Peasants and the Arched Building wips

This last week, along with painting my Mexican peasants, I've been working on cutting out what I call the "Arched Building"- much better name imo than "Building No.9"!

The "peasants" have had their hair painted in and facial hair added too.

They've also had their sandals painted and rifles have been straightened where necessary. Though it doesn't seem much, it still took three or four one hour sessions!

The main bit of my output this week has been on cutting out my latest build, though I won't be assembling it until I 'm happy with all the dimensions.

The building walls all laid out

Second thickness of wall added.

I'm working with 5mm foamboard, so a wall two sheets thick will be just over one foot (30cm) to scale for 54mm figures - 5mm thick walls  just wouldn't look right imo.

With the second thickness of wall added, rabbets were cut in the side wall

Quick trial fit - looking good enough  for me !

Third wall layer added only to the arches bit

Reverse of above walls, showing they don't reach the top of the walls.

The third layer of foamboard covering the inside of the arches, has a two fold purpose. Firstly it bulks out the pillars forming the arches and secondly as it's significantyl shorter that the other outer walls, it will act as a support for a roof  (along with other internal walls) and  form the parapet to the building.

Mock-up showing the discrepancy in wall heights

All arches now cut through and the first (front) set of doorways cut out.

I'll also be needing a Bell Tower and this bit of scrap will come in really handy !

For the arched building, I still have the back wall, with three doorways to fit to the other walls and the three internal walls to cut and fit too, before the whole lots gets a roof and a base. 

Planning ahead, I was happy to find the piece of packing (above), that I've held onto for more years than I care to remember. Perfect size (more or less) for the base of a bell tower I'll be making, hopefully  sometime in the near future.

That's all from me for another week where I've been very busy with little to show for all the effort I put in !

Thanks for taking the time to visit and as always your comments are welcomed and appreciated.

First Four Female Peasants Finished

The four females.

 I've been working well above my regime of an hour a day over the last week. but have  only managed to finish the four females from the batch of twenty-six. I concentrated on the females mainly to have something 'finished' for this week's blog. The chaps have all had their flesh base colour added and their weapons have all been started too. A lot of time this week was spent cutting flash from the figures, but during painting there was still bits that I'd missed - such is life.

I'm pleased with the 'conversions' making every model an individual, though the women had their right hand inevitably break off when drilling for a new weapon.

All the new weapons' shafts were filed down from very thin cane, with bits attached !

Frying pan from the lid of a soft drink

Broom head from the original figure

Adze head from scrap MDF

Original figure, with apron 'removed'

The chaps in their current state

Alongside painting I've also been drawing ot the first large adobe building I'm working on, an arched building with a footprint of approximately 18" x 12" in foamboard. So far I've used three sheets of A2 and will need another one at least for the base and the roof !

Building 'plans', details can just about be made out.

And that's all I've got this week, sadly not a lot to show for a lot of time spent. Next week, if I manage to finish the hair, hats, shading etc. on the male peasants I'll be posting photos of those.

Photography this week has been of the usual abysmal varied quality, despite my best efforts with photoshop so many apologies for that [Usual excuses apply - Ed.]  

That's all for this week, thanks for taking the time to visit and as always your comments are both welcomed and appreciated.

Peasants (wip) and Chinese (again)

This last week I took advantage of a rare sunny, wind-less day, did the final finishing touches to my Chinese westerners and even managed to spray varnish them!

The photographs below show their provenance (Mexican peasnats).

The ladies

The cutting crew

The Australian contingent

The cut and bash crew

The Shooters

I do have an extra Mexican shooter that couldn't be converted (with my limited skill) as he's wearing a pocho/blacket over his shoulder, but all the Chinese men do have 'pig-tails' that can't really be seen, save in the top phot where one can be made out.

 

My latest purchase - 100 scalpel blades

Inspired by the arrival of my latest purchase, I went to work on my remaining Mexican peasant, attempting to change many of them into a unique figure (mostly for identification in games).

I have mostl four of each figure, the results of my efforts can be seen below, with the original figure on the left.

The ladies, with one other still to 'convert'

They really are the same size ! Blame the photographer for the foreshortening.

Hat removed for a new look.

New weapons and a hat !

Shooter with hat !

Different shooter (poncho) again with hat added.

The two shooter poses are a problem, another weapon is not easily added and their limbs cannot easily be moved- plus I've run out of hats ! The six ponchoed (that's a word right ?) guys will have to have different coloured pochos as I see no other solution to distinguishing them Note: I'm am trying to get them as 'uniform' as possible, insomuch as they'll all have white tops, white trousers and a straw hat!

Next week will see all the remaining flash removed (where and when I spot it)  and an undercoat. when possible.

My first 54mm, 1/32nd scale building, in nearly forty years, is still under consideration, but there has been progress and hopefully more over the next week!

 That;s it then for this week, thanks for taking the time to visit  - hopefully something here was of interest and as always your comments and both welcomed and truly appreciated - it's what keeps a lot of bloggers blogging  I reckon.

Another Seven

 So this week. I managed to finish off another seven of  my newly acquired westerners, mostly women which I'm sorely lacking in my collection of 54mms.

The photograph on the right shows the ladies, from the Xmas Village people I have, in their original state when bought back in Decemeber 2020.

Below in order from left to right are the finished models, with conversions and re-paints, mostly to get away from the 'winter wonderland' feel.

"Where's my dawg ?"

No wreath, no hat.

Packages now brown paper and string !

Not much changed here, just a re-paint.

The following photographs are both from the ACW era and a western saloon girl :

Quite a petite figure

Obviously Abe, but he makes a good undertaker

Ugly or what !

Sorry, but no group or rear shots, my camera battery was fading fast !

That's it then for another week , I plan to tackle my Chinese Westerners final bits over the next week and a new western building.

Thanks for taking the time to visit, hopefully there was something here of interest and as always your comments are welcomed and appreciated.