ACW project: CSA infantry, batch one.

This week I got my first batch of Confederate infantry done: 81 figures ready for the table.

No, I'm not that productive, really. Quite some time ago I painted 27 Rebs (before I got distracted by other eras), so I decided to use one newer issue figure with two restored Airfix figures per movement stand. I think it works!

Restoring these figures is really a breeze. I first of all remove any flash, not caring if I chip anymore paint or not.

Next, I temporarily mount the figure on a bottle cap with a bit of "poster putty".

I then coat the figure with Liquitex Matte Medium. Since the brush is likely to pick up an occasional chip of paint and deposit it in the bottle, I "X" the bottle I use for this purpose. The Liquitex "locks down" any remaining paint on the figure and serves as a primer on any bare plastic. Thereafter, I paint as normal, trying to match any existing colors as best I can. If I can't find a shade that's "just right", I tend to go to a lighter color and dry brush...more or less...the rest of the item I'm painting. Once I'm done, I give the figure two more coats of "clean" Liquitex to protect the paint job.

Also this week, I got my first real use of Valspar brand plastic primer as I was ramping-up for my next batch of figs. The nice thing about Valspar is that it dries clear: so if your figures are cast in a useable color, you've saved yourself a bunch of time! The stuff dries fast, but you may want to hit the target with two light coats. Once it's dry, you can almost feel the "tooth" the primer will give the paint. Nice stuff. I found mine at Lowe's Home Center.

Next week I'll be busy doing a project for a new friend of mine. I'm going to take a few pics, but I won't be posting them until I know my buddy has seen the finished product himself. So next week's entry is up in the air at the moment. Hope you drop by then!

Regards,

Bob

So why blog?

After much humming and hawing, I decided it was time for a blog. My main motivation is to share what I can with the wargaming community, but I also want to have something to motivate me. There have been times when I've gone several weeks without doing anything much hobby related. I figure if I get in the habit of posting every Sunday evening, then I'll want to have something to report, right? So, in a way, this blog will be my production supervisor.

First up: Awhile back I took ownership of a big bunch of old Airfix American Civil War figures painted as Confederates.

The figures, and the paint job on them, are about 30 years old. Back in those days, there was not a lot of knowledge around on how to best paint soft-plastic figures, so the paint would usually chip, flake and fall-off....before you finished painting the figure in a lot of cases.

Without too much hesitation, I started "restoring" the figures. The first thing I did was the artillery. This gives you an idea of how they looked to start with.

And I just finished 13 batteries (one gun, 3 gunners, one limber each) today.

Next Sunday I should have some infantry done...wait...I WILL have some infantry done and hope to talk a little about the process I'm using to restore these figs.