My Flat Collection (2 Viewers)

[Wolfgang_UK]

Hi Ray,
nice collection of prints. Especially the prints of those red indian are truly my favourites. I got so many books and prints on military uniforms but still running low on red indians. Allow me to encourage you to put up any other prints on the subject you might like to share^&grin
Thanks for sharing, great collection congrats.
Kind regards
Wolfgang:salute::

 

[nmrocks]

Wolfgang,
Thank you for your kind words, glad you enjoyed the prints, unfortunately for me I have to grab whatever of this collection I manage to find regardless of the subject matter, but you can count on me posting any I find here.
In case your not aware I'm also posting pics of great flat sets on the 30mm napoleonic thread in the Dioramas section and it just so happens I posted a great set of American plains Indian with some really well done teepee's there, please check it out, I don't think you'll be disappointed, I have a couple more American Indian sets I'll post in the next few days as well.
Ray

 

[Wolfgang_UK]

Hello Ray,
thanks a lot really exciting stuff on display. Reminded me of my painting flats 20 years ago, I stopped than in favour of my growing comittment to Elastolin figurines. But I still admire those pieces of art created by painters all over the world.
I do not want to interfear with your thread here but I am quite happy that I found the box with the last flats I painted about 20 years ago that I thought I might show them here.
Hope you don't mind and may be you might even enjoy my ancient efforts.
Kind regards
Wolfgang

 

[nmrocks]

Wolfgang,
Those are Beautifully Done! you are quite the artist! pity you stopped doing flats but I'll bet the Elastolin figures are spectacular! Thank you for sharing, did you paint both sides?
Ray

 

[Wolfgang_UK]

Wolfgang,
Those are Beautifully Done! you are quite the artist! pity you stopped doing flats but I'll bet the Elastolin figures are spectacular! Thank you for sharing, did you paint both sides?
Ray

Hello Ray,
thank you for your kind words. As for painting both sides I am afraid I took up the nasty habbit of only painting one side of the figures I have shown here. Reason was that I had gathered all the three different sets on one weekend in various museums in the Rhineland of Germany. Which would be worth a story of it's own. Anyway before I started painting soon after I wanted to bring all three sets together somehow and decided to put them all up in a box I bought in an old fashioned stationary shop. Paid a fortune for this "Document Storage Box" than, but it proofed to be a wise investment. All figures survived the following 5 (five!) "Moving House Sessions" in good displayable condition.
I add a photo of the box. Now my former fellow collector friends, mature men with big bellies and big cigars, will still hate me for doing so but I found it to be ok twenty years back. Hope to get around creating my Elastolin folder around chrismas when I will get a couple of days leave.
Kind Regards
Wolfgang

 

[nmrocks]

Great stuff Wolfgang, I look forward to seeing more of your work.
Ray

 

[nmrocks]

Ohh I do love it when I go to the mailbox and find a package from St. Petersburg Russia! I really do need to upgrade my Photographic equipment though, just not the quality to show the detail done on these figures.

Winged Hussars

 

[johnnybach]

Ohh I do love it when I go to the mailbox and find a package from St. Petersburg Russia! I really do need to upgrade my Photographic equipment though, just not the quality to show the detail done on these figures.

Winged Hussars

You knew I'd love these Ray - and reminds me that I have a box full of these to get painted too. Bit busy packing up possesions at the mo - as we have sold a house - and will need to move my collection somewhere else for a while - which somewhat restricts painting!!{sm2}

Might be able to get cracking again in the Spring. thanks for the pics - lovely!jb

 

[nmrocks]

Thanks JB, As I said my equip. and skills just do not show the detail and tend to make the paint look blocky and lacking in fine detail, it's not at all, theres shading, highlight and shadows on pennants and horse coloring thats totally lost.
I've got eleven of them but I've got to figure this out before I post anymore pics. not to mention the 1/2 dozen other sets on various subjects

 

[johnnybach]

Thanks JB, As I said my equip. and skills just do not show the detail and tend to make the paint look blocky and lacking in fine detail, it's not at all, theres shading, highlight and shadows on pennants and horse coloring thats totally lost.
I've got eleven of them but I've got to figure this out before I post anymore pics. not to mention the 1/2 dozen other sets on various subjects

I'm the World's worst photographer Ray - you're doing okay!! I can see the shading fine - and am picking up some good tips and ideas for my castings by having a good look at your versions. Love that idea of a coloured lining in the animal pelts some of your guys are wearing - as well as ideas for shading and highlighting on the horses, pennants and tunics.

I don't use flash anymore Ray - as it tends to bleach out detail at the close range required for 30mm. So maybe it's a lighting thing??? I use a simple digital camera - which just has buttons to press to eliminate flash - and an auto-focus button for close-up work. Then my lighting is just an overhead adjustable lamp - which I place at differing distances from the subject - depending on natural light and time of day - and just experiment with that. jb

 

[nmrocks]

I'm the World's worst photographer Ray - you're doing okay!! I can see the shading fine - and am picking up some good tips and ideas for my castings by having a good look at your versions. Love that idea of a coloured lining in the animal pelts some of your guys are wearing - as well as ideas for shading and highlighting on the horses, pennants and tunics.

