More Lovecraft Characters Completed

 In between Christmas gifts I'm still trying to get some of my own backlog of projects done. Among these were some H.P. Lovecraft RPG characters I was working on. I'm trying to build a varied 'cast' of characters and that means crafting low-level bit-players as well as 'stars'!

So, with each set I'm including either a general NPC (non-player character) or minion, you can never have too many minions. 😄 In this case I made a 'thug' to pit against my heroes...

If you are a Lovecraft movie fan you might appreciate the next character I added in this set, the 'mad surgeon'. Very loosely based on the cult classic 'B' movie 'Reanimator' my ghoulish saw-bones is a bit tongue in cheek - but, then, I had envisioned this figure being a ready for Halloween...

And finally, I've included a good old Lovecraftian stand-by protagonist - a learned university professor, someone steeped in the esoteric and occult. I've 'armed' him with a mystic tome and an amulet of sorts...

And there we go my cast grows ever bigger. The idea will be that as I play different Lovecraftian scenarios I can dip into my collection of figures to create an ensemble of appropriate peg players.

I've plenty more ideas for additional cast, but one this is for sure and that is I'll need a lot more supporting characters than lead roles. This'll be a long project!

Little Angels for Christmas

 Well, in amongst all the other stuff going on at the moment I managed to get a set of Christmas tree ornaments done. The theme here was a bit vague (they are a present for one of my wife's friends) but they are a loose mix of angels and fairies... Don't ask me! 😀

Anyways...Job done. Though, despite - to me - it being a bit weak as a project people seem to like them. Maybe I just don't get angels and fairies? 😂

Well, it maybe not my 'thing' but all making and painting is good practise and trying out new things and styles helps me build my flexibility. There are little problems to overcome and challenges even in simple characters like these that add to my experience and skill tool box...

And there you go. I'll have to take a snap of all six in the set together, but for now I'll have to quickly move on to my next Christmas project... The clock's ticking!

Peg Nutcracker Guardsman Complete

 I managed to get another of my peg nutcracker figures done, though I'm beginning to wish I had started these earlier as Christmas looms ever larger on the horizon!

I'm pleased with this little fellow and I'm enjoying this particular project. The slight down side is that I have a lot more of these nutcracker figures to make in time for the 25th of December. Still, onward and upwards.

This character is based on the traditional toy soldier from the ballet 'Nutcracker', a suitably festive story. The uniform is fictional and I tried a new way of making a rifle, simplifying the construction even more. It's just made up of an elongated triangle of lolly stick for the stock and a piece of cocktail stick for the barrel - but I like this stylised shape in this instance as it is suitable toy 'pop gun' like.

Another slight change in my previous construction method for this kind of nutcracker peg is that I did not bother to sand down the 'shoulder' dowel, but left it protruding slightly. I think this looks quite good and it enhances the idea that this is a toy soldier. Less work for me to do! 😁

The only concern I have about this style of peg figure is - being very tall and thin - it's balance. I chose a 3mm thick, 25mm diameter MDF base for these figures and that only just does the job. After I complete this project I will have to think again about basing and stability and I may need to either look at enlarging the diameter of the base or weighting the base (I have been considering adding steel washers to the existing base to give it a bit of weight).

Still, you are always learning. As they are they should look very nice on a mantelpiece for the festive period. 

French 'Chasseurs à pied', 1870 - Part 4

 A long, long time ago I began my Franco-Prussian War project only to then decide to have a hiatus from the hobby for some time. Now up and running again I now am in the position of not only working on new projects but also have several old moth balled projects to dust off - my French 'Chasseurs à pied' are one of these forgotten armies! 😃

Above: Painting 'French Soldiers in the Snow' by Paul Louis Narcisse Grolleron (c. 1880).
Grolleron produced a range of wonderful paintings depicting French troops of the 1870
war. This one caught my imagination and was the basis of my Chasseurs a pied.

It's actually a bit crazy that I stopped where I did with these soldiers as they were quite near completion. However, one of the reasons that I had not completed these sooner - having returned from my 'hobby holiday' - is that these figures were what I call my 'Mk. 1' peg soldier design and I had subsequently moved on to a different design...

Above: Comparison of my early 'Mk. 1' peg soldier construction (left)
with my current 'Mk.2' method (right).

I was of a mind to abandon this project and start again using my revised method of construction but - in the end - did not want to waste the work I had already done. It was a bit frustrating as I really like my newer method for making my soldiers, but I thought it would be a nice way to formally transition from the old to the new by completing this project as intended.

