Purchasing "job-Lots" (2 Viewers)

[johnnybach]

Ha ha …. I noticed that too, but I'm too much of a 'gentleman' to mention that in company

Must be my old 'sergeant's dress inspection eyes' still doing their job ??????

John

You would think that by the time I reached number three - that I would have the painting sequence sorted out!

But - there you go - I missed it. Shows the value of taking pics - and then putting them up on a screen - as it seems that everything then shows up better. Well.............works for me anyway.

Cheers John - best wishes for your birthday just gone - and do have a cool Yule - with lots of prezzies. :salute:: jb

 

[theBaron]

You could probably tell from my last pic - which one was my favourite. In fact, he's probably my favourite Britains figure of all of them. The Officer sitting sideways in the saddle, with drawn sword...

Superb JB, I agree, they are a nice figure.

I remember reading, maybe in one of James Opie's books, or maybe in Richard O'Brien's books, that many consider the Lancer Officer to be the finest figure Britain ever produced. From a technical standpoint, it's more intricate than the usual foot or mounted figures, and aesthetically, it's such an elegant figure. That's always stuck with me, and I always think of that statement as you show us the ones you've fixed up, John. Now you have a great little grouping!

Prost!
Brad

 

[johnnybach]

I remember reading, maybe in one of James Opie's books, or maybe in Richard O'Brien's books, that many consider the Lancer Officer to be the finest figure Britain ever produced. From a technical standpoint, it's more intricate than the usual foot or mounted figures, and aesthetically, it's such an elegant figure. That's always stuck with me, and I always think of that statement as you show us the ones you've fixed up, John. Now you have a great little grouping!

Prost!
Brad

Well Brad, who am I to disagree with either of those authors. I believe the figure was based on a figure first produced by the Victorian Military artist Richard Simkin - which was also used in an illustration in the Army & Navy Gazette - way back when...............

For me, it's an absolutely stunning pose - and also so well suited to acting as a bystander who has just reined in - to watch a Military band - or some such parade. The way he is turned in the saddle - with legs pushing down on stirrups to turn himself, and his drawn sword almost casually resting in his hand on the rump of his mount is just a superb bit of sculpting. And then - to cast it up - in the 1890's...............Wow!

I just love the figures which are my favourite figures in my collection - which is why I'm always on the lookout for more of them. My first was a reproduction solid casting, but my other two were found as broken hollowcast originals - which I've repaired and repainted.

I have taken some liberties with the repainting too. Lancers generally used brown or black horses - but I've given one a dappled grey - and the other a very pretty - almost Palomino horse. They may not be absolutely "correct" to real life - but surely that's what painting your own Toy Soldiers is all about, isn't it? You can please yourself what you want - by painting them just as you like them. I'm assuming that both of these Senior Officers were quite wealthy - and they chose to have a "special" Parade Horse in their string - which they used to demonstrate and emphasise their unique position as the head of their Regiment.

I'm on the lookout for at least three more to fix up - for the missing Lancer Regiments in my current line-up.

Glad you like 'em, so far Brad. Watch this space............... jb

 

[johnnybach]

You may recall that this last figure was only one of six - under the brush. My next three Life Guards of the Household Cavalry were also just repaired - or more properly, converted. They are in fact older Johillco versions - which were found minus heads and the moveable arm originally. As these are all the old "one eared horse design", they were perfect for me to add the earlier old Romanesque helmet stle head - (which denotes these troopers are all pre - 1842, as after that date the Albert style helmet came in), by simply glueing in the old helmet heads (Dorset Model Soldier spare part). I also added the new missing arm with sword at the low carry, which makes them the same figure as those that I have previously made up (again by Dorset)

My objective in increasing the number of these figures - is to eventually add them as a separate Troop to my mounted Life-Guard Band, as an Escort. I now have an Officer, Trumpeter and nine Troopers. I may get them all out tomorrow, along with the band - when the light is better - and take some more pics. But for now, here's my latest completed three. jb

 

[DMNamiot]

Those look great Johnny! Can’t wait to see the whole parade!

Dave

 

[johnnybach]

Those look great Johnny! Can’t wait to see the whole parade!

Dave

The only snag with the group getting larger - is that I have outgrown my photo-booth which is only 50cm wide. Okay for a few - but not my band plus escort length!

I'll have to set 'em up on the floor instead......so might as well chuck in my RHG's as well. :salute:: jb

 

[johnnybach]

Would you believe it - my Mat is not big enough now, either !{sm2}

Well, here's the best I can do - for now. The Band of the Life Guards - around 1840 - with an Escort of the same regiment at the rear. Note there are still two members of the Regiment at the head of the band - flanking the Drum Horse as "travellers".




Here's a closer look at the Escort contingent, which now also contains my three newly painted members. jb

 

[johnnybach]

I'm going back to my two Britains figures that I decided despite both being first made as Scots Greys ( on their distinctive horses), were going to become Lancers. I also decided that as I had just made up a Colonel sitting sideways on his horse as a 17th lancer, I would also make up my two conversions as 17th Lancer Troopers. Furthermore, as both figures had no arms when found - I would make up one with a lance - and the other as a trumpeter on a grey horse.

The usual problems were encountered, not only due to each figure being headless and with no "loose" arm - but also horse legs to repair and various holes and crushing of parts. I described the repairs earlier in the thread - but......... got to reasonable looking figures in the end - in both cases. Here they are attached.

