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.

Operation Pickelhaube Part 4

 ...And we get to the last part of the construction of my peg Prussians! 

Funnily enough, I've left one of the most distinctive parts of the Prussian's uniform to last- the Spitze....Er, that's the spike on the helmet! 😊

After a quick think I decided on a good old cocktail stick for the spike,cocktail sticks are great! So, I began by drilling a pilot hole in the top of the helmet to attach my fake spike...

The hole prepared - the exact diameter of a cocktail stick - I began to whittle my little spike. I cut a length of the stick (about 7mm) and glued it into the hole with about 4mm protruding.

Once the glue was dry and the top of the stick was firmly held in place I *carefully* sanded a rounded point to the spike.Then I *gently* filed this into a sort of acorn shape. Remember, these figures are caricatures so it doesn't have to be exact nor does everyone have to be identical - just a rough approximation.

I'm quite pleased with the helmets, though still a little confused about whether this shape of Picklehaulbe is accurate to 1870 - reference illustrations varied, some suggesting that an older taller version was in use and some suggesting that this latter flatter one was. Still, as I say, this is just a caricature and not a 'display model'.

The final job was the addition of the boots. I reverted to my older technique of using Milliput putty to create the toes of the boots. All of this series of models for my Franco-Prussian War set are of what I call my 'Mk. 1 peg soldier' style, as I later changed the way I modelled shoes to a quicker and easier method.

That done and dried it's time to prime the models ready for painting!

Operation Pickelhaube Part 3

 Moving on with my little Prussians, it's time to add their rifles. I should say, I haven't gone for realism with these at all - in keeping with the rest of my simplified cartoon peg soldiers' look - and they are just recognisably rifles. They aren't modelled on the real Prussian rifles of the Franco-Prussian war - Dreyse "needle-gun" rifle - and are a bit over-sized, again because my soldiers are sort of cartoon figures.

Anyway, fixing the guns in place. Surprise - it ain't rocket science! 😂

However, I do take the additional precaution of pinning my guns as well as gluing them as these are just the sort of additional objects that have a knack of getting snapped off, especially if your toy soldiers are for use in the rough and tumble of war-gaming.

I begin by applying a light dot of glue to the parts and then I attach the rifle in place. As these are what I call my 'Mk. 1' peg soldiers - and so things like arms and hands are simply painted on - I tend do go for the 'Order Arms' pose where the rifle sits on the ground and is held with the right hand. 

Once the glue sets and the rifle is fairly secure I then drill a small hole through the 'action' of the rifle right into the peg figure's body. This is where I will insert the pin so your drill needs to compliment the size of pin you are using...

The pins I use are 'Panel Pins' and are usually about 15-20mm long with a slightly enlarged 'head'. To accommodate the head - so that the pin doesn't show - you need to enlarge the hole top a wee bit, then I drip a little drop of glue into the hole and insert the pin...

Depending how deep I have drilled the pilot hole you might need to trim you panel pin to fit. You want to make it so that the head of the pin lays inside the counter-sunk hole you have made. If you make a good job of it you may not have to cover the pin head with filler to hide it...

And there you go, this should be nice and secure. I just have to add some detail to the Prussians' helmets and add some boots (just the toes) and that's the model complete. 😊

Incidentally, I came across a wonderful video of a reenactment of Prussian soldiers using their Dreyse "needle-gun" rifles in action against some unfortunate Austrian infantry armed with less advanced mussel loaders (during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866)...

When the Prussians met the French in battle four years later then did not have such a technological advantage as was shown in the above video. The French were armed with the Fusil modèle 1866 'Chasspot' rifle, which had several advantaged over the Prussian rifle. Sadly, as with so many of the French arms innovations of the 1870s this advantage was not enough to save the French and the German Confederation were the ultimate victors!

Operation Pickelhaube Part 2

 I shocked that this particular project has been on the back-burner since MAY 2018! What the heck have I been doing? 😕😂

Just to recap, this is part of my Franco-Prussian War 1870-71 (Wikipedia link) war-gaming set and is the first of three North German Confederation infantry 'regiments', this being soldiers of The Kingdom of Prussia...

Above: The uniform I'm going for for this peg regiment is the middle
illustration, which I believe is 'Infantry of the Line'.

