JohnB: 40mm Homemade Tirailleurs Senegalais (165 points)

Last post for today, and I've been saving this up as a reward to myself.

Something shiny this way comes.

My miniature preoccupation for some time has been the ‘bleisoldaten’ of the Belle Époche… makers like Wollner of Vienna, Spenkuch, Haffner and later, Holger Ericsson. I also  love Aly Morrison’s Shiny Toy Soldier range from Spencer Smith Miniatures. The old figures are hard to find and expensive and of course, shipping from the U.K. is prohibitive when one’s ambitions tend towards the megalomaniac hidden in all of us.

So… I make my own. I sculpt and gravity cast my own 40mm toy soldier style armies covering the rifle and saber era up to 1914. (I also dabble in the late 17^th and early 18^th century stuff…)

My first unit submitted to the painting challenge is a battalion of Tirailleurs Sénégalais circa 1914. Also, a regimental command stand of three figures with a wine foil flag and, à cheval, Le Beau Colonel, of the Colonial Infantry. He will command an ad hoc regiment of 3 battalions of Tirailleurs and 1 of Colonial Infantry. (Regimental photo perhaps to follow at a later date…) These are painted in a simple, old school, toy soldier style fitting to the figures and my limited talents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Points wise, there are 21 foot figures and 1 mounted figure. Because of my simple old school basing, I will subtract 1 point per figure. (This simple basing jives with what I have done to this point with this project and the aesthetic of my old school games. The basing done by other folks in the challenge are exceptional… really good…)

So, I calculate:

21 x 40mm foot @ 6 points = 126 points

1 x 40mm mounted @ 14 points + 14 points

Total = 140 points

Thank you all for your consideration of these humble offerings and until next time, when we will encounter chausseurs of a different type sporting what might be considered the “jauntiest” of Belle Époche headgear. À la prochain, mes biffins.

Some marvellous shiny toy soldier stuff from Saskatchewan's own Jack Scruby (google it kiddos).  I have thought about doing home cast figures like these John but various family members have environmental sensitivities and I'd be kicked out if I tried it.  Plus I am so clumsy that I'd like find a way to pour molten lead in my ears.

I don't know how it works with 54s but I find that with 28s, getting them from the UK is the cheapest option!  Most firms deduct the VAT if you ask them and basically cancels out the shipping.  Plus Boris is doing such a great job the the exchange rate works on our favour.

Anyway back to the minis which are bloody marvellous and look splendid.  I'm not having any of the deduct a point for the basing.  There is a point deduction for no basing at all, which clearly doesn't apply.  Plus yours are bang on for the figures.  If it worked for Featherstone, Grant and Young then it works here.  Plus your get extra points for the flag (a wine foil home made how old school is that?) and cause I just love this stuff.  Sold for 165 points!