I have a collection of 30mm Spencer Smith Napoleonic plastic figures the bulk of which were gifted to me by a very generous wargamer back in 2017. I really liked the look of the figures and soon had a couple of small OHW type armies painted up. I had opted to paint them with a simple toy soldier style with a gloss finish as it seemed to suit the figures. Their uniforms only bear a slight resemblance to those of the period, as I selected uniforms online which I liked and then painted something similar. Very reckless!
Anyway, since then I have been able to add to the armies with a few purchases and added in a few plastic Seven Years War (SYW) and converted American Civil war (ACW) figures.
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| Plastic Hussars from the SYW range. I really like the movement in these miniatures. |
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| Some converted ACW figures |
There are still gaps in my Napoleonic armies, with some areas feeling understrength, for example a lack of Hussars. I currently only have one unit of SYW Hussars and just three spare miniatures, too few to complete a full unit of five. Since the chances of me finding more Spencer Smith Napoleonic plastic figures are increasingly remote, as a search eBay again, I decided to see if some 28mm plastic figures would suit to fill out the gaps in my armies.
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| A game in progress. |
The local hobby shop had a pack of 28mm French Hussars by Warlord Games. I suspected the new figures would be chunkier and more detailed compared to the slender 30mm Spencer Smiths. They turned out to be not only chunkier and detailed, as expected, but also taller. That is scale creep for you!
Undeterred, I went ahead and glued the figures together. In an effort to help them blend in with the Spencer Smiths, which are not highly detailed miniatures, I filed down some of their prominent details, then went about blurring the remaining details on the model by applying a mix of gesso primer and PVA glue. This gluggy mixture fills in smaller areas and crevices to create a smoother surface. Once everything is dry, I started the painting with a simple, glossy toy soldier style to fit in with the painting approach used for the Spencer Smith figures.
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| The completed Hussars. |
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| A side on comparison between the old and new Hussars. |
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| A view head on. |
One other pack of figures I purchased was some 28mm Prussian infantry marching manufactured by HAT. While not as detailed at the Hussars, they still got the blurring of detail treatment of Gesso primer and PVA glue.
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| HAT 28mm marching figures. |
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| Comparison to Spencer Smiths on the left, HAT on the right. |
On the tabletop the new figures look fine, particularly the HAT infantry, they fit in very well. With one more Hussar unit to paint and two more infantry units, I am now eyeing up some additional artillery.
I can provide you with more Spencer Smith Hussars as I have a surfeit!
ReplyDeleteThey used to be sold in mixed bags and buying random lots always seems to include Hussars.
I'm in the UK.
Neil
That is very kind of you. If you comment with your email address (I will delete the comment) we can sort out the details.
DeleteI have only ever heard of the legendary Spencer Smith figures, and have never seen them in the flesh, Peter.
ReplyDeletePersonally, and I may be in a minority here, I don't have any nostalgia for the old days ( some of which were admittedly before my time) of poor detail, gloss painted Hinton Hunt, Minifigs or Hinchliiffe figures, but they seem to give a lot of people pleasure, and fair enough too.
I think looking at the photos of these and other figure ranges in the old wargame books borrowed from the library many, many years ago has left an imprint on my mind of wonder and joy. I also like the lack of detail as I find they are easier to paint.
DeleteExcellent work Peter.
ReplyDeleteYour comment of "I selected uniforms online which I liked and then painted something similar. Very reckless!" I call this in depth research when I do it 😂
Thanks Ben. Made me laugh.
DeleteWonderful additions Peter. They will blend in perfectly together as the photo of your marvellous looking game demonstrates.
ReplyDeleteI laughed my head off (through gritted teeth) at the news and concept that modern 28 mm figures are taller than older 30 mm ones!
Regards, James
Hi James. I was surprised at the height difference as I was expecting them to be slightly smaller, rather than slightly taller.
DeleteVery nice additions, the blurring technique is a very clever way of getting the SM look, they look really good alongside the originals especially the HaT ones, great way to add to your armies.
ReplyDeleteThe HaT ones are a good fit. I also find the blurring makes them easier to paint with the simple painting style being used, but does add in another step in the process.
DeleteA simple but very effective way to make modern figures fit in with those lovely Spencer Smith models:). The shots of them side by side is revealing at much chunkier the modern sculpts are. I think this is a hang over from the GW style of sculpting, although there are some companies, such as AB Miniatures, that keep to realistic proportions.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting the sculpting styles used. I actually like both the realistic proportions and the chunky look (I am thinking of the MiniFigs ranges here) but they are noticeable when side by side.
DeleteThe Hat figures are slender so will make a reasonable match. I lived up the road from RSS and would cycle to his house to buy figures! Nice chap with endless patience… Sadly, I gave all the figures away in the late 80s.
ReplyDeleteThe HaT do work in well. I think we all have given away or sold some of our early collections and wish we had held on to them.
DeleteMan they’re a great match aren’t they. Clever idea blurring out the detail. Never done shiny figures but they do look splendid.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as the gloss goes on it seems to cover up much of my poor paintwork :-)
DeleteSpencer Smith SYW and ACW are still available from Tradition.
ReplyDeleteSome of the SAE figures are great for Great Northern War
Pete
Thanks for the tip. I have had a look at the site and they have artillery figures with could be really useful.
DeleteAs I read this I have a Spencer Smith Prussian on my desk, probably 30 years old, shiny and toylike
ReplyDeleteI love this range and the American civil war figures
Reminders of alost time when I endlessly borrowed Wargaming books from the library for the pictures ....still love the old wargames books
More pictures please
Pete
There will certainly be some more French and Indian war photos in the coming weeks. In my book collection there are one or two old library books bought second hand and even today I enjoy looking at those old photos.
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