Serious painting will be starting shortly...
***** Late Edit *****
A propos of absolutely nothing - this follows a couple of recent conversations. There was some talk of Sergei Bondarchuk's Waterloo being released on BluRay to commemorate the bicentennial of the battle. Did it ever happen? I can't trace any such product - I have now watched this film an embarrassing number of times (far more than the number of times I've watched The Sound of Music...) and still love it to bits - warts and all. Nay - especially the warts - wart-spotting is a great hobby.
If ever a film needed an HD BluRay edition this is it. Anyone know anything about this?
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Impressive work - next thing you know you'll be using gloss varnish!
ReplyDeleteThere is a version on Youtube that says its HD. It certainly looks crisper than my old DVD version.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/HPaWbF9rbJo
Thanks Mark - it does look better in HD. As it happens, we recently had to buy a new DVD player for the attic (the internal one in the TV up there died, as they all do). Because the cost is little different now, we got a basic BluRay machine. These devices have the ability to work some magic algorithms, so that they can interpolate between the picture blobs (technical term here) to provide more picture blobs, and smooth out the picture. If the TV is up to it, your old DVDs can look better straight away. I haven't tried the new machine yet, but propose to watch Steiger vs Plummer on it to see how it looks asap. If the TV can't handle the improvement in the picture there may be a new TV in the attic as soon as I can arrange a paper round to pay for it.
DeleteTV in the attic? - this is an important set - it's the one we watch while using the static exercise bike. Anyway - I am forced to watch Waterloo again to check how the picture looks via a BluRay player.
The bit about the built-in DVD players in TVs being of crap quality is part of a wider principle - Foy's Law of Compromised Utility. This applies to combined scanners/printers, home stereo systems and much else. If you have multiple devices conveniently packaged as a single entity, the devices will be disproportionately cheap and nasty, and will fail soon. How many portable hi-fi systems have you got in which the CD player doesn't work, etc?
While on this extended digression (coffee is kicking in nicely - freshly ground Columbian), I am reminded that I once saw a machine for sale in a shop window in Italy, which made espresso coffee and also toasted sandwiches. Now that is impressive.
Gosh, is it that time already?
Supplementary note - the same old DVD on the new BluRay player does indeed look a bit better. Maybe the paper round can wait a while. Film went well - Allies won, yet again, and somehow Wellington did not manage to hide the presence of the Prussians from history.
DeleteWithout wishing to appear morbid, I am intrigued that Jack Hawkins (Picton), 4 years after the complete removal of his larynx (he was a 3 packet a day smoker for most of his life), has his voice dubbed throughout by a Jack Hawkins impersonator - Robert Rietti, probably. Naturally one is sorry for Hawkins' infirmity, but to continue an acting career, as he did, for 7 years after he had no voice is impressive - some astute career management there. Enough of this. I'd still welcome a proper BluRay edition of the film. Perhaps they could have a director's cut, where they put back the removed scenes - such as Cambronne shouting "Pardon?".
Great looking figure Sir. Waterloo was on TV the other day. I caught the later 45 minutes, much to Mrs R's frustration!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ray - Waterloo is always worth an other watch. Some of the acting is a bit strange, but it may just be the sound dubbing. The part of Colborne is played by a passer-by, apparently. I've always been intrigued by the fact that Soult is a Scotsman, played by an Italian actor - Bondarchuk was a bit quirky sometimes. Apocryphal story? - someone told me that Bondarchuk wanted to be true to history, and have someone with Wellington's authentic "facial deformity" playing the Duke. No - not the whopping great conk, but the well documented "upper lip stiff".
DeleteIn fact I have a fund of stories from the making of Waterloo, since I attended the British premier in the Edinburgh Film Festival in about 1100 BC - there were some talks which included much insider goss from the filming - some of the best stuff was supplied by the pipe-major who appears with the Gordons(?) - who was a real, serving pipe-major and brought a soldier's appreciation to the experience.
For another time, then...
Wart spotting is a fun past time and Test Figure #2 looks good. These DK Bavarians look a little a little under nourished in the waistline.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jon. In fact the proportions aren't bad, I think - since they are the same as the Hinton Hunt figure from which it was cloned, the figure's stature must be beyond criticism, you would expect, but the effect may be to do with the combination of the high back-pack and the regulation corsets.
DeleteAfter all, these guys used to march huge distances, and I'm not sure how often the supply train caught up with them. We are probably too used to seeing modern Minifigs, not to mention modern re-enactors waddling up the hill to Gettysburg.
Lovely looking Bavarian, some way down the line they're in my plan to do them and I really like how you've done your test figure.
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thanks Iain - I've always used a very simple, plain style - block colours - no shading or highlighting apart from a simple approach to highlighting faces. I think this works for me - I like the effect, I am confident i can do a reasonable job, and it suits the old school type figures I use. Some years ago, I read someone describe a noted miniature soldier painter and collector as "the Monet of figure painters" - I've always seen myself as more the Beryl Cook.
DeleteI've had a soft spot for Bavarians for years - probably something to do with the crazy helmets, but that enthusiasm was ramped up by my visit to the Danube in 2013 - especially Eggmühl, Abensberg and the museum in Ingolstadt. Since my situation these days means I am now more likely to do Danube or Berfeiungskrieg battles (though I need friends who have Austrians - spot where this goes to next?) and since I have almost finished the 1809 Spaniards there is a chance to do something new, and this is it. My approach will be the same as I used for the ECW and the Spaniards - plan an OOB, source the figures (thoroughly and realistically!), and work away at it - in particular, as before, in the interests of speed (and often quality) I intend to use some outside help with the painting - that really keeps the enthusiasm going!
I'd be very happy to be able to have a bash at Landshut, or Bergisel, or a great many other actions - eventually they can even line up against the French, of course!