Friday 20 April 2012

Dabbling with the 1840s

Poor quality photo courtesy of HTC mobile.
After a long hiatus and a good deal of personal problems, I suddenly got the urge to do something mid C19!

I bought some of Ebor Miniatures' Crimean Russians as they looked different and were very cheap.   The figures arrived (along with some of their lovely early C18 offerings) and unfortunately I got quite a few breakages.  The proprietor was a real gentleman and sent out replacements telling me to keep the "deaders".

Last weekend, during a rare moment of mental composure, I decided to cobble together a model to represent His Majesty König Ferdinand II in all his martial glory.

I had a dig about in the boxes of lead and decided on an Essex body (Russian Nap. Officer) with an Ebor head.  This figure will be mounted upon an heavily butchered Foundry (British) horse and given a Perry pelisse as "icing".  In true mid-C19 form I added an outlandish caterpillar crest (in three stages) and bulked up his face-fungus.

I think he looks suitably "OTT" and he will be improved when the pelisse is fitted, collar properly finished  and furry horse furniture is sculpted.  I intend to finish him soon and perhaps even paint him too!  Ferdy and nag will be mounted upon a 40mm steel washer with sculpted groundwork and his hound running alongside.

I would be interested to hear what people make of him and indeed if there are any other mid-1800s ImagiNation projects out there.

5 comments:

  1. Great to see you back with us once more and I trust your personal probs will resolve themselves soon.

    Super figure indeed. I have taken the duchy of Tradgardland into the mid 19th century and hope to work on the figures I did some time this year. Keep up the great figures and ideas!

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  2. BTW forgot to ask how is the teaching course proceeding?

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  3. Hello there - thanks for the encouragement! I have just worked on the Monarch's brother and hope he too will soon be a reality.

    The course is now over and I am a qualified teacher. It was a struggle and I am glad it is over.

    I will look at Tradgarland later today.

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  4. I am qualified to teach both children and adults - I will be sticking to the latter!

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