This weekend I continued to paint more Napoleonic units, all old plastic Spencer Smith miniatures. I am painting these in the same style as my 19th century Imagi-Nations armies, a very straight forward approach minimising the detail. I have in my mind the old Britains toy soldiers I used to play with as a young child.
If you are interested in the steps to painting very toy soldier looking miniatures, without too much effort. Here are the steps.
The paints I use are all from the Games Workshop range. Partly because I have a good selection of them and they are nice and flexible. Very useful with soft plastic models.
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| The miniatures are cleaned up with a sharp knife and stuck to card for painting |
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| They are then covered with a liberal application of PVC glue in preparation for applying the paint |
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| The miniatures are painted allover in the uniform colour |
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| Facings are painted next. I will touch up with the base colour if my painting is really sloppy |
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| Hats, rifles and bayonets painted |
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| Backpacks, ammunition pouch, and leggings |
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| Final touches shoulder belts and epaulettes |
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| Once painted a final coat of PVA glue and the stand is painted green |
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| All done |
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| A slightly closer photo |
Nicely done! I think they deliver just the sort of look that you describe.
ReplyDeleteThank you. The miniatures do lend themselves to this style of painting and I get them on to the tabletop and being played with.
DeleteA classic look, no doubt!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Also quick to paint and I can generally complete two units per week. A tad slower than your painting production line and not nearly as detailed as the miniatures you paint.
DeleteI'm surprised that your plastic Spencer Smith figures are still OK. All mine started crumbling apart a few years ago and I eventually took the decision to replace them all with the metal versions.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be pot luck as to whether the plastic becomes brittle. A 100 or so of my ACW were lost. Prior to painting I do a bend and break test, if they pass they get painted. Always sad when they break, but I have kept them as someone suggested for using as casualties.
DeleteWhat brand of PVC and PVA glue do you recommend? Do you have to thin them?
ReplyDeleteI have been using PVA Wood Glue. The manufacturer is Parfix here in Australia.
DeleteLet the glue dry first or spray while wet?
DeleteI let the glue fully dry when preparing before painting and sealing them after painting.
DeleteI should mention I also use PVA glue over the stand to stick the flock. Once the stand is coated I liberally sprinkle over the flock. Then once this is dry I use a watered down PVA (1 part PVA to 1 part water) and brush it over the flock to make sure it all holds in place.
I hope this helps.
Thanks for the help. Are you concerned about the glue covering details? What do you use to apply the glue?
DeleteThe first coat of glue does not diminish the detail of these particular miniatures. I just use an old brush to apply the PVA and wash out in water.
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