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Monday, 12 July 2010

FPW Zinnfiguren (Flats)

I recently bought a few painted FPW Zinnfiguren for German eBay. They were painted but were a bit rough around the edges.  I quickly over painted the 32 figures in a few days and have now finished basing the first stand.  These are a mixture of manufacturers (engravers is the correct term) and mixed together on these large bases (75 by 50mm or 3 by 2 " for non metric viewers). 

These figures have a certain charm and the feeling on movement and action cannot be bettered by full round figures.  
Form the side or an angled view the base is packed with action and looks like a dense formation of infantry. Looking straight on or from the rear does not work with these figures

A closer view shows how a simple single shading brings the figures alive. In fact these were a lot easier to paint then I thought. But then I am a wargamer and not a flat collector. I have some more figures kindly donated to me from Roy Boardman (British flats figure society) and I will be stripping these factory paints off using Dettol and painting from scratch.










My plan is to use these figures for some 1866/1870 gaming use a range of rules including Donald Featherstones the War Game with additions rules in his War Game Campaigns book in the re fight of the battle of Spichern.

Hey ho isn't this hobby fun.
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7 comments:

  1. WSTKS-FM Worldwide12 July 2010 at 17:43

    Hello Mark,

    Yes indeed! Your flats are very pretty and convincing. I too thought briefly about flats last summer, but in the end, I decided to stay the course with my 18th Century figures. . . at least for now. Still, yours tempt me sorely.

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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  2. Pjotr12 July 2010 at 23:30

    Stripping paint with Dettol? Even enamels?

    Pjotr

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  3. Mark Dudley13 July 2010 at 04:34

    Peter

    I have 2 figures soaking as I write. I am not sure what they were painted with but I doubt is was acrylics. I will let you know how it goes.

    Mark

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  4. Mike Siggins13 July 2010 at 07:42

    Fantastic. Excellent mix of old and new.

    Dettol shifts most paint, but not everything. Mr Muscle also works. It gets under the paint and it just lifts off. If you can get it, Simple Green is very good too.

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  5. Big Andy20 July 2010 at 01:37

    I do like those I'm sure I have about 30 or so of the same chaps- Orrible gloss painted in red as "British" as well as a few other assorted flats- mostly Ancients . Not that I want another project..

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  6. Callan26 August 2010 at 07:56

    Most interesting. I've been looking for a similar ruleset to go with Irregular's magnificent 40mm Prussians. However, looking at the contents of the aforementioned Featherstone books it seems he only covers the ACW and not the FPW. Are you doing your own research on Spichern, and if so would you mind sharing your adaptions to the rules mentioned?

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  7. Brianne, You may call me Mistressyness17 May 2011 at 15:40

    I do love flats, I got a set of prussian infantry and artillery when I first sat out collecting. Lost them over the years, but they are beautiful, and economical too. The engravers of flats traditionally use lithographer's stone (thuringian slate), but I wonder if vulcanized rubber would work? I've thought about engraving masters into plaster then making A vulcanized mold...
    Brianne

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