How the Poles go Up and Down

Back in the land of insanity. The chap on the right of this photo is the unit officer shown in the last post but now painted. The odd-looking fellow on the right is the last hussar needed to complete the company - the "Final Towarzysz"!

Here's a close-up showing the rather odd left arm where the shield has been cut away, and the even stranger right arm made from a bent paperclip which usefully gives quite a strong bond with the lance. The only greenstuff at this stage is the noseguard, around the neck and one the knee armour.

So this is our man having moved on a few stages. The armour has been "sculpted", the handguard on the lance has been added and the skirt of the jacket has been finished. I do the last bit with the figure mounted on his particular horse, but separated by a sheet of kitchen foil to prevent horse and rider becoming permanently (but not emotionally) attached, The foil can be peeled away when the greenstuff has cured. All I need to do now is add the sabre and its' straps. The wings are from brass tube with card (old business cards) fixed on with contact adhesive, the detail of the feathers will be painted on later - please see earlier posts.
To the right is the company trumpeter, almost complete, and to the left is the standard-bearer just waiting for his flag. The older I get the more I realise there are few standards left today.

A close-up of the other side showing the animal skin and right arm built up with greenstuff.

I learned a few lessons during the process that might be useful:
1. On this last hussar I mistakenly cut his lance from brass tube instead of brass rod, brought about by drinking red wine whilst converting. But it is lighter then using rod, making the model more stable and it was easy to squeeze the tip to make a spearpoint.
2. The lance pennants are made from paper and are a devil of a job to fold around the staff and get the thin points to match accurately. I might use thin metal from say drinks cans next time.
3. Similarly for the wings, which might be stronger using thin metal.
4. Never do this type of model again.