Anyway... Where had I got to? Here's a reminder of where I left off...

As I said, these models were so near completion! The principal job was to do all the outlining of detail - things like the arms and leg division, etc (things that were the very reason that I created my simplified Mk. 2 models , so I didn't have to spend time laboriously outlining things).

Ironically, I ended up producing my prototype Frenchman right along side my prototype Prussian! It's my habit to complete a single example of a unit's figure in order that I can check that I am happy with my colour choices and check for any potential problems before continuing with the rest of the unit's figures...

Indeed, I did come across a little issue, that being the outlining of detail that is base painted with dark colours. An example would be the outlining of the soldiers arms, normally I would outline in black but this just wouldn't show up very well against a dark blue. The solution - obviously enough - was to outline using a lighter version of the base colour, in this case a light blue.

In the above photo you will notice I had to outline (if that's really the appropriate term) the leg division line using a light blue. This is not a method that I am completely happy with and why I ended up changing the way I did the legs of my models.

Anyway, niggley bits out the way, it didn't take long to apply the final details and - finally - I added the facial features. Things like buttons and and eye-pupils were actually applied using acrylic pens.

This all leads to the varnishing. I continue to be a fan of the traditional glossy toy soldier and I think it actually helps produce a better looking peg figure. The application of a gloss layer smooths out some of the imperfections - rough textures - inherent in cheap mass-produced wooden pegs. If you look at the above picture you will notice a mottled texture on the Prussian soldier, the wood was particularly rough on this peg (so much so that even a fair amount of sanding could not get rid of it).

This is just part and parcel of using pegs for modelling, they are what they are. But varnishing helps alleviate most but the worse blemishes. And here's what we ended up with...

I'm pleased with the result and will crack on with the five remaining figures in this unit (plus the unit base). After that I have to decide which will be the next French regiment that I will model - I'm already had a lot of requests that I do a 'red trousered' infantry of the line! We shall see.

Link to all the posts in this 'Chasseurs à pied' project.

The Prussian Blues

[Operation Pickelhaube Part 5]

While making and painting a large selection of different peg projects at one time is interesting it does mean that everything is taking longer to do and each individual project is only progressing in small steps. So, sorry about that, it doesn't make for exciting blog posts! 😟

My Prussians are a case in point. Normally, were I *just* working on this Prussian set on it's own I would expect to have dealt with them over the course of a week or so. Sadly, my little Prussians are dragging on an on and my 'updates' are pretty lacklustre. 

Ah well, anyway, here's what I've been up...

Having primed my figures I then had to decide on a uniform design - from reference - which I would replicate. Obliviously, I had a a design in mind from the start - which was the basis of my construction - but there were several colour options and even some disagreements about exact colour shades (as there always is in the world of military modelling)!

In the end, despite some doubt being voiced about the accuracy of the reference picture I chose to base my Prussian's uniform on (see middle figure bellow) I decided to use this as my template...

I have no other excuse for going for this 'look' other than I thought that it looked very smart! 😁 Although, for a brief moment I flitted with the idea of the light blue uniform ('Bavarian' according to the pictures titles) but in the end I plumped for the darker blue design.

So, let's pop some paint pots!

I always start by painting the flesh tones [using Valajo zzz] and work my way 'out'. So it's (usually something like) skin, hat and boots, trousers, then jacket, accessories (webbing and weapons) and then - finally - details like facial features and insignia...

As I have mentioned before, building up the colour areas from bottom to top gives you some latitude to clean up mistakes (like accidentally painting over into other areas). Believe me, I make a lot of mistakes and have to do plenty of touching up! 😁

About Types of Paints...
I should mention here that I am using acrylic (water based) modelling paints, because that is what I had to hand. This is OK if your peg models are for your own please of for display BUT if your are making your peg figure for use as toys for younger children then you should look into using child safe paints.

I'll be experimenting with a small range of child safe paints (like 'Painter's Touch' made by Rust-Oleum) for a test figure I will be making just to see what these type of paints are like to work with. The down side of converting to child safe painting is that I will have to purchase all new paints and it will take time - and some expense - to build up as good a range of colours that I have at the moment with my Vallejo collection. 😕

Aside from the Vallejo brand I like using Tamiya acrylics as they cover very well.
But what you decide to chose may very well depend on what range is most
readily available in your locale.

As I say, if you are making peg figures for your own pleasure - as I am - then you do not have to worry so much about this. Just bear this in mind if you are thinking of giving one of your models to a young child as a gift.

