Cuffs the final hurdle!

Gents thank you once again for the comments and just need one set of final thoughts to settle on the colour scheme and get started painting. I realised after doing this that Winterborne was right and I should have got the base painted to get the true effect, but limited time tonight so just tried these out (the cuffs are now about twice the size on this poor guy!).

There in no particular order and some are more inclined towards possible Command model schemes but I suppose I could use any of them for the army, they were pretty quick. I'm leaning towards the green but worry while good looking loads of these models might look a bit dull? Also like the plain Khaki but have doubts for the same reason. I didn't actually try gold and green which I think I might use on Command models if I pick the green. The gold was only meant as Command cuffs but could be used and I have redone the red better to see if it now gets liked more. The only thing I haven't done that I would like to do is a silver selection (maybe green/silver or black/silver, but I have no mithril, which I assume would be the colour to use?). Just added a Red and Green as an after thought which I quite like and may use for artillery if nothing else.

Khaki Cuffs

Khaki and Gold Cuffs

Green Cuffs

Khaki and Red Cuffs

Red Cuffs

Red and Gold Cuffs

Khaki and Green Cuffs

Red and Green

I'm pretty certain I don't want to change anything else on the model (love the green trouser stripe) so its only the cuff that will be coloured this way (and on command models the braid). So what is the thoughts? or is there a colour that you think would be good that I have miseed? I dismissed blue but you never know.....

Green Jacket ideas continued.....

    

White Epaulettes

Khaki Trousers

Gents thank you all so much for your comments so far, really helping. Col Ackland thanks for the Mordians, made me have a go at the red cuffs and in general its a good blog. Just reread my post and see what you mean! lol!

Started off by trying white epaulettes over black, didn't think it worked.

Then tried changing the trouser colour to something more contrasting, really like this khaki but I'm not sure whether the orangey brown was adding something that is lost by taking it out?

Also tried black trousers but not that big a fan.

Then tried red cuffs, like them but not 100% convinced, think they look good without being great.

Then tried grey epaulettes, they really didn't work so added some stone which again I quite like.

Finally thought if I quite liked the khaki trousers it was worth trying the epaulettes in it, which I think goes if I keep the khaki trousers.......

Black Trousers

Not 100% sure about anything, the model now looks like the Khaki epaulettes photo and he is growing on me. Kind of miss the brown trousers though....but not sure why as I like the khaki more (that sounds really stupid but not sure how else to put it!). 

Black Trousers

Red Cuffs Back

Red Cuffs Front

Grey with Stone Epauletes

Khaki Epaulettes

In answer to your guys points, I'm not sure black on the cuffs would look right without black elsewhere but I don't like the trousers in black and want to leave everything else bar the epaulettes untouched. I really like the white insignia on the gun and don't really want to change it as again it moves away from what I originally really liked.

I don't want purple cuffs as I can't have the uniform too untraditional and purple is for me. Silver possibly but i can't work out how to make silver cloth not just look shiny and metallic. The one thing I really am keen to try is black and silver epaulettes.

I just want to say again I really appreciate all your guys comments and help, and I think about everything you guys have said, but for me to like this Army it can't move too far away from a traditional British Army uniform.

As for making Command Models stand out I'm not sure, I like where other people have different coloured cuffs, but i have decided for my army I definitely don't want to do that, I want the Command and veterans and all platoons wearing the same jacket to be the same colour scheme, maybe only differentiated by the braiding. Other squads I was quite happy to be different if they did something different ie. cavalry, artillery. I do understand the 100 Guardsman aren't an Napoleonic army point, but I still feel I want at least those functions to be changed by a differing but complimentary uniform.

I don't know, hitting a rut of indecision again and all the time my Blue and Red Praetorain is flaunting his easy on the eye colour scheme at me.......its kind of infuriating to have loads of models, be willing to paint them but be frozen by indecision on how to go about it, if I get it wrong and say 30 models down I decide, actually I don't like it I don't know what I would do. Can't believe I hadn't thought about this much before when it's such an important decision and their are 100's of guys and hours of time at stake.

Once again your help and comment is very much appreciated.

A Green Jacketed Praetorian Army, thoughts please guys?

So thought I had better start a new thread as its a slightly different discussion. After thinking about it, and with a little bit of encouragement from Col Winterborne I am seriously considering a full Green Jacketed army based on this test model. I really love him but I accept that at least the epaulettes need to change, going to test out grey/white I think, any other suggestions?

So what I now need a bit of advise on is, do you think it needs any other changes? I might try out a grey/white trouser as well?

and finally I suppose do you guys think I should do it? I think part of me will be a little bit sad that they are not red jackets, but I think its a great look in its own right.

Help! Really need some advice, completely stuck with Praetorian Guard colour scheme and can't carry on until it is sorted!

Original Praetorian Imperial Guard 

Original Praetorian Imperial Guard 

I'd really appreciate it if people could read this and make some comments because I'm a bit lost....

So here was my original Praetorian colour scheme I came up with. I had intended to only use actual Praetorians as veterans but I now have enough to make up the platoons!

So going back to this guy, I like him but don't love him, and if I have to paint 100's, I have to love them.

Traditional Praetorian Imperial Guard 

Traditional Praetorian Imperial Guard

I can't 100% decide what I don't like though. The red is definitely wrong and you can see below I have changed that and I love it now so not an issue. Didn't like the bayonet white, again now sorted. Here we now come to the problem though. I like the green cuffs, (not the collar that's now gone) but I'm not sure about the model as a whole. There seems to be too much going on, and it doesn't all work together?

