Subscribers’ Figures Gallery

This piece is made out of resin and white metal and is a David Grieve sculpting, produced by Debra Raymond. it is a very easy piece to clean up hardly any mould lines and flaws, the arms and weapon, cartridge box and the water canteen are white metal. These need to be pinned extremely well, especially the arms attached with two-part epoxy glue, and a brass rod. Luckily enough I managed to get them to sit perfect first time, and using epoxy saved on filler, as once the excess, was cleaned off there was no join visible.
The painting is done in my preferred acrylics, painted in Vallejo and Citadel Colour and a base coat of Humbrol matt pale grey. Once I had identified any flaws and sorted them I started with the colours, with the trousers and boots. To get the blue grey I used a Citadel grey paint that was the almost the correct colour, this was then highlighted and blended using lighter shades of the base coat. The muddy look to the knees was blended into the paint as I went along (Vallejo Khaki Grey and leather brown). I base-coated the jacket straps with a mixture of White, Khaki, Black and Neutral Grey- this is an off-white colour, a tip I picked up from Raul Garcia Lattore. I then started to lay down the red for the tunic this was painted with Blood Red, and Scorched Brown, and black, (I love the names of some of the Citadel paints). I painted the musket using Scorched Brown and Vallejo’s Black Brown as the base coat and then highlighted using less Vallejo, and adding German Camo Beige, and a smidge of white.
The metal work was base coated with matt black and, then given a dry brush of Oily Steel and Dark Prussian Blue, and then the worn edge was painted with Natural Steel. The jacket was then attacked again highlighting and shadowing the red tunic. I started by painting the jacket with less black and brown in and more red, this came to a red that looks right; to shadow this I added Black and Brown Violet to the colour. This was applied in very thin washes to give the hint of a shadow and not make it too stark a contrast.
The skin tones look very pale on this piece, it was because of the colours I used, bleached bone with Sunny Skin tone and a little Scorched Brown, this was lightened up, using the same technique a before, applying, lighter tones in washes, and picking out the high lights, such as the nose, cheekbones and chin.
The base is made up of Milliput for the ground work and balsa wood for the fence.
Dave B.

In his efforts to lay claim to the French crown, Henry V of England landed his small army in France. After illness and disease spread throughout his men, he decided to withdraw through the Pas de Calais.
To block the escape and destroy the invader, the French king sent a vast army of well armoured Men at Arms both mounted and on foot supported by crossbowmen and archers. With a force estimated at between 15,000 to 20,000 men, and a significant proportion being cavalry, it seemed the French could not fail to succeed.
With only 8,500 men of which the main element in Henry’s army was English and Welsh bowmen, the two armies engaged in an area freshly ploughed and muddy. The French were forced to push through the mud to attack in close packed ranks.
The archers in the English army launched barrage of arrows that rained down on the French forces killing horses, dismounting and disabling riders. Foot soldiers, exhausted on reaching the English lines, were at a disadvantage against the lightly armoured English. Joined in hand-to-hand combat, by the end of the battle, the English had lost around 600 men while the devastated French army had lost over 6,000 including the bulk of its nobility.
This action was immortalised later by Shakespeare and in the films, centuries later, based on his works. The battle has been a popular inspiration for model makers with the figure of Henry’s standard bearer, Sir John Codrington, being a popular subject.
A 90mm mounted figure, produced by Barton Miniatures, is perhaps one of the best representations. Made in white metal, the figure comes in easily assembled kit form with a thin brass sheet to represent Henry ‘s standard. The standard was made up of the three lions of England and the French Fleur de Lis in quarters reportedly aimed to represent Henry’s claim to both crowns.
Rather than use the brass sheet, the standard was made from a copy of the flag and its image, printed onto thin paper, glued and folded over. Having shaped the folds in the flag, to keep its structure, it was coated with several layers of matt varnish.
The lions on the surcoat and horse’s coat were copied form an image on the internet, reduced in size and printed onto decal paper, sealed with fixing solution and applied in the normal manner to the model. Groundwork was prepared on the granite slab used for the base.

