"The Workbench... and is that... a TEDDY BEAR?" Topic

Yep, it is! Come on by and see the latest at Lord Ashram's House of War… Prep for Christmas edition!

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Aren't the Eureka SYP (Seven Years Picnic) bears great? I've been giving my wife small units of them as birthday presents since the line came out.

Those bears do look fun to paint. I should do a couple for my kids.

hussarbob1746.webs.com

Yeah they are great. I have to say, it was GREAT fun to paint… nice big raised details, VERY simple to paint, and it really turned out great. I can't help but think that if they are around when I have kids, there will be a LARGE army of them in their future…

I did a couple of units to have for my nieces to play with and in a couple of years my grandson, when he does more than plot how to fill his diaper

Love that table of your!

I painted two Bear armies for my daughter and we play with them all the time. I decided to give them a gloss coating so that they have that "toy soldier" look to them. I predict that you will have lots of fun with these.

Fritz, I am WELL aware of yours… yours were actually the ones that drew my attention to the range! I especially liked the battle for the little oreos you guys had a while back… interesting about the gloss varnish… I had seen that and wondered if I was imagining it! Interesting idea… anyway, hope the Lady Emma is doing well:)

Lemme ask, sort of along the same lines… what are folks thoughts as far as dipping these guys? I was not going to, to retain the sharp colors, but then I thought maybe they would look a LOT nicer (especially with the detail of the fur being sculpted) with even a light dip…?

Also, what are peoples opinions on doing the bears all one color, vs doing them different colors… for example, making the leader a white bear, or making the drummer a panda bear? Thoughts? Please, I would love some advice on these two issues!:D

BTW, love the reverse colors on the drummers jackets… only a wargamer would do that!:D

I LIKE the idea of different bear colors. Panda musicians are a nice touch. The dip is tricky, though. If you want more of a toy soldier look…don't dip. Perhaps a light drybrush to add some highlights, but I think a dip would mute the contrasts between colors too much. Those Eureka teddy bears, frogs and turtles are looking better and better to me…..hmmmmmm.

I paint all the bears the same colour, drybrushed to pick out the fur texture. (I do them honey coloured)

The two armies are red and blue. The turnbacks and cuffs are the regimental colours. The skirmishers are red or green and dark or light blue. The cavalry is red for the red army and green for the blue army. (Roughly Napoleonic colours).

So far I've done two elite, three line and three skirmish units for both sides plus guns and cavalry. I've got more elite cav and another couple of regiments in the part-done heap.

Haven't sorted out flags yet really.

We're using them to playtest some SYW rules I'm working on.

I have been running the Battle of Monmouth with their bears. I use the army painter dip and just leave them shiny. I like the look. I have done my Roman bears in different shades of fur, and they look good. I have not tried white or panda yet. Maybe when they come out with the Far East line. I converted a couple of pirates to do Indians for My French and Indian war game. They have a red brown fur. I keep bugging them for indians.
If anyone is interested, I will be running them again at Cold Wars. I have my own simple rules that the kids pick up quickly and seem to like. Every con I get some of the same kids coming back. At Fall-in some even preregistered.

Grenadier Bears (do they really wear bearskins?)-not mine- on the Web:
TMP link

For a 'toy soldier' look I'd suggest to avoid dipping -though it does marvels with 'fur': I was led to 'dipping' (in 'clear oak' wood varnish, the contrasting medium thus doubling as protective varnish) by the very observation that their 'inking' made Elastolin medieval toy soldiers far less looking as 'toys' than those from other manufacturers (Starlux…).

200% personal, but I'd rather favor an (almost) fur color for a given army (thus, brown bears vs black bears): but some may fear it would be sowing the seeds of racism?
Now it's different for for drummers: at some times (French napoleonics e.g.) it was fashionable to give trumpeters white busbies or bearskin, and for regiments to have a Black percussionist (cymbalist in the infantry, kettle-drummer in the cavalry): thus a Panda musician ot only would like good (which *is* important) but would enjoy a kind of historical precedent (which is probably far less important).

Yeah, I love the grenadier bears wearing bearskins… so sick:)

Thank you for the advice, both on the dipping and the colors… really, I should have given them a brown wash! Oh well…

About the colors, I am SOOOO torn. Normally I would say make them all one color, to emphasize the soldier-sameness bit, but man it would be fun to do a few different types… also, I have two musicians, a fifer AND a drummer… argh! Don't know what to do!

Roman bears?

Who makes roman bears?!?!?!

Roman bears?

Who makes roman bears?!?!?!

Eureka. They came out this last summer.

Is it possible that they're not on the website for some reason? Only I can only find the pirates, zulus, SYW and cowboys…

The infantry and the emperor on a rocking horse are available. You might have to email them if it is not up on their site. The catapult and cavalry will be coming later.