Hussar Problem Solved

I mentioned that while I was up at the Wargames Holiday Centre I was hoping to make a few purchases. Well,I did indeed, and here are a few pics of some of them. Mike has been selling off quite a few units this year in order to "slim down" the collection (for example, having nearly 180 x 36 man French btns seemed a bit OTT), and I hoped to buy a few units I'd always really liked. High on the list were these 2 regts of Austrian Hussars, 1 of 36 men and another of 48 (Wish they were both 48's).

One of the problems I've always had with the Austrian army is the hussar uniform. Now I know they invented the things, but I've always thought the Austrian hussar uniform looked more at home in Billy Smart's Circus than on a battlefield. All that purulent bright green, stupid red trousers, and yellow plumes...Give them some long, floppy shoes rather than hussar boots and they would have looked better.
Subsequently I've never had any great desire to paint any. So from years ago when I first saw these rather more subdued paint jobs they always appealed. They are all wearing overalls and the green is (a more realistic) darker shade.  Despite this they are still suitably gaudy enough for hussars, with their red shabraques with yellow piping and either bright or dark blue dolmans.

They are (naturally) the Elite miniatures castings, painted and converted by Doug Mason. All the sabres are pins soldered into the hand and are very tough. Even after many years of service up in Scarborough I only had to replace 3 swords out of 84. Doug has done plenty of bends and twists to these figures. There are only 4 basic figures here, officer, trumpeter and 2 trooper figures, and he really has imparted an incredible sense of movement to the models which really look the part of hussars at full tilt

I just did a minimal amount of work on the bases to blend them with my standard basing. Just an oilwash and highlight then some grass clumps added. I also gave them a quick new coat of gloss. I had contemplated giving them a matt coat, but they look infinitely better in their original gloss glory. I'm developing a bit of a theory about gloss V matt: Gloss varnish isn't terribly fashionable these days which is actually a bit wierd. There is no debate about it bringing out the colour and establishing a visual contrast between the figure and its base, this is simply optical fact. Nonetheless, a lot of folk "prefer" matt these days. Anyway, my theory is, that gloss varnish makes well painted figures look even better and badly painted figures look even worse, while matt varnish just dulls everything down to a more median uniformity (no pun inteneded). So for Mr Average painter (like me, and most of you) we think our stuff looks better when we matt varnish it, because gloss just shows up all the cock-ups, while matt is more....forgiving.
Anyway, thats my theory.

These figures were painted by someone who really knew what he was doing, and it shows up even better in the flesh than through the lens of my rather inadequate camera.

These weren't the only figures I bought from Mike, there are more (I just kept peeling off the tenners until he said stop) but the rest will have to wait for another time.

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Atomic Ed, Short Film, Review And Interview

As the synopsis points out, Atomic Ed is about the underdog becoming the person they need to be for the situation. It is a fun-filled short ride that makes you smile, even if you might get a little squeamish because it is in a horror setting.

I saw Atomic Ed at the 2019 FilmQuest film festival (website). It was nominated for Best Foreign Short, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Score, and Best Makeup.

This is a light horror setting that doesn't reach the gore level of recent television shows. It's a family friendly story everyone can enjoy.

Synopsis: When the body of one of the members of Mark's band is found horribly mutilated, the gang lash out on Ed, who has no choice but to become the person he has always dreamed of being.

The director, Nicolas Hugon, shared some information how his youth in Paris inspired him for Atomic Ed and being a filmmaker.

What was the inspiration for Atomic Ed?

I grew up with my friend writer Cyril Delouche in a suburban suburb near Paris (we also shot the film in the neighborhood of my childhood). At that time, we were watching a lot of horror movies, mostly American. And often, they took place in neighborhoods quite similar to ours.

I think that with the passing of time, my memories of youth have ended up mixing with the images of horror movies that we consume in high doses!

Atomic Ed is a tribute to all these films and my youth.

There is indeed a lot of my experience in Atomic Ed. Already, the alleyways you can see in Atomic Ed are the same ones I have walked with my mates for much of my youth.

After, of course, there is this fantasy a little cliché of the teenager in love with the girl inaccessible and finally arrives at his ends.

Me, I did not arrive, but I was not beautiful as Oscar (who plays Ed in the film)!

What project(s) do you have coming up you're excited about?

Like all the filmmakers, I would like to shoot a feature movie one day of course!

I'm already trying to shoot a new short film by doing better than the previous one.

And maybe, other projects but it's a secret for the moment!

What was your early inspiration for pursuing a career in film?

I grew up in the 80s and like all children of my age I was amazed by all the movies of this era Spielberg/Lucas/Zemekis. Films where the marvelous arose in the everyday life of teenagers. I think about The Goonies, Gremlins, Back to the Future. But also, the first Star Wars.

At the time, I did not even ask myself the question of how we made movies, I let myself be transported and then that's all. Then, I think I needed more and stronger emotions and I really became passionate about genre cinema.

I was traumatized by films like Robocop, The Exorcist, or Brain Dead that I discovered very young and that's when I really wondered how these people make movies. So, I watched the movie with another, more technical look, and then one day my dad bought a camcorder to shoot family movies. I started like that when I was 12, shooting horror movies in my parents' house and garden, splashing my friends with a liter of ketchup!

What would be your dream project?

This one, I have not dreamed of it yet!

I already dream of continuing to do what I do, I still have a lot to improve.

And maybe start shooting movies a little bit longer!

What are some of your favorite pastimes when not working on a movie?

Cinema is a very time-consuming activity that tends to intrude much on privacy. When I do not make a film, I look a lot, I also discuss a lot with my friends about cinema. But I also find time to read, to see my friends, to play video games and to take care of my wife and my son.

What is one of your favorite movies and why?

Robocop of Paul Verhoven. This film, as I said earlier, traumatized me when I saw it when I was barely 10 years old. All this graphic violence, I did not feel well. Then, with time, he fascinated me, I discovered the second degree and the double reading that was hidden behind this film, which seems really nagging.

Since then, I watch it very often, for me it's a perfect film in many ways: the clarity of the screenplay, the rhythm, the structure of the film, the special effects, the emotions it summons to me.

This is the movie I would have dreamed of doing!

You can watch the trailer for Atomic Ed on Vimeo (link).

Find out more about Atomic Ed on

IMDb (link)

Facebook (link)

Instagram (link)

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