Here are some more plasticene conversions and some complete plasticene figures I’ve made.
First up is my attempt to have some of Marlborough’s Danish corps.
The infantry are made in China US GI’s in the “follow me” pose with toothpick guns. In support are two squadrons of dragoons.
As for the uniforms, I used an article in Military Modelling from the 90’s, but a perusal of Charles Grant’s book on the armies of the wars says the coats were all grey and only the pants and stockings were colourful. Oh well, Knotel says they were yellow. I’m completely lost on the flags, I know there should be two, but I’ve seen multiple designs, so I just made one up. Oh yes, I started on the green regiment as well.
The horse. A couple trumpeters, the yellow commander and the dragoons. Except for the commander, they are those Thai cowboys I found. Commander Yellow is an Esci Scots Grey.
Up next are a couple of Greeks. The mounted guy is Pausanias, formerly a Marx 7th cavalry trooper. Hopefully fighting Persians is more successful than the Indian confederation, but he did end up in a bad way too.
The wounded guy sitting on his shield is made entirely of plasticene and mounted on a poker chip.
These guys are made of plasticene and seated on plastic zoo camels. They are created from the Funcken drawings of Napoleon’s Egyptian adventure.
I thought I’d make some British soldiers in boats for a Quebec game, but this is as far as I got. Plasticene men in a made in China boat. They still need a base and toothpick oars. And a flag.
And now a return to the desert, with my start of a Sassanid army. I put about a dozen infantry (WW2 Japanese officers with plasticene shields and headgear), on a base meant for 24 figures. I have pinched the idea from Pony Wars, the old rule set Peter Guilder adopted for his Sudan games. A handful of men can represent a horde.
The clibinari are Lucky Toys Revolutionary War horsemen with plasticene cloaks and hole punch shields. I just painted the face metal for armour.
The light cavalry are plains Indians with some new hats.
The elephants were a real find. Hinchliffe miniatures. I got them on eBay. All I had to do was put them back together and touch up the paints.
Hopefully these guys and their friends will square off against Bellisaurius in front of Daras one day soon. I didn’t post the Byzantines as I can’t find them. I use all kinds of boxes and only recently have I begun to sort them out in eras. The Thirty Years War/ECW/Rocroi armies are in my bedroom, the ACW is in the hall and WW2 are stacked precariously at the top of the stairs. And the Napoleonics are under foot. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I was asked in the questions below which plasticene brand I was using.
Currently I use Plastalina by Craft Smart. It’s $5, very reasonable.
Great work on the Plasticine figures!
ReplyDeleteHow do you stop them from getting squished? I remember converting airfix figs in the 70's by adding Plasticine cloaks, tunics etc. The books recommended applying banana oil to harden and protect it but it wasn't easy to find so I think I used white glue.
Fond memories of my Hinchliffe elephants.
Squished? Keep the cat out of my hobby room!
DeleteBanana oil?
I remember that bit of Featherstonian advice. I looked it up at the library (pre internet Jurassic toy age) and it said it was nail polish remover. Early tests proved it did harden plasticene, but it also made it real crumbly if they took damage, which was eventually. Nowadays I don’t treat them, I paint it with black acrylic paint as a base coat (or white but mostly black) then paint up, and seal with some kind of thick sealer.
Mod Podge was my go to until I realized it was a dust magnet.
Then I settled on Future Floor wax. Great stuff until they were bought out and rebranded. Doesn’t work as well now.
So I use “Puzzle Saver”, a Dollar Store clear sealant.
I use brush on craft acrylic varnish, seems to work well. Any kind of spray is an issue for my wife even if I use it in the free standing wood/workshed.
DeleteSo I take it that with paint etc the plasticene will harden enough to not lose its shape if touched lighly.
You know, I think the consistency of plasticene has changed. I will never forget the smell of the stuff we had at school oh so long ago. It was really soft anf kind of melted in your hands.
DeleteNow I think that type is no longer made. I either get an artist block meant for sculpting from a dollar store or a similar product from Michaels. It is harder and doesn’t loose shape if handled. I find it is not so tacky as to stay on a figure unless you really work it into the surface.
I also have used acrylic varnish, brush on, but I like the toy soldier look of thick gloss. I also hope it will keep the figure and the plasticine from drying out.
Absolutely lovely!
ReplyDeleteH
Thank you, Hugh.
DeleteImpressive conversions of those far too many GI Officer "follow me men" poses!
ReplyDeleteYeah, now I’m thinking about all those bazooka GI’s…….
DeleteThanks for the kind words!