Now, when I left off I had just made the basic peg body and I have created a set of simple bowl shapes out of Milliput putty for the distinctive Prussian helmets (pickelhaube). All I had to do to finish these was to attach the front and rear peaks, but that's where the project went into a hiatus!

Fast forward to 2020 and I dusted off my little Prussian pegs and got the project rolling again. To begin with, though, I wanted to get these little chaps into formation which meant creating a magnetised unit base for them...

The MDF bases I bought for this project have small holes already cut into them so you can fit 4mm diameter (2mm depth) magnets into them. So, it was simply a case of super-gluing the little round magnets into the holes on the unit base and the holes in the round figure bases to have a nice wooble-free and easily transportable unit.

One this I would say is that I always set my magnets up in a specific polarity, to do this I have a magnet glued to a lolly stick with 'THIS WAY UP' written on it so that all my magnets face the same way. 

Anyway, moving on...

Originally I had it in mind to simply add a couple of half-moon shaped pieces of wood (cut from lolly sticks) to act as the peaks of the helmets BUT this didn't really work out for me. When you look at the real pickelhaube your notice that the peaks don't really stick out and are more flush with the front and back of the head...

My wooden peaks stuck out too much - and yes I know my figures are a bit cartoony so you will be saying 'whats does it matter as long as it's sorta similar', well, it kinda mattered to me (OCD kicks in)...

AND SO...

I did an about turn and decided to sculpt the peaks from Milliput putty, and here's the result (before the putty hardened and any cleaning up was done)...

These rough peaks will be sanded and shaped to look more like my reference photo, but this once again brings up an issue which has niggled me for a while - that of how to make repeatable complex shapes for my peg soldiers?

Carving of sculpting each individual hat or other item of equipment for half-a dozen of more soldiers is a bit of a pain in the posterior. It was monotonous and time consuming enough just doing this six and I don't want to spend all my time making little hats or whatever, can you imagine just how much time that would add up to when creating a complete war game army! Yikes! 😲

I'm going to have to put some serious thought into how I tackle this issue in the future. To be fair, I've already mulled the problem over a bit and my first thought was that I should purchase a resin casting set so I can make moulds of certain parts so I can build up a stock of items and thus make unit construction a quicker process. But this is 2020, after all, and resin casting seems a bit passe! LOL

So, maybe it;s finally time I get with the 21st century and buy myself a little 3D printer? Hmmmmm... (To be continued.)

Operation Pickelhaube

With my French peg soldier unit well underway I am starting to turn my mind to producing a matching German Confederation troop...And - sooner or later - that will mean making some Prussians.

You can't get around it, wargaming the Franco-Prussian War - by definition - means you will be including some Prussian units. And that - in turn - means pickelhaubes!

It's a strange little helmet and I have been a bit baffled how I should model it. I decided to try and cast it - as I will need half a dozen - so I thought I best start with a basic shape which I could then sculpt into the final helmet...

If I started with a simple upturned 'bowl' shape I thought I could make several different shaped helmets. It was a very easy shape to cast but would need mounting on a peg so I could work on the shaping and the adding of the peaks...

However, I wasn't satisfied with the rounded shape...The Pickelhaube isn't really round, it has a flatter top and steep sides (a sort of squished semi-sphere). So I did some sanding and added some peaks using more Milliput putty (and sanded some more) and made another casting...

Second attempt...The sculpt is in the brown Milliput which
was then moulded to give me a working object with which I
can modify further before casting yet again!

I think this is a better shape now, so I can take this on and
make a new working casting.

I know this sounds like a lot of work - with multiple castings - but I decided I want to protect my basic shapes as I go along and then modifying only the resultant copies. This is so that, should I go wrong, I can go back to the previous shape (and mould) and start again.

Making a new mould with Instant Mold...It's a simple matter
of pressing the object to be cast into the softened material.
The Instant Mold hardens again as it cools and then you
have a mould.

And so...Now I have my final mould (my third) I can start banging out my working casts. Luckily, one of the best things about Instant Mold is that you can reuse old moulds by reheating them again, so there is no waste.

Next: Basic shapes done, I can now start to 'decorate' the helmet.