Note that I have added my new Colonel - and a couple more existing 17th Lancer figures from my collection of repaired figures in the last pic. Hope you like 'em - jb

 

[Ivanhoe]

I'm going back to my two Britains figures that I decided despite both being first made as Scots Greys ( on their distinctive horses), were going to become Lancers. I also decided that as I had just made up a Colonel sitting sideways on his horse as a 17th lancer, I would also make up my two conversions as 17th Lancer Troopers. Furthermore, as both figures had no arms when found - I would make up one with a lance - and the other as a trumpeter on a grey horse.

The usual problems were encountered, not only due to each figure being headless and with no "loose" arm - but also horse legs to repair and various holes and crushing of parts. I described the repairs earlier in the thread - but......... got to reasonable looking figures in the end - in both cases. Here they are attached.

Note that I have added my new Colonel - and a couple more existing 17th Lancer figures from my collection of repaired figures in the last pic. Hope you like 'em - jb

In the last photo the figures look so great together !

Your "Colonel of the 17th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers" fits right in...as always, love the horses also.

Great work, and excellent photography.

Thanks jb.

 

[johnnybach]

In the last photo the figures look so great together !

Your "Colonel of the 17th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers" fits right in...as always, love the horses also.

Great work, and excellent photography.

Thanks jb.

Glad you like 'em chum. As ever, the more glossies there are together - the better they look.

"Excellent photography"- my left foot - I'm the World's worst snapper - who occasionally gets lucky!

But thank you for the compliment :salute::

Around halfway through this little half-dozen bunch of figures - another Britains Lancer figure turned up - Ill take a pic tomorrow ( late here ) - and show how the figure and another headless figure are developing. jb

 

[johnnybach]

Here's the pair of partially repaired figures I mentioned earlier. As you can see, I have replaced both heads already.
The left figure is a Britains Lancer on a Standing horse - so I used a Dorset head with drooping cap-lines. He's also missing his right arm at the moment - but I will paint on the plastron details before adding that. [ It will be a slung lance BTW]. The main colours for this figure are now blocked in - so just more detail to be added now.

The other figure was originally a JoHillco figure - and was missing a head and had the lower part of front right horse leg missing. I repaired that with a salvaged part, by pinning. As the figure had a sabretache cast into the figure - I decided that he would become a Hussar ( mainly because I had a spare Hussar head). BUT - the head was a Trooper - so the plume was too short! No problemo ! - a piece of paperclip was stuck into the short plume, and some putty built up around it - to the correct height - problemo solved.

 

[Markster]

Beautiful Job ! I like it when old beat up Toy figures get recued !

 

[johnnybach]

Beautiful Job ! I like it when old beat up Toy figures get recued !

You might like this one then Markie.

He arrived minus his left arm and rifle, which should have been at the slope with bayonet fixed, as he is a Britains , Kings African Rifles (KAR) soldier. His arm was just a remaining stump to a rivet - which I removed.

Not having the correct arm for him - I gave him an arm from my stash - which as you can see is now at the shoulder carry. I also decided to make him a bit more different by giving him a small pack and a water bottle on his belt. The two spare parts (arm & pack) were Dorset Model Soldier spares - and his water bottle was fashioned from scratch from a spare piece of metal sprue. jb

 

[johnnybach]

Here is the earlier "headless" figure that turned up in a job-lot recently - now given a new Hussar type head and repainted as an Officer in the Ayrshire Yeomanry (Earl of Carricks' Own) - around 1892.

I based this repaint on a rather nice illustration that I found online - which you can compare with a few pics of my completed piece, attached. jb

 

[theBaron]

Well done, John! Another attractive figure for your collection.

Prost!
Brad

 

[johnnybach]

Well done, John! Another attractive figure for your collection.

Prost!
Brad

Yo Brad - glad you like him too. And bought for pennies too. ^&grin Originally a JoHillco piece, I think - but a confusing one. He has a sabretache cast in - but he had remenants of Khaki paint on him?

Anyhoo...........I stripped him of old paint and gunk - and put him on a base and tried a few heads on him. The Hussar one looked best - so I made him up that way. The head was also the most expensive part at 50pence!

Just goes to show that you can turn out a reasonable figure from the most unlikely looking starter - and just by replacing a spare head as a repair. Couldn't be more pleased to rescue another old soldier. jb

 

[hsm]

That is a very fine looking figure. Your Rehab and painting skills are very complimentary to the higher end of this great hobby. Love it love it love it!

When i talk about having Quality of Quantity in my collection, it is pieces/ aspects like yours I am referring to.

Grant

 

[johnnybach]

That is a very fine looking figure. Your Rehab and painting skills are very complimentary to the higher end of this great hobby. Love it love it love it!

When i talk about having Quality of Quantity in my collection, it is pieces/ aspects like yours I am referring to.

Grant

Thanks Grant, that's very nice of you to say so - very pleased you like him too. jb

 

[johnnybach]

I'm showing two Victorian Lancer Trooper figures here - but the one on the paler brown horse is one I repaired and repainted some time ago. The latest one, could have been originally made by Britains to look exactly the same as the other one - but we will never know - as they both came to me without the original movable arm. Both are at the halt with one at the carry - and the other, now with a slung lance ( note the painted loop around the carrying arm).

As my latest lancer had no original arm, I took the opportunity to replace the arm on my latest, to one known as a "slung" Lance. Both figures also have replacement heads added - as they came without these too. Note that as they are both at the halt - the cap-lines to the rear of the had are hanging down. ( All spare parts from Dorset Model Soldiers ).



I have painted both figures in the full dress Victorian uniform of the 21st (Empress of India) Lancers - which shows the very attractive blue-grey plastron off very well indeed, I think. jb

 

[DMNamiot]

Those troopers look sharp!

Dave