SPECIAL THANKS. I would like to thank Paul Watson for his sponsorship of several lead figure collections on this blog. Having decided to clear his spare/surplus figures, he generously forwarded them on with no other requirement than they deserved to be restored. I would also like to mention George S. Mills, who kindly furnished a quantity of plastic figures which allowed me to complete another five or six military units, serving in several collections.

Wednesday 28 September 2022

NEW ADDITIONS completed SEPT.28

Having just purchased a band of plastic figures, it gave me the incentive to not only paint the new additions, but also some of the figures in my spares box.

The plastic additions came from a trader that supplies odd/single figures. Its not a cheap way to purchase, but he only charges a single postage, regardless of how many you purchase from him. I have been waiting a long time to acquire the mounted saracen, I even had the correct horse and saddle-cloth in my spares box. The other figures helped moderate the postage charge. There was one loss, the bareheaded figure just did not look right, too large, I got rid of it. 

As mentioned, some items in my spares box were also completed. A second cavalryman belonging to the Cleveland Troop from Ohio, c.1890. While my British WW1 collection now has a command base, these are old lead figures restored. I also had a lead German jaeger head, decided to fix it to an Airfix German infantryman, to serve as a policeman.
Finally, a bit of reconstitution work. My British Victorian army is large. It included a battalion of twelve plastic Foot Guards, totally surplus to my needs. Decided to paint strip half of them, and make something more useful. Here we have four of them converted into Ruritanian Medical orderlies/injured, suspect they may find service with my Dutch WW2 collection, and other armies.
MGB

12 comments:

  1. Another wonderful group of conversions and restorations Michael! The red plastic figure with sword is really beautiful! You continue to work wonders with machine guns, and your medical base is outstanding! Excellent work indeed!

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    1. Thank you Brad. The red figure is part of the Robin Hood range of figures given free in Kellogg's cornflakes boxes during the early 1970s, and a very nice range it is too. Well designed! Tempted to restore some more. Despite the missing sword, no signs of oxidisation.
      Michael

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  2. Like the stretcher bearers , imaginative use of figures there .

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    1. Its my old bugbear, I hate waste and could not justify their former use. Now these will add to several conflicts, and the metal extras won't flake paint like the former bayonets.
      Michael

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  3. Lovely work MGB - the Saracens were really great figures and it's nice to see you bringing some back into games.

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    1. Hi MJT, they just lend themselves so well to paint, and the detail just deserves to be brought out!
      Michael

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  4. Please tell us about the machinegun. Is it scratch built? I love the pattern you painted on the farmer's arms. I have used that figure in various scenarios such as militia. I love your work.

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    1. Hi Q, they are 1950s Charbens of England, portraying US machine guns. I think the plastic figure worked well with the former, creating a crew of two. I also like the Britains plastic farmer, and it works well with the more modern version, in cloth cap and coat. The Chinese copied the original Britains farmer figure, but too small. I use these farmers to represent British North Americans (Canadians). Cheers,
      Michael

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  5. Here is a warning regarding detail mounted knights. If you decide to paint the saddle blankets undercoat with PVA first as they tend to react with some paints and varnishes so that they remain eternally sticky to gather dust and lint.

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    1. I guessed that, Q., but well said. The saddle cloths are more like rubber, they don't seem to oxidise but, as you say, some agents do react with them. I've decided to keep them as they are. I think the figures are all superglued to the horse, using the original plug or a metal substitute.
      Michael

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  6. Another charmingly eclectic mix restored to excellent gaming condition.

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    1. Thank you Mark, it is satisfying to clear the spares, and produce something useful for the gaming table.
      Michael

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