Jean Höfler Figures 1 and Ray's 500th post

Some of the older followers of my blog will recognize this figure for sure. The younger ones amongst you maybe not. This fellow is one of the oldest figures I have in my collection. I played with this kind of figures when I was a kid and also did my grown sons. I painted a lot of the cowboys as cavalry figures for the kids, but now I decided to paint them again in various outfits. Here is the first of many I hope. The painting of these figures will go on on irregular base. Let's say when I'm in the mood. Not only the figures are asking to be repainted but also a little town and fort of this range.

I have my inspiration from this webside: http://www.figuren.miniatures.de/jean-hoefler-421-cowboys.html. And if you want to see how the whole collection looks like, then have a look here: http://www.angelfire.com/biz/toysoldierhq/Jean.html.

I'm always looking on fleemarkets and second hand stores to find more of these figures. My latest purchase were six knights for half an euro. Good deal!

Enjoy the pictures! 

There was something else I was supposed to talk about??? Oh yes, Ray's 500th post on his blog. The good man is organizing a Blog Give Away on his blog for this occasion. He also asked what the best post was on his blog. For me that was for sure the one where Ray won a set of brushes on another blog give away. The same brushes that his good friend Fran wanted to win. In one of his following post Ray gave them to Fran, but they weren't good anymore. Looks like chewed on them before. Made me laugh a lot.

You want to see and read more about the give away, then give his blog Don't throw a 1 a visit! Up to your next 500 post Ray! Congrats!

Welcome to my blog!!!!!

FIGZ 2015 Special Waterloo Project

One of the members of Benno's Forum came up with an idea to make this years meeting something special in rememberence of the Battle of Waterloo 200 years ago. He called it: "The Bennos Figures Forum Waterloo Project or short the BFFFWP". 

Main thing is he wants to make a rather big diorama with figures from different manufacturers and painted by as many as possible, members of the forum. I must say that he had big responce and the project is at this moment in his final stage.

The diorama will be shown for the first time at the meeting in Arhnem. More information about the meeting can be found here: http://www.figz.nl/ .

More information about how the project is going can be found here and some pictures of the painted figures, here.

So if you don't know what to do on the 7th of June, come and give us a visit in Arnhem! Hope to see you over there!

The next figure was my contribution for the project. He is the Chief of staff from the Prussian Army, Gneisenau. This metal figure is from Art Miniaturen. I hope you like him.

Also welcome to a new follower:

- Mr. Andrea from Flowersinyourcannons.

Welcome to my blog!!!!!

Hat 8300 Spanish Light Infantry

Busy, busy, busy! That's all I can tell about this period of the year! To much things going on and almost no time for the blog. Finally I found a little gap to post something. I must excuse that I din't comment all the comments in the previous post, but I will catch up on that next week, after the birthdays of my youngest son and my dearest wife. It's a promise.

After the colourfull figures in the previous post I present you some troops in white uniforms. These are the first figures of a little Spanish army I want to paint. The other troops are still in the mail, but they should arrive next week I hope! I ordered also some flags from Rofur.

White uniforms are not the easiest to paint, but I think the way I paint them now is good! First a layer of white paint, then a grey wash (Vallejo) and then a highlighting of the upper parts. It gives a good shading on them. I also like the contrast with the brighter colours, in this case some purple and red.

Well enough blabla, time for some pictures!

As you can see there are no command figures in this set! Hat was clever enough to make a seperate set with command figures for all three infantry sets.

This set of Light Infantry are mostly action figures. The Grenadiers and Line Infantry sets are more marching sets. I hope I can show them to you later on this year.

This picture and the one above I used for the Paiinting Competition at Benno's!

Some more from different angles.

I hope you like them!

Also welcome to some new followers:

- shintokamikaze from Shinto Kamikaze's Zed Men Walking and Republic The Irish Civil War Game. I've some great buildings on his blogs! Have a look for yourself!

- JoelAnderssonNet.. Could n't find a blog of you, so if you have one please send me the link.

Welcome to my blog!!!!!

My own army!

Just a small post. And only two figures! These figures were actually painted for a duel on Benno's Figures Forum. But for some reason the duel never took place. So I decided that it was time that I show them here.

