Work in Progress

Casualty Groups

Posted by Bessiere on 07 Jan 2025, 19:57

Sorry to be slack in posting. I find uploading and taking pics laborious (it doesn't help having a 10 year old clunky computer either!). That said I decided to try to make little groups of cavalry casualties to add some action as it might have appeared on the battlefield of Waterloo. Without further adieu here's some HaT Grenadiers a Cheval, ESCI 2nd Dutch lancers and Italeri Cuirassier. It's very pleasing to transform static figures into something more dynamic.
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I am hoping this will make James' job of setting up a little easier while adding some interest to the volumes of figures in standard poses.
Cheers,
Bessiere
Bessiere  United States of America
 
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23 May 2019, 15:50


Posted by Santi Pérez on 07 Jan 2025, 20:58

Bessiere wrote:...It's very pleasing to transform static figures into something more dynamic...

And you have achieved some really dynamic poses, Bessiere, they're fantastic conversions. :love:

Santi.
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Santi Pérez  Spain
 
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Posted by Captain Sibourne on 07 Jan 2025, 22:52

Bessiere, you're a genius, these are tremendous. Thank you so much!
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Posted by Bessiere on 08 Jan 2025, 02:14

Thank you Santi and Captain Sibourne for your kind comments, they are very flattering if not quite factual. If one spends sufficient time with figures you can imagine interaction between them and find a way to make it believable. It's a bit time consuming to gestate on how to pose them and affix them solidly but exciting to get something new out of them. Just the product of searching for something to hopefully add to the overall realism of a battle scene. Historical paintings are the best inspiration since anything you see in them likely happened and belonged there. Lets give viewers an endless panorama of action, a violent drama writ large across thousands of yards of terrain. To learn anything new is always the greatest rewards of all.
Cheers,
Bessiere

Capt Sibourne: I was so absorbed in the process I forgot to add plumes to the lancers. I will add those!
Bessiere  United States of America
 
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23 May 2019, 15:50

Posted by Susofrick on 08 Jan 2025, 10:20

Very good! I remember that ESCI was pretty easy to convert with hot water.
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Susofrick  Sweden
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Posted by Bessiere on 08 Jan 2025, 10:55

Susofrick wrote:Very good! I remember that ESCI was pretty easy to convert with hot water.

Thank you Susofrick. You are correct about the hot water and 2 pairs of pliers. Their light blue plastic is one of the better formulas for bending, the silver - not so much.
Cheers,
Bessiere
Bessiere  United States of America
 
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Posted by C M Dodson on 08 Jan 2025, 19:51

Very nice compositions Mr B.

The nasty business of killing the opposition is often overlooked in our hobby,with understandable reason, but vignettes like this help to point out the futility of war.

Not that any politician will take heed!

Watch that Lancers hand, a little cut should help.

Best wishes,

Chris
C M Dodson  United Kingdom
 
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Posted by Bessiere on 08 Jan 2025, 22:13

C M Dodson wrote:Very nice compositions Mr B.

Watch that Lancers hand, a little cut should help.

Best wishes,

Chris


Thanks Chris. The hand does look ridiculously like private leisure activity. I need to attach a sword (I want him dropping it) and also the hat from the Grenadier I'm looking for fishing line stiff enough to suspend it in air behind him without looking silly.
Cheers,
Bessiere
Bessiere  United States of America
 
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Posted by k.b. on 11 Jan 2025, 20:32

Whoa ......... i had somehow missed this post Bessiere. Shame on me. Absolutely splendid are the words that i blurted out when I set eyes on them for the first time around 3 minutes ago. Your dedication and infinite patience are what most impress me about these types of conversion.

Coincidentally i happen to have a few Hat cavalrymen on my workbench screaming for a lick of paint right now, including a couple of Horse Grenadiers and a Mameluke. This plastic that they use is certainly different but i must say it has taken my white enamel basecoat rather well.

Back to your amazing work Bessiere, I am struggling to decide which trio of casualties i like the most......am torn between the Red Lancers and the Grenadiers a Cheval.

Many thanks for the inspiration my friend ......
k.b.  Brazil
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Posted by Bessiere on 11 Jan 2025, 22:23

Thank you very much K.B. It may not be readily apparent but one aspect I like is having riders standing in their stirrups which is unusual in our scale, usually ending up sitting full in the saddle. When jumping or in combat it was very common. Still a few loose ends to tie up but basically finished. 3 seems to be the limit, just getting those to look natural together in any sort of dynamic pose is hard enough. It also feels right that if a group were hit by canister only 3 in a line would be affected. I'm working on making things even more graphic but I dunno if I can pull it off- we'll see.
Cheers,
Bessiere
Bessiere  United States of America
 
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