Here's the second The Old Contemptibles piece - Hope you like it!

1916 2nd Bn. Seaforth Highlander, 10th Brigade, 4th Division, BEF in Mackenzie tartan cobbler in 120mm or 1/16th scale
Alternate head – 1st Bn. Black Watch, 1st Brigade, 1st Division, BEF with government (black and green) tartan
• Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) MK III 0.303 caliber rifle
• Small canvas haversack for carrying anti-gas PH helmets
• M1914 leather field harness and ammo pouches and belt
• Canvas musette bag and haversacks
• M1902 khaki putties and brown half boots
• M1908 khaki haversacks and entrenching tool helves
• M1908 entrenching tool head in leather carrier and 2 pint water bottle covered with khaki cloth and leather webbing
• Wooden crate, leather cobbler’s tool satchel, cobbler’s tools

The pink stuff is Super Sculpey just used for displaying things. I've included a "colored" photo of a portion of the original photo of Seaforth Highlander cobblers working in a circle. The original bxw photo was posted on the Great War Forum. The main difference in the photo and the figure is that the cobbler in the photo is wearing shorts, not a kilt. I decided to have the cobbler wear a kilt because I always wanted to try my hand at sculpting one, plus I thought the painters might enjoy painting it more than shorts. In this case you can complete the figure with the alternate head and paint the kilt the black and green "Government" tartan or you can use the head shown on the figure and complete the kilt in a Mackenzie plaid.

Comments and constructive critique welcome!

All the best,
Dan

Dan that's a great piece indeed. A bit big for my tastes...but I'm sure that many will love it. Well done.

Xenofon

Thanks so much, Xenofon!

I forgot to mention that Roger Newsome will be painting the box art for the cobbler and John McNenney will be casting everything. And both have their work cut out for them because there is so much stuff!!

All the best,
Dan

Definately one I will be buying a great improvement over your first commercial piece.

Many thanks, Matthew! Glad you like it! Give John a few weeks to cast everything.

All the best,
Dan

Dan,
He came out very nice and a lot of good stuff on the base.
Cheers
John

Thanks John! You're too kind! And yes - between the cobbler's tools and the field equipment - there is almost more than you can put on the extra large base. I wouldn't have been able to work out how he was holding the boot if I hadn't seen shoe lasts, the bar and base plate contraption on different web sites. A shoe last is a wooden thingie that looks like a shoe or boot and the cobbler uses them to fit leather pieces together, tack nail them down and then sew and nail them together to make a shoe. Lasts are sized to produce a certain size shoe - 10 Medium width, etc. At first I thought he was just holding a shoe last with a boot around it between his knees, but then I realized that wouldn't work. It also helps that my dad worked in shoe factories, so I've seen the mechanized end of shoe-making. So...lots of research later. Here we are.

All the best,
Dan

Another lovely piece, Dan. Nice to see more figures that show the humanity of soldiers coming to the market these days.

Thanks so much, Rudy!

All the best,
Dan

Dan another wee cracker - what a great change from normal combat type poses - keep the coming Buddy.

Very nice work, Dan. You sure put a lot of work in it.

Cheers,
Primoz

Primoz - Months of weekends, buddy! MONTHS...groan. I don't think I'll be so ambitious with the next one. Thanks!!

All the best,
Dan

Hey Dan,

I think this guy is looking very nice. Your sculpting is getting better with each new piece.

Joe

Thanks very much Joe! A great compliment!

All the best,
Dan

Looks very nice my friend!!!!!
chris

Nice Work Dan. The more you work, the better you become. The details you put in your pieces are really making the difference . Bravo

Hi Dan,
So original, so I like it!
You hold us aware of when it is available Dan, that's for sure I will have to go through the cash drawer!

georges.

Chris, Costas and Georges - Many thanks!! Georges - I would tell you when it was available if I knew. John McNenney hasn't seen the actual figure yet, so he can't give me an estimate on how long it will take to cast. As soon as I know when it will be available, I'll post it here. Many thanks for asking!

All the best,
Dan

You know it's funny to think what that actual soldier would be thinking now someone is making a Figure of him.
Looks very good, dan

Yes, yes, yes Dan, another fine figure with an unusual approach. Well done!

All the best