Rooting Around - Turnip28 Spring Clean Challenge

One last unit to do, plus their leader. I quite enjoyed making the root steed (horse radish?) for my Toff, so decided I wanted this last lot to also be cavalry, and with an appropriate mounted Toady to lead them. I went for a unit Whelps, which are the Turnip28 equivalent of light cavalry, and come in a unit of 4 models.

I had used up all bar two of the 3D printed torsos at this stage, not enough for a full unit, so I’d have to look at other ways of creating the Turnip28 look for this lot. I grabbed a pair of Perry Austrian Hussar sprues as a starting point.

I started with the horses, as I intended to simply copy what I had done for the Toff’s steed. The horse heads were trimmed to streamline their profile (essentially removing manes, ears, some of the bridles etc.), before adding a green stuff root tendril/snout. A bit of bandage was then wrapped around the neck/head, and glued in place with watered down pva. Foil straps and hoof covers were then added, with wire ‘ropes’ wrapped around the latter. Finally, the tails were snipped short, and peeled with a knife to approximate a stalk.

Next I built the Toady. I wanted him to be a bit more ostentatious than the regular troopers, so used the fancier legs, and one of my final two torsos. Whilst a right sabre wielding arm was easy to identify from the sprue, one potential issue with the hussar sprues is the left arms are moulded onto the bodies. I therefore had a quick search through the remains of the other sprues used in this project for something appropriate, deciding on the last left arm from the Agincourt foot knights. A pelisse was added as well.

Whilst I quite liked this, the model was still missing something – an appropriately splendid hat. Out came the green stuff, and I attempted to make a colpack.

Onto the Whelp riders then. I didn’t have any additional bits left to modify this chaps, so it would be down to sculpting with green stuff. This is something I’m not very practiced in, but I gave it a go anyway.

First I built the hussar troopers to understand what I was going to be working with. First, it was obvious they would need a Turnip28 style visor. I realised I should have had off adding the sabre arms, as they made this more awkward than was necessary, but I got them all done. Next, I decided I’ll try and give them some ragged cloaks. I vaguely remember some video I saw when they took a thin piece of green stuff, attached at the figures shoulders, and then pulled and tore at the bottom to create a worn, damaged cloak. I gave that a go, and was pretty happy with the end results. I decided that was probably enough for the riders, and got them on their steeds, adding some additional bits of frippery from the sprues like carbines, before adding some tufts here and there.