Figure review from Model Railways magazine October 1980
I remember these figures arriving in the shops, coming as I do from a railway modelling family. Eventually a few spare unwanted ones with berets or flat caps, painted black, joined my Airfix soldiers as French Resistance workers, ready to blow up trains rather than repair tracks.
Thankfully these fine figures, along with earlier Airfix railway Civilians and Platform staff, are still available from Dapol:
I have been painting and basing a mix of my old original figures and new ones bought from Dapol for a gaming related Railway project next year 2020.
They might be old figures, some dating back to 1980, but I have tried out what is for me a new technique – using tinted wash from Citadel.
I thought these railway navvies were looking a little too clean, so some brown tinted wash would bring out the shadows as well as the grime. A brown tint would work well with farm workers, workmen and navvies.
The wash works well to pick out face details and also creases in clothing.
The Citadel website shows several ways of applying the shade or wash, either as an overall wash or in recessed shadowed areas. They even have a video to show you how:
https://citadelcolour.com/playlist/6038888620001/6038132291001
and there are various internet forum areas to discuss these paint washes and modelling.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer/comments/87j4bp/how_to_use_agrax_earthshade_wash/
So I shall carry on painting and basing some Airfix railway figures, odd ACW artillery figures and Waggon Train Civilians to give me some useful Civilian figures for future gaming projects.
Blog Post Script B.P.S.
The Wargaming Pastor on his Death Zap budget conscious website has another ‘Peaky Blinders’* style use for these vintage figures – Dapol Gangs
https://thedeathzap.wordpress.com/2019/09/05/dapol-gangs/
* Don’t ask, I’ve never seen it.
Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN on 23 November 2019.
Sidetracked 