Kaiserliche Marine Band WW1 (2 Viewers)

Must say that I have enjoyed yoru blogs about painting bands. Each of us have our own way of painting and it's interesting to see how others approach the subject.

I have a schellenbaum (sp?) ready to paint for the Frontline Mecklenburg band but have not as I don't know what color to paint the flag-like item below the eagle. Have been contemplating about painting it the same color as the tassels . . . i.e., yellow and red in this case . . . on the diagonal. Any suggestions, anyone?

Bosun Al
 
Sorry Al - never heard of them. Do you mean that this is a product of Frontline Figures.? Is it a Regiment - Mecklenburg sounds German.

If it is - have you tried looking at Frontline Figures web-site? However, to the best of my knowledge, this is a Hong Kong based company that does not sell castings - only painted figures. Was it painted when you got it - and if so - what colour was it originally?

I tried Googling it - but came up with some ACW Band pics - which weren't in colour - and didn't have a Schellenbaum in them anyway. Maybe someone else can help - perhaps try Brad (the Baron) - he's pretty keen on German figures .:D:D Best of luck with it. jb
 
A few more (nearly) completed - including a second Side-drum, Glockenspiel, Cornet and a French Horn players. One or two badges, bases to touch up and a few to be varnished when completely dried. Note the small Eagle at the top of the Glockenspiel - made with milliput and glued on - as I felt a pal of mine would like it!!^&grin The tassels and Eagle are similar to that of the Schellenbaum at the front.

Just four more to go - and this little band will be finished. jb

Hello JB,

I love that Glockenspiel (Band lyre)! It is a metallophone and these are very interesting musical instruments. I am now clear on the eagle.
There are several books coming out on WWI Kaiser's overseas units - who knows....:)

Rgds Victor
 
A few more (nearly) completed - including a second Side-drum, Glockenspiel, Cornet and a French Horn players. One or two badges, bases to touch up and a few to be varnished when completely dried. Note the small Eagle at the top of the Glockenspiel - made with milliput and glued on - as I felt a pal of mine would like it!!^&grin The tassels and Eagle are similar to that of the Schellenbaum at the front.

Just four more to go - and this little band will be finished. jb

Hello JB,

I love that Glockenspiel (Band lyre)! It is a metallophone and these are very interesting musical instruments. I am now clear on the eagle.
There are several books coming out on WWI Kaiser's overseas units - who knows....:)

Rgds Victor

Hi Vic - yes - it's a nice instrument, and called many things - including a Bell Lyre too (because of it's shape). Luckily for me - I found that photo showing one in use for the band. (the photo is a between wars one actually - c.1920 vintage - but close enough for my purpose). It's also an instrument that Giles (Dorset Soldiers) keeps in stock - and will fit his figures for most bands - with a little gentle persuasion.

That's good news about books on Kaiser Bill's boys- just hope there are plenty of illustrations included. That's what I find most useful. Off to buy a few tubes of glue this morning - so should get the arms/instruments on my last four later on today - Hurrah! jb
 
I finished off the band - and gave them all a coat of varnish last night. Waited until the morning for better light - and took some pics.

So, here they are now. A marching German Imperial Navy Band (Kaiserliche) - giving it what for, sometime during WW1 (1914-1918), in Glossy Toy Soldier style. My thanks go to Giles Brown of Dorset Soldiers for the castings - and help in selecting some instruments that would have been around at the time ( though NOT necessarily used by a German Band - though they COULD have been). Many thanks also to the makers of the Beau Geste range - for the idea - and their version of this band to use as a painting guide.

I like them - and hope you do too. Johnnybach










 
I finished off the band - and gave them all a coat of varnish last night. Waited until the morning for better light - and took some pics.

So, here they are now. A marching German Imperial Navy Band (Kaiserliche) - giving it what for, sometime during WW1 (1914-1918), in Glossy Toy Soldier style. My thanks go to Giles Brown of Dorset Soldiers for the castings - and help in selecting some instruments that would have been around at the time ( though NOT necessarily used by a German Band - though they COULD have been). Many thanks also to the makers of the Beau Geste range - for the idea - and their version of this band to use as a painting guide.

I like them - and hope you do too. Johnnybach

You betcha jb, another fantastic job ..... thanks as always for sharing!

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

B.
 
You may remember this little german WW1 Naval band from about a year or so ago. I made the Band up - to look like one that I liked very much from Beau Geste. Unfortunately for me - BG don't do castings - so I had to look around for something similar - and found some which could be converted without too much work from Dorset Soldiers. I also noticed that BG did a very smart little Colour Party - which looked very nice alongside the band.;)

So.........a few more castings were purchased on my last visit - and I've been trying my hand at also converting these to make up a similar looking Colour Party. I've more or less done all of the tricky bits now - with the Ensign holder all but finished - and the rest of the castings at the point of painting. The Officer was the most difficult to change around - as he was originally quite different to how he now appears. With a lot of cutting away and filing - and some scratch-building and milliput work - he will now just about do.

