile.

DeLancey was actually Wellington’s deputy quartermaster-general during the hundred days campaign and not an aide-de-camp but I wanted a figure to represent him on the Duke’s staff. However, as Hinton Hunt never produced such a model, this one will be standing in for him.