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Post by Chris D on Feb 7, 2021 18:58:12 GMT
North Carolina Troops  My research suggests that the best clothed, dressed and most uniformed troops in the CSA were those from North Carolina. The State traded directly with England despite the blockade and ended up with ninety two thousand unused uniform suits at the end of the war. This is a fascinating link. www.njsekela.com/reference/ame/AME%20Ch%2046%20North%20Carolina.pdfWhilst some brigades were state homogenous, others were mixed. I have chosen to field three NC Brigades dressed in the state uniform. This allows different poses that can be interchanged once the fighting starts. Apparently Lee had issued orders that only the Battle flag could be carried by the Army of North Virginia. Certainly the Texas regiments carried state flags as the 1st Texas had theirs recovered by a private Samuel Johnson of the 9th Pennsylvania reserves in Mr Miller's cornfield. I do not want to go over the top but I feel a few state flags will add a splash of colour to the event.  Incidentally I have found this blog to be a fountain of ACW information by an enthusiast who seems to know his stuff. actionfront.blogspot.com/2010/11/141st-pa-in-line.htmlStarting to come together. Chris |
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Post by waynew on Feb 7, 2021 20:05:55 GMT
Great display. One of the reasons NC troops were so well outfitted was Wilmington was the last major Southern seaport on the Eastern seaboard to remain open, not falling until the fall of Ft Fisher in January 1865. When I was at Ft. Bragg I used to go visit Ft Fisher and Wilmington frequently. Interestingly, when Sherman's troops passed through the Fayetteville area on their way to link up with Grant outside Petersburg in early 1865 they burned a warehouse full of brand new uniforms destined for NC troops in Virginia. The Museum of the Cape Fear in Fayetteville used to have excellent displays of the War.
Really enjoy your work.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2021 2:19:03 GMT
Dear Chris,
Lovely painting again. How is the overall progress?
Thanks for the link. *Another* excellent blog to add to those that I follow. *Sigh*. More first world problems. He dropped off a bit after 2016, but hopefully will be back posting more regularly.
Regards, James
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Post by Chris D on Feb 8, 2021 10:09:22 GMT
Thank you both for your kind comments they are much appreciated. I am currently finishing the Irish Brigade using the excellent Hat marching figures. A little moan. Despite washing and priming the paint is flaking off the plastic which is hugely disappointing. Has anyone else had the same problem as I feel it is the plastic at fault? I am awaiting a new garage door before starting the landscaping. However, full details are here. bennosfiguresforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=22713Best wishes, Chris |
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Post by pll on Feb 8, 2021 11:10:01 GMT
Outstanding paint work Chris. I also enjoyed the research backstory from both you and Wayne.
I have found that a base layer of white Acrylic paint seems to bond well with the shiniest of plastics including Hat figures. I use enamel paints as the top layer over that with good results.
What a shame to lose some of your fine painting to flaking paint.
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Post by Chris D on Feb 8, 2021 13:52:22 GMT
Thank you very much for that tip.
I have tried Vallejo primer which hides the detail and then flakes off too!
I will look into it immediately as the present situation is maddening.
Best wishes,
Chris
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Post by cpn on Feb 8, 2021 20:32:38 GMT
Great post again,
To add to this topic and according to illustrator Don Troiani, the Marylanders were also very well dressed despite being in this strange position of a unionist state from which a full regiment was serving the Confederate.
Cheers.
CPN
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2021 0:29:45 GMT
Dear Chris,
I am sure that you have tried all these approaches (as they are well used/promoted), but here are my usual steps:
- wash thoroughly in warm, soapy water, using a toothbrush to scrub each figure,
- triple rinse in clean, initially warm water, then eventually just cold.
Generally, once air dried, the figures are fine to undercoat and paint after that (I use acrylics like you, straight paint (Payne's grey) as the undercoat), but occasionally gaps of unpainted surface remain. This is most often because I have made the undercoat too thin, so a second coat fixes it, but sometimes a mix of paint with a little PVA glue is required.
I've not attempted any of the new Hat figures yet (it'll be Napoleonic Austrians for me) but had a problem with some newer versions of Airfix First World War figures that were cast in a particularly shiny looking plastic. Washing and rinsing was not sufficient, but a bit of PVA glue mixed with the undercoat paint did the job.
Hopefully of some use.
Regards, James
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Post by Chris D. on Feb 9, 2021 11:33:45 GMT
Thank you to all for the tips which I will give a go.
Mr CPN raises a good point regarding the Marylanders.
Troiani on page 172 of Regiments and Uniforms of the Civil War states that they were supplied by a Peter Tait of Limerick Ireland.
He goes on to state that the ANV in general had reached a uniformity in 1864 with Kepis being in the ascendant .
Fascinating stuff but a bit off my remit.
Nevertheless it is interesting to note that the Maryland campaign was initiated, in part, due to the belief that its citizens would flock to the cause.
Whilst this proved illusory, many apparently did, acquitting themselves well against their Union brethren.
I started with learning how to plant corn, build fences, buildings , progressed to the mutinous command structure of both Armies and now we have Irish clothiers supplying uniforms to troops who fought their own emigrated citizens.
Bonkers.
Next up the Irish Brigade.
Best wishes,
Chris..
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Post by waynew on Feb 9, 2021 16:04:44 GMT
I have found using a spray plastic bonding paint such as Krylon "Fusion" (Rustoleum works well too) - in the US (I'm sure there are similar products elsewhere, but can't give you names) as my primer helps the acrylics stick. It not only bonds to and creates a paintable surface on the plastic, but sprays on thinner than you can usually get with a brush and preserves fine detailing - a definite plus on 1/72 scale figures. Then after I finish the job I spray and seal with a clear acrylic sealant using the type finish I want, flat, matte, or gloss (I prefer flat or matte).
Sometimes, if I find I'm having a particularly difficult time with peeling or flaking while painting I'll spray a light coat of sealant over the figure before touching up and doing fine detailng. This helps retain what I've already done.
Test your sprays as some I've found leave a visible film.
My favorite has been Plain Patricia Nimock's Acrylic Spray Acrylic Sealant - I discovered this for my toy soldiers because I was using it on my paintings and wondered if it would work. There are some other brands that work but off the top of my head I'd be afraid to name them. Again, test it. I sprayed an entire group of something like one hundred 1/32 scale HaT Prussians and had to redo at least the dark coats because of the film.
But I have discovered sealing the figures with the acrylic spray eliminates almost all of the chipping, flaking and cracking. Occasionally a bayonet or rifle tip might peal, but a touchup and respraying has usually fixed the problem permanently. I hope this helps.
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Post by davidmac on Feb 12, 2021 15:40:43 GMT
After washing and rinsing, I do a second rinse with 91% isopropyl alcohol. 70% may be good enough.
When using Vallejo Surface Primer, be sure to thin with Vallejo airbrush primer, not water or ordinary thinner medium.
Vallejo Surface Primer is a polyurethane acrylic, not the same kind of acrylic as their paints.
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