Spanish Royal Guard Music Unit

[Iceman1964]

Go Santi go
Waiting to see the completion of such complex work !!
I would go in crisis simply giving the name of the different instruments

[Santi Pérez]

Go Santi go
Waiting to see the completion of such complex work !!
I would go in crisis simply giving the name of the different instruments

Thanks for the encouragement, Enrico, it never hurts.

A lot of work still ahead...and not just to finish the figures. After that will come the painting, in my case even more difficult than the conversions.

The instruments have not been very complicated. First I had to find out which ones appear and in what proportions in the band I'm trying to represent. Then to look for their names, in which I am fortunate, as I have my own musical advisor at home, since my wife is a music teacher. And finally, to find the exact form of each instrument, a lot of googling.

Santi.

[sberry]

A lot of work still ahead...and not just to finish the figures. After that will come the painting, in my case even more difficult than the conversions.

It is always fascinating to see how you produce these excellently painted figures.
In this particular case, with a huge number of very similar figures, I'm curious about your "workflow": Will you paint them in a batch mode, applying each color to all figures in a single round? Or is it perhaps necessary to tackle these figures individually, completing one after another, to maintain that high quality standard?

[Santi Pérez]

...Will you paint them in a batch mode, applying each color to all figures in a single round? Or is it perhaps necessary to tackle these figures individually, completing one after another, to maintain that high quality standard?

I haven't really thought about it yet, sberry.

I don't think I've ever once in all my modelling career used the serial painting technique, perhaps because I've never painted many figures wearing the same outfit.

This might be a good time to try it. Maybe I can try to paint a not too large number of figures at once (let's say half a dozen) and, depending on the results (measured in time, quality and effort), keep it up or go back to individual painting.

By the way, I can now post the pictures of the band's latest signing, one of the three buglers.

To get it I used the same starting figure from the Airfix set as for the previous trumpeter:



In this case, I have kept only the right hand on the instrument, but to make it look more like a bugle than a trumpet, I have reduced its length by cutting a small piece and have also added a piece of paper reinforced with white glue where the royal coat of arms will be painted. This is the figure obtained:



Best wishes to all of you.

Santi.

[Ochoin]

It's good to see further progress.

As a wargamer, often in need of lots of figures, batch painting is the "norm".
I often paint a single figure of a new unit to make sure I have everything worked out. Then - multiples.
Or command figures usually get painted individually. But they are rare compared to the numerous rank & file.

Batch painting has positives: speedy progress, saving on paint, easier to be uniform.
It can be the cause of 'painter's block' though. A pile of figures, half painted, can look daunting. Ditto, figures that are all the same. Painting 200 Zulu warriors is not a great deal of fun.

Everyone's different. I *usually* paint 3-6 mounted figures, or 8 infantry or a single gun + crew at a time.
I enjoy painting but I can't face much more than this at a time.

Santi, if you like painting (I'm assuming you do), you should ask yourself why you want to paint several figures at once?

donald

[Santi Pérez]

Thank you very much, Donald. I really appreciate the advice from such a veteran figure painter as yourself and I agree on the advantages and disadvantages of painting several figures at once. I wouldn't want to fall into ‘painter's block’ at all.

You tell me that I should ask myself why I want to paint several figures at the same time. I think my main reason is to get satisfactory results more quickly than painting the figures one by one.

Therefore, I think I will follow the decision I made in a previous post: ‘Try to paint a not very large number of figures at a time (let's say half a dozen) and, depending on the results (measured in time, quality and effort), continue like that or go back to individual painting’.

But before I get to that point, I have to finish all the musicians in the band so that they are ready for the paintjob. I have almost finished the ninth one.

Best regards!

Santi.

[Santi Pérez]

I have taken a couple of pictures of the trumpeter and the bugler together to appreciate the main differences between them, despite having used the same original figure for both.

Here they are:




Santi.

[Ochoin]

Coming along nicely.

I am not a musician - unless you count the bagpipes. I can play two tunes. One is "The Black Bear'. The other isn't. So this comment should be taken for what it's worth.

Both instruments are brass. However, I have seen trumpets that have a 'silver' finish. Would this be appropriate for your figures, to better differentiate them?

donald

[Susofrick]

Looking good! One of them reminds me of an old jazz musician who put a handkerchief over his trumpet so other musicians couldn't see what he played.

