Neil's Airfix 54mm 95th Rifleman

[Neil Merryweather]

Brave man Neil. Taking a saw to something that small can't be easy, but it's worked very well.

This is the fun part, Peter. It's the painting that frightens me!

 

[Jim R]

Hi Neil
I'm in. That alteration makes the stance look much more natural.
Jim

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Great tip there Neil, so cut and just fold back and fill if required ?

Absolutely John,although that's with the nice soft Airfix plastic. Dragon or Tamiya plastic is a bit more brittle, so you might need to drill a thin soft wire in.

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Hi Neil
I'm in. That alteration makes the stance look much more natural.
Jim

cheers, Jim

 

[Windy]

This is the fun part, Peter. It's the painting that frightens me!

Painting faces frightens me! I always leave them till last in case I screw them up!

 

[JR]

Absolutely John,although that's with the nice soft Airfix plastic. Dragon or Tamiya plastic is a bit more brittle, so you might need to drill a thin soft wire in.

Might work equally as well with MiniArt then Neil ,that must be like Airfix, as very soft .

 

[Neil Merryweather]

I drilled holes in his torso, arms and head and inserted soft copper wire to enable me to get the pose right-this is especially helpful when you have two hands holding a rifle or something.

I also cut off his jacket skirts because they would stick out unnaturally once I leaned his torso forward. You’ll notice I have chamfered his waist a bit to enable that to happen. It means he’s lost a row of buttons, but they would be covered by his waist belt anyway.




I left him like this over night and I wasn’t quite happy with the pose, so I took him apart and revised the position slightly




that's all for now
thanks for looking
Neil

 

[Neil Merryweather]

I set to with the Milliput, left him overnight and when I came back I realised that I as a consequence of pivoting his right leg outwards I had left him rather small behind and rather well endowed in front…..


I doesn’t do to frighten the horses so I took a riffler file to his bits, poor chap. His bottom was too small so at the second pass with the Milliput I sorted that out, and rounded out his thighs a bit , too.

I’m just not one of these people who can get it right first time- I always need a second or third attempt. As far as sculpting with Milliput goes, I envy people who can get a finished article by simply modelling- I find I always have to fettle quite a lot with a file and fine wet and dry, no matter how well I think I have modelled. I have been doing this a long time and I have quite a lot of purpose designed modelling tools at my disposal, but I always seem to use the same two or three……

On checking out re-enactor websites I have decided not to re-attach the tunic skirts from the kit as they are longer and more elaborate than what the well-dressed 95th Rifleman is wearing these days. I guess there has been more detailed research carried out in the 40+ years since this kit was designed.


Also, having a second figure in mind, I would have to replicate them from scratch, and although I have everything else I need in the spares box, I don’t have the skirts.

All this meant that I had to pay more attention to his bum (Matron…….) because more of it would be visible.

Talking of the second figure, when I had to re-organise the spares box a while ago I found a pair of Multipose US Marine legs that inspired me, and I had already decided to make a 95th Rifleman before I went to Cosford and got my bargain.

So here is my first pass at the pose.

The idea is that he is charging his Baker rifle from his powder horn, whilst his oppo takes aim at the Voltigeurs across the battlefield.

Thanks for looking

Neil

 

[Deleted member 4539]

Looking good Neil .

 

[scottie3158]

Neil,
I like the way you go about converting the poses, I have never had a go but I think I need to buy some cheap figures and have a play. Looking forward to the paint.

 

[Deleted member 6559]

Great work Neil, and I would have left him as well endowed!

 

[Jon Heptonstall]

Look great together.They were trained to operate in pairs so this works well.
Jon.

 

[yak face]

Wow , great work neil, theyre going to look great. I would have left his bulge intact , it would scare the life out of johnny frenchie!! It reminded me a bit of the airport scene in ‘This is Spinal Tap ‘

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Looking good Neil .

Thank you Ralph

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Neil,
I like the way you go about converting the poses, I have never had a go but I think I need to buy some cheap figures and have a play. Looking forward to the paint.

Thanks Paul. I learnt the techniques from articles in Airfix Magazine in the early seventies by the late Sid Horton(Chota Sahib). He also wrote modelling tips as Stan Catchpol, if you can get hold of Stan Catchpol's Modelling Workshop it's a goldmine of useful old school tips & tricks(not that YOU really need any more help......)

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Great work Neil, and I would have left him as well endowed!

Thanks Peter but I'm way too sensitive.........

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Look great together.They were trained to operate in pairs so this works well.
Jon.

Thanks Jon.
Yes that was the plan- I've read those Sharpe books several times each!
If anyone has seen TV shows but not read the books I can thoroughly recommend them. They are a fun read and WAY better than the TV. And full of historical and technical detail
Star with Sharpe's Eagle (rather than chronologically) as it's the first one Bernard Cornwell wrote, and they just get better and better.

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Wow , great work neil, theyre going to look great. I would have left his bulge intact , it would scare the life out of johnny frenchie!! It reminded me a bit of the airport scene in ‘This is Spinal Tap ‘

Thanks Tony
I've not seen Spinal Tap in a long time so that reference is eluding me at the moment
will do my homework, sir

 

[Neil Merryweather]

I’ve played around with the pose of number 2 a bit more, here are some evolutionary shots….
I’ve changed the arms but I’m committed to the legs so I’ve substituted his US marine Rough Out boots for napoleonic boots and gaiters from the spares box. I can’t decide whether he should be looking forward at danger or down at the job in hand.

Here’s a different left arm and a trunk raised higher

Looking down


And this is almost there………..


Until I realised his back was a bit too 21st century Gym-Bunny


So a bit more surgery was required, and this is where we are now


I really liked the twisted left RIGHT ankle of the original legs so I have made sure to reproduce it here. I mustn’t forget to straighten out his toe, though
I should get back to number one tonight
thanks for looking
Neil

 

[JR]

Neil, figures look good. Just what I needed to see, a sbs on how to alter figures. Interesting how you go back to them and alter as necessary.
Some great tips thank you.