From Kerry T - P is for Polished - Steel Fist Gendarmes (120 points and Squirrel no 7)

  Morning, Afternoon & Evening all

I don't quite remember when it started but I've just found some early pictures - what I'm of course talking about are the early pictures of Italian Wars figures that I found so enthralling in the early editions of Miniature Wargames magazine in the early 1980s. 

I think this may have been 1983 and the magazine cost 85 pence!

This was a period of history  that I new nothing about  but was something to be admired from afar as pictures just kept popping up in the magazine of Peter Gilder's Italian Wars figures. I knew then that someday it would be something that I wanted to do, its just a period so full of colour.

Thus a wargaming seed was planted but that early seed remained dormant for many years I'm afraid.

The seed began to germinate a few years later when I bought a Gladiator Games 15mm Italian Wars army - this was more than 20 years ago but really sprang to life around 10 years ago when I saw pictures of Artizan Design's Landsknecht figures somewhere on the net and I began to acquire units gradually. It sprouted further when I discovered James Roach's blog http://olicanalad.blogspot.com/ around the same time and this coupled with a visit to Eureka Miniatures in Melbourne where I bought some Gendarmes gave it further impetus.

These days I paint maybe a few units a year, it really is a very slow burn project. More recently Ken Reilly (of this parish!) and his blog https://yarkshiregamer.blogspot.com/ deserves credit for his resuscitation efforts in breathing life into the project once again! Cheers Ken

So to date I think I have about 2 shelves worth of troops but I have promised myself that late 2022 is the year that I intend to make it the main focus of my collecting and painting.

So where does this take me up to?

I said it was a slow burn project didn't I? Quite true but I have never before attempted to finish a unit by candlelight!

What happened?  

I've been guilty of posting lovely pictures of the NZ sunshine here down under to you who are up over while you suffer in snow haven't I?

I reckon some of you have been getting your own back and casting spells or some other voodoo practice or something -the end result was that we had a cyclone rip through here on the weekend. (Nothing serious I would add and nothing anywhere near as bad as many of you elsewhere are used to coping with!)

It was however enough to knock out the power so I could't quite finish my basing or take pictures of my 7th Project P entry and was absent from last Sunday's postings. The picture above is a testament to my effort to finish the basing as the light faded! In the end it failed as the power never returned in time for me to upload pictures anyway 

Having proffered my excuse for my absence last weekend I'll now get on with it ! This is my 7th unit and so P is for Polished  - When I chose Polished I thought I was being clever and keeping my options open -as this would give me the choice of painting up some 15mm Napoleonic French Cuirassiers or alternative some gleaming Italian Wars Gendarmes

I'm pleased to say the Steelfist Gendarmes got ahead in the painting queue 

They actually took more time to paint that I'd anticipated as I ended up painting more horse armour than just leaving them as polished steel

Lovely to paint, but somewhat fiddly for my hamfisted fingers to put together - the heads, plumes, weapon arm and scabbards need attaching.

A couple more views

They are a little on the expensive side but well worth it I think and there is quite a variation in the figures

I've used a few transfers here

The standard is from Flags of War - 100YW range

This one from Pete's Flags available on eBay

This is my favourite horse armour model

By my reckoning that's 120 points and my 7th unit and Squirrel,  and I promise I'll not be so long winded in my next post.

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Beautiful work Kerry. I started my long road on an Italian Wars collection a few years ago, and agree with you that is it as much a labour of love as it is sheer blood, sweat and tears. So much puff-and-slash, so many plumes and painted frippery. Nonetheless, it's all worth it as we can clearly see here. I have a bunch of Steel Fist gendarmes waiting on my desk, and, like you, I've been daunted by all the possible options for assembly. Nonetheless, your work has inspired me to get them assembled and moved higher up the queue. Thank you!  I particularly like that you've eschewed just making them plain steel and have pulled out the stops with painting pretty much all the armour - they look absolutely superb because of it.

Again, stunning work.

- Curt