Here they are currently. Officer, German Ensign holder plus 5 escorts with rifles at the slope,(eventually). I've left them at various stages of development - so that you can see how the same basic casting as that used for band has been used for the Other Ranks - and how a rifle/arm has been grafted onto the body of the escorts. The Flag was purchased, as Dorset Soldiers had a suitable one which fitted the bill - but the pole was made from brass rod. This was fitted to the drilled out flag and then glued onto a scratch-built baldrick, made up from thin metal sheet from a beer-can, ( cuts with scissors). As the sailors have bayonets fitted - I gave each one a bayonet scabbard - which again, comes as a spare part from Dorset - originally comes on a sprue with another knife and a pouch - which will doubtless find a use later on other figures - so the spares go into my stash.

Here they are - so far - gardening taking up huge chunks of time now. {sm2} jb

 
My Kaiserliche Marine Colour Party is developing nicely - between bouts of gardening. The pic. below shows how all of the parts for the figures have now been assembled. I will be having an Officer, Standard Bearer and six Escorts in my party. I completed some of the detailing on my Officer and Standard Bearer yesterday - whilst all arms/weapons were fixed to the Escorting sailors. I added in my Drum Major from the Band - in this pic - to show how the arms of the Standard Bearer are the same ones used for this figure - with just the Flag being substituted for a mace. The flag arm required just a few tweaks with a pair of pliers, in order to get the hand to the correct angle to accept the flag-pole (didn't hurt a bit!^&grin). Then, as mentioned previously, the baldrick was added to suit the made-up arm with flag.

All faces how now been completed - so just a case of the final paint finishing, such as jackets, buttons etc, to be applied now to all figures. I'l have these marching ahead of my 17 piece band eventually. jb

 
Ha!:D - Must make a note - never assume everyone knows what you're saying. ^&grin

The baldrick, in this case, is the belt from which the Flag/Standard is held aloft by the pole. It normally has a small cup/socket in which the flag-pole is held - in front of the Flag holder.

[He is also Blackadder's sidekick - that I also enjoyed immensely.:D]

I must also learn to count properly! There are 18 in my band - so that when my party assume their place, out in front - I will have 26 pieces for this group!!:redface2: jb:D
 
Just finished these lads off. When they are thoroughly dried enough to handle properly - I think I'll get the rest of the Band out to join them for a bit of a march past - so bear with me for a bit - until then. jb

 
This is a bit of a rubbish picture - as it's late at night - and my shoe box photo booth is too small - but it gives an idea of what they all look like together now.

I'll have another go at trying for some better pics tomorrow. jb

 
Ahoy there Bosun! Glad you like them :D Here's a few more pics for you - hopefully in better light and with them spaced out a little more.

I always think that a Colour Party with escort and a band compliment one another very well - and this one is no different. My thanks go to Dorset Soldiers for all of the figures - and most of the bits and pieces that were required to enable me to put them all together - with the help of a bit of milliput, here and there. My thanks also go to Beau Geste again, for the idea in the first place - and if they were to supply castings - well - maybe that would make it too easy!.^&grin As it was - it was a very enjoyable experience adapting the parts to make up my very own Kaiserliche Marine Band, with Colour Party & Escort around WW1 time. jb







 
A beautiful set, John, and a great addition to your collection! Well done!

Prost!
Brad
 
A beautiful set, John, and a great addition to your collection! Well done!

Prost!
Brad


Would look good under your Xmas tree Brad;)

I have to admit that I really do like many of Anna's offerings under the Beau Geste label Brad - but again, it's another marque which doesn't offer their excellent products as castings, I'm afraid. Maybe it's just as well - as they would only attract our British Customs attention - if I did try and buy some, which does take the shine off things when Import and Postal charges get stuck on top!!

However - it is great fun tracking down similar and more local castings which can be converted to look at least SOMETHING like them, from suppliers like Dorset soldiers who DO sell them any way you like them! And I like mine without paint!

Glad you like them Brad - and yes - they DO look good in my cabinet. Cheers buddy. jb
 
Agreed! Did this for many years and enjoyed it immensely. (Still have over 100 WB cavalry stripped and awaiting repairs, conversion, and painting) Can't explain why, but there's something special about making those figures that you can't get elsewhere.

Bosun Al
 
Agreed! Did this for many years and enjoyed it immensely. (Still have over 100 WB cavalry stripped and awaiting repairs, conversion, and painting) Can't explain why, but there's something special about making those figures that you can't get elsewhere.

Bosun Al

Hey Al, nice to hear from you - BUT - as you have over 100 cav to do ...................................get on with 'em!!!!!:D jb;)

P.S. - know what you mean.
 

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