Thursday 2 April 2020

Jacklex Egyptian gunners conversions

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I have had a go at making a white coated artillery unit for Jack's colonial army Egyptian force.  I am also making and infantry unit in white these to follow, along with standard bearers.  

In theory, this is relatively simple since it is just a matter of a head swap.   I used the Sudanese/Egyptian advancing figure for the head on the Indian gunner body because I had a set (i think they would look better on the British gun crew designed for the field gun, but I used what I had).  I decided to cut away the havelock which the figure is wearing whilst it was on the original figure, this was fairly simple.

Once I did this life became that much more difficult once I removed the head, as I drill into the head and body and attach them with wire and superglue.  The area of 'neck/head' I had to drill into and hold was very small.  Managed to drill my figure as the drill bit slid then it seem to take forever.  Eventually, I got there but not without doubting my own sanity for trying this in the first place. Probably the secret is a soldering iron or even some green stuff to join the head and body!!

Anyway, they work or pass the distance test.  I have to make an officer.  I am going to use the Naval Officer from the Gatling gun team as he isn't looking though binoculars.  Found it almost impossible to get a head of one of the standard Gunnery officer.  Ruined two figures trying it as the arms broke away.

The Naval Officer is less animated than the infantry officer with pistol.  This time I left the havelock on this gave me much bigger (but still small) area to hold and drill into once I removed the head.  THIS WAS MUCH SIMPLER - why did I cut the havelocks off first I ask myself.  Once in place and the glue had dried, cutting the havelock away was just as easy.  Sometimes stupid doesn't cover it!



The Naval Officer conversion.


I thought the uniform a little too white so I did a little bit of lining using brown ink. 







8 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Matt, it has only just struck me that the Jacklex Indian gunners I have been using as the basis for the figures and the Mahdist gunners, aren't the ones we have in Jack's colonial army which Bob is looking after at the moment. Indeed we have none of this 'kneeling' gun team which work well with the Mountain Gun. What we have (Jack has) is an Indian gun crew with a standing ramming figure and standing figure holding a shell. The mirror of their British counterpart, they have a different turban and work well alongside the field gun. Mark at Jacklex Miniatures doesn't seem to have this set. Very odd. Jack is out of hospital next week so I will be able to speak to him, if not visit. I need to ask him if he can remember.

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  2. Hi Wellington Man hope all is well in NZ. Many thanks for looking and posting, much appreciated. Loving what you are doing at the moment with the HH and clone Napoleonics.

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  3. I use Vallejo Ivory instead of white. You may like to try that.
    Besides that, just found some Jacklex Boer horse that I will use for Natal Native horse. Bought 30 years ago at least!

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    1. I deliberately went for white as where Jack had painted his original colonial army 40 years or so ago we only had limited options. But I have tried to introduce some 'alternatives' to white. Will have a look at your suggestion. Many thanks for highlighting it.

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