A quick paint conversion of the Del Prado King Gustavus Adolphus figure into a 1690 dragoon. This was a paint conversion with very little surgery being done:
My next figure will have the lace on the collar filed back as it shows up on the finished model.
From French Marshal to Hamilton's Horse.
The Del Prado figure of Marshal Turenne, Battle of the Dunes 1658 is a good size to match my 54mm collection and wears a uniform suitable for the 1690 campaign in Ireland. Unfortunately he is waving a baton rather than a sword. However, I was able to buy some sword arms and other bits from Tradition of London and quickly replaced his right arm.
The Turenne figure is quite common and can be found cheaply on eBay. I now have five. My plan is to create two four figure mounted regiments.
Otherwise the figure was pretty much good to go. I decided to paint the figure as Williamite Hamilton's Horse, with grey tunic, faced in red. The horse was repainted too:
Hamilton's Horse is on the left, with Turenne in black on the right:
In my previous post there was some discussion about the varying scales amongst Del Prado figures. Here is an example. Two figures from the same range, on the left Frederick Henry II of Orange and on the right a British Dragoon 1704. It can be seen that the left hand figure is much larger in height and bulk:
If using these figures alongside conventional 54mm castings care is needed to determine their size before investing in them.
I have been after some cavalry for my Jacobite Rising scenarios for some time. In 54mm scale, metal cavalry work out to be quite expensive, with a painted figure coming in at around £100. I need four regiments of four figures each.
However, there is an inexpensive source in the shape of Del Prado figures. In their 'Cavalry through the ages' range there are a few figures that would fit the late 1600 - mid 1700 period. One such figure is the 'Blenheim Dragoon'. These were available in large numbers and can be picked up for £ 3-4 secondhand. The paintwork is a little dull and scruffy in places, but with some touching up and new facings they look quite good.
Here are the first three regiment:
I am looking at other figures in the range, especially to provide cavalry for my 1690 collection. More on that to come.
Last weekend I painted some more 54mm Williamite period troops. This time it was some British infantry from Irregular Miniatures. In fact they are from the Marlburian range but Ian Kay very kindly changed the heads to incorporate the broad brimmed hat that preceded the tricorne.
These troops are from Kirke's Irish Regiment that fought with King Billy in 1690. They were a delight to paint, only taking a few hours using speed paints:
On Wednesday I thought that I would experiment some more with my 'Army Painter Speedpaints' by painting a small unit of 54mm Scots. In all I painted five figures to add to three previously painted. To begin, I sprayed the figures with rattle can white primer, which is the key to getting the right results with these paints.
I then painted the face and lighter areas, working up to the darker tones. In all it took me about three to four hours over several sessions in the day to complete the figures. Once dry, I took them into the garden and gave them a spray of matt varnish:
The figures are from Irregular Miniatures 54mm range, listed as ECW/Jacobite highlanders. I think that the result is quite acceptable for wargame figures, although I don't think they would pass muster in a figure painting competition.
