Sunday 13 June 2021

Half Life

I've finally finished the first half battalion of the Garrison Leib Grenadiers.

I couldn't work out why it was taking me so long to paint these, but when I thought about it for a bit the fact that it takes nine separate steps just to paint their wee cuffs and collars probably has something to do with it.


Thankfully, I was able to rescue the flags by coaxing just a little more blue out of my tin of Humbrol 89: Middle Blue by mixing the paint properly. They're still not all that vibrant, but definitely a bit bluer.


The last shot illustrates the difference in height between Garrison RN 8s, Hinton Hunt RN 17s and Lamming FI/1s (Lamming didn't do any Russians, unfortunately). The HH is definitely on the short side compared to the other two, but it's nothing that can't be cured by a bit of stand thickness variation.

It'll clearly take me a while to get the second half of this battalion finished, but I've a new general to show off in the meantime who'll probably be making an appearance next week.

Toodle pip,

WM

27 comments :

  1. They’re lovely and the colours look a lot ‘blue-er’ to me.
    Is the figure with the red cockade and musket sling an NCO?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He's my grenadier test figure, albeit now somewhat 'Leib-ified'. One of the four Leib Grenadiers companies was designated as a separate grenadier company (grenadiers squared?), divided into a grenadier grenadier (grenadiers cubed?) platoon with red cockades and a grenadier sharpshooter platoon with yellow cockades, operating at either end of the battalion. I haven't quite decided yet, but I think I'm going to represent these with four figures each.

      Delete
  2. Великолепный батальон!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Stunning paint job Matt :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. A beautiful (half) battalion Matthew…
    Definitely well worth the time and effort…
    The standards also look a lot more vibrant.

    All the best Aly

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers Aly. The Garrisons are pushing it a bit in terms of scale, and having been designed and manufactured from 1975 are outrageously modern by my standards, but I can't resist them.

      Delete
  5. They look magnificent. Napoleonic uniforms can have lots of fiddly bits however those cuffs score a 10 on the fiddly chart. They are very well done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The shako cords were actually worse. They're sculpted just a fraction off centre on the shakos which I tried to correct for by the way I painted them. I think I've mostly pulled this off.

      Delete
  6. They might be time-hungry, but worth it! Lovely unit.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The work you have put in to those cuffs is terrific, in fact the whole figure is terrific. I'm greatly looking forward to seeing further additions to your Russian army!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It'll be a horde of angry little DKs for the most part, thanks to the extraordinary Mr Bill W. I'm going to concentrate on guards units in the beginning, I think. I used to leave these until the end, with the result that they never got painted.

      Delete
  8. As usual these are magnificent WM. I am particularly interested in the technique you are using on the cuffs to really highlight the buttons. Can you describe your process? I have been black lining the button hole, but the effect is not as nice as what you have been able to achieve here. Fantastic work! I also love that you have gone with both flags for the battalion. The Russian flags are so iconic and your rendition is marvelous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's all down to the wonder of Humbrols, David. The red parts all have a think white undercoat. which ensures that the red topcoat appears really bright. The musket slings use exactly the same red, but with a black undercoat, which produces a radically different effect. As for the buttons, its just black dots with brass dots painted on top of them, but as Humbrol brass is really quite thick and blobby you can get a sort of 3D effect with it if you mix it right.

      Delete
  9. The results are clearly worth the effort. The Russian army certainly has a look of its own!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I need another army like a hole in a head, Matt, but they're just too magnificent to resist! Besides, how can you wargame Germany in 1813 without Russians?

      Delete
  10. Looking really good. Must get back to doing some myself...

    ReplyDelete
  11. They're a bit tricky (all those nooks and crannies) but deeply satisfying. I can't thank you enough for these, Rob.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Beautifully painted. That’s a great figure pose to.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Mr Purple! Yes, you could have any pose you liked from the Garrison 1975 range as long as it was 'march attack'. It gives them a very determined look, I think.

      Delete
  13. “Thick and blobby”, eh? My own technique described perfectly. Now I know what spasibo looks like in Cyrillic. Obviously, I have no idea what Phil actually said, but I assume it means “awesome”. Now, those Barentatschen on the cuffs. Are they petlitsi? In Cyrilyc, obviously.

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's the 'Lockdown Look', Archduke, very fashionable I have no such excuse, however. Petlitsi? That's certainly what the collar tabs are called but I'm not entirely sure about the cuffs!
    I've no idea what Phil said either.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Lovely Matt, appropriately guard. Love the flags.
    Regards, James

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you James. They’re pretty bling, aren’t they, and they’re not even wearing their new Guard uniforms, which were really snazzy!

      Delete