A slight change of pace this time around, using two of the figures from ICM's French-Prussian War (1870-1871) set, I want to make a small vignette based on the pack illustration.



The central figures of the officer and grenadier standing defiantly together. I'll build them straight from the box but will tweak things that need tweaking.



You probably didn't need pictures of a couple of half French men, but I took the picture so I'll use it.

My first tweak however is the officers sword, I did away with the plastic blade and replaced it with a brass photo-etched one from Nimix. Also the hand guard is from a Historex spare part.



That's the start, there's more to come.

Cheers Simon

Part two, did this yesterday I'm not that quick. Not much to add, simply adding the torsos to the half men, they looked like left overs from Kev's bust factory!




It's probably not very evident in these images but I am etching the figures with a scalpel as I go. That is seams, straps, belts etc are having the detail sharpened by scraping away the soft edges from the injection molding process to leave a sharper more defined edge. It's slow work and causes cramp in my left hand from holding the piece steady. It's also very easy to slice beyond the figure and into some soft flesh. I need new super glue as I seem to have sucked some blood into the bottle while fixing my fingers, it now has a pink tinge and clogs the nozzle constantly.

Cheers Simon

Hi Simon

Looking forward to seeing what you do with these guys.

Malc

Bringing things up to date I did some more this morning. I have substituted the ICM heads for Hornet ones and added appropriate facial hair. Rather than sculpt new kepis I used the kit supplied ones, though they needed some filing at the back to make them look like they fit. Also I had to file the tops of the heads flat, using a sanding stick and water because of the resin dust. The kepis were still too big so both figures have a fine head if hair to cover the overhang.




I have done all the putty work using a mix of Magicsculpt and Duro or Greenstuff. I don't like using Greenstuff on it's own, I find it too stiff to move around easily.

As you can see I have made some tweaks, the officers coat collar is now open and the corner of the coats skirt is now flapping a bit in the wind thanks to a post it note. I also decided the Grenadiers trousers weren't baggy enough so I built up one leg, once the putty has cured I'll do the other one.

That's all for now, time to be Dad's taxi again.

Cheers Simon

Cheers Malc, been a while since I did things the easy way so I had these laying around and decided give them a go. Only doing the two figures as I've used bits from the set for other things over time, plus the poses of the other two were a bit too dramatic, ok complicated to mess around with.

Cheers Simon

They look like a good basis for some nice models.

Cheers Rob, a little personalisation and they should do alright.

Cheers Simon

It's been an odd night, I seem to have stopped getting half the alerts I used to get. I have caught up with all, (I hope) the threads I've been missing but if there are any of you I have missed, many apologies, it's not lack of interest it's lack of knowing better, wait that doesn't paint me in a good light, oh well never mind.

OK so not done a great deal, spent time recovering from an all out invasion by a three and a half year old and catching up. So as I sit here at my bench sipping my cup of Bovril about all I have managed to do is a bit of work on the base.



It is a disk of tree limb, actually scavenged last year cleaning up after my eldest sons wedding, the were part of the table decorations, he'll I paid for it so I'm entitled I reckon. I had previously contoured it a bit with glued on foam board, tonight was the messy bit, covering it with Das Pronto air drying clay. I haven't made a base larger than a fifty pence piece since I stopped making dioramas a good few years ago, I forgot how messy it can be. Also realised that all those interesting bits of plants and twigs I had bags full of are now buried somewhere in the compost heap. Keep everything, no sooner do you throw it away than it becomes a treasured possession.

Cheers Simon

Looking good, these ICM figures look quite impressive.

W.

They are very nice, well worth investigating. Not as versatile as Dragon or similar that I normally use but damn good value.

Cheers Simon

I hope there is a splash of Sherry in that Bovril, tradition and all that

A great and promising start.Will follow.

Oda.

LOL, no sherry I believe that is a Midlands thing I'm from Yorkshire and would have preferred a cup of proper gravy.

Cheers Oda, will do my best, thanks for your interest.

Cheers Simon

Very nice start!!! I love the conversion you make!!!! following with interest!!!!

Cheers Snik it's appreciated, only small personalisation but it make them my own.

Cheers Kev, you don't do legs so I thought I would try some 'harmless' soldiers, well I thought it was funny.

Cheers Simon

Great start Simon, following with interest. These figures are great for converting and creating vignettes.

A bit of shameless self-promotion - I did a vignette with the ICM WWI French figures a while back, I think it was before you were on the site so it might interest you: https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/red-trousers-against-machine-guns.482528/

Nigel, cheers for that, there is a great deal of potential with these kinds of figures, that's why I like them so much.

Will go through your thread later as I'm being nagged to go play with my Granddaughter!

Cheers Simon

Nigel, just read through your thread, very impressive, especially considering it was your first venture. The converting, painting and composition are first class, I love that diorama, it does everything right in telling the story of the innocence of those first soldiers in that awful war.

Having spent many years making vehicle based dioramas (WWII MOSTLY German) with as many figures as I could cram in I only hope I can emulate your work.

Mine will be complete in time for Bugle Call, if you are attending I would dearly love to see your diorama in the flesh. I had to think carefully thete with the wording, something I am beginning to relearn having already inadvertently taught my three and a half year old Granddaughter to say bugger and knobhead! Oops.

Cheers Simon

The alterations are coming along nicely, so far so good, Briggsy. Ruck On, Bby!