It's Labour Day Weekend here in Welly, which means we get Monday off, so I have a little bit more painting time. The plan is to devote this to the Chasseurs a Cheval. I've made a start, but while I was about it I couldn't resist having a go at a test figure for my new British 73rd Regiment:
He and his comrades are beautifully clean and simple castings, and he was an absolute joy to paint. There is now a distinct danger that the rest of them will usurp the Chasseurs in the painting queue. I want to see what those flags will look like with a regiment behind them.
Have a great weekend
WM
He is a Lamming Miniatures figure from the 20mm 1815 Napoleonic range, which was launched in 1970. The specific code is BI/1: British Line Infantry Advancing. I'm very pleased to say that I have twenty of them, with four command figures to lead them, almost all courtesy of Mr Lewis Gunner, who gave them to me as a gift about three years ago. I've been itching to have a go at them for all this time. They seem to be fantastically rare these days.
Have a great weekend
WM
Very nice, impressive colors!
ReplyDeleteYou can't beat a red coat, Phil. Phase 3 is going to be all about the Brits, I think!
DeleteLove it.
ReplyDeleteThere´s a couple of model Shows coming up over here ..If you want, I´ll Keep an eye out for Lamming/Hinton Hunt figs
Crikey Paul - Yes please! We're a bit hard up for that sort of thing in NZ.
DeleteLammings are notoriously difficult to collect. The whole range was remodelled in 1974-1975 to make them a lot taller and beefier. These look virtually identical to the first generation figures in photographs, however, so it's only when the parcel arrives that one realises that one has just bought something entirely incompatible. I'll post a couple of examples to show what I mean.
Well... he is rather lovely.
ReplyDeleteI must admit that I am rather fond of Lamming Miniatures and you have done a beautiful job on this one....
I am looking forward to seeing the whole battalion.
All the best. Aly
Cheers Aly. I've always thought that Lammings are under-rated. The castings look a bit crude in the raw, so I always grit my teeth a bit when starting out on them, but so far they've all painted up beautifully. The temptation to crack on and paint the rest of the 73rd is now almost overwhelming.
DeleteThey are lovely figures an it was a great shame when the Range was replaced by their “heroic 25mm” successors. Don Featherstone was a great fan of Lamming artillery pieces - I have never been able to find out if they had both smaller and larger versions, if they started in the first series, or came along later. Looking forward to seeing the finished unit.
ReplyDeletePeter Gilder has some first series Lammings among his original 20mm collection at the Wargames Holiday Centre.
I have one of those guns, VW, and it is just what Don said- a splendidly proportioned little model. The gunners I've got for it, however, are in some sort of weird middle ground in terms of size - not quite "heroic", but definitely a bit bigger than this chap. I'm wondering now if there were more than just two generations, or if perhaps Bill was trying to produce something that would fit it in with both of them!
DeleteI thought Gilder had them. There are zillions on display in Charles Grant's Napoleonic Wargaming book. I'd sell my Granny to get hold of some Prussians.
Very spiffy! I recall seeing ads for Lamming figures in Military Modelling and maybe also early issues of Miniature Wargames in the early 1980s when I first cut my wargaming teeth, but have never actually seen any of the Napoloeonics. This one is a lovely example of those enigmatic fellows, and he looks much larger than 20mm in your photos. Eye-catching is something of an understatement. A lovely scarlet shade on his coat by the way. The entire regiment should be simply stunning to behold.
ReplyDeleteBest Regards,
He's a wee bit larger than 20mm, Stokes - more like 23mm, I'd say, and on that big, thick base he's noticeably bigger than a Hinton Hunt. I'm hoping the regiment will blend in quite well with he rest of Wallmoden's Corps nonetheless. I may resort to slighty thinner company bases, just as I did with the Garrisons.
DeleteWhat I love about them is the lack of fuss - as there really are no fiddly details to speak of, going big and bold is the only option. They're just all about the colours you can slap onto them!
Excellent paint job, lovely figure, look forward to seeing the unit progress.
ReplyDeletePaul
Cheers Paul. So do I. Maybe a bit too much...