Rifleman Praetorian Imperial Guard

Rifleman Praetorian Imperial Guard

So I tried out a traditional blue colour scheme and really like it, its simple and I think it really works, but I kind of miss the green cuffs, but then I couldn't have blue trousers.

And now comes the final problem along those lines.....

I always wanted to do some squads (eventually a whole platoon!) in a 60th Rifle inspired scheme. After some playing around this is my take. Now I love this guy but the one thing I am not sure about is the epaulettes (and the boots need to be darker but I will sort that). The brown works I think but I don't love it. Maybe grey/white coloured epaulettes? but then maybe he should have grey trousers, but I really like the brown. Or maybe the epaulettes should match the gold of the redcoats? Would that work?

And most importantly how do I get the army to gel? I need a colour across all I think, but I have disregarded red I don't think it goes with the earthy green colours. So do I drop the blue and reinstate the green cuffs?

Really at a loss and have complete painters block now till I decide. Any comments (even if you think I need to start from scratch!) are welcome I just need some opinions to help me out, don't care if they differ from mine or each others....

Penal Legion Troopers

So I haven't had much time for modelling in general, and as for Praetorians, not much further forward with my guys apart from acquiring some more! But I did manage to finish my other four Victoria Lamb kit Penal Legion Troopers. Spent a bit more time on these ones than the last guy and think they look better for it, they have also got the bases I settled on. One thing I have decided is I don't like the Red Gore as the main red colour for the Praetorians, its too dark and a bit purple, so I am going to go with the Mechrite Red with Blood highlights and will update the red on these guys. Hope you like, as always comments welcome.

Praetorian Ratlings???

So I have the afternoon off and while I was waiting for paint to dry on my Penal Troopers I was rummaging around and dug out my ratlings as I was thinking about sticking them on eBay to hopefully get a few quid. But then looking at the uniforms of the old ratlings again, they look very much of a style with Praetorians, and could be easily painted so. I never liked the heads though, the crazy hair and trucker caps, but I think sculpting piths for them is beyond me. It suddenly occurred to me that maybe the piths in the empress spares pack I bought would look okay. So I hacked away at one of their heads (thumb now bandaged as I got too blasé with the craft knife!)  and then when I could get it to fit, stuck the helmet on with blu-tac to take a look. Pretty happy with the result, will need a little bit of green stuff work to tidy up as the empress piths aren't very smooth and gaps will need filled. This saves me buying alternatives I was looking at that would have ended up costing 30 quid plus and they still didn't have piths, just nicer heads. What do we think? (bare in mind I may loose a thumb if doing ten!)

Base Colour Scheme - Need Some Advice Please Guys!

Right, so I have been playing around with some bases trying to decide on what the base colour scheme for my army should be. This is what I have come up with, and I would really appreciate some opinions on what to go for. The pictures show the three different colour schemes, the two different grasses I have and the bases with either black or graveyard earth rims.

I almost don't want to run through my full opinions as I would rather you gave me your thoughts without me influencing them, but I'm massively confused! Before putting grass on I had given up on the middle base for being too dark and was leaning towards the left or right one. Now I really like the middle one, still like the left one (but possibly a bit drab??) and I'm no longer sure about the right (too orange??)!

Could really do with some thoughts to help make this decision, they all look like they would be fine next to the Praetorian model I painted so not so worried about that, just want the best looking base of the three. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Penal Legion Trooper Painted

So I painted the first of my Penal Legion Troops. It was a lot easier to paint than build! I was really happy with him, loved it in fact, but then I started mucking around with a few highlights and I can't shake the feeling that I have ruined him somehow. They definitely add a bit of depth to the model, but I'm not very good at them and I'm starting to wish I hadn't bothered. Looking at these photos they don't look too bad and just under the normal energy savers they look okay. I think its because I'm looking at him under my bright modelling lamp that I get freaked out by how severe they look, where as if there were a few guys together under normal daylight maybe I have got it right? I'm not really sure, but I definitely find it a real hard skill and doesn't matter how many well painted examples I see to use as a guide, I never feel I'm getting it quite right!

But one thing is for sure, the other five of these I have ready to go are getting painted this week because A) its a really simple job and B) I love them! Not very Praetorian I know but if I get another 4 together at least I will have a completed squad before March! (touch wood). Unfortunately with work and other time consumers I have a snail pace modelling timeline!

First Praetorian Trooper for Veteran Squad Fully Painted

So here is the first of my original GW Praetorian Imperial Guard Troopers that I will be using in my veteran squads. He wasn't too hard to paint (not that I think it was that great a job!) but I think he looks ok. Thanks Col Winterborne for the epaulette advice, I went a bit more golden for the top drybrush coats. Any thoughts of anything that could possibly be changed with colours before I bang out a load more?

Also haven't done the base, have three bases drying that I'm going to test out some Desertish/African plain like base colour schemes on, as I think the one on my test guy was too white. I want a more dry grassland feel. Any suggestions? I never really thought about it but the base is incredibly important to get right as although the models will change, every base will/should be roughly the same so want to get it spot on.

Praetorian Lascannon Conversion Update

So the new wheels just arrived and I have quickly put them on and taken a photo. I'm not sure I like them as much, the fact that the spokes point out towards the rims, that the wheel is thinner and I definitely preferred the wheel hub on the original wheels. However they are a much lower cost alternative as I can't afford to be buying complete artillery pieces just for the wheels. What are others thoughts? Originals on right to compare.