'Monstrous' from RichardC: 1970-something, Saturday, 10pm, BBC2

For those of us of a certain age, late-night Saturday TV viewing in the late 1970s meant one thing - the “Monster Double Bill.” Every week, there would be a pair of horror films, usually following the format of a 1930s RKO feature starring such greats as Karloff, Lugosi and Chaney, after which they screened a second, more recent film – by recent, I mean anything from a 1950s Vincent price flick to a Hammer Horror. In my mid teens at the time, I would watch these with my older brothers, who would do their best to scare me.

A couple of years earlier, my brother started making plastic kits of classic horror stars made by Aurora. These must have been the re-issues, as the kits contained fluorescent, “glow in the dark” parts which would lend an eerie green glow to the bedroom. I remember buying the guillotine kit, and having hours of fun watching the head of the aristo falling into the basket.

The kit I always wanted was Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s creature – sadly now expensive, even if you can find one for sale.

My entry for the Monstrous round is a slightly smaller version. Here is my version of the 54mm kit by Andrea Miniatures, and available in the UK from Historex Agents.

A simple kit of only seven parts, I decided to chance my hand and paint it in greyscale thanks to a comment by Mr Awdrey who suggested that my childhood round should be in greyscale, as “everything was black and white in those days!”

The paintjob itself was pretty straightforward, with a number of ink washes and dry-brushing – as this was my first attempt at the genre, I am quite pleased with the result.

I even followed the practice of a small splash of red (a vivid scar on his temple, and where his manacles chaffed) which, according to Michael A is acceptable in this genre.

 The only extra I added was a 1/35^th scale rat from Jon Smith Modellbau which I had spare from a WW1 project.

'Childhood' from RichardC: A Hobble Down Memory Lane

The Childhood bonus round was the one I was really looking forward to. However, as with much of this year’s Challenge, real life has got in the way. A few weeks ago, I visited the doctor with what I hoped was a minor ailment. Last week, I had a group of medical students staring at me whilst a consultant barked questions at them. A couple of hours later, I woke after emergency surgery. As a result, sitting for any length of time is difficult and painful – painting has literally become a pain in the back!!!.

Enough of my woes, on to the theme. It was my father who engendered my interest in ancient Greeks, and here is one of my all-time favourite figures. He is 54mm, and from the Herald range from Britains, and he probably helped start me on the figure collecting obsession. My two older brothers and I had a number of these with which to do battle, together with Timpo crusaders and knights. In 1973, my brothers painted the Airfix OO/HO scale Romans and Britains together with the fort for me, but sadly these have long since disappeared. Many thousands of Airfix Napoleonics were painted and then left behind at university or in various house moves.

Then when I was 11, I discovered metal figures – Hinchliffe and Minifigs. They were expensive by my pocket money standards – 6p for a foot figure, but I was hooked. Every Saturday, I would visit War and Pieces in Rochdale, spending hours peering through the small drawers at the figures within. Eventually, I would have chosen half a dozen figures covering a variety of periods, and I would go home a happy lad. The shop owner even let me exhibit my meagre efforts in the shop window from time to time.

Now my original plan was to array a number of my favourite childhood figures next to their modern equivalent. This would show the huge leaps forward in sculpting and casting over the last 40-odd years. The Greek officer by Garrison, Marshal Ney by Foremost, the Roman centurion by Warrior, the 20mm Niblett ECW figures. Sadly, they are all in the lead pile in the attic, and therefore unavailable to me until I get full mobility back. Therefore only a single figure this time, but one of my favourite historical figures. Here is Front Rank’s Marshal Jean Baptiste Bessieres next to his 1970s Minifig version. I still have most of the Minifigs French General Staff, but at some point in the past, they went into the paint stripper – so I can’t show you what my painting skills as a 14 year old were like. He was fun to paint, and I’m pretty pleased with the result – if only my photography was better. I know he will put in an appearance before the end of the Challenge if I can get my act together. First the original 25mm Minifigs Bessieres.

Then the newly painted Front Rank Bessieres:-

 Here are the pair of them together as a comparison:-

I have, however a single Roman cavalryman by Hinchliffe – one of the first figures I bought (either from a shop in Hyde near Manchester or Bradford’s Train Shop Supermarket – 3 floors of models, including one devoted to figures!) – he must date from about 1974 (I bought him after reading an article on ancients in Military Modelling magazine). At some point, he fell in battle, never to be seen again, however many, many years later, whilst digging over the garden of my childhood home, my father found him and returned him to me – a nice memory.

The quality of figures has certainly improved over the years, but I do still like the “old school” chunky figures of my childhood. This has been a fun trip down memory lane.

