Are you going to build some diorama over some famous battle from that era 11-1500 AC ?

If so-What famous battle do you have in mind ?

Markus

No, Markus - I collect these soft plastic toy figures simply for their own beauty and interest. I've put a printed pictorial background into these just to show them off in a more attractive setting - I have no plans to expand into dioramas except for perhaps adding a model tree or cactus plant here and there.

I have in the past built small dioramas when model-making with plastic kits, and I do have a friend who likes to amass his toy soldiers into very large dioramas with sculpted landscape and wooden buildings he makes himself. He constructed a huge diorama one time showing the battle for Rorkes Drift, in the Zulu wars. That's how he likes to display his toy soldiers but I have to say that it holds no interest for me

https://i.imgur.com/bazAhKX.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/rYQoWMl.jpg

Here is an example of one of my military modelling dioramas - but it doesn't actually belong in this thread because these aren't toy soldiers

https://i.imgur.com/eR3NkSM.jpg

My favourite two from the small number of knights made by Lone Star in the 60s

Cavendish
 

https://i.imgur.com/KiJZzmn.jpg

Very charming "Gentleman-at-Arms" and a "Yeoman of The Guard", both seen in high profile during HM the Queen's funeral yesterday, produced by Cavendish Miniatures over many years and aimed squarely at the tourist market. Also in this series there is a London 'bobby', a guardsman and a couple of Household Cavalry troopers

Hilco plastic knights
 

The one in the middle of these very old (1950s) figures looks very like the Cherilea knight in post #39 but was actually a copy - slightly smaller and with a different style of base. These 3 have been repainted by me

https://i.imgur.com/wj8EpiB.jpg

Here's the Cherilea version again, now also repainted and in company with another scarce figure - 'Prince Valiant' - scarce because these two were only available in boxed sets so fewer were produced and sold

https://i.imgur.com/jmqkog8.jpg

^ This is great work, Eichhörnchen. Absolutely first rate. :Kaleun_Thumbs_Up: I don't know how you have the patience to do the intricate work and painting with these figurines. I would lose my mind doing this. Then again, I suppose I would have to have a mind in the first place to lose it. :D

^ I love doing it, is the answer, although the fabulous Britains 'swoppet' figures like this knight have very little paint on them

https://i.imgur.com/k8nBjg4.jpg

Lancastrian standard bearer
 

Crescent Toys Indian Army
 

https://i.imgur.com/D8YgIwL.jpg

Crescent's practice was often to produce around 8 figures on foot plus 1 or 2 on horseback to go with them. There were usually a couple of really good poses amongst these with the rest much weaker. These are my favourite two from this set (repainted)

Marx Toys
 

https://i.imgur.com/Kn0XE8C.jpg

Two old figures by US company Marx - the one on the right has a spear in place of his original standard, which was broken (repainted by me)

REAMSA
 

A figure from Reamsa, a Spanish maker from the past. I had no idea as a kid in the UK that there was a whole other plastic toy soldier industry going on over on the Continent. Some of their medievals and ancients I am now obsessively searching for!

https://i.imgur.com/7ge7zFG.jpg

Well paint over the toes too; the toy's sandals (caligae) aren't correct for a legionaire's hobnailed marching: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._from_side.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...with_nails.jpg:arrgh!:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligae

^ They never bothered too much about such things when they made these since they were only toys - but you're correct of course

This is my most recent purchase - apparently a Roman general by Jecsan, another Spanish maker, and he's about to get a makeover. I think I'll call him Drupus Minimus (he wasn't a great success as a general)

https://i.imgur.com/H9awhgQ.jpg

Hey Eich, have you considered playing around with metallic undercoats and pearl finishes to replicate cloth?

:D

I've never heard of that - I have some pearlescent acrylic artists colour but never found a use for it. This would probably be handy for me when painting model soldiers so I'd like to know how it works - should I visit your figure-painting thread that you linked me to earlier?

Just play around with it on some scrap pieces. :up:

The idea behind a metallic undercoat is to give a slight "shimmer" effect to replicate fine cloth. This can also be handy for painting more realistic hair. :yep: Just thin down your top coat colors more than you normally would and apply light layers until you build up to the effect you want.

The "pearl" finish (over coat) kind of does the same thing. Again, play around with it and try to keep it subtle. Paint some test samples then look at them again the next day. If its too strong, try again and tone it down some more.

Imagine you want to paint a tartan shawl. Its a rough, hand woven piece of cloth. Paint the basic colors then lightly add a thinned down "pearl white" color on top. Shazam, the cloth is now older and more tattered/frazzled looking. :up:

You can search on YouTube for folks in Japan who build Gunpla characters and Bandai figures in some larger scales. They have some "out there" ideas about basic figure painting (ie, flesh tones) but there's always something new to learn and apply to your own corner of the hobby. :)

That was very enlightening, thanks indeed. I always struggle when deciding on how to paint a head of hair - I usually end up adding some metallic gold to a flat or satin brown so that doesn't just look as though someone got a bowl of chocolate sauce dumped on them. Putting a translucent colour over a metallic one sounds like an amazing solution - imitating of course the classical painting technique of 'glazing'

Awesome work, buddy!
:Kaleun_Cheers:

you do a awesome job

Thanks, guys :Kaleun_Cheers: