Completed "Ah, ces terribles chevaux gris!" - Scots Greys

Tinseltown · Oct 10, 2014

"Ah, ces terribles chevaux gris" ***

***
"Ah, those terrible grey horses...", attributed to Napoleon upon seeing the Greys charging.
(Or as seen in the movie Waterloo: "Those men on grey horses are terrifying" around the 2:50 mark. It's a great scene, check it out on YouTube

2nd Royal North British Dragoon (Scots Greys) 1815
Airfix Collectors Series
Plastic 54 mm
Catalogue Ref - 9th Edition (1971): C202S

Since I currently have no WIPs going, I decided to post a scene which I finished just this week as an introduction to this forum. I hope I can be forgiven for "jumping right in", so to speak

Although I've just turned 53, I'm a beginner of sorts, having started at about 12 years (making the exact same figures you see here for my uncle), "quitting" not too long afterwards, picking it up briefly again towards the end of the 80's, start of the 90's, painting mainly Warhammer fantasy stuff etc), and then, at long last (after five years of gawping from the sidelines of this wonderful forum), through force of circumstance (having to give up my favourite sport), deciding to come back again before the Summer. For good, this time, I hope ;-)

These are two vintage 1971 kits in a small vignette which I hope conjures up some of the drama of the legendary charge. At over 70 parts per rider I found them to be terribly complex and demanding to assemble, but part of why I restarted the hobby is to achieve that Zen-like state of bliss and stresslessness again, so I overcame that challenge with flying colours (from a personal POV, I'll leave judging its merits to you all). More details about me, my particular tastes and approach of the hobby can be found on my Facebook blog, called Flemish Priminitives.
For now, thanks for having a look and for having me. I promise to start from scratch (WIP) the next time

Have a great weekend!

Project 7 - Scots Greys Airfix - all done 002.jpg

Project 7 - Scots Greys Airfix - all done 003.jpg

housecarl · Oct 10, 2014

Very well done Marc.

swralph · Oct 10, 2014

These are nicely painted.It's good that you are having fun.
Ralph

Wings5797 · Oct 10, 2014

Good work and presentation Marc.
Cheers,
Keith

Funky50 · Oct 10, 2014

Always loved this Airfix range back in the 70's and still have a real soft spot for them....you've done a great job on these 2....Kevin

Bootneck · Oct 10, 2014

Well done Marc these bring back a lot of memory's and probably a lot of people's introduction to figure painting.
Glad you had fun.

Peter.

Lasalle · Oct 10, 2014

Well done!

Andrea

ellie · Oct 10, 2014

I agree with Pete the old airfix 54's were what started me off in the hobby way back in the day. I still have some of the kits in boxes. you have done a great job with these. I'm sure now your back you will stay with it.

Cheers

Ian

Blind Pew · Oct 10, 2014

Welcome to the mad house mate. Nice job by the way.

Tinseltown · Oct 10, 2014

Thank you all for the kind and sympathetic reactions. Rest assured, for my own mental health, I will alternate between "modern" miniatures and these vintage kits (I have about 20 of the Collectors series, scooped up for next to nothing via various outlets), as there is a real sort of masochism involved with making these kits. Airfix probably thought, at the time, that they had to give the modeller their money's worth and approached their "soldier" range as if they were human Spitfires, with just as many parts, thankfully refraining from individual fingers or nosehairs ;-)

For the people who forgot, or those who are too you to remember, here are some WIP pictures to remind you of what they looked like...

Let's just say I like to make them out of nostalgia, as a tribute to my uncle (who passed away when he was 53, my exact age now) and because, actually, they still hold up in many many ways, imho.

Tecumsea · Oct 10, 2014

Great to see someone have fun in the hobby and producing a nice starting vignette-look forward to your continued input, there is still a lot of mileage in these and old Historex kits which as you say are inexpensive and provide hours of enjoyment.

Keith

Bootneck · Oct 10, 2014

I still remember Ray Lamb,s Historex figures. His painting was first class and cutting edge at the time.

Marc if you can keep your expenditure down to "next to nothing" in this hobby when most of us have a fortune tied up in grey armies,then well done you.

Peter.

theBaron · Oct 10, 2014

Nicely done! Your staging really conveys the momentum of the charge.

I wouldn't turn my nose up at these old Airfix kits. Not only can you finish one nicely, as you demonstrate here, but they provide a great source for kitbashing and scratchbuilding. Historex kits offer the same possibilities, too.

Prost!
Brad

kansas kid · Oct 10, 2014

Hello Marc:
I believe you've done a lovely job on this "hell for leather"
duo. And the photos are so full of atmosphere and tension; drama.
However, I am having a minor trouble with the piece of what I
assume is woood (oh oh, that dangerous word, assume!) because of
it's acute angle at both ends; i.e. fore and aft. I think I'd like to see a base
with edges left and right, that are perpendicular to the table, so to speak.
However, I do not mention this personal comment of mine, to
diminish your accomplishment in any way. Congratulations on a lovely
presentation. . The Miami Jayhawk

Tinseltown · Oct 10, 2014

kansas kid said:
I am having a minor trouble with the piece of what I
assume is woood (oh oh, that dangerous word, assume!) because of
it's acute angle at both ends; i.e. fore and aft. I think I'd like to see a base
with edges left and right, that are perpendicular to the table, so to speak.

Thanks for all comments, and for this one in particular. The truth is, I wanted to get this piece ready for the Scale Model Challenge at Eindhoven, this weekend, and this was one of the few bases (1,50 euro) lying about. I have a big, overall presentation project for all my Airfix kits in mind, so this is not definitive. On the other hand, some people have said that the shape of the base actually contributed to the forward movement of the charge, soooo, de gustibus, n'est-ce pas

Marc if you can keep your expenditure down to "next to nothing" in this hobby when most of us have a fortune tied up in grey armies,then well done you.

I assure you, I am not a cheapskate, LOL. I have a considerable grey army locked away safely already, but I'm just trying to save the more expensive pieces until I find I have reached a standard at which I can safely tackle them without feeling guilty ;-)

On the other hand, I admire scratch-builders and recyclers tremendously.

Anyways, thanks again to everyone, I'm feeling right at home already

This, by the way, is one I did in July, on a similar base, my first "diorama" since 1976, when me and a friend recreated the Battle of the Bulge (2 x 1 meters) in papier mâché and which drove his mother "Nuts". I'ù pretty sure it wasn't historically accurate.

Chris Mortimer · Oct 10, 2014

Bliss and stresslessness!?!? Mate if you work it out please let me know. Most of my modelling is done under a blue cloud! Jokes aside I like what you have done. I love the airfix 54mm range and get them when they are cheap. They are good value and have heaps of possibilites. Im working on some of their ECW range. Still nice figures all these years on.

Richard Baxter · Oct 11, 2014

Yes, like many of you it was the issue of the Airfix Hussar in about 1971 or 2 that got me into this madness, which in turn led me to Historex. I was a student in Birmingham at the time and there was a model shop in the Burlington Arcade in the city centre (off New Street) that had some made-up Historex kits in the window...no looking back, as they say. Many years later, am still at it. Enjoyment is the key, appreciate those Airfix classics and have fun!!

Completed "Ah, ces terribles chevaux gris!" - Scots Greys

Help Support planetFigure:

Active Member

Attachments

Moderator

A Fixture

A Fixture

Funky50

Guest

A Fixture

A Fixture

A Fixture

PlanetFigure Supporter

Active Member

Attachments

PlanetFigure Supporter

A Fixture

A Fixture

A Fixture

Active Member

Attachments

Well-Known Member

A Fixture

Similar threads