What's on your workbench?

[Count Belisarius]

Indeed. Very tasty.

[Willz the Wargamer]

Very nice 18th century figures Doug, thanks for sharing.


Willz.

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

Looking good - I particularly like the red on those dragoons. Didn't realise you were going for the 1:1 figure:man ratio on the Jacobites - good luck with that.

I'm still painting that destroyer!

[Shahbahraz]

Thanks chaps. I can see the enthusiasm waning after the next 50 or so, but they are nice figures to paint. And I would like to see how that destroyer turns out Baron... I assume you saw the Bathurst class Corvette I printed?

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

I did - a splendid little vessel that. Can I ask - what filler did you use when you glued the two halves of your Hunt Class together? The hull's ok, but there is a bit of a yawning chasm half way up the funnel!

[Etranger]

Thanks chaps. I can see the enthusiasm waning after the next 50 or so, but they are nice figures to paint. And I would like to see how that destroyer turns out Baron... I assume you saw the Bathurst class Corvette I printed?

Here's one he prepared earlier...

[Shahbahraz]

I did - a splendid little vessel that. Can I ask - what filler did you use when you glued the two halves of your Hunt Class together? The hull's ok, but there is a bit of a yawning chasm half way up the funnel!

Vallejo Plastic Putty - it's an acrylic resin and smooths out nicely.

In the meantime, I'm experimenting with tartan...



Interestingly, it's mainly the much less complex designs I am happiest with..

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

I have to say they are some of the best civilian tartans I've seen on wargaming figures.

Now, correct me if I've got this wrong, but as I understand it, each clan had either its own weaving mill, or access to a friendly clan's weaving mill, and each mill would produce a handful of basic weaves. Consequently, a mass turn-out, sorry tarn-oot, by any clan would see a level of commonality of at least base colour, if not the complete sett - not "clan tartans" as we would understand them today, but certainly indicative of the mill from where they had acquired their clothing.

[RMD]

Lovely stuff! And yes, I was wondering the same thing as the Baron. I've always been tempted by the '45 and doubly so, now that I've painted a SYW British army, but have no idea if there was any sort of clan 'theme' running through the plaids and if so, is there anything published on the subject?

[Shahbahraz]

Thank you for that Baron, And not quite to the second part - what you would have is that virtually all the womenfolk would be weavers working on home looms. Large scale industrial looms were fairly new to the Lowland centres or post 1745.

For home weaving, there would be common colours based on the local dyes available or easily obtained, so for example coastal villages would have easy access to kelp, others to particular clays or ochres. Patterns would generally be a family thing, so that families might have common colours and general patterns, but for example, the head of the family might have a specific overstripe in a more expensive colour or something. And then of course, the Tacksmen who were wealthier might have purchased something more colourful or splendid.

So a sept in a single location might have commonality for general colours, but the patterns could vary a fair bit..

Given that I have a fair few to paint, I do have the option of painting say 4 or 5 basic colour schemes with 'typical' overlays. And then rearranging them by colour to create 'clan' regiments. I might try that when they are all done and see how it looks.

I know the Morier picture was posed with prisoners - presumably from a variety of clans and regiments, but it does give some idea of the variety. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_ ... lloden.jpg

Doing them in 28mm you just have to simplify though, otherwise they look a complete mess.