First Redcoats

Well, not really the first.

The true first Redcoats were painted almost a year ago, and they were not a pretty sight. Bayonets broke, white webbing overflowed, and Bugman's Glow proved an entirely inadequate basecoat for British skintones. Five or so figures, plus one attempted recently, had to be scrapped as a result of these failings. The figure above and below is the first true success.

Pants are Vallejo Imperial Blue washed with Kantor blue, no highlights. Jacket is Mephiston Red, washed Crimson, then highlighted with Evil Sunz Scarlet. Black is done with Corvus black washed with Nuln Oil. Wood is mournfang brown washed with Nuln oil, metal is Iron Warriors washed Nuln and highlighted with Ironbreaker. The puttees and pith are Zandri Dust washed Agrax and then highlighted with Zandri again. The webbing is a Corvus basecoat, Vallejo Ivory covering, Nuln wash, and Vallejo covering again. The leather is Doombull Brown with a Nuln wash. My first go at skin was Cadian Fleshtone washed with Reikland, then highlighted with Kislev. This was unsatisfactory.

The second figure uses Rhinox Hide washed with Agrax for hair. The helmet was glazed with Zandri Dust in addition to a highlight, Ivory highlights were reduced in size, and Evil Sunz highlights were expanded to be more like a partial layer on the torso. The biggest change was in the skin recipie, which is now 50/50 Cadian Fleshtone and Kislev Flesh, then Reikland, then 50/50 Kislev Flesh and Flayed One Flesh. I think looks much better all things considered.

The historicity of Redcoats in Afghanistan in the 1880s is questionable, but the Perry Brothers list it as a possibility in the pamphlet that came with the kit. My plan is to have only a single platoon's worth of Redcoats, the rest in a more typical Khaki. To me at least that seems a decent compromise.

The trick with painting this kit came in two parts. Firstly, Vallejo Ivory is a mandatory paint. The Games Workshop equivalents simply do not meet the same standard. Secondly, the straps must be undercoated with Corvus Black before the red parts of the tunic are basecoated. Then, after the basecoat is carefully applied, Ivory is painted only on the top of the straps. This is what creates the shadowing effect, and it helps to prevent messy overspill. Painting in assembly is also mandatory with the delicate bayonets and complicated front details. I have started basecoating and shading separately, and then combining the assemblies before the highlighting stage. The logic is that portions of the figure it obscures with its own body will be shadowed, and thus not naturally highlighted by any imagined light source. It also means that I can use highlight paint over any obvious seams as a cheap gap-hider.

The Blood and Plunder starter set has also arrived today. It is my hope that working on two projects at once will be more stimulating than one at a time, since with the Afghan portion of the project I found myself frequently malingering or distracted.