Honved infantry for the Risorgimento

 Or at least my take on them. I've been sitting on a pile of Airfix Napoleonic French Line infantry and Grenadiers which I've been steadily trying to find other uses for, I got bored with painting French uniforms a long time ago!

In this case a unit of them are joining my Risorgimento project as Austrian Honved infantry from the  1840s.  Anyone conversant with the period will instantly recognise that the uniforms aren't quite right for such troops, but at least the colours are, more or less, and that's good enough for me.

A simple conversion, just a head change for a metal Austrian shako from Dorset Model Soldiers and a paint job, mounted on metal washers for stability and basing uniformity, the standard is printed from the Warflags website.

Some of the other units in the Risorgimento project have appeared here before in this game based on the Battle of Calatafimi

While I had the Dorset heads and the relevant paints out I added a couple of Austrian Artillery crews to the mix, these made from BMC American Civil War figures.

Unknown Hussar

 This is a conversion of an old Britains hollowcast toy Hussar into.... well another Hussar, but who or which Regiment does he represent?  

The horse's forelock, mane and tail have been built up with solder rather than a modelling clay, which we would use today, also a pelisse has been added to the rider from lead sheet.  The horse has been painted in gloss while the rider and saddle are in matt paint.

On the tail of the shabraque I can just make out VII, and it looks like his busby has been heightened to appear earlier than the Victorian style on the original toy, also there is a small hole on the top where a plume would once have been. Other additions are the stirrups and valise visible in this picture.

Someone has invested a lot of time and skill into making him and I'd love to know who that was, it's very much the sort of thing that members of the BMSS (British Model Soldier Society) used to make in the 1950's and 60's so I'll be putting these pics up on Facebook in the hope that one of the senior members of the hobby might recognise the handiwork and even be able to tell me who made him.

HM of GB Tudor range

 The only painted metal I managed to pick up at the London Show last month were these two examples of artillerymen from the short lived HM of BG Tudor World range, the chipped paint might need a bit of a touch up!

The gun is borrowed from somewhere else (Sikh artillery) but looks okay with these Tudor chaps, they will join the Monarch, Barzo and Chintoys Conquistadors to beef up the Wars of Religion project which is very slowly taking shape here.  Rather neat little figures I think and an unusual subject.

This is the full set of Tudor figures from the HM of GB catalogue, the mounted figure of Henry VIII is really quite fine and I wouldn't mind getting a few more of these.  The firm mostly made British Colonial figures back around 1990 and quite nice they were too, particularly a mule gun battery, they exhibited for several years at the Olympia Toy Trade Fair in London but despite this they never really took off with collectors.  

1920's Lineol Knight

This mounted knight stands 140mm from base to top of plume and was part of an early set of medieval figures produced in the 1920's by Lineol.  Made from the usual "sawdust and glue" composition material it was part of a jousting tournament, with six foot figures representing members of the Court and attendants plus two mounted knights with two different horses.  The other knight had a couched lance on a rearing horse, I once had the other horse and it was one of the most spectacular pieces I've ever owned but I let it go to a German dealer......... and have regretted that ever since!

The horse trappings are parti-coloured green and white but this one has clearly collected a lot of grime over the past hundred years. I really should give him a gentle clean but I rather like the aged patina and if I removed it I really couldn't wait around another hundred years for it to come back!

USS San Pueblo at the London Toy Soldier Show

 Back in December I went along to the London Toy Soldier Show, I have to admit I was checking each day that it wouldn't be cancelled at the last minute, but they stuck to their guns and with due social distancing it went ahead.  

One of the highlights for me was this rather nice model of the USS San Pueblo, I didn't catch the name of the maker but no doubt it will come to light at some point, in the meantime I thought I'd share it anyway.  (sure enough, within an hour Antony Spencer has advised me that it's made by The British Toy Soldier Company)

Those sailors to look pretty smart.

I quite liked the backdrop of 2D Chinese shopfronts too.

I thought the mood in the show was rather sombre, but that's only to be expected in the circumstances.  Still, it didn't stop me adding to the pile of unpainted figures and it was great to get together again with like minded friends for the usual after show drink.