From JohnB: 40mm 18th & 19th Century Old School Toy Soldiers (599 points)

From John:

Here is my last submission, other than the samurai, to the Painting Challenge. It is a bit of a dog's breakfast. Included are 36 1850 Russian foot and a mounted officer for my Great European War of 1850 project. 

Also from this project are a smattering of recent castings and trial paint jobs. There are some Prussians, Saxons, Bavarians and French...a total of 9 foot and 2 mounted. 

I also threw in 4 ACW figures for our host and most respectable and omnipotent judge. 

Lastly there are 34 semi-round figures from a master I sculpted for Steve Cady over at Castles of Tin (A fantastic blog...what a painter!). 

These are sort of a generic WSS in full skirted coats to provide opponents for the Holger Eriksson figures of Prince August. There not up to Eriksson standards, but they look OK painted up I guess. 

They are painted as the La Sarre Regiment (Later Royal Suedois) in French service. All these figures are in 42 mm scale and are painted in a toy soldier style with bright colors and gloss finishes. The bases are unflocked in keeping with the toy soldier esthetic. The figures are mounted on MDF bases painted green. 

Flags are homemade of paper and painted in a simplistic style. Not for everyone I know, but pleasantly, a good way to pass some time in the subartic. (It is St. Patty's day and this morning saw -26 C. The snow piles in front of my house are pushing 6 feet. AND 4 inches of snow are expected today...it is enough to make one read Dostoyevsky and drink oneself into a stupor. Welcome to Novo Sibirsk.)

This Challenge has been great fun to follow...to see the interests and talents of folks from all over the place. Many thanks to Curt for his enormous and always good-humored work. (He is such a witty devil...for a Scotsman...)

Oh, don't feel too much sympathy for John, while other Saskatchewan schmucks like myself have been buried under mountains of snow for months on end, he and his lovely wife have just returned from a vacation in the Caymans... Lucky git.

Beautiful work John! While I love all of these figures, I have to say that I'm quite partial to the La Sarre Regiment  with their smart long coats and yellow facings (and they fought the good fight on the Plains of Abraham). 

This wonderfully wide assortment of 40mm figures will give John a staggering but well-earned 599 points. This will also allow him to meet his Challenge target for this year - Bravo John!