Monday 26 August 2019

Interested in your thoughts...

Green on the left and natural straw brown on the right...now...which style to pursue?

Hi folks.

I have an interesting dilemma which I am keen to get some feedback on from the wargaming fraternity.

For my 1805-07 project as well as the impending Peninsular project for 2020, I have wanted to depict the figures in a somewhat "1980"s style "Miniature Wargames", "Wargames Illustrated" complete with the mounted Colonel on the different style command base etc.  For me this was the magic period of Peter Gilder Connoisseurs and Hinchcliffe armies with wonderful animated figures on nearly every colour plate.

Elite Miniatures Line battalion with green tufts highlighted yellow

The same unit in close up.

I have been tearing and cutting apart various mates to use as tufts and have generally left them unpainted.  However a recent experiment with some Vallejo Military Green and a dry brush of Humbrol yellow gave me an overall effect which I found quite fetching.

The brown colour doesn't look out of place though

Skirmisher bases once again showing the green on the left and the brown on the right

I do love this range of Elite Miniatures figures.  These are on a three man base for deployment in General D'Armee

Austrians in case you thought your eyes were deceiving you

A side view of a foot battery with the green tufts



I am generally torn on this one and so I am keen to see what other passionate wargamers may think.




26 comments:

  1. Carlo, I think it looks original and wonderful to me!

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    1. Thank you Sergey - greatly appreciated.

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  2. Carlo,
    Don't know how your mates feel at being torn up but I like the new ones.🤣

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    1. Hi Graham and now that I found the typo I'm having a great laugh and smile at work as I prepare for another day you cheeky bugger.

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    1. I think you may very well be on the money Matty. Love the new photos on the Chateau in Normandy buddy by the way. Fiona and I will definitely visit in the next year or so.

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  4. From an artistic point of view I'd say that bases are not supposed to detract attention from the figures and for that reason I find the green less obtrusive. And the way you've done it seems more realistic than leaving them brown if you are prepared to go to that effort. I shall never think about Australian "mates" the same again now!

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    1. Et tu Chris :^)

      I absolutely agree mate on the need to not detract from the figures. I really need to take more care with my spell checking don't I? Hope you are really well up in the beautiful part of the world.

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  5. I like the green if I HAD to choose but I also see no reason that both cannot be used. Variety looks good almost always. 😀

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    1. I hear you Stew and indeed may do exactly that. I must confess though that my last batch of tuft conversion were the green ones.

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  6. Why not do a mix of natural and green(s)?

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    1. Oh come on Peter, don't bring logic into this discussion. We are wargamers after all ;^)
      I am enjoying the thought process though which means life is pretty relaxed. Thats a good thing!

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  7. I think the green is generally better,but if it was just a peninsula project a bit of the brown works well too.
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks Iain - that appears to be the general consensus at present.

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  8. How about fading the green and leaving a bit of the natural yellow.

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    1. Now Dean you are over-rating my ability to maneuver my brushes with sufficient dexterity to achieve that kind of result. I guess it would be green at the base?

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  9. Lovely figures Carlo.
    For what it is worth, I'd go for a mix of the two--in fact the three: dead (straw), green with some senescent leaves especially on the margins (your dry brushing) and luscious, green plants too. Variety in nature! Probably mixed on the bases too would look hip and groovy! :)

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    1. Good morning Fish. I think that may well be the compromise mate. I'm into groovy big-time!

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  10. Hi Carlo I would prefer the natural brown grass.

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    1. I thought that may well be your thoughts Nathan having seen so many of your figures.

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  11. Agreed! Stunning figures. You are on the right track with regard to your Gilder and Mason inspiration too. As far as the tufts of grass and weeds are concerned, I'd go for a random mix of the two. Sometimes green, sometimes straw-colored brown, which, in the height of summers, is how much ground vegetation looks anyway without irrigation.

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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    1. Thank Stokes for the reply. The random mix certainly has a good deal of momentum and looks like the way to go forward. As far as the old time inspiration of PG and DM, it always helps to be driven by the very best!

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  12. Howdies Carlo

    Like many here I think that variety is the spice of life.

    And the collections are growing in a most splendid manner.

    Salute
    von Peter himself

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    1. Thank you very much Peter. I have decided, as you suggest, that the variety of tufts is certainly the way to go. Hope you are well.

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  13. Hey mate I cannot see the difference. They look almost identical

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    1. Hi Colin - mate there is certainly some difference in them as one is brown and the other is green. You haven't been on the sauce again buddy? Haven't chatted for ages so I'm calling you this morning!

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