By Steve N

Phrase: All at Sea
General meaning: A state of confusion, uncertainty, disarray
Set in the mid 1980’s, a marine officer observes and compares ceremonial drill duties between a marine using the new SA80 rifle and a colour sergeant with the older and soon to be retired self-loading L1A1 rifle. While a major advance in technology, the drill book had to be rewritten for the new weapon that was considered ungainly for ceremonial duties.
The vignette also displays the style of uniforms worn by the Royal Marines (No.1 and No.2 dress) and Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS – now integrated fully into the Navy). A gust of wind threatens to leave the Wren’s uniform in disarray and has caught her “All at Sea”. The three males look away with a steady gaze into the distance as she tries to gain control of the situation.
The marine officer is a Rose Miniatures figure built as a stock item. Wearing a Sam Brown belt attached to the sword scabbard, he rests the sword on the ground.
The colour sergeant is a stock figure from the old Chota Sahib range along with the Wren modelled by Roger Saunders for Chota Sahib. All are still available on internet sales sites.
The marine with the SA80 was a conversion of Chota Sahib line infantryman 1902. Dressed in a plain tunic with standing collar, pockets were added using thin plastic card. The 1902 helmet was carefully cut off and the remnants filed off. To get the distinctive helmet for the marine, a Britains’ figure was used as the donor. Once removed, the helmet was shaped to fit the head.
The SA80 rifle came from a set produced by Cheshire Volunteers replacing the Lee Enfield SMLE of the 1902 period. Part of the set is shown here with an SA90 from another source for size and shape comparison. As a fighting weapon the SA90 may be well suited but for ceremonial duties being nearly one third shorter than its forerunners and lacking the sleekness of a stock, it is not ideal.

By Steve N

Apache 120mm figure from Verlinden

Austro-Hungarian Zugsfuhrer 1916-1918
1:10 Model Victoria
Nice casting and Superb positive fit
Oils

Tricky getting a shot under the helmet rim, too much uplight and it looks weird!!
David L.

And the same to you mate!

Metal Models 54mm base model and acrylics have been used throughout.
Our thanks to Carlos for giving us his kind permission to use his images here.

Officer Artillery de la Garde 54mm

Chasseur de Cheval de la Garde 54mm (soldier on horseback)

Chasseur a Cheval and the Officer of Artillery of the Guard are the superb Metal Models sculpted by Bruno Leibovitz. 54mm

Primed with Halfords car primer and blemishes polished out with wet’n dry and repeated until smooth enough to paint but much less sanding than other pieces as these are superb smooth castings. Humbrol base coats.

Dark blues are painted with Windsor and Newton Indigo as the base and highlighted with a tiny bit of white and orange, the latter to kill the value of the blue.

Vallejo green-brown was the base for the cords. The cords and small details were finished in acrylics. Metals were printing inks.

The horse has a little more linseed oil added to keep a slight gloss to its coat.

David G. L

Post Militaire produced a figure of a Conquistador in 70mm scale over twenty years ago and it has stood the test of time well. Supplied with a small metal base and an Inca headstone, the figure was placed and enhanced by using a new plaster cast base and adding in some accessories from the spares box. These included a small powder keg from Historex and a musket and rest from the Airfix 54mm Musketeer. The difference is scale is close enough that the accessories fit in.

One weakness in the model was that the spear grasped in the figure’s hand was made of a soft white metal that bent easily and it was difficult to retain it’s shape. To remedy this, a pike from the Airfix historic collection was cut down in size and a new hand fitted to replace the casting.

The figure had been purchased with the view to try a technique used to represent polished armour. The flat edge of a needle was gently rubbed over the surface of the armour to burnish the armour and bring it to a high sheen. To avoid wear and causing any flat points, the direction the needle was rubbed was changed regularly. Four dilute washes of black paint were applied to the armour to bring out its detail.

The base used was from a Verlinden figure of a Viking and was a more suitable size. The Inca headstone was added to this and given a dry-brush of gold paint. The scene is set out in the following set of photographs.

Steve N.

Here’s a 90 mm figure from Dolman Miniatures of Eddie Rickenbacker in about 1917.

The figure is in oils the wheel and undercarriage Tamiya paints.

David G Lane

Again from Dolman Miniatures

Approx 1:10 scale

David G L.

This is a 90mm piece and I hope that you like it? I have been collecting these figures for many years and with the co-operation of my friends now have quite a collection.
Kotaka Yoichi

Here is my completed bust of General Adept Sebastian Nemo – hope you like it.

Best wishes, Andrey D.

Here’s my figure of General Norman Schwarzkopf in 120mm.
Cheers, Ian R.

1:32 Dolman Miniatures

Oils and acrylics

David L.

Here is my 1:16 German infantryman in reversible uniform.

Here are a few notes:
• Painted with acrylics and oils.
• Water is EZ water stirred with a soldering iron to create ripples. The water coming out of the pipe was poured down a piece of clear stretched sprue
• The planks are scrap wood stained with a vinegar and wire wool mixture
• The metal is plastic and thick foil painted with enamel mixed with baking powder
• The logs are sticks cut and split
• Reeds are cheap paintbrush bristles
• Snow from Krycell.

