Highland Light Infantry Band (1 Viewer)

[GICOP]

Cheers jeff - glad you like them too. I can't resist playing about with any new band that I get - so here's another pic of them from the front. I've re-arranged them in 5 ranks of six to fit them in my photo-booth! (forced to drink the beer it once contained - the things I do for art!). jb

Who wouldn't like them jb, they are GREAT {bravo}}{bravo}}{bravo}}

Cheers

Martyn

 

[Buster]

Who wouldn't like them jb, they are GREAT {bravo}}{bravo}}{bravo}}

Cheers

Martyn

Exactly! ^&grin

{bravo}} {bravo}} {bravo}}

B.

 

[johnnybach]

Well Cheers chaps - glad you like 'em too. Mind - there are those amongst us who are rumoured to prefer their soldiers in a matte finish ( or unfinished - as I prefer to call them - as so admirably demonstrated by Kogu - when he finishes them off with a shine!). However, each to his/her own. This is the way I like them - and looks like some others seem to agree - which is pleasing.

The HLI seem to have been a little neglected by most ( though not all) manufacturers. Britains made a marching set in 1924 - but dropped them after the war, so they weren't around for long. I know Marlborough, Hiriart and a few others have had a go at them, especially Richard Newth Gibbs, whose bands are admirable. But these come as finished specimens , some of which are getting to be rarely found - and a tad on the expensive side now. I also like a bigger band, wherever possible - so these more economical castings, are a way of getting there without breaking the bank - and allow me to indulge my real passion - which is adapting and painting.

Anyhow - must get on - I've started off a Piper as a prototype - to work out the patterning of the tartan, so will show him once he's more presentable. All the best - and thanks again - jb

 

[johnnybach]

Here's my first pass at one of the Pipers who will be at the fore of the Pipes Drums and Bugle band. I have put him together with my other two prototype figures for this band, so that you can check out how his Mackenzie Tartan compares to the trews of the other two figures. There will be Eight pipers eventually - though one of their number will be a Pipe Major - who will have slight uniform differences to the others - and I have a picture of him now. Note the 2nd battalion wings to my piper - details of which were again provided by my good friend - Trooper.

Darn it! - just noticed with this pic that I've missed some white stripes on the Pipe-bag - I'll repaint and post again later!!!!

Note also - the very welcome Spring sunshine today.

 

[Buster]

Here's my first pass at one of the Pipers who will be at the fore of the Pipes Drums and Bugle band. I have put him together with my other two prototype figures for this band, so that you can check out how his Mackenzie Tartan compares to the trews of the other two figures. There will be Eight pipers eventually - though one of their number will be a Pipe Major - who will have slight uniform differences to the others - and I have a picture of him now. Note the 2nd battalion wings to my piper - details of which were again provided by my good friend - Trooper.

Darn it! - just noticed with this pic that I've missed some white stripes on the Pipe-bag - I'll repaint and post again later!!!!

Note also - the very welcome Spring sunshine today.

The piper looks great to me jb, and so does the detail on that drum next to him. :smile2:

Nice sunshiney day here too ...... after 20 bleepin' inches of snow yesterday! :tongue:^&grin

B.

 

[johnnybach]

Glad you appear to be enjoying the weather Buster - me too - here.

Corrected the ommission on the pipe-bag - and also included a rear view of the three. Glad you like the drum detail - though it is so small an area - you can't get too much in. The drum and both arms were made for different figures - so all needed a bit of tweaking. The only addition to the piper - is the dirk on his right side - which is made from part of a bayonet scabbard - glued on and painted. jb

 

[Buster]

Thanks jb ..... I'm a little arm-weary from snow shoveling, but all in all it was a nice day ..... glad you had some nice weather too.

I like the variety of mustaches you've equipped your band members with..... you know you can always trust a man with a mustache, we're not like the others. :wink2:^&grin

B.

 

[johnnybach]

Thanks jb ..... I'm a little arm-weary from snow shoveling, but all in all it was a nice day ..... glad you had some nice weather too.

I like the variety of mustaches you've equipped your band members with..... you know you can always trust a man with a mustache, we're not like the others. :wink2:^&grin

B.

The exercise will be doing you good - unless you collapse!^&confuse Build a Snowman ( with mustache!).

On the subject of moustachios - The pipers come with one already cast in - so just a question of which colour to make the hair of the figure. The rest of the castings that I'm using for this project, have a blank face left beneath the nose - which gives a choice of what to do. Given the time period around c.1900 that I've chosen - most, if not all of the soldiers would have had moustaches around then. Just look at any print of the time ( Simkins, Payne etc.,) and you'll see what I mean.