The Prussian Blues...
OK, moving one. Naturally the highlight of this unit's uniforms is the jacket colour - which is usually the defining recognition colour of any military unit. For the Prussians of this period we are talking [a] 'dark blue' and - indeed - Vallejo does have what it called a 'Prussian Blue' in it's range. HOWEVER, as usual, there is some debate among military modellers (as there usually is, because they like to be contrary) about what 'Prussian Blue' actually is! But, to be fair, if you look at the available reference illustrations it can varies quite a lot, as you can see in these two examples (both of which differ from the picture I am using as reference, see above)... 

...From a kind of charcoal grey-blue to and deep navy blue there's a bit of a discrepancy among illustrations. Even when I referred to the usually reliable fall-back - which is Osprey's Men at Arms books ('German Armies 1870-71') - I only managed to confuse myself further with a rendition of 'Prussian Blue' which was more of a rich Royal Blue! 😖

Will the real Prussian Blue stand up, please? 😄

So... For the sake of my own sanity - and recognising that my soldiers are toy soldiers and not museum quality display pieces - I'm just going to use Vallejo's Dark Prussian Blue straight out the bottle! One of the advantages of doing this is that it is then easy to replicate this exact uniform colour in the future should I want to do more Prussians.

[Side note: OK, I took the easy way out BUT there is method in my madness. I had already done some preliminary research for this project and a little problem I noted straight away was that most of the uniforms of the Franco-Prussian War - French or German Confederation - were dark blue! So there is a danger of not being easily able to discern one of my model units from another on the game table. So, if I can at least moderate the range of blues a bit there will at least be some welcome variation in uniform types. Not historically accurate, but they are just pegs soldiers!]

Back to the Painting...
Working up through the layers of the uniform - repeating the process for each of the soldiers in the unit -  I slowly build up a completely painted figure. It can be a little laborious, but I am just doing six figure units due to the fact that I am utilising Bob Cordery's 'Portable Wargame' rules. I can only imagine how long it would take were I to make the larger units required by other traditional wargame rules! 😫

Above: Example of the 'Portable War Game' rules in action! You can see how
this small scale format is more akin to a board-game in it's use of a tile system
which can fit on a dining table (though it is scale-able). Likewise, the units in
use are representative, which means they include fewer numbers of individual
figures standing in for large regiments. Photo credit: John's Wargame Page Blog.

Phew! That scary thought to one side, I do find the repetitive nature of doing the same figure over and over quite relaxing. It's quite calming and takes my mind off the stresses of life - which is nice as we all go through some of the big challenges that are being thrown at us.

Beginning with the big areas I slowly move until I end up with the smallest detail and that's when things start to get tricky. These peg soldiers are of my original 'Mk. 1' style, which means most of the detail is painted on - from arms to belts and from piping, insignia and buttons - so things tend to get slower as you approach the end of the job. I usually end up painting on the face and the tricky bits like unit badges last, the cherry on the cake so to speak.

Above: I decided to go with a bluer blue for my Prussians, in line
with the original reference picture I chose (see top of page). 

(This laborious amount of detail is the reason I evolved my 'Mk. 2' figures with the addition of modelled accessories and added parts. So there is less intensive painting.)

Unfortunately, I had already started this project using my original peg soldier style, so I will have to continue with that format in order to get a consistent look. I am a bit OCD like that! 😉

The moment I put that last bit of paint on is sooooo satisfying! Yay! I tend to finish off the painting process by adding the facial features of my model, it seems appropriate as the face is what gives my little peg people their character. 

I should note at this point that for some of these tiny details  which I add last that I tend to use acrylic-based POSCA pens the nibs of which are great for applying little dots of paint...

Above: Painting of my Prussian completed and compared to a French
counterpart. Both are now ready to varnish...

But that's not the end, there are jobs like the unit base to paint as well and then there is the application of the protective coat of varnish. The unit base is painted with the same grass green as my figures mini bases, I has flirted with the idea of painting the larger unit base with national colours to make unit identification easier (or at least painting the factions flag on the base). Alternatively, I guess I could have drilled a hole and fixed a national flag in the base? But, I kinda prefer the simpler, cleaner look of plain green

Varnishing is the absolutely final job and I find this a little stressful. I use a aerosol spray lacquer and just every so often things can go a bit wrong. Over-spraying and temperature can play their part in my fears of what can go wrong at the last moment.

