20mm figures - the French

This is the last of these I'll post as I need to record some more but due to the oppressive conditions yesterday, my photography was found wanting.  I usually prefer natural lighting and outdoors is best but yesterday it was actually too bright - and windy AND hot - not a fun job at all.  Some of the shots of my conversions (most in fact) did not turn out as I could not get the camera to focus properly - it was just too bright even under cover with shade!

Nonetheless we did get a few good'uns and here they are.  The Revell Chasseurs were amongst the first I did other than Airfix.  I particularly liked the officer - posed like the one in the famous Gericault painting.  In front of him is a HAT Mameluke. I spent quite some time on him getting the look right - to see how far I could go with a 20mm plastic - and was pleased with the result.

Talking of conversions - one of the first and most extensive I attempted was remaking Revell's British Horse Artillery into a French one.  The battery commander and bugler in the background are HAT/Airfix(?) conversions. Again - I couldn't get the limbers and caissons pictured properly and this was the only shot that turned out even half good - at this point I gave up my happy-snapping for the day!

Finishing off the plastics are the Revell Guard Grenadiers in greatcoat.  This is another fine set from the European Revell manufacturers.  I had to 'invent' a painting system that would stay on the plastics to make them a little more resilient to the wear and tear of wargaming.  I prepare the figures with a watered down PVA glue as base coating and then encasing the paint job with a matt varnish finish.  It works well for everything but the most bendy bits like guns and bayonets - with plastics, maintenance will always be required at some point.

The metal figures next to them are either Kennington or Newlines 'personality' figures of Napoleon and Ney.

Another Kennington figure I enjoyed collecting and painting were their French Dragoons.

 

That's it for now for the French and for my 20mm figures.  I'll try to post the others I couldn't photo yesterday and some bits of my scenery etc. I made to go with my first wargaming collection and which, thanks to other bloggers, I am now inspired to keep and maybe, one day, add to.

Cheers,
    Doc