Project 10 - "George Washington" – American War of Independence, 1775.
Started Nov 10th - Prep phase

With the Belgae diorama finished, I hopped into my time machine and fast forwarded 18+ centuries to the year 1775, for a figure that needs no introduction. George Washington will be accompanied by two foot soldiers (Ringo and Paul). The great thing about the soldiers is that they are, to a limited extent, multi-pose, with two sets of arms and an array of possible weaponry. And a flag, of course.

You can read in the “About” section of my Facebook blog why I have a soft spot for these vintage Airfix models. With a bit of patience, luck and targeted surfing you too can pick up these old kits at fairly reasonable prices, but beware of some sellers offering these at frankly ridiculous prices (not including P&P), sometimes 30 euros and over. There’s currently a George W. on Ebay, priced 51 euros!!!!

In my opinion you should never ever pay more than 10-15 euros for infantry/mounted models. They are rarish, but not thàt rare. In fact, I don’t think I paid more than 20 euros for the three figures combined.

54 mm
plastic



George Washington – Airfix 02554-8
The original figure was issued in 1974. Mine is a rebox from 1980.

2 x American Soldier 1775 – Airfix Collectors Series 01555-8
Several issues between 1974-1979

This looks like a nice project to follow. will it be another 11 day - start to finish

regards Zane

Love these Airfix collectors series kits - always have and can't help having a few in reserve. Hoping that they will be rereleased in the future, surely Airfix must know they are popular.
Always thought the George Washington kit was ideal as a base figure for all sorts if 18th century conversion possibilities but never tried any.
Looking forward to seeing your progress.
Cheers
Mat

I agree Mat. I grew up with these, Segom, and Historex kits. I wish they would re-release all of the Collectors series and the Multi-Pose lines.

Go for it! I have quite a few of these kits in storage and may be tempted to do the same! I love the "bite" of the old Airfix and Historex plastic when you cut into the material to do conversions.

Rgds Victor

Cool man, love the ol Airfix figures. I've never seen the Washington figure made up so this will be a treat.

I did these when I was about 12... would love to see a more up to date take on these old classics.
They ARE great for conversions... so easy to work with. I have about 15 of the Napoleonic mounted series waiting to be chopped for a big diorama. Picked them up at the shows last year for $5-$10 each... great, inexpensive base for converting.

Following this project with interest

Colin

very interesting

Thanks, guys, for all your kind comments and interest

These two, and the English Civil War figures, are probably the only ones I never made when I was around that age, Colin. So a bit curious myself as to how they will turn out. Curious about that diorama of yours, as well ;-)

Well, chop chop, on to work now.

And then there are Multipose figures too...more Airfix classics with huge conversion potential.

Basic assembly of the figures and horse. Washington has not been glued down on the horse yet, nor has the saddle, rest assured. This is just for Presentation Purposes, right.




One soldier will be carrying either a musket or the flag (a lot will depend on whether the flag will turn out to be any good), the other one a saber.

I've repurposed the legs of one of the gentlemen, so as not to end up with similar stances, even though the arms and weaponry will be totally different.

Great choice, I have this kit, too. Well, most of it, mixed with bits from other Airfix kits, plus a dollhouse chair in about 1/20 that was in the box. I agree with the rest of the Airfix crowd, these kits are great material for conversions. They do finish up nicely, out-of-box, too. I look forward to your progress on this project!

Prost!
Brad

Prep phase 3, also known as the "Vlad the Impaler" Phase.

This is the phase - boring and full of promise in equal measure - in which everything Fades to Grey (who remembers Visage, eh), and yes, if any ladies are present, I did resist the Shades pun.

Priming in grey and close-up photography unfortunately reveal all sorts of ugly seams which can hardly be seen with the naked eye, and certainly not with MY naked eyes. And yes, I've seen the stray hair on the horse's neck

This project has all the makings of the Back to Reality stage in a newbie (or rebootie) painter's career. Beginner's luck is now firmly off the table, stagnation is creeping in, frustration lurking just around the corner. But as a famous tv character once said, Patience, Grasshopper

I've decided to finish the three figures one by one now, instead of gradually across the three. The main reasons being: trying to avoid boredom, having something more or less presentable every now and then, but also, trying to better techniques or avoid mistakes from figure to figure. If, in the end, there's a noticeable difference in quality because of this approach, so be it. But there won't be, I wager, hehe.

Sorry to the completionists, I skipped a few stages in the process, basically 14 (not a rhetorical exaggeration, alas) reworkings of the horse's coat, until I just gave up. Skills cannot be forced.

All kitted out. Guy One, that is. Onto George W and Guy Two.

Great idea For kits in the 40+year range, they really aren't that bad, are they?

i started modelling using airfix as they were cheap and very well detailed, and fairly easy to convert. I still use them. / badger

I like that vintage kits, thanks.

Thanks for the kind comments, all, much appreciated!



Well, George is as good as done, I'm waiting to apply final touches when he's in the saddle. Some sharp observers may notice a discrepancy between Box Art George and My Boy George, but when I did some research, most of the paintings I came across showed the Prez in a cream-coloured uniform, not white at all.

Project 10 - "George Washington" – American War of Independence, 1775.
Started Nov 10th - On Your Horse, George Phase.

He could've turned out a lot better. He could've turned out a lot worse. To my utter bewilderment, the rider again did NOT fit the saddle. Anymore, I need to add, as I was desperate to avoid the mistake I'd made with the two Scots Greys and I painstakingly dry-fitted everything in the prep phase, when everything fit very snugly. Amazingly, come the final phase, that perfect fit had magically disappeared. Sheer voodoo.