This is a bonus for me - as mouths on glossies can tend to look like a red blob - whilst mustaches give you far more scope for concealment! I also like to try to vary each face where possible - so give them all sorts of face-fungus - wherever I can.

Personally - I used to have a Zappatta type - but when my hair went "blonde" - La Commandante said that I was beginning to look sinister - so it had to come off. Nowadays - if grew one again - I fear that I would look like Santa Claus!!!! Wait 'till you get there - you'll find out what I mean! jb

 

[johnnybach]

I have completed another Piper - but this time have incorporated a few more modifications to make him up as my Pipe Major.

Perhaps the most noticeable modification is the Pipe Banner. I made this from waste blister pack medicine material, which is made of a plastic interior , but sandwiched between quite thick metal foil on both sides. You can cut and bend this easily - and it retains its shape. This was fitted into a small groove cut into the rear of the base drone pipe of his pipes with a scalpel. A tiny roll of milliput is first embedded in the groove - and the edge of the banner is brush-coated with epoxy resin and pushed gently into place - removing any surplus material before it all sets off solid. After thirty minutes curing - it is solidly in place - for eternity.

I also added wing to shoulder (made from the same material) and dirk - all as before - and modified his sporran by first removing the original surface area by filing, and creating his six golden tassels with milliput. I further added his crimson sash with more milliput - and finally painted his rank details and other different rank insignia on his uniform - and his Pipe banner too. See three views below - along with his chums from the new band.

 

[johnnybach]

As you may have guessed, whilst I was painting my new Pipe Major - I was continuing to develop a few more Pipers - and now here are three more added to the total. First pic shows the Five pipers at different angles, so that you can see the tunic. The second pic shows that my Mark II photo-booth is near to getting towards the end of its usefuleness - and may well need another modification or replacement soon. It just about contains my HLI "massed band" - so far.

What both pics do show, I think, is that my project is still on track - and approaching the half-way to completion point. It has slowed a bit - due to the intricacy of the uniform of each piper figure - and the time I can allot to painting them, which is reducing now that Spring is approaching. Just three more Pipers to complete now - as Eight will be the number for this part of my band. jb

 

[blaster]

Note also - the very welcome Spring sunshine today.

Hi JB,

What spring? Nice photoshop effect.....

Btw, the band is really tremendous!

Rgds Vic

 

[johnnybach]

No trickery involved there Vic - on that day - the sun was coming in at my window - and I took the snap! However, that same night it snowed - but 24 hours later - it was gone again! Talk about 4 seasons in one day!!!!{sm2}

Glad you like them - so far. What are you up to? ^&grin jb

 

[blaster]

Hi JB,

I won't know about 4 seasons in a day - I live in the tropics...
Been very busy doing several projects - flats, dioramas, more toy soldiers, will get back to the qooh yeomanry soon. I will be giving a public talk on toy soldiers. See my profile page.

Rgds
Victor

 

[johnnybach]

I have only ever stopped off in Singapore a couple of times (re-fuelling stop) in the early hours of a hot and steamy night! Good job the airport has air-con! Sounds like you're keeping TS busy. Me too - see below.

Passed a bit of a milestone in the early hours of this morning - and finished my eight Mackenzie clad Pipers for the band. Nice to get those completed - so will crack on with more drummers and buglers to keep their lone individuals company. Then, I'll have to stop lumping them all in together - as they were two quite distinct bands who were fiercly competitive in real life, by all accounts. jb

 

[Obee]

WOW !!

Its looking huge now, just like the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

When is the Bass Drummer coming 'on parade' ???

I'm looking forward to seeing him and his tiger's skin ?

John

 

[johnnybach]

Hi John - He's still being "made" by an old friend of yours and mine in Dorset! - and he will actually be wearing a Leopard-skin apron ( the drummer - not Giles). ^&grin I'll be collecting him in a couple of weeks time - so will commence painting once I actually get hold of him. I have a few Tenor Drummers to do as well - who will wear a slightly smaller skin as an apron ( no head at the back) - so I'm thinking of making these from milliput to cover the basic castings ( which I already have) at the moment.

You can't beat a really big band for spectacle - though I'm still slightly less than half-way to my planned total ( including Colour Party and Escort). Should look really good when finished - and I'm more than delighted with how colourful they are turning out to be.

