Custom made Mardier officer

[Tomsche]

Well, this is something new, my very first ever customised LEGO torso.

 

And it is one for the nation of Mardier, in the Brethren of the Broken Seas.

 

With my skills in graphic software being limited, making decals no option, a PAD Printer being way out of my (willing to spend) budget and going to my regular printers every for one or two torsos (whom I can`t design... so that`s a bit tricky) I was looking for a solution.

And then it hit me... my old paints from my wargaming days!  I had no idea if the good old Vallejo`s would "catch" on LEGO ABS plastic.... but they do without any problem.

 

I wanted to base the Mardier officer on the spaniards as their nations main colour is yellow, so after some research I found this old template of a spanish Dragoon from the Napoleonic era.  

 

I tried my best with my now 5 year rusty painting skills to recreate the red and white detailing on the torso, and some glossy varnish later I was happy with the result.

 

The biggest thing perhaps is that LEGO prints are single colour, so I had to refrain from using the what is known in wargaming as "3 tone system", providing shade and highlighting to every colour.  But the torso works really well under the "2 metres rule", which is the average distance a wargame figure of 25mm (about the size of a LEGO minifigure) is "seen at" when on a table.

 

I`m defintily going to do more of these, and the Napoleonic Italian forces sure have my eye to make a unit with for Brick Wars in november.

 

The downside?  I`m really considering cutting strongly in my LEGO time and budget and rebuild and patch up my 28mm ACW army once again, and spend more time again at my old club.

[Sir Stig]

I hear you on the downside. It is a great hobby, but my time does not allow me to do both atm, so I am sticking to Lego. It allows me to go small or big, depending on the amount of inspiration I have.

As to the uniform: I think it is a great design, and cred for a steady hand. The only critique is, off point, that in my opinion flesh heads and hands look better with yellow fabric.

[Bodi]

Very nice torso, you've got some good skills in painting.

The Mardier is based on Spain, because they are yellow? Good to know, I always took Eslandolans for Spanish, but in fact they aren't, right? 

OK, in the same era, the Russians were wearing green uniforms, so, Eslandolans = greenies = Russians.

Edited April 1, 2017 by Bodi

[Sir Stig]

22 minutes ago, Bodi said:

Very nice torso, you've got some good skills in painting.

So the Mardier is based on Spain? Good to know, I always took Eslandolans for Spanish, but in fact they aren't, right? 

More of portuguese, dutch and other trading nations influences. Often mistaken for being greedy, just because they know how to make money multiply. Right.

Edited April 1, 2017 by Sir Stig
bad grammar

[Bodi]

Thank you Stig for the clarification! 

[KotZ]

Great work, Tomsche! You've got an incredibly steady hand for that. Wonderful work.

[Capt Wolf]

Great job on the custom torso! It looks sharp!

[Tomsche]

Thanks. The steady hand is a result of 20 years playing with tiny little soldiers (starting as most at Warhammer and ending up in the American Civil War as the decennia passed by )

It`s not that the Mardier's ARE spanish, I just envisioned that them way as the other main nations of the age of sail where present in the game as player factions (England, France and The Netherlands), AND I had vague recollections of an obscure Napoleonics campaign which had yellow spanish uniforms.  (Turns out they are mostly the Dragoons like those of Numancia and Almansa).  This one just fitted the "pattern" of using some red for contrast.

Reason I didn`t take fleshie heads and hands is that my "regular" sailing crews are yellows (old pirate lines etc), hence I passed over using yellow legs (like the picture of the inspiration) and went for the white.

[Professor Thaum]

You bring me back to my wargamming and painting days, perhaps will I try custom torso too...

You started the job on a standard yellow torso ?

Did you apply a white (or black) first layer on the painting area or not ?

The result is very neat, as if it was a lego official.

[Tomsche]

49 minutes ago, Professor Thaum said:

You bring me back to my wargamming and painting days, perhaps will I try custom torso too...

You started the job on a standard yellow torso ?

Did you apply a white (or black) first layer on the painting area or not ?

The result is very neat, as if it was a lego official.

Nope, straight Vallejo (I use the historical range mostly, same stuff, less flashy names) onto a Yellow torso, no undercoat. 

 

Only thing added was a bit of Gloss Varnish afterwards (Coat D`Arms, manually brushed, so no spray can) to give it the blinky blinky look of a Lego print

[Professor Thaum]

4 hours ago, Tomsche said:

Only thing added was a bit of Gloss Varnish afterwards (Coat D`Arms, manually brushed, so no spray can) to give it the blinky blinky look of a Lego print

It works really well...

[Mesabi]

This is really well done. However, I think you should stick to fleshies for Mardier, since their uniform is exactly the same colour as the minifig's "Skin"

[Captain Braunsfeld]

That custom torso has really turned out well. Would you come over and paint some more for me?

(I have never thought of painting the torsos, I am just playing around with the bicornes and tricornes)

[blackdeathgr]

Although I am not a fan of paint on LEGO bricks, this looks detailed. Also for hands I would use white as in wearing white gloves, rather than yellow or flesh.