1/16 MJ Miniatures 91st Foot Bust

[Deleted member 6559]

This one was kindly given to me by Ralph a few months ago. It represents a member of the 1st Battalion, 91st Regiment of Foot, during the seventh Xhosa War, Cape Colonies, 1846:



He's pretty much attired as in the illustration, and wears the distinctive double-peaked tropical bonnet.

The kit comes in three parts:



So perfectly cast that no clean-up was required at all, a first for me. The only draw back is that, at 1/16, this seems tiny compared to the recent busts I've painted. Of course, I do make full 1/16 figures, but there you have the whole figure to bring the thing together - working on the head and shoulders alone will require some extra effort with the painting.

This is what he looks like assembled:



A lovely sculpt. I'm going to start on that pesky tartan hat band first, as that's the thing I'm most likely to struggle with.

 

[Deleted member 4539]

Just have fun Peter .

 

[Richard48]

A nice one to pick.Im very interested in this era from 1800 to 1900,Colonial wars are a ripe area for figure projects.Im working on some 1.12th minibusts of this era.Watching with interest my friend.
Rich.

 

[JR]

I'll sit with Richard as he knows about such things Peter.
Will it take long ? As I have a few jobs to do .

 

[Jim R]

Hi Peter
Looks very nice. With the hat being cast as part of the head will the peak make painting the face difficult?
Jim

 

[Deleted member 6559]

Ralph - I will!

Richard - Another one of those obscure colonial wars. Canterbury Cathedral is full of memorials to soldiers who fought in places long forgotten.

John - It's taking longer than I thought it would. You may want to occupy yourself rather than watching the paint dry.

Jim - Painting the face has indeed been difficult:



This felt very small indeed after the recent 1/10 busts I've been doing. It's quite hard to accept that you're just not going to be able to achieve the same level of detail as at the larger scale.

I started today with the tartan, trying to ensure that the pattern broke each section of colour into a square, which was the tricky part. It could still do with some tidying up, and it's a long way from perfect, but it's the best I can do at this scale.

The face took a while, but the visor did at least throw natural shadows that could be copied in paint. It was a process of excavation - seeing what cropped up under a lick of paint, then defining the detail.

 

[Deleted member 4539]

Looks great Peter and the hard part is over .

 

[SteveH]

Evening Peter
Quick question,
If the shop has sold out of Tartan paint, what would you recommend?
My Gordon's Highlander might benefit IF I ever get released!
I guess size is just a matter of scale!
I am sure it will be another cracker as soon as the paint starts to fly
Have a good day with the paints tomorrow, I'm off to see the escape committee
Regards
Steve H

 

[Mickc1440]

That looks brilliant Peter, I could never get that level of accuracy with a brush

 

[Deleted member 6559]

Ralph - That's right, the nice bits to do next.

Steve - How's the new knee? Sounds like you're enjoying the meds. Hope you're not in too much pain. Home today, or do you fancy more time with your feet up?

Wouldn't tartan paint be great, or even better camo paint?!! At least this was only three colours.

Mick - Thank you. I did think of painting the tartan on paper and wrapping it round, but the actual band is a bit uneven and it probably wouldn't have fitted.

 

[Deleted member 6559]

It's getting there:



Not finished yet. A lot of tidying up and detailing to do and the musket to add.

 

[Deleted member 4539]

Hard colours to paint red and white but this looks great Peter .

 

[Deleted member 6559]

You're telling me Ralph! I've spent most of the time in despair working on this. Not only are red and white tough to do, but a bust at this scale is very challenging, demanding extra attention to the finish. Now that it's started to come together I'm beginning to really enjoy myself - the detailing and tidying-up is the best part.

 

[Deleted member 4539]

I have driven myself mad these few days decaling an aircraft.........no step,no step,no step.
I just guess it is the finish that is most welcome and then we start all over again.
Passion for the hobby just makes us do these things and to be honest I think I would be dead without modelling.

 

[Richard48]

Fantastic my friend.I think 1.16th is too small for busts.1.12th is small enough but manageable.Im hoping to expand my 1.12th minis range next year.This time of year curtails my progress.Too many festive distractions and loss of mojo.
Richard.

 

[Steve Jones]

Late to the party I'm afraid Mr Day. I must say you have done an exceptional paint job. I'm sorry it wasn't as much fun as your larger busts but he really is something to behold. Looking forward to seeing the final reveal

 

[Deleted member 6559]

Ralph - Modelling is certainly a life-saver.I often wonder why we do it, when it's so b****y difficult, but triumphing over adversity is certainly one of the appeals.

Richard. Thank you my friend. I agree that 1/16 is too small for busts - there must be only a very few people in the world who can pull them off with total success. I like 1/12 though, as it's just large enough to give an advantage to the painter. My granddaughter is arriving for Christmas on Thursday, and that is seriously going to curtail my painting activities.

Steve - Thank you. I've tried very hard to make it look bust-like, if you see what I mean. It's a great sculpt and I've probably enjoyed painting it more than I realise. However, the exercise has made me wonder if my eyes are up to 1/16 any more.

 

[Steve Brodie]

Looks great, how big is a head in 1/16th scale (CM) as cant imagine their is a lot of real estate to get at.
Grand daughter for Christmas - what a wonderful time, is she still young enough to believe in the magic of Santa ?

 

[Deleted member 6559]

Steve - I'll do a comparison shot with a 1/10 bust. No, there isn't a lot to get at.

Granddaughter is only 15 months old, so she doesn't even understand the concept of Christmas, which isn't to say that it won't be all about her. Her mum and my other two are more excited.

 

[Deleted member 6559]

Finished:



I'm afraid I couldn't get sharper pictures because of the way my camera causes the reds to bloom.

A size comparison with a 1/10 bust: