ACW Into AWOI Conversions Painted As Forces Of Ozzz Assemble

      Below can be seen a section of the Ozzz forces except for the space figure who sneaked in there and will actually be a Dark Elf. My recent work was converting and painting the ACW figures as 18th century type troops. I wasn't too fussed about historical authenticity as they will be part of a fantasy army but i wanted the style of American Revolutionary militia. 

Also seen here are a couple of wizards, although as Ozzz is based on Baum's Oz it should really have more witches than wizards. He was heavily influenced by his suffragette wife.

I haven't decided if I'll use Shrek or a bigger figure for a giant. I converted this Shrek figure quite a while ago but he looks much more like a warrior now. In the background can be seen a Wars of Ozz flag sheet and some brightly coloured vegetation from the Cheap as Chips store.

     I was fairly pleased at how my 'marines' turned out, although I could do wit another ten or so. These figures came in a science fiction tube. I am going to give them faster movement in water than on land. As I'll be borrowing part of the Warhammer melee system I'll probably make them around strength and toughness four. (Average human toughness and strength is 3).

   For a while I have been collecting some of the nicer looking lions. One of these would also make a good Aslan for a Narnia game. They are a bit bigger than normal lions (when placed next to 1/32 figures but now they are 'werelions'. They would be good for sneaking through the forest to attack on a flank.

   So here are the Munchkin militia. The near figure still needs a cross belt painted. That is the frustrating thing when painting a lot of figures in one go - overlooking the odd detail. When I paint units I frequently paint ten or even twenty figures at a time, doing all the coats, faces etc before moving on to the next item on all the figures. Washes come in to their own here although I didn't bother on the trousers. The ACW hats and caps were trimmed down and built up with Green Stuff but, as you can see, I left the occasional slouch hat in original shape. They are militia after all. The blanket rolls I also varied between green and blue with some different coloured retaining straps. AN MPC Revolutionary is in the row behind, this one with buckskins but painted in colours like the others/

       I quite liked the drummer who came with a tailed coat. The trousers are not really typical 18th century style but I left them as is. In the background is the First Blue Mountain Landwehr (militia) flag.

                                Left: MPC kneeling with ramrod. "Er what do I do with this thing?' Next to him is the converted ACW officer, actually a copy of the Britains Detail officer. I trimmed the pistol to look less like a revolver because the only figure in this army with revolvers is the wizard, Zoraster, who arrived from a portal from a different time and world. 

By the way, is it just me or does that kneeling figure look like Mr Bean?

                                   The marching figures are my favourite. I could have trimmed the trousers down to look more typically 18th century but didn't bother.

                                              The kneeling figures are copies of Marx ACW.

I am enjoying this whimsical little project although it is a bit hectic trying to get an army completed by next Monday, which is when a game is due.

So, as I mentioned in an earlier post Ozzz is about to be invaded by 1900 era Ameriga army (Yes, I call it that because it is not identical to a 1900 American army!) I already have a good sized such army based on AIP and Marx figures.

But typically, for me, I am already thinking of other scenarios. SO I rolled the magic dice with 12 differnt potential invasing armies from my Bogavanian/Beerstein/Fezian world and I came up with an invasion by Bogavania and an invasion by the Dark Elves. The former will include winged lancers armed hussars and the usual musketeers, pikemen, cannons and knights. Their firearms will be somewhat inferior to those of Ozz as the are matchlocks, not flintlocks.

The Dark Elf army I am also still working on but as usual I'll take short cuts. So the cavalry will include the Supreme mounted ancient Greeks I use in my Patran army. I am also intending to make some extra heavy cavalry, consisting of mounted knights with head changes from my SF figures and mounted on carnivorous dinosaurs. the problem so far has been finding dinos skinny enough to sit the knights on so I may revert to horses. I'll have to search through my dinosaur collection. I also have some nasty monsters to go with the Dark Elves, a monster drawn charuot and the notorious blood crazed Wyches. I have quite a lot of elf bowmen from the True legends sets and also some of the larger Russian made figures. It is just a matter of painting elf figures in black and dark purple. Human figures can also be drafted as their ears are concealed by helmets. The main advantage the eves have is they have high initiative in melee and they are great shots with bows, In Warhammer they are repeater bows but mine will be more like regular bows. I haven't decided if I'll class them as long bows, which would give them a very bifg advatage.