These twenty 15mm scale metal Union soldiers are produced by “Warlord Games” and can be found inside their rather hefty "Epic Battles: American Civil War" The Iron Brigade boxed set, The stand consists of two five-figure Command strips, complete with officer and drummer, as well as two 'generic' five-model trooper strips, and was painted to represent part "of the famous Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac."
Having watched a few unboxing videos about the size difference between these castings and the range's (slightly smaller) plastic miniatures, I decided to snip off all the Straw Hats' bayonets. This meant the top of the soldiers rifles were now roughly level in height with their polymer-based brothers-in-arms. Furthermore, I decided to pigment the command line already in situ on its 60 x 20mm rectangular base, and the others separately on wooden sticks.
The soldiers were primed using a double-coat of "Citadel" Abaddon Black. I then sploshed their trousers with "Vallejo" Steel Grey and their jackets in "Vallejo" Storm Blue. Both of these areas were subsequently shaded using "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade, before I patiently 'picked out' their straps with a line of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. I also took this opportunity to dab their belt buckles and hat badges with a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Gold, and later a dash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.
The drum's skin was given a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown, whilst its straps (and the officer's gloves) were carefully teased out using a tiny amount of White. These details were eventually 'dirtied up' with a wash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. The sword, odd metal cup and tops of the Iron Brigade's rifles were coated in "Vallejo" Gunmetal and a spot of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Unfortunately, I did find these figures incredibly prone to chipping, no matter how careful I was, so despite the relative straightforwardness of their palette, I was forced to repeatedly return to the odd frock coat, satchel and sleeve to 'repair' some minor damage.
Perhaps the biggest disaster I faced with these models though, came when it was time to apply a couple of 15mm flags by “GMB Designs” to the ensemble, using the products ACW19 - Large Stars & Stripes/HQ Flags and ACW22 - Iron Brigade, Wisconsin Regiments, Gettysburg. These paper banners are admittedly a little big for the range. Yet as I like their bold, eye-catching effect on the tabletop, I'm perfectly willing to ignore their historical inaccuracy. However, unlike their plastic counterparts, there isn't a great deal of space on the two standard bearer's poles - due to them apparently being sculpted in contact with the troopers' hats and shoulders.
This seems to have been a design-issue even for the official paint-jobs, as one flag always appears to be smack in the face of its carrier. I therefore thought I might be able to cut the shaft away from each figure to give my banners a bit more room. But one slice of my sharp modelling knife later and I was looking at a missing rod on my carpet floor. Resultantly, I ended up super-gluing the regiment's stars & stripes across the bearer's bonce on what little was left of his stick, so I could 'fix it' in place behind the officer's head.
With the Fourteenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge now underway. I have started working on my 32mm scale plastic Iceman for "Marvel Zombicide" by "CoolMiniOrNot". I always like to get an early entry in, as organiser Curt Campbell is very clear about disqualifying any participants who don't submit something within the events opening four weeks, and having previously put my brush-tip to Bobby Drake's brain-hungry zombie incarnation, I thought this version should prove a 'quick win'...