"Hoping to inspire a 28mm sculptor.." Topic

Hope some 28mm minis manufacturer will get inspired -specially if his sculptor can do comely feminines (Eureka?).

Images from the comics series 'Le Scorpion': in French, but warmly recommended to all those enjoying 18th C. 'Pulp' / swashbuckling:

The masked warrior monks are reminding of the (unwillingly?) funny 'Neo-Nazi Ninja Monks on Amphetamines' of 'Crimsom rivers 2' link.

Le Scorpion:
Wiki: ‌link
Official site: le-scorpion.com

.

I see.

You have noticed that sculptors are oblivious to the artistic possibilities of scantily clad women. This clear failing is apparent when we observe that so many 28mm females are dowdy beings draped in heavy woollen cloaks, robes and mumus.

Perhaps blackscorpionminiatures.com should be the one to do it. The name is appropriate and it would fit their existing range.

x42

I want more SPACE 'boobies'…for my WAR ROCKET space pirate crews!

Meh

Bronze Age minis have some potential, though keeping their feminines on the skinny side (°):

At least one sculptor in the Crocodile Games team know how to do a cute feminine face :

link

The sculptor of this 18th C. female hero (oddly hidden in a SF range link ) shows appreciable skills:

You have noticed that sculptors are oblivious to the artistic possibilities of scantily clad women. This clear failing is apparent when we observe that so many 28mm females are dowdy beings draped in heavy woolen cloaks, robes and mumus.

Not that much in Fantasy and Sci-Fi fields, I reckon; but when it comes to the 18th C…. even a 'Pulpy' one link
(heavy coat, baggy trousers..) a *lot* of progress is still possible.
Eureka, it's true, introduced navel wargaming to the Lace Wars era:

but it's just a first step on a long road .

At well sculpted feminine miniatures, Kingdom Death is rather good, but chose (a marketing gambit?) an unusual scale

(painted by DotE link ).

The 18th C., the Age of tricornes and Reason…

___
°: remember that gaming miniatures are NOT intended to be scrutinized individually under a magnifying glass, but to be seen en masse from a distance: thus, essential distinguishing features are to be emphasized….

Harwood Hobbies have a couple of interestingly frilly types as well:

No 18th c. unfortunately, yet I'd like to add the sculptor(s) of Maidenhead 'Babes that time forgot: link

Shadowforge minis also offer some good female warriors in their 'Fantasy' range, but are already better known than Maidenhead

Among other manufacturers, Brother Vinni link Dwarftales dwarftales.com/galleries/11 , Freebooter link… to name a few show potential.
And of course on this board one cannot but refer to Tin Man tinminis.com/index.htm:

I specially regret that Kingdom Death chose the odd 35mm link -though the poses are rather 'inactive'.
Raging Heroes does good work link
and the sculptors hired for Carnevale are quite good
link

Why did I forget Guild of Harmony?
link

Well, for sure I forgot some others

"18th C. vampire prostitute"
link
Good potential as a 30mm figurine, I guess.

thank you for these great links!
I'll add lots of them to the wish list

Chris

"Hoping to inspire a 28mm sculptor.."

Damn!

There I was thinking that we might be getting some pix of your sister!

No sister – but if you want a pix of my mother-in-law

*Seriously* (!): with 'normal' ears this one would make an appealing mini ('Emma Peel'? Reportedly standing for 'men appeal'):

Specially for Carnevale:
TMP link
TMP link

Remember: gaming figurines are not intended to be individually scrutinized under a magnifying glass, but to be seen from some distance: essential features are to be *emphasized*

Think what the Shadowforge 'Laughing Monk' link LADY JANES RIFLES

could have be -done by a good sculptor! The sculpting is rather abysmal as compared to most other Shadowforge minis, and their baggy gaiters have them looking as if suffering elephantiasis!

Relevant post elsewhere:
link
"Winsome Warrior" indeed, but if as wells culpted as ome examples above, would be a hit!
Amend
Actually rather than units boxes single minis would require a far less initial investment. And I drop the idea of riding side-saddle variants. Yet I maintain that having exactly the same mini mounted and on foot would be precious, for 'characters' in adventure games and for dismounting a small unit in a skirmish game.

18th C. female heroes
28-30mm -remember that women are on the average more petite than men.