I don't use flash anymore Ray - as it tends to bleach out detail at the close range required for 30mm. So maybe it's a lighting thing??? I use a simple digital camera - which just has buttons to press to eliminate flash - and an auto-focus button for close-up work. Then my lighting is just an overhead adjustable lamp - which I place at differing distances from the subject - depending on natural light and time of day - and just experiment with that. jb

OK, so i shut off the flash, put it on a tripod to steady it but can't seem to compinsate for the yellow tint of incandescent lighting and I apparently need more lighting!

 

[johnnybach]

I also usually have to wipe a thumb-print off the lens, after four or five goes! ( it's that little glass window thing - on the bit you point at the soldiers).

Ask an expert - I'm hopeless ........sorry chum:redface2:

Hope that helps - a bit{sm2}jb

 

[nmrocks]

Continuing in my series of badly taken photos of my collection....

Peasant farmers and crops




French 2nd chassuers encounter on the road








Just horrible...:redface2:

 

[johnnybach]

Really Nasty!{eek3} Love 'em!jb

 

[nmrocks]

Working with the lighting, so last summer I think it was when the Russians were annexing the Crimea and so forth, it got me thinking about Russian history and I happened apon this portrait, could be Sebastopol or port Arthur, but it got me going for the turn of the century Russo-Japanese war



Something a little different, Russian fort heavy guns and crews, tried my best to simulate a fortress environment with odds and ends but this set may need proper mounting in a window box!

 

[johnnybach]

I like those German Sailors Ray - any chance of a few more details about them?? e.g's: Engraver, Supplier, Painter etcetera??? They look to be really telling a story there. jb

 

[nmrocks]

I like those German Sailors Ray - any chance of a few more details about them?? e.g's: Engraver, Supplier, Painter etcetera??? They look to be really telling a story there. jb

Hey JB,
Well These were supposed to Russian sailors or russian naval shore battery, the Labeling on the Ernst Heinrichsen, Nurnberg is Sailor artillery with Shore Battery. I commissioned my St. Petersburg artist for the painting, I'm never disappointed!
Ernst Heinrichsen company has been in existence in the zinn figure industry since 1839 and is run today as a cottage industry by Dr. Brigitte Gross, the wife of the great-great-grandson of William Heinrichsen, They have 1000's of the original slate molds going back to the beginning in 1839 and large groups of mold acquired from other companies over the years. Because of limited demand and production capabilities certain sets are chosen and put into limited production for a period of time. Can't tell you when this set was originally produced. you can understand the difficulty of production, carved in slate the mold is a piece pressed together and poured with tin, all hand done, no automation in zinn figure production, you can obviously see it is a very time consuming process. I've seen some photos of the location of the business and the semi dark dank appearing basement where 100's odf slate moulds are stacked and labelled on shelves, what a great treasure hunt it would be to go down there and just browse thru the moulds and make random discoveries in slate going back to 1839..^&cool {sm3}
So I will follow with a post of some other items pertinent to this period.
Ray



actual photo and art from Port Arthur 1905

 

[nmrocks]

So no discussion of the Russo-Japanese war would be complete without the Naval Battle of Tsushima Strait, where the Japanese navy dealt a devastating defeat to the Imperial Russian Fleet forcing a hastily negotiated peace. these are what would be the beginning of the modern era battle fleet, the Pre dreadnaught era Iron warship. I got another Heinrichsen set for the Battle of Tsushima but the casting were not great, these were the best quality and done as Russian Imperial fleet ships of the line I include some models of warships from this era as well as actual photos from the time.
Ray

 

[nmrocks]

Picked up a couple of other items

This was called a Waterloo Vignette (prussians, possible repaint item)




Love flags, Austrian Regiments in the time of Napoleon


Been really interested in Bavarian Cavalry Lately, very cool uniforms, Dragoons here

 

[johnnybach]

Hey JB,
Well These were supposed to Russian sailors or russian naval shore battery, the Labeling on the Ernst Heinrichsen, Nurnberg is Sailor artillery with Shore Battery. I commissioned my St. Petersburg artist for the painting, I'm never disappointed!
Ernst Heinrichsen company has been in existence in the zinn figure industry since 1839 and is run today as a cottage industry by Dr. Brigitte Gross, the wife of the great-great-grandson of William Heinrichsen, They have 1000's of the original slate molds going back to the beginning in 1839 and large groups of mold acquired from other companies over the years. Because of limited demand and production capabilities certain sets are chosen and put into limited production for a period of time. Can't tell you when this set was originally produced. you can understand the difficulty of production, carved in slate the mold is a piece pressed together and poured with tin, all hand done, no automation in zinn figure production, you can obviously see it is a very time consuming process. I've seen some photos of the location of the business and the semi dark dank appearing basement where 100's odf slate moulds are stacked and labelled on shelves, what a great treasure hunt it would be to go down there and just browse thru the moulds and make random discoveries in slate going back to 1839..^&cool {sm3}
So I will follow with a post of some other items pertinent to this period.
Ray



actual photo and art from Port Arthur 1905

Cheers Ray. Enough info there to satisfy even the most interested spectator. I did wonder who made 'em................agreed on your painter's skill. magnificent group. As to the cellar - lead me on............... jb