1 x Front Rank 28mm mounted figure. Base by War Bases. 10 Points

'Music/Musician' from RichardC: How many drummers does it take to change a lightbulb?

So, It’s the Musician round. As I couldn’t find anyone who does 28mm figures of Rush, Zeppelin, Floyd or Zappa, I had to fall back on the ever faithful Napoleonics. I have a long term project to paint the mounted trumpeters of La garde Imperiale, but that will have to wait – I’d been sent an email with the latest releases from Warlord Games.

A quick order, and the Corps of Drums of the Imperial Guard Grenadiers landed on my doorstep.

The figures themselves are really nicely sculpted, with a lot less flash than some manufacturers I could mention – the model of Drum Master is a particular little beauty, with a really expressive face that my painting efforts cannot do justice.

I have plenty of reference material for these chaps, so getting the correct lace and colours was no problem.

Who knows, maybe the whole Band will put in an appearance before the end of the Challenge?

By the way, how many drummers does it take to change a lightbuld? A. Ten, nine to change the lightbulb, and the other nine to say how much better Neil Peart would have done it – badoom tish!!!

9 x 28mm Warlord Games figures, Warbases.

'BFG' from RichardC: 28mm Figure & Big Gun

Hmmm, how to represent a large gun in a small scale? At first, I thought of going back to my childhood. In those days, my Napoleonic obsession had not yet consumed my interest in ancients and the World Wars, and one of the kits I coveted was a railway gun – well, they are certainly big (even in a small scale). I am lucky enough to work near the Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson near Portsmouth. They have an 18” Howitzer rail gun – so at least I could get my research material right - http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/military-history/first-world-war/art450308

But no, the thought of small fiddly bits of plastic didn’t do it for me (my last foray into the Painting Challenge saw more than one 28mm plastic skeleton’s foot go ping and hurtling off the work area).

What about a Napoleonic cannon? Once again, cinema provided the answer. I recently acquired a copy of a movie from my childhood. Saturday afternoons on BBC2 were usually the home of westerns, but occasionally a film came along that was right up my street – I plumped for “The Pride and the Passion.”

Directed in 1957 by Stanley Kramer, it is based on the 1933 novel “The Gun” by C.S. Forester. In it, a Royal Navy officer (Cary Grant) is sent to Spain to obtain a massive cannon for British forces. First he must help the Spanish guerrilla leader (played by Frank Sinatra – stop laughing at the back!!!) and his moll (Sophia Loren) transport the gun 1000km to capture the fortress of Avila.

Actually, it is a pretty good film, although the uniforms do raise the eyebrows – the somewhat square bearskins of General Jouvet (a carpet-chewing performance by Theodore Bikel) being a case in point.

On to the model. I decided to use the 54mm English Civil War cannon made by A Call to Arms as it was a pretty close representation of The Gun – it is quite a rugged looking beast, and pretty close to the right size when used with 28mm figures. I didn’t find a Spaniard who looked close enough to Frank, nor did I find a suitable Sophia – the Victorian “lady of the night” from Wargames Foundry was just a bit too small.

I had a choice for the figure of Anthony Trumbull. Both Brigade and Capitan do rather nice RN figures. As I didn’t trust the transatlantic post over Christmas, I chose Capitan – BAD, BAD mistake. Over 6 weeks after ordering, they still haven’t arrived. A couple of emails ago, I got a reply saying they would get back to me (deafening silence) – they are off my Christmas card list!!!

Instead, I grabbed the French ADC from Gringo40 out of the lead pile, and set at him with scalpel, file and green stuff. From a distance, I think he works fine.

Now all I have to do is post this, and hope that the delights of the pub haven’t affected the Minion too much ;-)

Richard C, 1 x 28mm Gringo40s; 1 x A Call to Arms 54mm cannon - say 20 points?

'Antihero' from RichardC - 'You Can't Park There!'

Now I have to start by saying that, as a born and bred Lancastrian, my choice of anti-hero is somewhat odd. I'€™ve chosen King Richard the Third of the House of York. For those who don't know, Lancaster and York were (and indeed are) rivals. This rivalry came to a head in a little disagreement back in the 15th Century which became known as the Wars of the Roses. The red rose of Lancaster was finally triumphant at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, where King Richard was killed. His body was buried in the grounds of Greyfriars Priory where it lay largely forgotten for more than 500 years.

Why is he an anti-hero? Well, you can blame William Shakespeare. Writing under a Tudor monarch, he followed the time-honoured tradition of flattering ones patrons whilst also rubbishing their opponents. Shakespeare'€™s Richard is a venal, scheming, murderous villain, whose physical disabilities are a mirror of his twisted morals. The reality is, of course, somewhat different. Richard'€™s reign actually saw a man who did what he thought was best for the stability of his country. That said, I was lucky enough to have front row seats for a performance last year with the fantastic Martin Freeman as Richard III, the first two rows were given old shirts to wear, as the final scenes saw a large amount of blood spurting across the stage!

