Matte figure commissions (1 Viewer)

[Mister Dave]

Since John Firth (Beating Retreat) showed up on the forum and posted photos of a superb looking elephant vignette in his trademark superior gloss finish, I have wanted to commission his services to paint some figures for my collection. After much indecision: gloss vs. matte, which figures, what subject, etc.....I recently sent him a set of figures that excited me sufficiently to finally move forward.

This kit is by F.M. Beneito and shows a pair of 17th Lancers carrying a wounded comrade of the 11th Hussars off the field after the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava. The figures are 54mm and painted with a matte finish, and I assure you will be the first of many commissions posted on this thread. I will also start a photo album to display John's work as it reaches me.

MD

 

[jazzeum]

Excellent choice. How did you decide which company to pick, what other companies had you thought about and where did you seem, if you don't mind me asking

 

[kogu]

Mister Dave,
that is a spectacular vignette and I am very happy to see John's matte work featured now here on the forum.
The photos show very detailed work and it always needs to be remembered that we are talking about 54mm scale figures.
Congratulations, Dave, to your first set by "beating retreat".
Konrad

 

[Mister Dave]

Thanks for the comments Brad and Konrad.

And I don't mind the questions at all Brad. The selection was ultimately made after scouring several kit sellers on line. Excellent sources are Colorado Miniatures, Michigan Toy Soldier, Military Miniatures Warehouse, and also El Greco and Historex in the UK. With this kit, I think I mostly found it unique and it also happens to cover a subject I am intensely interested in, though in general I do like certain manufacturers lines more than others, i.e. Beneito, Elisena, Andrea, Art Girona, La Meridiana to name a few.

MD

 

[glossman]

Dave,

Thanks very much for sharing this excellent vignette from the Charge of the Light Brigade.

It really looks good in matte finish.....outstanding paint job.

I shall be looking forward to viewing more figures in your albums.

Kind Regards, Raymond.

 

[marco55]

Hi Dave it looks great.I sent some La Meridiana kits to a painter and he couldn't wait to paint them as they are so nice.
Mark

 

[Mister Dave]

Thanks Raymond and Mark. And if you don't mind my asking, Mark, which kits have you sent off for painting (although I am pretty sure I already know ) and have they been finished yet because I for one would love to see the results.

MD

 

[marco55]

Hi Dave.The La Meridiana figures I have painted are the Huron waving his rifle and the French Marine standing with his rifle.I have a couple more to get painted from the FIW periodand some from other manufacturers.I have the Huron with a French trapper in a vignette but I might replace the trapper as he is a smaller scale than the Huron.The La Meridiana figures are large compared to other kits.
Mark

 

[Mister Dave]

Hi Dave.The La Meridiana figures I have painted are the Huron waving his rifle and the French Marine standing with his rifle.I have a couple more to get painted from the FIW periodand some from other manufacturers.I have the Huron with a French trapper in a vignette but I might replace the trapper as he is a smaller scale than the Huron.The La Meridiana figures are large compared to other kits.
Mark

I have been tempted by their FIW kits myself, but so far have passed. I do have the Lewis and Clark related items and intend getting to them eventually. And you are certainly correct about the size variance on some of these. Pegaso and La Meridiana seem to be the biggest (comparable to WB matte figs), while Andrea are a bit smaller (WB gloss size), and many of the others are down-right petite. Regardless, I have found buying kits to be somewhat contagious and they can pile up quickly. A friend of mine recently referred to this phenomenon as, "the great grey army".

 

[marco55]

Yes that's what the painters on Planet Figure and Timelines call them,The Grey Army.I piled up a bunch of them a few years ago but have sold off most of them.
Mark

 

[Gebhard]

Hi Dave ,
Wow a very nice addition to your collection , I'm familiar with John's work in his trademark glossy finish through his albums and those of Konrads ( love the FdG figures ) . I have not seen much done by him in the way of matte finish , he really did a fine job . I'm really looking forward to looking in on your album ...some really nice work , thanks for sharing your new acquisition and congratulations it turned out very well. All the best Gebhard

 

[Mister Dave]

Hi Dave ,
Wow a very nice addition to your collection , I'm familiar with John's work in his trademark glossy finish through his albums and those of Konrads ( love the FdG figures ) . I have not seen much done by him in the way of matte finish , he really did a fine job . I'm really looking forward to looking in on your album ...some really nice work , thanks for sharing your new acquisition and congratulations it turned out very well. All the best Gebhard

Thanks Gebhard, and of course praise in this case ultimately goes to John. Though I find his gloss style to be extremely appealing, I did notice a fair number of really nice looking matte figures in his albums, and eventually decided to go with the matte option on these. Stay tuned for more COTLB items in the coming months.

MD

 

[Spitfrnd]

I have been tempted by their FIW kits myself, but so far have passed. I do have the Lewis and Clark related items and intend getting to them eventually. And you are certainly correct about the size variance on some of these. Pegaso and La Meridiana seem to be the biggest (comparable to WB matte figs), while Andrea are a bit smaller (WB gloss size), and many of the others are down-right petite. Regardless, I have found buying kits to be somewhat contagious and they can pile up quickly. A friend of mine recently referred to this phenomenon as, "the great grey army".

Those are very nicely done Dave and I can certainly understand your temptations. They were well rewarded in this case. It is interesting to here about the size variations. From seeing some at shows it did seem rather a wide range. So Andrea and La Meridiana are WB matt size though; that makes them potentially interesting to me. Where do you usually buy yours or what is the best way to see what is available?

 

[Mister Dave]

Those are very nicely done Dave and I can certainly understand your temptations. They were well rewarded in this case. It is interesting to here about the size variations. From seeing some at shows it did seem rather a wide range. So Andrea and La Meridiana are WB matt size though; that makes them potentially interesting to me. Where do you usually buy yours or what is the best way to see what is available?

Thanks Bill, and if you are at all tempted to have a figure done up, you will find scores of really nice looking Napoleonic figure kits to choose from. To clarify, Pegaso and La Meridiana seem to be the biggest figures and very compatible with the current WB matte items, while Andrea are a little smaller and closer to the current WB gloss figures. I have purchased kits from Historex in the UK, Michigan TS Co, Colorado Miniatures, Military Miniatures Warehouse, and of course, Ebay.

MD

 

[marco55]

I've pick up kits from the same places as Dave plus the Red Lancers also.They have a very large inventory and have very quick delivery time.Andrea has some great Napoleanic vignettes but I don't know how they would match up with FL.Here's a couple of websites.www.redlancers.com and www.sentinelminiatures.com
Mark