Recently, my Father ordered me a set of seated wagon figures from Knuckleduster miniatures, which he painted beautifully for me. Knuckleduster's HO figures really have an unprecedented level of detail and I'm really enjoying adding their line to my layout.
When Dad gave me the seated wagon figures, I knew I needed to find a solution for that wagon kit.
The front wheels from the kit were the right size for rear wheels but that still left front wheels and horses to find. Interestingly, in my searching, I found that no one seems to make miniatures of harnessed horses.
Häkan Nilson, another period modeller (Shapeways shop eight wheeler models), has designed a number of 3d printed components and made them available for purchase on Shapeways. I ordered his harnessed horses and found a selection of wagon wheels from another Shapeways shop.
I found Shapeways to be quite expensive by the time you ship the items to New Zealand. However, I could not find many alternatives.
My Dad painted the horses for me over Christmas. He also added manes to the horses using modelling putty. I assembled and painted the wagon kits when we got back from our holiday.
These wagons do look larger than the other wagons on the layout, which are made by Musket Miniatures. But I believe those models to be slightly on the small side.
Overall, I'm pleased with the results and will look to place them closer to the front of the layout so the viewer can see the detail in the figures. By placing the smaller Musket Miniature wagons further back in the scene I may be able to achieve a bit of 'forced perspective' to add some perceived depth to the scene.
Gee thanks, Luke. I had never even heard of Knuckleduster! Now I may have to order some figures from them...after I paint the Preiser and Stadden figures I've got. The same dilemma of size exists there. The Staddens I have are an older run listed as HO/OO but still they are literally head and shoulders above some of the Preiser figures. I love the chunky look of the metal wargaming figures, but the detail on Preiser can't be matched. And, of course, I model the late 1920s, so some of the Knuckleduster won't work but many will. Horses, of course, work just fine in any decade.
ReplyDeleteBTW, the wagons remind me of my childhood card game, Trail Drive. Google it sometime if you've never heard of it and you'll see what I mean.
Nice work bringing all the scales & sizes together. I look forward to a picture of the wagons on the railroad in relation to one another.