In 2011, archaeologists started digging in the Council car park looking for the grave. A skeleton with severe spinal curvature was discovered, and, following DNA tests from Richard's descendents, was identified as the last Plantagenet monarch.

I also have a personal reason for choosing Richard (apart from sharing his name). My mother, whose family came from Sheffield in Yorkshire, suffered from scoliosis as did Richard. She felt a sense of empathy with him, and followed the story of his discovery with great interest. She told me that she wanted to send a white rose to the site of his re-burial (she also felt it should be York Minster rather than Leicester Cathedral). Sadly, she'€™s not able to do so, but I will fulfill her wish and send a tribute.

The figure is a wonderful casting by Perry Miniatures, and was a pleasure to paint. I'€™m eternally grateful that he isn't depicted in full heraldic splendour, as my painting skills (and eyesight) just wouldn't be up to it!

'Comedic' by RichardC - 'A Salute to Boney'

A Walk in the Park – Paris, August 1815

This was one of the bonus rounds where I changed my mind a few times. My first ideas were cinematic (Monty Python played a large part in my younger days!). A chance comment from my boss Jeremy Green set my thoughts to this seen. Jeremy can’t understand my strong interest in Napoleon (or the “French Hitler” as he frequently refers to him). How would a similar soldier react on meeting the Emperor?

The model depicts two soldiers of the 2nd Bn 35th (Sussex) Regiment strolling through a park in Paris during the occupation which followed Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo. They come across a statue of Napoleon, and salute him in the time-honoured British tradition.

The 35th played a relatively small part in the Napoleonic Wars (Maida, the Ionian Islands, the Netherlands in 1814), but they did take part in the 100 Days. They formed part of Colville’s 4th Division, with 564 All Ranks stationed at Hal to stop the French, should they have broken the main army, and protect the main road to Brussels. Their Colonel was the Duke of Richmond, and it was his wife Charlotte who hosted the famous ball on the 15th of June. The Regiment had the unique distinction of orange facings to its uniforms – a mark of respect from King William III reflecting its origins in Ireland in 1701.

The two British soldiers are from Westfalia Miniatures (available in the UK via Empress). The pigeon-poop covered statue of Napoleon is a really nice 40mm figure from First Legion in the US (the postage was three times the price of the figure). The eagle on the plinth is actually part of a 200mm figure of Napoleon in his coronation robes.

Great fun to paint British Napoleonics for a change.

'Hot' from RichardC - 'Napoleon and Ozymandias'

 

As soon as the bonus round themes were announced, I started coming up with ideas. Some rounds were obvious, others have undergone three or four changes. The “hot” round is one of the former.

I bought this Brigade figure of Napoleon in Egypt way back last summer (I think the one day of sunshine we had inspired me). The figure is very nicely sculpted, although the camel did have a fair amount of flash to dispose of. I was, however, stumped about the basing, as I felt that a simple sandy base wouldn’t have the oomph factor.

I was watching a thriller on tv where a vital clue turned out to be the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley:

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away. 

I had my idea for the base. Originally, it was to be a 54mm Pharoah painted as a statue, but then I spotted the “shattr’d visage” on the Element Games website. I hacked off all the large scarab beetles (or I thought I had – one escaped, and was only spotted after the painting started).

Many thanks go to the Awdry Towers Photographic Studios.

'Myth' from RichardC - 'Jason Battles the Skeletons'

The Children of the Hydra’s teeth

For this round, I went back to my first great love – the myths of the Greeks. My father used to tell me these wonderful stories, and gradually, I came to know these characters (I would actually go on to study Classics at university).

It does help, of course, if there’s a rattling good film made of the subject. And there is no better “Sword and Sandal” epic that Jason and the Argonauts. Made in the year I was born, 19…..ahem, it features the wonderful creations of the later Ray Harryhausen.

Yes, for my Myth entry, I’ve plumped for skeletons and Greeks! I’ve played slightly with the timeframe. Jason has killed the Hydra and is about to liberate the golden fleece. Meanwhile King Aeetes of Colchis has thrown the beast’s teeth into the earth and summoned forth its children – armed skeletons.

The skeletons are from Wargames factory, the Greeks (including shield transfers) are from Warlord games. The tree and fleece are from Steve Barber Models, ruins from Ral Partha and the figure of Jason was the free miniature given away at Salute two years ago.

I really enjoyed this diversion from my normal period, but I think I will carry on painting up a few Napoleonics.