I tried to reflect the weather in the colouring of the faces. They are not perfect but as good as I can achieve with my abilities.

Hope you like them!
Stuart H.

I want to introduce you my new project which is Resin Kit of German Lancer in 1:35 scale made by my M Model company.

I’m starting this little vignette from research about German WW I cavalry (lancers). I’m looking for uniforms, equipment and reference colours. I want to achieve a dirty muddy look of the ground with no plants only wet mud and puddles.

Perfect kit to complete this mission will be M Model German Lancer Ref: 35127.
It’s a resin kit with nice details. I glued parts together right away and prepare it with using IPA – pure alcohol 99%, it’s better than dish soap. After its dried I prime all with Ammo One shot Gray colour. It’s the best colour to check and find any imperfections that are hard to see with the naked eye.

Ok lets start to paint – First the horse…
Base colour is Vallejo model colour – Off white (820) I sprayed it with a airbrush and fine smooth two coats. Shadows – base Off White (820) with drop of black (950) – consistency (glazing) I called it dirty water :). Shadows must be added layer after layer to achieved smooth transition from black to white. Just about 7 layers.

Saddle – mixture of white (820) and filed blue (964), and the same technique.
Base> highlight>shadow (blending). For horse hairs I make a wash from black (950) and dry brush it with white (820). I’m adding the harness made from copper plate that bends and is glued with cyanoacrylate glue.

Now its time to figure…
Mainly German lancers (Uhlan) used uniforms in steel blue colour, or light green and I decided to use steel blue. For base I use Luftwaffe unif. WWII (816) and I’m adding drop of white (820). Next step is to highlight all folds and most highlighted areas like shoulders, back, knees etc. To achieve this I’m adding white (920) to my base mixture and you must have consistency – like milk. Usually I add 3-5 tones of highlight. After that I’m doing shadows and you know the way > base + black or very dark blue. Edges of the uniform are painted in Dark red (946).

Skin – mixture of base – Brown sand (876). Highlight adding basic skin tone (815) and for shadows I add burnt cad. red (814). For gas masks visors I use Ammo Mig Crystal Smoke (095). And its done :)

By Konrad Łapiński

Verlinden 120mm German Machine Gunner Eastern Front.

This is a beautiful piece of work and demonstration of figure painting skills by Hwadong Shin.

My thanks to Hwadong for his kind permission to let us use these inspirational images. Geoff

This kit was originally produced under the ICM label and is now also available from Revell. Consisting of 30 parts it builds into a good representation of a Guardsman. A set of decals covering the uniform insignia and piping along with parts to produce a plinth are also provided. There is always a variation in the size of figures produced by different manufacturers. The figure has a noticeably slim appearance while remaining at an acceptable height for the scale.

The assembly of the figure was broken down into sub-assemblies. These were: the legs, torso and arms, head with bearskin and the rifle separate. The plinth has a choice of four groundwork surfaces to chose from that fit into the raised square section.

The legs and torso are assembled from front and rear halves and require the minimum of filling and sanding. The arms are solid pieces with a section of the cuff detached allowing a recess into which the hand neatly fits. The fingers of the hand holding the rifle are separate providing a good fit around the rifle butt. The torso body is completed by attaching epaulettes, belt buckle and bayonet frog separately to aid detail. Boots are attached separately to the legs.

The folds in the jacket sleeve are moulded so that the rifle fits snugly in position. The cocking bolt of the rifle protrudes into the sleeve acting as if a locating pin. Consideration needs to be given as to when the rifle is fitted into place along with the arm holding it. Assembling the torso, both arms were attached. The cocking bolt was removed allowing the rifle to be slipped into place after painting. The bearskin was assembled from six parts and the head three parts requiring no filling. Each subassembly was painted then the figure assembled. Uniform detail was hand painted rather than using the decals producing the figure below.

Steve N.

This is my first ever attempt at painting a figure – it is Mitches Military Models 120mm Guy Gibson sculpted by Maurice Corry. I used Vallejo Air range of paints with Andrea’s Flesh set. I have mounted the finished figure on laminated marine plywood which has just been wet and dry sanded smooth and then just clear glossed.
Many thanks Chris corbishley

Hardit Malik CIE OBE 1894-1985
90mm Dolman Miniatures
Oils
First Indian to enter RFC service (2 victories)
18 first class matches for Sussex before and after WW1

David L.

