Violet Vendor (Lemax)

This figure was originally inspired by the work of "White Knight" at http://swashbucklingsessions.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-three-musketeers-flowergirl.html.  She began as a background Christmas-village type figurine by Lemax.  Aside from removing some mold lines and a very chunky base, little conversion was required on her.  However, even with her base removed, she is still a tall 54mm figure (see picture below for comparison to a Marx figure).

The paint scheme is inspired by an extra from the independent movie Beyond the Mask.  This particular woman was paired with my sister (see http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2016/04/female-civilian.html) to walk up and down the streets of Philadelphia.

Figure by Lemax, painted with acrylic paints.

Two's Company

Meet two bad sidekick dudes employed by Charles Kemp of the East India Company.  Mr. Kemp features as the villain in the movie Beyond the Mask.  Often he is escorted by these black-and-gray clad enforcers.

Some experts believe that their distinctive coats are the results of overdyeing red British army coats, then reattaching the linings and facings. It is certain, however, that this is an extremely distinctive uniform.  Their unique grey facings could have earned them the nickname "Kemp's Greys."

I currently have two privates and one officer of Kemp's Greys, as well as Kemp's bodyguard Basil in his uniform of this unit.  The officer, Basil, and the tall private are all Ideal recasts.  The shorter private is a BMC British grenadier.






The soldiers comb the terrain to find Will Reynolds (supposedly killed in action at http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2018/10/beyond-mask-skirmish-game-part-ii.html)

" 'E was killed right near 'ere, Bill."
"Then why can't we find 'is body?"
"Keep searching."

Beyond the Mask Skirmish Game Part II

After stealing important documents from Will Reynolds (see http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2018/09/beyond-mask-skirmish-game.html), Joshua Brand made his way to EIC headquarters to deliver the documents to his boss Charles Kemp.

Fearing that the other EIC operatives would double-cross him, Brand determined to exit the board with the documents himself (this was his victory condition).  The EIC had to take the documents from Mr. Brand to prevent any possibility of blackmail.  And unknown to both parties, Will Reynolds had survived his thrashing and was eager to recover these documents as well.  The first group to take the documents off the board would fulfil their victory conditions and win.  An unusual three-way fight was on!


The ruleset was (again) Eureka Miniatures' "And One for All"--but with a twist.  The three units were activated by drawing cards, adding an element of unpredictability.

Mr. Brand started in the forest, Will Reynolds sheltered in a cornfield, and the EIC marched down the road.

The game began with a run of EIC cards, allowing them to block the crossroads.  Mr. Brand crossed the road to the forest in the foreground of the picture, while Will made his way through the cornfield.

First contact was made by the EIC, who patrolled aggressively.  Their swordsman caught Mr. Brand in the forest and forced him into a duel.  Both sides cut and thrust at each other.  Mr. Brand retreated, only to run into Will Reynolds, who had exited the cornfield.  After a duel between the two, the EIC moved in to finish the job.  Mr. Brand was down. 

Their operative searched him for documents.  No luck (he muffed his roll; any number but a 1!).  Will searched and still could not find them.  The next turn saw the EIC locate the documents and begin to escape.

Recklessly, Will charged at the EIC soldier.  He hoped that he was weakened by his combats (as he was).  But it was not nearly enough.  The EIC prevailed against their other opponent without too much trouble.

Now that the EIC had recovered their documents, they marched triumphantly back to their boss to announce that they had successfully completed their mission.


Or had they?

(My notes: Despite the somewhat one-sided nature of the report, the game was actually fairly close.  The game could have gone any way, though Mr. Brand would have had an uphill battle.  Will was crippled by 1. his inability to find the documents and 2. his decision to charge the EIC soldier.  It was a worthwhile gamble, but did not pay off.)

Beyond the Mask Skirmish Game

"I have the Parliamentary report...you negotiate the deal with him, and I will split the amount with you."

In the movie Beyond the Mask, the main character, Will Reynolds, has to fight off a blackmailer named Joshua Brand intent on stealing important documents.  I recreated this scene using my collection of figures and a free ruleset from Eureka Miniatures called "And One for All!" (available at http://www.eurekamin.com.au/andoneforall.php)

The beginning of the action

The picture shows the starting positions.  Will is on the left, Mr. Brand on the right.  There is an interesting array of objects to interact with.  In the game, a figure can throw or roll an object or duel to eliminate its opponent.  Six hits and you're out!

The game began well for Mr. Brand, who quickly inflicted two hits on Will.  Will then proceeded to dominate, alternating dueling and flinging objects.  Stools and benches were flying across the room, including some pieces that traveled the length of the room two or three times.  (What kind of indestructible furniture is that?)

Victory to Mr. Brand!

As the game neared its close, Will had inflicted five hits on Mr. Brand in exchange for only three.  The game looked pretty well up for Mr. Brand.  Rather than duel and possibly lose his one remaining hit, Mr. Brand threw a bench at Will to soften him up a little.  The results were astounding: Mr. Brand rolled triple-6 on his damage roll.  Will could not fend off any of these, so Mr. Brand scored three hits.  This abruptly knocked Will out of the game, and Mr. Brand had won in an upset victory!

After his victory, Mr. Brand collected the documents and moved out of the building.  He would link up with other East India Company forces in the area and deliver the documents to his boss Charles Kemp.

