1905Adventure | 20 Apr 2017 3:31 p.m. PST |
Got these in a trade. Not the most impressive specimens, but I'd still like to know who made them and what line they might be from.
Any ideas? |
Redcurrant | 20 Apr 2017 4:28 p.m. PST |
They look like Donnington originals' |
Henry Martini | 20 Apr 2017 4:48 p.m. PST |
That would be my guess, too. |
1905Adventure | 20 Apr 2017 5:02 p.m. PST |
Awesome. Once I had the name, I did some searching and sure enough, that's them. I just checked and it looks like to get them now there's a £10.00 GBP shipping charge for every £25.00 GBP (or part thereof) ordered, so that probably rules out expanding them. I guess the ones I have will get based up and they'll be mercenaries for other armies. I ended up with 12 cavalry and 22 infantry, so that's enough for a couple impetus bases. |
1905Adventure | 20 Apr 2017 5:20 p.m. PST |
Looks like they were painted with enamels and baked. I can barely scrape the paint off the bottom with a knife. So I'm just going to base them up as is and not try to repaint them other than a shot of matte varnish. |
79thPA | 20 Apr 2017 7:36 p.m. PST |
Maybe hit them with dip or a wash before the varnish? |
goragrad | 20 Apr 2017 8:11 p.m. PST |
Add some detail on the shields or clothing? Have some old Han Chinese archers (perhaps Falcon Miniatures) that I am re-basing (don't need that many psiloi) that had a decent basic paint job. As I am re-basing them I am adding a trim strip on the cuffs and hems of the tunics. Will also add some decoration on the quivers. Adds quite a bit to their appearance. Same thing with some Minifig Sakae I got off the Market board here – they are painted a uniform gray(???) or yellow and rather than repaint all of them (14) will for at lest some add trim at cuffs and hems and some stripes on the trousers. That and some detail on the bowcase/quivers. Split the elememts up with my other Sakae and they should fit in. Although i may pop a few off their horses and mix some of the as yet unbased Sakae on the bases. |
1905Adventure | 20 Apr 2017 8:46 p.m. PST |
The dip/wash idea is a good one, but they're already super dark. I can see why people often painted extra detail onto these sort of figures. Adding just a bit of trim here or there would really help. Maybe I'll do some simple highlighting of the edge of the shields, the shoulders and top of the head. Actually just brightening up the helmets and a touch of colour on the shoulders might be all they need. |
lloydthegamer | 20 Apr 2017 9:56 p.m. PST |
Putting down a new coat of paint over the old without stripping works too. I've done that a time or two. |
Oh Bugger | 21 Apr 2017 4:16 a.m. PST |
Yes that always works just fine for me too. |
dale mcroberts | 21 Apr 2017 5:32 a.m. PST |
Just for completeness….. Donnys for sure. Left to right: BF01, CF25, CF6. |
Vespasian28 | 21 Apr 2017 10:53 a.m. PST |
Not the best looking Donningtons to judge the range by. I have loads of Donnington ancients and really like them. |
1905Adventure | 21 Apr 2017 4:04 p.m. PST |
I actually don't dislike them. They have a charm all their own. I was planning on adding to them until the shipping cost barrier was discovered. Now I'm just going to rebase, touch up and look elsewhere. |
goragrad | 21 Apr 2017 11:18 p.m. PST |
That shipping rate is a killer. Although compared to buying any of the various UK figures from an American source they end up being quite comparable. $4.56 USD per pack equivalent is not that bad (presuming one orders just enough figures to equal a shipping break point without going over). Cheaper than Essex direct. And their service was quite good. |
1905Adventure | 22 Apr 2017 11:13 a.m. PST |
The individual figures are really cheap at 30p per infantry and 60p per cavalry. Even with £10.00 GBP for shipping, the final cost for 80ish infantry (the number before another full £10.00 GBP is tacked on for shipping) would be under £35.00 GBP while the cost for Essex for 80 infantry would be £43.00 GBP So even with the high shipping cost, they are still about 20% less than the price of Essex direct. Though to be fair, the Essex optimal price point would be at around £50.00 GBP of figures. That's where the shipping bracket jumps for Essex (it's actually by weight, but it works out near that). And at that point the cost per figure after shipping is the same as Donnington. It's also the optimal point for Donnington as that's right before it jumps another £10.00 GBP At this point I'm not going to expand my 15mm Republic era stuff. I think I want to expand my Renaissance stuff instead. Then a bit more of Egyptians and Hittites. I will eventually want more for the Republic era. I will however keep Donnington in consideration now that I see the shipping charge is compensated for by a lower figure cost. |
1905Adventure | 22 Apr 2017 11:38 a.m. PST |
Massed up the proportions really start to shine |
goragrad | 22 Apr 2017 9:17 p.m. PST |
Not bad at all. Mixing the codes gives a nice effect. And the smaller figures make it easier to get a decent number of them on a base. I only have one of the Celts, but I do have a number of the Iberians. Looking forward to getting them on the table. One of the other things I do with those older lead figures is carefully bend arms to alter the positions of weapons and shields. |
1905Adventure | 23 Apr 2017 2:23 a.m. PST |
I tried that wth one and finally got some enamel to come off. It flaked at the bend point. The original owner did do that to a couple before painting and I think it worked. I'm actually really enjoying the older style small/true 15mm figures. Whether it's some of the Essex stuff or 15mm minifigs, or these, I kind of like them. I think these are Essex hittites. I trade for these as well. They got a quick wash.
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1905Adventure | 24 Apr 2017 12:03 a.m. PST |
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