HELMET Soldiers

HELLO TO EVERYONE!

We have just taken advantage of some warm Winter sunshine and snapped some pictures of the latest War of 1812 stuff that I have completed.

Firstly I decided it was time to equip the US forces with some heavier firepower, so I have produced an artillery piece with a four-man detatchment. It seems that American guns were based pretty much on French models (!) American readers might be able to enlighten me on this. That being accepted, the gun is by Italeri painted light blue. The gunners are from the A Call to Arms British Foot Artillery set. I really like these and they are one of the more useful boxes that ACTA have produced. I have cut off the tufts from the shoulder straps and carved away the bastion shaped lace on cuffs etc. The heads are HELMET spares with all detail carved away and plates, cockade, cords and plume added from putty. The latter started out as a pin drilled into the top of the shako and the plume built up around it. From then on it was a (fairly) spectacular paint job with the bases flocked and sanded.

The other pictures are of the grey jacketed company of US Regulars that I have finally completed. There a mix of manufacturers stuff here with Imex ACW, BMC Mexicans, ACTA ACW and Napoleonic Belgians, a Marx US Regular with metal head, a Replicant Confederate and some HELMET figures, Most have modified HELMET Waterloo shako heads, and the officer is all HELMET apart from his legs, which come from a Marx US Cavalryman. Men from Mars reading that last paragraph would instantly return to their planet feeling quite puzzled by the way Earthlings communicate.

The real advantage of this uniform apart from its simplicity and ease of painting is the opportunity to use lots of Confederate figures that add varity and require little work apart from the head swap.

Next I plan to complete a second company for my US Regulars in blue and then produce a colour party with both National and Regimental colours, also on the stocks are some Regulars in blue with red facings and white lace, very smart, and some more Riflemen.

I am considering producing a small booklet on assembling, converting and painting HELMET Soldiers,and am wondering what sort of demand there would be (if any) for such a publication. Please let me know if there is any interest in this. I have learned a great deal in the last few months about making the kits and using the spare parts and think it might be useful to pass on some, often, painfully learned tips and advice, so any thoughts out there?????

Cheers for now

Eric

www.helmetsoldiers.co.uk