As he left, Joshua Brand did not realize

that his opponent Will Reynolds

had not been killed in the fight

and would return

to fight again

Stay tuned for more action!

Young Philadelphia Gentleman

This figure represents a young gentleman in the 18th century meaning of the term.  A gentleman was a man who owned property and was financially well-off.  This young gentleman certainly fits that description.  Wearing a silver-laced hat, a ruffled cravat, and large silver buckles on his shoes, he shows that he is well-to-do.  While his coat, waistcoat, and breeches may look like they are all the same color, the coat is actually slightly lighter than the breeches and waistcoat.

The figure is converted from two Marx recast colonial "Johnny Tremaine" characters.  "Sam Adams" provided the entire body, while "Johnny Tremaine" provided the head and cupped left hand (the figure's left is on the viewer's right).  The head was sculpted to look like a younger person, and the hand was changed because the original figure carried a tricorne hat in his left hand. 

Just like in a previous post, in which I copied a costume my sister wore, he wears a costume which my brother wore during the filming of Beyond the Mask, a Christian movie set in the American Revolution.  The last picture shows both of them walking near a colonial house.  But there are still more family members to be created...

 

Female Civilian

Click on the picture to enlarge it

This figure is a female civilian during the American Revolution.  But this figure is slightly different than any figure I have painted so far because she represents my sister in her time as a extra for the movie Beyond the Mask. 

She (my sister, not the figure) has recently written a charming two-part account of her time on set.

Part 1 can be found at https://castlesinclouds.wordpress.com/2016/04/19/as-an-extra-for-beyond-the-mask-part-1/

And Part 2 at https://castlesinclouds.wordpress.com/2016/04/20/as-an-extra-for-beyond-the-mask-part-2/

The figure is a Marx recast.  The figure was originally supposed to represent a character from Johnny Tremaine, but has been recast and is a useful colonial-era young girl.  No conversion was required.  Figure painted with Testors paints.

Mr. Edmund Bentley

This figure is painted up as Edmund Bentley, a Philadelphia Loyalist who appears in the Christian movie Beyond the Mask.  Beyond the Mask is set in the world of the 1770s as tumult and war erupt in Great Britain’s North American colonies.  Mr. Bentley works for Ben Franklin before he is fired for incompetence.  He then joins a group of Loyalists who are working for Charles Kemp against the American rebels.  Mr. Bentley appears to be an assistant to the Loyalist leader Mr. Richard Harrison.  This figure recreates one of his outfits.  To learn more about the movie, visit www.BeyondTheMaskMovie.com

The original figure was made by Marx as a character figure of Johnny Tremain in the 1950s.  Thankfully this figure was recast in the 2000s so that I could acquire one.   

 

Edmund Bentley (left) and Richard Harrison (right)

This outfit is worn by Mr. Edmund Bentley when he meets Charles Kemp, the Director of the East India Company.  It consists of a cream-colored waistcoat and light blue breeches. In the movie he also wears a brown coat with this outfit.  However, because he is often seen in a brown waistcoat without a coat, it seems reasonable to assume that he wore his cream-colored waistcoat without a coat sometimes.   He was the first figure that I painted with a grey tricorne hat.

 

Mr. Richard Harrison

This figure is painted up as Richard Harrison, a local Loyalist leader who appears in the Christian movie Beyond the Mask.  Beyond the Mask is set in the world of the 1770s as tumult and war erupt in Great Britain’s North American colonies.  Mr. Harrison has no love for the rebels and recruits his friends to harass them and keep Philadelphia loyal to King George III.  This figure recreates one of his outfits.  To learn more about the movie, visit www.BeyondTheMaskMovie.com



The figure on the left is the original pose that eventually
became Mr. Harrison

The original figure was made by Accurate as a militiaman standing firing musket and required heavy conversion to become Mr. Harrison.  First I cut his musket away, then cut and repositioned his arm that was originally pulling the musket’s trigger.  I bent his other arm down by holding it under hot water and bending it until it had reached the desired pose.  Then I added a pistol from another Accurate figure and with a little sculpting (including adding a pair of boots), the figure was complete.

This outfit is worn by Mr. Richard Harrison when he is confronted by the rebel vigilante William Reynolds.  It consists of a matching set of tan waistcoat and breeches with a grey overcoat worn on top.  He carries a pistol in several scenes.  The original figure wore the cartridge box and powder horn and I left them so that Mr. Harrison can reload his pistol.  His hair was interesting and enjoyable to paint because it is sandy with streaks of grey.

Will Reynolds of Beyond the Mask

This figure is painted up as William Reynolds, the hero of the Christian movie Beyond the Mask.  Beyond the Mask is set in the world of the 1770s and follows Will's journey from assassin to hero.  At one point in the movie, Reynolds moves to Philadelphia and becomes a highwayman who battles local Loyalists.  This figure recreates his highwayman outfit.  To learn more about the movie and William Reynolds, visit www.BeyondTheMaskMovie.com

The original figure was made by BMC as an artillery commander with sword and pistol.  The only conversion work I did was cutting off a backpack and canteen.

 

It is unclear whether this outfit is supposed to be dark navy blue or purple, so I opted for the latter because it is very distinctive.  Reynolds wears long or grand gaiters to protect his legs.  His cartridge box did not appear in the movie, but I left it so that he could reload his pistol.  On its strap is a large decorative brass buckle.  He wears a mask to conceal his identity.