Over-spraying is a danger as the misconception for novices is that spraying a think coat of gloss varnish will result in a commensurately high-gloss finish. Not so, over-spraying can lead to dripping where the excess gloss can runs down the model spoiling it. Worse, than that though is when the temperature is too cold or the weather too damp (if you spray outside) and the cold and moisture can adversely affect the gloss - you can also get sputtering - and I have had a couple of models end up with the varnish discolouring with a cloudy sheen.

So, varnishing must be done with care, patience and preparation. If you chose to spray on your varnish it should be done in a clean area of moderate temperature (preferable well ventilated). The coat should be applied in multiple light coats and not in one thick one. Spray a light coat and wait and then only apply another if you feel you need to.

Above all let your varnish dry (cure) properly. This may take up to a few days!

Cover your model after spraying to avoid dust settling on the wet varnish. There is nothing worse than having done a careful job making and painting your figure than getting a speck of dust right in the middle of a light area (so it's really obvious). I usually place my freshly varnished models under a box or clear food dome of some kind.

[I am currently planning to experiment with painting on my varnish coats rather than spraying. There are pros and cons to this change in my method of application.]

In Conclusion...
Well, that's the (my) painting process. I'm definitely not say this is 'the' way to paint your models as you have to develop your own painting strategy, but this is what is working for me at the moment.

Link: See the complete series of 'Operation Pickelhaube' project posts.

Weekend Shenanigans

 It's been a busy week and not much has been going on in the little world of Molatero. Mainly it's been 'real life' stuff and work (boooo) but I have managed to move a few of my projects on a stage.

Principally, I finally got around to priming my Prussians. I've been priming so much lately that I actually ran out of primer and so had to pick up a new can (of Rustolium spray primer instead of my usual bargain basement el-cheapo primer)...

To be honest, I didn't notice that much difference between my usual cheap primer and a more expensive named brand. Lesson learned I guess. But, I still love the look of a freshly primed model for some reason and I was very happy with the way my Prussians are going.

Repairing Breakages...
A little something I learned this week was a tip about repairing broken wooden parts. I happened to snap one of the components for one of my Halloween characters (right at the last minute - I was fuming). Because it was such a small part simply gluing the bit back on was not really a option as it was so small it would undoubtedly be apt to break off again very easily, yet I was reluctant to simply bin the part and start again from scratch...

I have been watching a few YouTube videos about renovating old die-cast toy cars lately (living on the edge) and the guys who do these video regularly use a repair technique utilising super glue and baking powder!

I'd never hear of this before, but the baking powder - when sprinkled onto a super glued repair - creates a very resilient joint. So I thought I'd give it a try...

The above picture shows the part I broke - I highlighted the line of the break with black pen - and as you can imagine this part is quite thin and so doesn't present a lot of options whereby I could reinforce any repair (on larger parts I might have drilled a couple of pilot holes into which I could insert a reinforcing piece of wire).

The baking soda and super glue trick worked marvellously well and did indeed dry into a rock hard bond which I could sand back so that the join was almost invisible (which is why I had to use a black pen to emphasise when the break was)!

Very pleased with a new technique in my model making skill set!

Halloween Characters - Construction Complete
I know I'm running behind with these figures but luckily for me they are just as suitable as Christmas stocking fillers as Halloween gifts (if you have identified who these characters are you will understand what I mean)...

They got delayed due to the fact that I decided to add the more than usual sculpted detail using Milliput. Aside from the female character's long hair and skirt I added some lapels and frock coat tails to the male figure...

I never intended to include so many sculpted parts on any of my peg figures - which are by definition intended to be very simplified and stylised caricatures - but, to be honest, I enjoy messing about with Milliput so much I just can't resist adding additional detail where it seems appropriate. These horror themed characters seems to be crying out for some fancy add-ons! 😁

I don't think this will become a norm for the rest of my peg soldiers though.

Featured Peg Soldier Model for October

Now, this is just fantastic! As you may know, I started a 'Peg Soldier FaceBook Group' a couple of weeks ago and things have been progressing nicely. I was very pleased that the group achieved 40 odd members fairly quickly and several have already posted up pictures of some of the things that they have worked on before...BUT...

Yesterday a member posted up a photo of his very first attempt at a peg soldier which he just started after joining the group. I am so chuffed! And it's a little cracker too...

What makes this little fellow - a modern British Fusilier - even more special is that his creator - Paul Mundey - is a Fusilier himself! How good is that?

I love the idea that might have helped inspire - in a small way - someone else to become involved in a craft hobby for the first time. And for a first attempt I think the little soldier is absolutely charming.

All the best to all my readers and I hope that you are all well and keeping your moral up during these difficult times. 👍