Some new figures in the painting queue this week - well, not new, exactly - some of them haven't been owned before, but they aren't new.
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| Some real Old School French chaps in here - HH Guard Engineers and Line Artillery, and some Alberken Guard Artillery. The Engineers still had the original mould flash under the paint, so I'll try to improve on that this time round |
This is a random bunch of old figures which have been fermenting in the
Clean Spirit jar for about 10 weeks. Since there were still traces of gloss black and gloss red which refused to shift, they finished up with a few hours in the
Domestos - that did it. Like me, you might wonder why I bothered with the 10 weeks in the
Clean Spirit, but it's the principle of the thing, really.
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| 10 packs of OOP Falcata Spanish cavalry - once again, I have killed off one of the world's endangered species - I believe they are now officially extinct. This should be enough for 4 regiments, with luck. Put them next to the White Rhino |
Probably more interestingly, I also have a little shipment of the much-missed
Falcata Spanish Napoleonic heavy cavalry - now rarer than hens' teeth. My mysterious friend and advisor, Count Goya, was recently in Spain. Goya's adventures can only be guessed from occasional glimpses and hints - tantalising, really. Sunset verandahs in Mandalay, a half-seen shadow in a village on the Adriatic, whispers of the Spice Routes, blood and sand...
Anyway, he spotted some OOP
Falcata figures in Spain, and very kindly brought me back a pack. I, of course, was much less calm about the matter, and promptly lit up the Internet in my searches to see if there were any more. I am pleased to say that I seem to have managed to snaffle the world's final stocks of the Spanish cavalry.
To save a little on postage, since shipping rates from Spain are famously extravagant, I arranged with my friend Jack the Hat that he would collect the goods for me next time he visited Barcelona (he has an apartment there), and the deed was done last week. I think I have enough for 4 units of line cavalry. They can go in the Spanish box, and I'll get to them.
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| Jack the Hat, cunningly disguised (without hat), does the messages |
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| To give an idea of Count Goya's exotic lifestyle, he even has his own food manufactured and supplied when he is on his travels |
The fun of collecting old and OOP figures is hunting and tracking down possible leads. So much more enjoyable than buying from an online electronic catalogue.
ReplyDeleteI find painting my classic Napoleonics figures far more satisfying than painting modern figures.
I do have problems with some of the older figures, in that the inferior casting quality can obscure the uniform detail. The experience I have had of painting more modern products - viz NapoleoN, Falcata, SHQ, Hagen and Art Miniaturen - has been pretty good - having the detail crisp and accurate is a big help.
DeleteYou are a lucky fellow! I am looking forward to see a regiment of Spanish cavalry painted.
ReplyDeleteWe also got some charging poses from Massimo:
https://www.hagen-miniatures.de/Testkategorie-21/figuren-40/napoleonische-kriege/spanische-armee-174/spanische-kavallerie-1808-angreifend.html
cheers
Uwe
One of the advantages of the Falcata figures is that I shall not have to cope with Massimo's peculiar horses. I'm looking forward to it.
DeleteGood ol' Goya, well done! On stripping paint, I remember some posts a while ago on the subect, but did you come to a conclusion? Was the prolonged Clean Spirit dip your best bet, in the end?
ReplyDeleteI assume it's a bit less noxious than some other options!
A prolonged soak in Clean Spirit (anything up to a couple of months) will usually do the job, and any bits that prove stubborn can be stuck in the bleach for a little while. Overall I use less bleach than I used to, and the Clean spirit is friendlier, less scary and can even be re-used.
DeleteGoya? - unspeakable.
Nice haul of Spanish cavalry Tony. The story of the finding and purchase of these rare gems makes them all the better!
ReplyDeleteThis was a bit of an adventure - I am lucky to have have such helpful friends.
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