Costume
Basic inspiration:

but far shorter coat, and *very* high boots 'unfolded' (from the back -> link

. 18th C. 'male' haircut

. Tricorne
. *Short* coat
(well, more like:
)
. possibly for 'historical accuracy (!) a sleeveless waistcoat under the coat, like but lower, lower shirt, both partly unbuttoned (re. the cover of BS 'Cutlass').
Waistcoat optional, of course
Remember that gaming miniatures are NOT intended to be scrutinized individually under a magnifying glass, but to be seen en masse from a distance: thus, essential distinguishing features are to be… emphasized:

. extremely close-fitting breeches
. high boots far higher than -re view from back above (initial inspiration came from:
how many decades ago? )

Possibly 3 variants with more and more lace on the coat and tricorn larger and larger with more and more feathers.

Weapons

. sword
. hunting dagger doubling as plug bayonet strapped on a leg
. carbine at the saddle, 'US cavalry' fashion; when held and not firing, plug bayonet
. pistol?

Pose variants
see 1st link.

Conclusion: the project was NOT proposed to WF 'Free League', is totally free of any Intellectual Property claim, ¢ ® or whatever. Any sculptor wishing to try his hand at it would be most welcome, specially if he (she?) manages to find a manufacturer to commercialize his (her?) 'masters'!!!

Besides, as a possible addition to the Carnevale TMP link . TMP link range of figurines, a winning combination:

re YouTube link
with (normal ears!)

re TMP link
Remember: gaming figurines are not intended to be individually scrutinized under a magnifying glass, but to be seen from some distance: essential features are to be *emphasized*

Just to let you chaps know;I painted the Kabuki model in Abdul's post(:

Indeed, and so well (was in a hurry, did not post the link to your post then, forgot after: sorry
Here: link (your painting deserves to be better known )

For the Hellequin (Alichina?) a cleavage worthy of the name:

(Sybil Danning as Saint-Exmin in 'Battle beyond the stars'; as spectacular, if in a different way, as her 'Space Valkyrie' costume.)

A few young sculptors who deserve to be better known, recognized, and hired for the wargaming market:

Thomas David:
Blog: art.thomasdavid.over-blog.com
Mainly Kingdom Death so far (and *his* characters are in a dynamic, not casual / inactive pose):

and for Carnevale
link

Patrick Masson
Portfolio: the-small.daportfolio.com
example (scale? A character from French cartoonist and illustrator Crisse

):
link
link

and for Carnevale:
link

Remy Tremblay
blog: link
and for Carnevale:
link

Benoit Cauchies
blog: link
For Kabuki:

Sandras illustrated, in Hesse-Cassoulet service:

link

link

Really, the range is in want of dragoons (merely riding versions of the infantry fusiliers)!

Yet no masamune shirow?

The question of Lace Wars female soldiers figurines is really a *vicious circle*. Given the quasi-absence of miniatures very few players field a female regiment; then, since they don't appear on the web, in conventions… manufacturers doubt they represent a growth market and decline to invest.
And yet there *is* a market -not of the scale of the historical types offered e.g. by recent initiatives such as Minden Miniatures, but certainly larger than that of the Eureka SYW Teddy Bears. So much the more as, not only are most Imagi-Native players willing to add a 'Maiden Guard' to their force, but 'female marines' can appear in 'pirates' games: and pirates players are an open-minded bunch, their pirates often meeting dinosaurs, King Kong, Deep Ones and zombies.

Nothing really in 15mm and 'Soldadets' had to convert WSS male types: with their baggy coats and given the scale he obtained very satisfying results.
link

In 28mm there IS a very good, if limited (no mounted versions, chiefly) range, the Eureka 'Sandras' link

But it is kept obscure, absent from the manufacturer site and thus practically ignored; its diffusion remains confidential and local, of the handful of Imagi-Nation builders I know to use a Sandra regiment at least 3 are Australians.

(To be complete Shadowforge has the 'Lady Jane's Rifles', but they are in Late French Revolution / Early Napoleonic bicornes; and, chiefly, they are *hideous*.)

Now the femininity of the Sandras is very subdued: specially for the infantry (with the coat on) nobody seeing them from more than a foot could imagine they are not men (even the variant tempting to lure us to navel wargaming, if painted with a shirt, would pass unnoticed). To the point that an Imagi-Nation ruler having received a few posted on his blog the first painted one without having noticed she was a girl.
But wargamers -adults playing with toy soldiers- are generally young at least in heart and mind; specially the 'imagi-native' ones, of course. Thus I'm sure most of them would appreciate more… obviously feminine female soldiers.
Uniform suggestion:
- short coat (re. Black Scorpion Marines

or even slightly shorter) tight-fitting, narrow waisted;
- instead of a waistcoat a topless corsage worn over a shirt with a generous cleavage: as featured in the traditional Bavarian Dirndl worn for the Oktoberfest, Google for images or search Youtube for videos
YouTube link
YouTube link


- very high thigh boots: less 'historically accurate' and practical than gaiters or dragoon bottines, but is it really a problem here? An objective advantage of boots would be that walking and riding variants would wear exactly the same uniform, making them dragoons: then, all foot types could be duplicated mounted, drummer included (I know, historically dragoons had oboeists rather than fifers: but then, what about a bagpiper instead? With the goat head still attached to the bag to be more spectacular).
When Soldadets raised his female regiment link he initially planned to convert Blue Moon Shivan Sisterhood (with high boots) but they are 18mm.

