Neil's Airfix 54mm 95th Rifleman

[Guest]

Great work Neil, and I would have left him as well endowed!

[Jon Heptonstall]

Look great together.They were trained to operate in pairs so this works well.
Jon.

[yak face]

Wow , great work neil, theyre going to look great. I would have left his bulge intact , it would scare the life out of johnny frenchie!! It reminded me a bit of the airport scene in ‘This is Spinal Tap ‘ :smiling5: :smiling5:

[Neil Merryweather]

Looking good Neil :smiling3:.

Thank you Ralph

[Neil Merryweather]

Neil,
I like the way you go about converting the poses, I have never had a go but I think I need to buy some cheap figures and have a play. Looking forward to the paint.

Thanks Paul. I learnt the techniques from articles in Airfix Magazine in the early seventies by the late Sid Horton(Chota Sahib). He also wrote modelling tips as Stan Catchpol, if you can get hold of Stan Catchpol's Modelling Workshop it's a goldmine of useful old school tips & tricks(not that YOU really need any more help......)

[Neil Merryweather]

Great work Neil, and I would have left him as well endowed!

Thanks Peter but I'm way too sensitive.........

[Neil Merryweather]

Look great together.They were trained to operate in pairs so this works well.
Jon.

Thanks Jon.
Yes that was the plan- I've read those Sharpe books several times each!
If anyone has seen TV shows but not read the books I can thoroughly recommend them. They are a fun read and WAY better than the TV. And full of historical and technical detail
Star with Sharpe's Eagle (rather than chronologically) as it's the first one Bernard Cornwell wrote, and they just get better and better.

[Neil Merryweather]

Wow , great work neil, theyre going to look great. I would have left his bulge intact , it would scare the life out of johnny frenchie!! It reminded me a bit of the airport scene in ‘This is Spinal Tap ‘ :smiling5: :smiling5:

Thanks Tony
I've not seen Spinal Tap in a long time so that reference is eluding me at the moment
will do my homework, sir

[Neil Merryweather]

I’ve played around with the pose of number 2 a bit more, here are some evolutionary shots….
I’ve changed the arms but I’m committed to the legs so I’ve substituted his US marine Rough Out boots for napoleonic boots and gaiters from the spares box. I can’t decide whether he should be looking forward at danger or down at the job in hand.

Here’s a different left arm and a trunk raised higher

Looking down


And this is almost there………..


Until I realised his back was a bit too 21st century Gym-Bunny


So a bit more surgery was required, and this is where we are now


I really liked the twisted left RIGHT ankle of the original legs so I have made sure to reproduce it here. I mustn’t forget to straighten out his toe, though
I should get back to number one tonight
thanks for looking
Neil

[JR]

Neil, figures look good. Just what I needed to see, a sbs on how to alter figures.:thumb2: Interesting how you go back to them and alter as necessary.
Some great tips thank you.

[Neil Merryweather]

Neil, figures look good. Just what I needed to see, a sbs on how to alter figures.:thumb2: Interesting how you go back to them and alter as necessary.
Some great tips thank you.

I'd be super chuffed to know that this has helped you, John.
Figures are tricky because everyone will know when something is not quite right , even if they can't identify what it is.
It's difficult to be objective sometimes which is why I leave them overnight. It also helps taking photos as that tends to lend "distance". In the olden days before digital photography I used to look at them in a mirror which works very well too.

[Guest]

Looking good Neil. You've certainly chopped that chap about a bit - hope he appreciates it.

[Jon Heptonstall]

Stanley Catchpol? Sid Horton??
Well well well.I never knew that.
Jon.

[Steve Jones]

Were you a surgeon in a former life??. Looks like the changes will add real character to these old classics. Terrific work mate

[Andy the Sheep]

That kit was my return to the hobby after 35 years. It was a real bargain and I could not resist.
It was an OOB and paints were acrylics from a fine art shop that required some blending to get the requested tones (e.g.: the uniform was painted with Chrome Oxide Green darkened with Prussian Blue) and this is the result (I chose the more forgiving picture :smiling6: but I still can detect a lot of space for improvements).




It became my farewell gift to a colleague, a Sharpe's fan. The colour of the hair can give you hint about the Cornwell's character inspiring my painting.

Neil, I'm following and learning from your nice work.
Pete: the plastic card problem is still there and it was my main issue during the building.