Spanish line infantry drummer Pensacola 1781 by king derelict - Art Girona - 54 mm

[king derelict]

As a result of vacillating between kits I seem to have started a number of different things simultaneously. And so the next temptation, a white metal miniature by Art Girona

Judging by the size this is a drummer boy. The sculpt is nicely done and this should be a pleasant little project. I’ve assembled the major elements and given them a coat of black primer and the white directional spray 

After looking at the box art I was surprised to find that a dog is included. That will be a new challenge but he looks well sculpted.

I’m keeping the drum separate until the end of the painting.

Thanks for looking in.

alan
 

 

[Old Collingwood]

Another  excellent looking  figure  - and great the addition of the hound.

 

OC.

[king derelict]

Thank you OC, the dog was a nice touch to the kit. I hope I can make him look good.

alan

[king derelict]

With the Comet finished it is now time to get this one moving. I’ve been getting a bit vexed with the nail brushes. I’m probably too heavy handed with them but they are now beginning to lose their point and stray bristles escape from the rest and paint goes somewhere where it’s not wanted.

I invested in these and they are a delight so far, this one can handle small details and it also holds a reasonable amount of paint.

Ive been building up the basic glazes on the drummer. The blue seems to have a bit of a gloss to it and in spite of the primer shading it’s a bit too uniform. I am planning to try to simulate fading, considering he is supposed to be at Pensacola. That might take care of the problems.

 basics of the face have been painted in. I’m trying for a young look so no stubble or mustache. The paler skin might go against the whole Pensacola thing but he is wearing a hat.

The mouth will be tidied up as part of the general cleanup.

And the dog had some work done. This is new ground for me so I’m not really sure about the best way to simulate the fur. I can also see a seam that needs attention. There is something in front of his right ear that doesn’t look right too. May do a bit of filing.Paws will be next.

There is something basic paints are on the drummer and now the white tensioning straps need touching up. The painting guide shows the Royal Arms painted on the drummer and now but that is completely beyond my skill. 

Thanks for looking in. 

it’s fun to be back painting these little fellows

 

Alan

 

 

 

 

 

 

[king derelict]

Mixed fortunes with the paint brush. Some progress and some backward movement.

I tidied up the drum, just need to add the white line at the base. I filed the seam and the reshaped the head in front of the right ear. Painted up I think it looks better.

I’m not sure if he needs a satin coat, looks a bit dull to me but maybe he needs a brushing.

i started building up the details on the drummer. The face needs a little more work around the eyes but generally seems to be going in the right direction. His black hat is actually dark grey to reflect a bit of field life.

The blue coat had a lighter blue wash added and looks a bit better. But look what the camera picked up.

A nasty seam down his coat and right leg. It’s only visible when you get the light right but there it is. So I will file it off and reprimer and paint again. There is another seam on the back of his coat too.

I also need to work out a way to get the buttons on his gaiters consistent and neat. Otherwise not too much more to do. It’s amazing how fast you suddenly find the end coming.

Thanks for looking in and the likes.

alan

[Jsk]

He is looking good! Unseemly seams seem to be the bane of figure painters.

[king derelict]

On 6/1/2025 at 2:05 PM, Jsk said:

He is looking good! Unseemly seams seem to be the bane of figure painters.

Thanks very much. Yes it’s amazing how they pop up in the right light even after filing them down before priming and checking after priming.

alan

[king derelict]

I’ve continued to tidy up the drum although it feels like an endless loop of narrowing the white line and overdoing it and then trying to get the blue or red back and overdoing that. I probably should have explored masking but it’s a fiddle area to work on so I don’t think I would get the tape to lie flat and then have bleed through.

I added the drumsticks and discolored the skin.

I think the figure is done, I added the straps for the drum, blue with a red border which was difficult to get neat. The buttons on his gaiters are tidier and I added the silver buckles.

Time to work on the base and put it all together. I ordered some MiG Ammo tropical vegetation (at an extortionate price) with a view to getting a bit of a Florida look going. 
Thanks for looking in, the likes and kind comments.

alan

 

 

 

[Old Collingwood]

Excellent work Alan.

 

OC.

[AJohnson]

Looking very good Alan! 

[king derelict]

2 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

Excellent work Alan.

 

OC.

Thank you very much OC. Another enjoyable small project.

Alan

[king derelict]

2 hours ago, AJohnson said:

Looking very good Alan! 

Thanks very much Andrew. I just realized that there are white buttons on his sleeves. Completely overlooked them whoops.

Alan

[king derelict]

I finished tidying up the last details and epoxied the dog to the base and then added the drum. It’s suddenly starting to look quite nice. I painted the base with diluted white glue and shook Woodland Scenics grass on. After it dried I dumped the surplus and added a couple of tufts of vegetation. Ive left a bit of room in case the MiG tropical vegetation shows up in the near future. I’m quite pleased with the results. The Art Girona sculptor is not the one associated with the figures Ive painted so far. I don’t think he’s as good but it’s still a very nice piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always thanks for looking in, for the likes and encouraging comments.

Alan

[king derelict]

And at risk of derailing my own build log I thought I’d share a few images of this figure seeing as it’s been lurking in the background of the photos for a while. It’s a generic resin print from Etsy bought on a whim. This is Athena and her wise owl.

The print was a bit disappointing with a lot of blurred details but I wanted to try blonde hair so I thought I would give it a go anyway. The face has no features other than the nose so I struggled with eyes and mouth. I think the face is overly long but criticizing the gods might be impertinent.

So this is the result. I might try another reprinted figure but I feel safer with the metal offerings.

The blonde hair isn’t too bad for a first attempt but the owl is my favorite bit of the piece.

Thanks for looking in

Alan

[Old Collingwood]

Some Great figure painting going on there Alan,   I think they are not the easiest of subjects  from my own experience, but you are nailing it.

 

OC. 

[thibaultron]

On 6/3/2025 at 2:44 PM, king derelict said:

I’ve continued to tidy up the drum although it feels like an endless loop of narrowing the white line and overdoing it and then trying to get the blue or red back and overdoing that. I probably should have explored masking but it’s a fiddle area to work on so I don’t think I would get the tape to lie flat and then have bleed through.

I added the drumsticks and discolored the skin.

I think the figure is done, I added the straps for the drum, blue with a red border which was difficult to get neat. The buttons on his gaiters are tidier and I added the silver buckles.

Time to work on the base and put it all together. I ordered some MiG Ammo tropical vegetation (at an extortionate price) with a view to getting a bit of a Florida look going. 
Thanks for looking in, the likes and kind comments.

alan

 

 

 

Well just stick in a few "Pink Flamingo"statues!

[king derelict]

3 hours ago, thibaultron said:

Well just stick in a few "Pink Flamingo"statues!

Ron, that’s exactly what the base needs! 😎

And maybe a bag of boiled peanuts somewhere.

Alan

[king derelict]

On 6/4/2025 at 4:29 PM, Old Collingwood said:

Some Great figure painting going on there Alan,   I think they are not the easiest of subjects  from my own experience, but you are nailing it.

 

OC. 

Thank you very much OC. Uniforms with piping, buttons and facings are a real challenge for me. I don’t know how you did it at 28 mm

Alan