MexRev scenery

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

Nice painting Neil, interesting that you have gone for khaki and a light blue grey for the government troops.

Yeah, I'm still experimenting with the mixing of the uniform colours from white, black and havana brown tube acrylics. They are still a tad too khaki for my liking and I will have to add a lighter highlight and drybrushing to make them paler. From my reading I understand the early Govt. troops summer uniform should be an off-white with a bit of Prussian influenced grey coming in for the officers. I'm pleased with the effect of the flags though - which are very impressionistic blobs on a 10x15mm field but they do the trick quite nicely.

[Flaminpig0]

First tentative outing for a portion of my Early Government cavalry... a patrol to 'fly the flag' and some Early Govt. infantry behind field defences...

Really good painting

[Colonel Kilgore]

Very nice figures and scenery. I do like those barricade markers.

Simon

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

Trying something new atm. I bought some Freikorps Spanish from their Spanish American War range. I've headswapped a few with PP sombreros and made a passable Villista limber team and crew. A pack of pack mules have been added to some Irregular Miniatures mules to make a supply train for both Government forces and Villistas with a PP early Govt. NCO figure and Mexican horse holder acting as teamsters. The Hotchkiss mountain guns and Spanish crew will also make useful additions.

[martin goddard]

Those figures look nice Neil.
Seeing the figures alongside bits of scenery makes the whole period come into consciousness.


martin

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

Thanks Martin,
My mission church is probably a tad overscale since I was guesstimating from a couple of photos but I'm pleased with it and how the troops are shaping up. I will populate my village when my Govt. troops are further along after the latest recruitment drive
I'm planning to raise a small unit of Rurales to go with them.
I hope you will be doing M1895 Colt-Browning MGs and crew in the future? Not just for the US troops. I purchased the Freikorps Roughriders version from their SpAm range as a punt. The MG is a little weedy and lacking in definition and suffering from a little seam offset compared with the crisp PP sculpts of the Hotchkiss and crews we are all used to.

[martin goddard]

Hello Neil
Good news. 
There will be a colt MG.
I have spent a fair bit of time on looking into it.
It will be the first version, with the smooth barrel.
I am making the master and then down the line it will become actual figures.
First apperanace will be with the cowboy hat troops.


martin

[Colonel Kilgore]

Aha - a little flattery goes a long way!

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

That's great news and good to know. Looking forward to seeing the Cowboy hatted troops as they become available. I will probably relegate the Freikorps Colt MGs to a covered railway wagon mounting or somesuch.

[martin goddard]

The Colt MG is  a fairly simple shape so the PP one might not be any better than the offerings of others.


martin

[Colonel Kilgore]

Ah, but yours will have that certain Piggy je ne sais quoi. Style counts 

Simon

[Smiley Miley 66]

Neil a suggestion about an “ off white” uniform, paint them white Vallejo have a stencil white, then a light wash then highlight them with some light colours to get to the shade you require?
Miles

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

Thanks Smiley Miley for the tip. Atm I mix a very pale tan in acrylic tube white and Havana brown, then ink wash with Winsor & Newton Peat brown to get lowlights/grime and highlight in almost pure white. The trick is allowing for the slight change in colour adding the ink... I'm getting better results now with the second intake of troops. The annoying thing is the ammunition pouches and belts on the early Govt. troops were mostly black, so I can't get even close to Pierre's tremendous tan highlighting...

Martin, I'm sure your Colt MG will be fine. It is a bit of a weedy looking design to start with, almost like someone has mounted a Tommy gun on a tripod and tried to pass it off as an HMG. It has none of the presence or gravitas of a Vickers. I like your sculpting solution to the Hotchkiss tripod. The Freikorps version of the Colt tripod has a simple blocked in look making the triangular space underneath look just like... well, a block of wood...

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

I'm just looking at the new Dodge pickup model 11/64 and eyeing up the British EW seated 16/5 and wondering if I can cram a load in the flatbed as MexRev Govt. troops...?

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

I made an interesting discovery... I have some spare bits of N gauge and 009 gauge items left over from a stalled NG model railway project. In 3mm scale the 9mm wide track equates to 3 foot gauge which just happens to be the NG of choice in Mexico. I can use said track bits and NG accessories to scratchbuild a derelict mine entrance, complete with overgrown spoil heap siding and rusted tipper wagons...
It will make an interesting scenic item and perhaps even a rebel hideout...