Specially in such a case it must not be forgotten that wargaming minis are intended, not to be scrutinized individually, but to be seen en masse from a distance: thus, the most distinguishing features are to be… emphasized

Now, no miniature in such uniform exists as yet: maybe posting corresponding template on NBA nba-sywtemplates.blogspot.fr would arouse so many positive reactions that an enterprising manufacturer would decide to take the plunge?

With reference to the "What 28-33mm female mini has the prettiest face?" poll TMP link (and TMP link on the Lounge, for those having access to it):

"The male Mask varies from the female Mask in the following ways:
1] prominent supra-orbital (brow) ridges (frontal bossing) resulting in deep set appearing eyes
2] flatter and narrower eyebrows
3] slightly narrower eyes
4] eyes less "wide open" (eye lids slightly closed)
5] slightly longer and/or wider nose
6] more obtuse nose-lip (nasio-labial) angle
7] slightly thinner lips (especially upper lip)
8] square/angled and or larger jaws."

More detailed:
"Overall Shape An attractive female face tends to be heart shaped. It has rounded corners from the hairline down to a single point at the chin. Male faces have a more square appearance and an "M" shaped hairline coming down to a wide, square cornered jaw at the bottom. The lower third of the male face is usually longer because of a long top lip and tall chin. In profile, the female face tends to be flat while the male forehead slopes backwards, with the lower half of the face protruding forward.

Hairline The male hairline is usually higher than the female's and tends to have an "M" shape that recedes at the temples.

Forehead *This is one of the more apparent gender markers*. The bone ridge running across the forehead above the eyes, known as brow bossing, is more pronounced in males. Females have almost no discernable brow bossing because their foreheads are more rounded with a fairly flat front. In profile, female foreheads are more vertical instead of backward sloping.

Eyebrows Male eyebrows are fairly straight and thick and sit on or just under the orbital rims. Female eyebrows generally sit higher and are more arched.

Nose The female nose is smaller, shorter. It has a narrower bridge and nostrils, often has a more concave profile, and tends to be blunter at the tip. Also it has a greater angulation between the lip and the tip of the nose (points upwards more).

Cheeks The cheekbone itself tends to stand a little bit higher and further forward in women. The effect can be emphasised by the fact that the male upper jaw often protrudes forward more than in females.

Top lip length The distance between the top lip and the base of the nose is usually longer in males (sometimes a lot longer). When a woman's mouth is relaxed and slightly open she usually shows 2 – 4 mm of her upper teeth. This is considered attractive and also lends a youthful appearance to the face. In females the whole section of skin between the top lip and nose often has a more backward slope and inwards curve.

Lips The distance between the nose's base and lip's top is usually longer in males When a female mouth is relaxed and slightly open, it usually shows a bit of her top teeth, which lends a youthful appearance to the face. The area between the top lip and nose often has a more backward slope in females.

Lip shape Female lips are often fuller than male ones and therefore tend to be bigger in proportion to the rest of the face. Female mouths also tend to be narrower.

Chin Female chins are rounded. Male chins are wider, have a flat base and have two corners that form a square shape. Male chins are taller and heavier and are more likely to have a vertical cleft in the middle.

Jaw The male jawbone is usually heavier built and tends to be wider, because the muscles attached to the corners of the jawbone are much bigger. Female jaw lines run in a gentle curve from the earlobe to the chin. In males it tends to drop down straight from the ear and then turn at a sharp angle towards the chin giving a square appearance."

Adam's Apple The Adam's apple is usually visible and very prominent in males, but rarely visible in females.

Eyes The eyes in a woman appear larger. This is in part because of the shape of the bony rim above and the forehead, and partly because of the cheek bones. The combination of bone shapes create relatively larger eyes which is considered both feminine and attractive."

The distinguishing female / "anti-male" features have to be emphasized, even slightly exaggerated for the face of a mini to look obviously feminine even on the gaming table top. It does NOT matter if the face appears s little caricatural when the head is photographically enlarged 5 or 10 folds: what really counts is the impression when the figurine is seen in its real size on the gaming table.