The kit, going under the title “The Highland King”, is intended to represent the figure of Macbeth and was issued several years ago by Cadre Miniatures. Before becoming king, Macbeth was regarded as a notable warrior and the above title seemed more appropriate to the model.

The figure comes for assembly as a mix of white metal and resin parts. Posed on a substantial base provided, the figure is posed fighting his way down a hillside.

The model is largely a one-piece casting consisting of the head enclosed by a helmet, body in chainmail with a plaid cloak for warmth and legs covered by leggings and footwear. To this, the arms were added separately along with the sword and scabbard (in white metal) and a resin shield.

The shield on initial inspection did not look substantial enough and was pitted with air bubbles. Once these were filled and a coat of primer applied, the look of the shield was noticeably improved.

The shield was an area where the modeller could have gone to town with an elaborate design but the one used was kept to two colours in quarters. The cloak design was also kept simple unlike the tartan designs that would come in later centuries. Colours were kept muted as strong dyes were not available.

Steve N.

This is my 200mm Johnnie Johnson Bust from Mitches Military Models. I think that it’s a great likeness and casting of the WW2 RAF fighter ace who flew 515 sorties and claimed 34 enemy aircraft destroyed.
Here I have used Vallejo acrylics mounted onto a block of frosted acrylic. Really enjoyed doing this my first 200mm bust I have learnt a lot.
Chris C.

Just back from Eindhoven and the World Model Expo 2022

These are from my display for which I was fortunate to receive a Gold Medal for the whole display.

The Kaiser Wilhelm II went down very well!

David G Lane

The latest work I finished painting – King Tiger tank commander 1:10 bust from Life Miniatures. I tried to depict him as a vigilant commander by painting extra facial details. All pictures can be found at http://www.puttyandpaint.com/projects/9812 It is a pleasant experience painting it.

Hope you like it? Jason Z.

or A tale of “Life on the fringe”
At the back of our bungalow there is a long narrow room (No, not that one, that is at the front!). On the door is a sign reading “Jim’s Room”. In it are the devices and artefacts required for the successful pursuit of that special alchemy known as “modelling”. Thither I repair when certain eyes are looking elsewhere and enter a world of make believe and adventure.

Having for umpteen years built model aeroplanes of various types (flying, static – usually; wooden, metal or plastic), I decided it was time for a change so I built a figure. The next one was an improvement. Gradually they began to look less like Picasso paintings and more like small versions of the real thing.

Then I saw an advert for a 90mm metal knight on foot and another of the same scale but on horseback. Sending the wife and kids out to work and visiting friends so we got free meals I saved enough to purchase same.

Building those models was sheer pleasure if only for the fact that no-one was leaning over my shoulder saying ” That’s the wrong green” or “That rivet is 1/2 mm too far left”. I could splash paint and polish metal to my heart’s content.

After building them and getting some quite flattering comments such as: “At least it’s better than your last effort”, I decided to try my hand at diorama. (Wow!) Langley Miniatures have a set of figures for St. George and the Dragon. Being a Royalist and frightfully patriotic I sent for it. Mostly it was a “curate’s egg”. The right arm would only hold the lance vertical, so changes had to be made. i.e. break the lance and draw the sword. It all glued together with very little need for filler. However, the base seemed incomplete. Here’s the ghoulish bit. Border Miniatures do SKULLS among their accessories.

So just imagine me – sitting in my little room, miles from anywhere, moving dragons, knights, skulls etc., chuckling to myself, while I revel in the world of Merlin, King Arthur, St. George and Co.
At least no-one can say “That is the wrong colour”, because they are all figments of my imagination.
Yours from the nether world…
Jim

From a Chinese resin package, unknown manufacturer.

Here’s my Young Miniatures bust of “Lucky” Jack Aubrey from Master and Commander.

The Revell 1:8 Astronaut on the Moon is an old classic. With a very small parts count the build is a simple affair, however the amount of filling and sanding of the body, arms and legs was a serious put off. The figure ended up on the proverbial “shelf of doom” for over a year before picking it back up and getting it finished.

Pre-shading and drybrush highlights enhance the spacesuit and the visor is coated in Alclad Holographic Chrome. Some small scratch building of the hoses and connections just detail up what is a very basic model.

The section of Lunar Lander leg is covered in tinfoil prior to painting and adding retaining straps. The base was coated in watered down PVA glue before a liberal sprinkling of Baby Powder to give a more fine dust appearance, before various shades of gray are sprayed at random over the surface.
Enjoyable in the end, Mick S.