DeleteThat is a startlingly good paint-job! 20mm or 23mm, it doesn't matter, the sharpness of the lace / straps and their black outlining is hard to believe. The figures look much 'smoother' than HH so I guess that helps a bit but it's still a level of precision brushwork that's beyond me. The fact they're a little larger than some of the others is not a problem as they after all God's own Englishmen brought up on Roast Beef and English Ale. No doubt they should get a +1 on the dice for every extra mm? Yes I know it's the 73rd but in those days if you didn't wear a kilt you were called English and they look so good they deserve the honorific... ;o)
ReplyDeleteWM three of my all time favourite figure ranges are the Lamming Romans and Medievals, and the very short lived and elusive SYW Range, but the early series run them close. I have quite a few photos of various Lammings on the Old Metal Detector. These include first series RHA so you can compare the pictures with yours. There were only ever two series of the Napoleonics. It is also worth having a look at the dismounted skirmishing hussars - they are lovely. I also see I do have a photo of some first series cavalry, which I must have forgotten about. Also worth looking at the SYW which range was undocumented and to all intents and purposes had disappeared - thanks to a tip off from DC I found that Bill’s display figures for shows were up for sale and after the auction I was able to pick up the SYW lots, which had been unsold. Then I found I had some all along without realising what they were.
ReplyDeleteLink for Old Metal Detector Lamming content for anyone interested is:
http://theoldmetaldetector.blogspot.com/search/label/Lamming?updated-max=2009-10-17T18:24:00%2B01:00&max-results=20&start=79&by-date=false&m=0
I've been drooling over your lovely Lammings for ever, VW.
DeleteI was a bit nervous about posting this chap, fearing brickbats from Hinton Hunt fanatics. So far, however, it's been a Lamming love-in, with which I am completely and totally delighted.
I seem to remember reading somewhere that the 2nd/73rd was mainly recruited in Nottingham - so they were Nott('s) Highlanders, it would seem. Nevertheless, I'd give them a Lamming piper if I had one! They had at least one black soldier too - George Rose, from Jamaica. He was a sergeant in the Black Watch by the time he was discharged in 1837, with two extra years to count towards his pension for having fought at Waterloo. He'll be in the front rank in my regiment.
ReplyDeleteThis was by far the simplest lace and strapping I've ever encountered, Rob. As usual, all I did was paint them black and then dab them over again with white. It made them really pop.
He has come up very nicely indeed. The red is particulary vibrant - which red did you use.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any Lamming Napoleonics but I have some SYW Prussians. They are nice figures.
It's Humbrol 60: Red, Mark, although with a few enhancements. When I was painting the Field Battalion Bremen I discovered that the following worked quite well: after painting in red, I gave them a light wash of black. This looked horrible, but I followed this by bold over painting in pure white onto the bits I wanted to really show up. When this was dry another coat of fairly runny H60 then blended the muddy dark red/black parts and the white parts to produce something that was both really vibrant and with a bit of shading too. It all takes ages as every step must be left to dry out thoroughly, but I really liked the effect.
DeleteAha! Your secret is revealed! Now I can paint as skillfully as Wellington Man, or not.... Not a simple process, but the effect is stunning. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteDavid
I really need to do a "top tips" page, David, to cover off this kind of thing. Flags and horses pages are currently in preparation. It takes a lot of discipline to do this I find as one has to keep stopping to take photos.
DeleteNot Hinton Hunt but ewe still did a great job!
ReplyDeleteThey're particularly nice with Rosemary, Ian
DeleteI'm gathering this is some odd attempt at culinary humor. Now unfortunately, I am craving some lamb chops...
Delete"Odd attempt" is about right, David. I feel rather sheepish now.
DeleteOuch, that hurt! I feel as though my brain cells were just sheared away...
DeleteI wouldn’t gambol on that being the last of the lamb/lame puns
DeleteThey were in mint sauce condition, VW
DeleteI very nicely with a bottle of Chateau Mutton Rothschild
DeleteI have a few Lamming British battalions, and they are unusual in my collection because I finished them in gloss varnish. I've always meant to go back and revarnish them, so they match everyone else, but have never been able to settle to doing it. Having seen this chap, the revarnishing job remains on hold! They do look good in the traditional toy soldier look - very nicely done!
ReplyDeleteThe "Shining Path" is calling to you, Foy.....Go on, give in!
DeleteWell, it's all been said above already so I'll just add ....superb figure and paint job :)
ReplyDeleteCheers, 'Lee. I'm really chuffed with these. At last, I can shed my secret shame as a Lamming fancier.
DeleteBeautifully done Matthew, particularly the front lace and straps--as already mentioned--straight as a die.
ReplyDeleteLammings get about in huge flocks n'est pas?! :)
Not these ones Jim, sad to say. I'd have created a blog devoted to nothing but Lammings if they were.
Delete