Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Fastest unit to paint?

Aside from an invisible ninja army, it has to be Brunswick Horse Artillery. Black uniforms with black braid, black cartridge pouch and belts, black hat, and black plume! Officers have a gold sash and silver waist belt.

So after a black spray undercoat (obvious I know) a good dry brush all over with dark grey, then I picked out the face and hands. A wash with some brown ink to pick up the facial features. Then paint the equipment - silver scabbard, brown shafts on the artillery bits, some silver highlights on different parts and that is about it.

This were my first GHQ miniatures, quite different to the Redline ones. Very clear detail, but quite stiff and formal poses. Maybe they are doing drill. The swords and flagpoles are ridiculously thin, I know they are supposed to be true to scale but they are very, very thin. The guns have a fantastic level of detail in them,  almost too much for the 10mm scale. There was a wide variety of poses in the 13 figures per box, and a different combination in each box. I only need three crew per gun so I have a bunch left over for maybe some small vignettes with leaders or in the "artillery park".

All up it took 2 hours to clean up, undercoat, paint, detail, glue to the base and sand 26 men and 4 guns. Twenty more minutes to drybrush the base and flock and they are done. I'm sure I can improve this speed with practice.

It's a pity there was only ever 8 Horse Artillery guns total in the Bruswick army. I use a 1:2 scale so I have painted the whole battery. I'll have to find someone who make a foot artillery line so I can improve my black speed painting.

I have ordered all the infantry of the Brunswick army (1 Leib, 3 Line, 3 Light, and 1 Jaegers/Avantegarde) from Bend Sinister so I can have them painted up in quick time. Si at Bend Sinister is currently working on making Brunswick Hussars available shortly. Then I just need to convert some mounted officers for the Black Duke himself and his small staff. I've ordered some Old Glory Prussian Officers to see if I can make something.

Shame the troops were so raw in battle, brave and feisty, but raw.

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