[Santi Pérez]

...Both instruments are brass. However, I have seen trumpets that have a 'silver' finish. Would this be appropriate for your figures, to better differentiate them?
donald

Thanks for the advice, Donald. I've been looking at different videos and pictures of the band I'm trying to represent and I've seen that most of the brass instruments, although they are all brass, appear mixed in two external colours (gold and silver); however, others seem to be always the same colour, such as the saxophones, gold.

When I proceed to paint the figures I will try to reflect reality and mix instruments in both colours.

Looking good! One of them reminds me of an old jazz musician who put a handkerchief over his trumpet so other musicians couldn't see what he played.

Gunnar, I know that the Royal Guard band plays pieces in many different styles, including jazz. As a sample, here is a video in which they play ABBA songs.



Cheers!

Santi.

[Santi Pérez]

The last finished musician has just joined the band. He's the bass drummer.

I used the original one from the Airfix set as starting figure:



In this case, the basic conversions consisted, apart from turning the fur cap into a ros, of changing the position of the arms to bring them closer to the drum and eliminating the apron present in the original figure.

And this is the final result:



As one of the forum members uses to say ‘still a lot to do’.

Thanks so much for watching!

Santi.

[Ochoin]

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IrwAjB-We0o

[sberry]

In this case, the basic conversions consisted, apart from turning the fur cap into a ros, of changing the position of the arms to bring them closer to the drum and eliminating the apron present in the original figure.

And this is the final result:

Looking at the result, it is impossible to guess that the figure had originally that apron. Must have been quite a difficult task to get such a clean result!

[C M Dodson]

Impressive and creative remodelling going on here.

I am looking forward to the finishes set.

Best wishes,

Chris

[Michael Robert]

Hello Santi,
your band is complete, now let's hear the music. Just joking, but I like your figures and follow your thread. Will be nice to see the finished orchestra.

Greetings
Michael

[Santi Pérez]

Thank you very much for your kind words, dear colleagues.

...Looking at the result, it is impossible to guess that the figure had originally that apron. Must have been quite a difficult task to get such a clean result!

You're absolutely right, sberry. Removing elements from the original figures is not always a particularly easy task, because it's difficult to cut cleanly through the kind of plastic they are made of. When you do, you are always left with tiny strips of plastic that are very difficult to remove. That's why I also apply several layers of white glue which, apart from helping me to model the shapes, serves to cover the defects and get the best possible final result.

Impressive and creative remodelling going on here.
I am looking forward to the finishes set.
Best wishes,
Chris

Thanks, Chris. When I have at least the first 16 different figures that will appear on the band (the remaining 8 will be repetitions of some of the previous ones), I will try to make and post a picture of them altogether.

Hello Santi,
your band is complete, now let's hear the music. Just joking, but I like your figures and follow your thread. Will be nice to see the finished orchestra.
Greetings
Michael

Thank you, Michael. I assure you that I am the most impatient to see the complete band, even if it's unpainted. And I will be the happiest man in the world when it's painted. When I post the pictures of the finished project (in a few months, hopefully not years), I will try to accompany it with some nice military marches of the Spanish army to create the most appropriate atmosphere

Santi.

[sberry]

You're absolutely right, sberry. Removing elements from the original figures is not always a particularly easy task, because it's difficult to cut cleanly through the kind of plastic they are made of. When you do, you are always left with tiny strips of plastic that are very difficult to remove.

There will be always some mold lines and other residues of the plastic that are almost impossible to cut away, no matter how sharp your knife is. For this reason, I got a cheap soldering iron some years ago, and it works perfectly. I love it! Initially, I was using a needle heated in a Bunsen burner flame (I'm still a chemist after all), but the electrical thing is much more comfortable...

[Santi Pérez]

Thanks for the advices, sberry.

I also tried in the past the trick of burning the excedeed plastic with a pin heated over the flame of a lighter. The problem was that as the figures were so small it was not uncommon for it to burn more plastic than I wanted.

I have also thought about trying the soldering iron sometime, although it should have a very sharp tip to avoid the problem mentioned above.

Santi.

[C M Dodson]

You can attach copper wire to the soldering iron which will provide more precision.

Best wishes,

Chris

[Santi Pérez]

That's a good idea, Chris. But how could the copper wire be attached to the tip of the soldering iron?

Santi.