The figures are from the Hat 8252 French Light Infantry Chasseur Command set. A review of the figures can be seen here on Plastic Soldier Review.

The rules for this duel were sort of:

- Two Napoleonic Figures

- Painted in your own colours

- Based

- With flag

The main colours I used for these figures are purple and yellow for the jacket, green for the trousers, red for the straps. Then some silver and black to finish them. The flag is a bit with the same colours, made of a paperprint.

In fact it was fun painting these, because of "not historical" at all! Just playing with some colours and that's it! I might do some more in the future, when I'm in the mood for it!

I hope you like them.

Also welcome to a new follower:

- TamsinP from a blog called Wargaming Girl. She is member of the famous "Rejects" and at this moment she is a really painting machine! She's taking part in The Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge and with a current 8 place on 71 contributors she's doing fantastic!

Welcome to my blog!!!!!

Caesar Dwarves 7-8-9/10

Again these are some figures that were lying around and been asking to finish them painting. Now I only have to paint one of the poses of this set, the one with the banner, but I still don't know what I would paint on it. So that one has to wait a little while before he gets the last layers of paint.

In the mean while I received some single sprues with Dwarves from Dark Allience. I will try to paint them just like I painted these from Caesar. The green colours must stay the main colours.

Here are some pictures with all nine of them together.

Now that makes a nice opponent for the Goblins and Orcs I painted earlier!

Also welcome to a new follower:

- José Rocha. I couldn't find out if you have a blog or not José. So if you have one, could you please send me a link?

Welcome to my blog!!!!!

Hat 8002 Prussian Dragoons

As this is the year of the 200th anniversary of the "Battle of Waterloo", there will be always some figures of this battle on my painting table this year. And as Ray said I have to paint more figures this year as last year. So I try to do so! And no Pascal I didn't paint 8002 of them. It's just the number of the box!

This set is one of the first Hat brought on the market. In 1996 to be more specific. The figures as the horses don't have many details, but are nice sculpted. The plastic is a bit hard, harder as the plastic they use these days. Hardest part for me was to get the blue right. The Prussian army had a rather dark blue, going to black. First I tried a blue with a black wash, but I didn't like the result. So I overpainted them with a darker blue, without doing shadings. After this I decided to paint them very simple, and I'm pleased with the result. When I have some more figures painted, others than these, I will base them in one rush. Untill then they will go in a box.

Painted them as the 1st Regiment Dragoons (red colours) and used the colour plates of the wonderfull Les Uniformes pendant la campagne des Cent Jours - Belgique 1815 site. Very usefull for who is looking for information about uniforms during the battle of Waterloo.

A review of this set can be found on Plastic Soldier Review.

Time for some pictures:

I hope you like them.

Also welcome to some new followers:

- The Happy Whisk from The Happy Whisk. This lady does a lot with cooking, but also have a lot of fun posts.

- RMacedo NoVember from One Fine Day In August. He says that I'm a better painter as he is! Well I can tell you he is wrong. He's the better painter!

And some more promotion on this event, I must, because I seem to have a contract with Remco!

Welcome to my blog!!!!!

Revell 2605 French Knight and 2606 English Foot Soldiers

After painting all those Natal figures, I wanted to paint some bigger figures, so my eyes could take a rest. By getting older I can't see that good anymore. I'm getting more and more problems to see the little details like buttons and so on. That's why it is good that I have some of these scale figures. And it is very relaxing to paint these.

Lovely sculpted figures and a joy to paint. The knight is the first one of this set, the others are still in the box, but I hope I can paint them later on. The English Foot Soldiers are the last ones I have. Maybe I find the others back when I have a look at the attick, but at this moment you'll have to do with these.

For the English soldiers I took the same colour scheme as the archer I painted some while ago. If you had missed it you can have a look here: Revell English Archer.

The knight is painted in a colour scheme I liked. Nothing historical, so don't start looking for this heraldy.

Enough blabla, time for the pictures.

I hope you like them!

Also welcome to a new follower:

- Pete from SP's Projects Blog

Welcome to my blog!!!!!