Glad you like 'em, John^&cool - jb

 

[Buster]

Hi John - He's still being "made" by an old friend of yours and mine in Dorset! - and he will actually be wearing a Leopard-skin apron ( the drummer - not Giles). ^&grin I'll be collecting him in a couple of weeks time - so will commence painting once I actually get hold of him. I have a few Tenor Drummers to do as well - who will wear a slightly smaller skin as an apron ( no head at the back) - so I'm thinking of making these from milliput to cover the basic castings ( which I already have) at the moment.

You can't beat a really big band for spectacle - though I'm still slightly less than half-way to my planned total ( including Colour Party and Escort). Should look really good when finished - and I'm more than delighted with how colourful they are turning out to be.

Glad you like 'em, John^&cool - jb

So, all those rumors of Giles wearing a leopard skin apron a just that then - rumors. :tongue:

The band is lookin' terrific, jb ..... very impressive in those big numbers. Forget the Igor shoebox photo booth, I think a little road-trip to the appliance store for an empty refrigerator carton might be in order. :wink2:^&grin

B.

 

[johnnybach]

Ha! I knew that I shouldn't have left an opening for that one! If Giles were wearing one - you could "spot" him a mile off!

I've been stuck on big bands - ever since I bought "Collecting Toy Soldiers" by James Opie. Inside that inspirational book is a wonderful picture of a Seaforth Highlander Military band - which just blew my mind when I first saw it (Op. Cit. page 11). That triggered off a desire to have a band as big and beautiful as that one - which meant, of course, that I had to find enough castings that could be tweaked and adapted to make them up for myself. My first real biggie bands - was the Gordons - and this is the next - the HLI wearing Trews.

Thankfully, Giles Brown, owner of Dorset Soldiers and I, appear to be on the same wavelength - as he has helped me "find" the right castings to satisfy me, every time (so far). I might add - in these financially restrained times - at great prices too.

Let me say a few words about prices - because I constantly read in other threads that it does concern some collectors and hobbyists - especially so, those who may have young families. For those who don't know, the basic casting for most of these figures is £3.30 each. A pair of arms with instruments weighs in at 40 pence - and other bits and pieces are usually pennies too, (swords and things). The fun of getting them to a finished and reasonable looking TS - is free - (or at least the tiny cost of a tinlet or two of Humbrol and a brush or two - and maybe a tube of super-glue). The pipers just seen, come as a complete casting - so no extra cost for arms and instrument there. Each of my figures will have cost me well under a fiver - and that's how I can achieve the big bands that I like so much.

Okay - I'm not in the same league as the professionals when it comes to painting and finish - but they suit me - and the sense of achievement when they are completed - is just great.

Thanks for looking and liking ( those that do) . - And those who don't paint..........yet............think about having a go too????? jb

Must look up Frigo Carton in my dictionary - sounds a bit rude!{sm2}

 

[johnnybach]

My next sub-project now take their turn - the drummers. I am using just one casting for most of these (awaiting my Bass Drummer - who is a different casting). My side and tenor drummers use the same basic casting - which is the one shown at the left below. The next three figures to him are tenor drummers in various states of construction. I intend to have 5 tenor drums - and have now chosen to have them in a leopardskin aprons ( a slight change of plan - as I have seen some new HLI Toy Soldiers clad in these aprons - and prefer them to my original choice which didn't have them). I am therefore making these aprons up from rolled out milliput - and the construction sequence is shown by looking across the figures. The drum is a simple plug in fit to the pre-drilled hole - to be fitted after painting - which has also begun.

Arms go on first, (note that early tenor drummers didn't use the more modern drum striking "twirly" pads - but pads more like a Bass Drummer's - as advised by The Edinburgh based School of piping). Then the shoulder wings are constructed and glued in place - as seen before on the Military Band figures. Once these have set off - the milliput apron is cut out from a home-made template - allowed to cure for a few hours, to make the material less tacky - and then carefully worked onto the front of the figure (third along). The fourth figure along has begun the painting process with a couple of washes of undercoat using matte paints.

The last two figures are side-drummers - just like the prototype that you have seen earlier - and are more straightforward to make up.

I'll show how these are developing further from time to time. jb

 

[johnnybach]

I have just fitted the drum to my first figure - so thought I'd show you some progress made with my five tenor type drum figures. I gloss varnished this figure without attaching the drum first - and have a bit more work to do on the drum before finishing that. Behind him, you can see the next four at different stages of their development - from which you can probably figure out how the final figure is worked up. Should be a colourful rank when they are all completed.