More Hollow Cast Repair Progress

This is a Britains cavalry figure once converted into ACW. His new head is a home casting from the plastic Eyes Right series. It is perhaps slightly too big for this figure but I think it passes muster. The leg is still to be built up with putty.

                           My officer figure now has a new horse leg and blanket roll. The face is undercoated yellow because I happened to be using that colour for kepis on other figures.

                            Also seen here is a Hilco Confederate with new musket arm.

                              A Britains Confederate with spare arm. This one has the original head so I decided to find a home casting carbine arm just like the original had.

                                                    Another spare carbine arm is put to use.

            I have had the guards officer for a while and decided to look for a sword arm for him. The Britains marine I bought for two dollars recently but I don't think I have a spare flag arm.

                                        Another Britains Guardsman to be given a new riflr arm.

     Usually I undercoat but with most of these I am painting straight on metal. I am using some enamels as well as acrylics. The enamel has generally better coverage on metal. I hate the mess and stink but oh well, the sacrifices one has to make for toy soldiers.

           Most of these ACW figures I got from my old friend 'Palmosaurus'.and for very reasonable prices. They have been well wargamed with and have undergone various conversions. These two have some charming new heads although one lack a a nose, something I shall remedy with putty. I am getting close to my standard cavalry unit of twelve figures but am still short by three.

 With all the wonderful, and arguable better sculpted and animated, plastic figures why bother? Well, I do love my plastic Imex, Timpo and  Britains cavalry but there is also something special about these metal figures. I actually don't like the weight of solid metal figures - it becomes tiresome moving large numbers on a movement board around the battlefield. But these figures are hollow so they are a nice medium weight.

They have also survived a long time, and may out survive many plastics that have become brittle. In addition, they have certain historical charm which is not just the history of what they depict but of the time of their manufacture. I also employ a more 'toy soldier' technique of painting them which also has its charm.

Some of the figures I got from Dinosaurus also have names painted under the horses, that I think were the names of actual wargame players; this is especially true of his US mounted or cavalry officers but I'll save that to a future post.