6mm ACW test shots 2 - and 10mm AWI's.

I completed the two ACW Reb test units yesterday so added a Yankee Zouave unit for contrast. The Rebs obviously take a little longer to paint than the Yanks even with a fairly restricted palette. I took care to choose a grey and a light brown to represent the two basic shades and I think the contrast works nicely. Zouaves are lovely castings and a joy to paint. I based them all up for effect and to judge the finished look. As said previously I'm quoting on a planned ACW 6mm project for a new customer so wanted to get my timings fairly accurate.

Zouaves before adding highlights.

A quick dash of lighter red and flesh added - front.

Rear view.

I am actually in the process of restructuring my painting prices into line with the average prices of other good UK painters for 2014 and building a dedicated website. Most will probably have a slight rise in cost per figure to bring me into line. In order to do this accurately and to reflect a reasonable hourly rate for my skills I will between now and the New Year be focusing on painting up samples in various scales for the new site. More on this in due course.

And for something a little different here are the first 4 battalions of AWI British Infantry. The scale is 10mm and the figures are by Pendraken. The customer and I had a discussion about those hats with the result that I have since corrected the hatband (painted it out) and added edge lace to some but not all of them. My understanding is that the hats were shipped out to the Colonies stacked up flat and 'un-cocked' rather like a small sombrero, and were 'cocked up' on issue into a tricorne. However most were quickly unpinned and left to fall down as a 'round hat'. As we can see no reason for removing the hat lace - although most lace and facings were gradually removed and even the tails cut off the coats - and so most now have regulation lace running around the edge of the brim.

The customer will be basing these himself.