Wednesday, May 9, 2018

New Recruits Begin Training

The hoped for box (car) of recruits for the Foreign Legion arrived today and went straight into training.
Scruby 40mm from Historifigs. Primed with Burnt Sienna mixed with a bit of matte varnish. I  find this works well under red.
Now if these were Model Soldiers, for France 1914 I'd have to consider whether or not the pants should be white and if the havelock was appropriate but since they are toy soldiers I can just go to the ultimate authority on what the Foreign Legion should look like.
The original Airfix box art. A bottle of my mother's  nail polish supplied the red trousers for my first box.
Six days and a wake up left.

21 comments:

  1. I well remember those Airfix Foreign Legion. Their Arab opponents were drafted in to provide cavalry support to the opponents of my Airfix Romans. I think many of the Foreign Legion figures became Zouaves in my early American Civil War armies

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    1. The replacements might have been more "sophisticated" but I never liked them 1/2 as well.

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  2. Wow! that picture's a blast from the past.

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  3. Happy memories of those early Airfix boxes. I am glad to see the recruits getting ready for the forthcoming game.They will look splendid I’m sure.

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  4. A lot of Airfix boxes have passed through my hands over the years. Happy days.

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    1. I once tried to save 1 of each but I'm just not a Collector.

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  5. Splendid figures Ross. The Airfix FFL were lovely - the little fort was nice too and I do wish I still had mine.

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  6. Splendid, they look the sort of chaps to keep the enemy at bay. Red nail varnish ..... great resourcefulness.

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  7. I wish I still had the desert fort that Airfix did .

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  8. Ross Mac,

    The new figures look great ... and the nostalgic sight of the old Airfix box brought a smile to my lips.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  9. What better uniform source! Do you have a figure to represent the officer for the group? How many Legionnaires will you do?

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    1. I converted one a homecast Zinnbrigade Prussian officer. Top (viewer) left on the stick. For now 12 is it.

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  10. I agree Ross - Airfix boxes and catalogues, Ladybird History Books and Military Uniforms of the World in Colour by Preben Kannik - these to me are what uniforms and History should look like. Shame my Airfix 1st generation Foreign legion are getting so brittle, far nicer than the second version ....

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    1. I'm hard put to explain it but despite being simpler the poses seemed more natural and balanced.

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