CHINESE BOXER REBEL

According to Doug, this wonderfully characteristic figure was a limited edition & he only acquired it by trading it with a figure painter friend.

The figure is cast in metal & hails from a period of history not often targeted by figure manufacturers. It comes all in one piece apart from the hand & spear. It’s big & heavy but with plenty of great detail & stage presence.

Doug is a hug fan of Mike Good’s work, so he couldn’t wait to get cracking. There was just one problem, the figure came without a box & no painting notes. So he had to do all the research himself – something he really enjoyed. The Osprey Men at Arms reference book proved invaluable in depicting the colours of the Boxer Rebellion’s fighters, as well as filling in the historical context.

The figure was first cleaned up & primed. The main colours were then applied using Humbrol enamels. These were followed by fine quality artists’ oil colours blended to suit - for shadows & highlights.

Doug wanted to bring the superb facial features out as best as possible so he spent a long time blending the flesh tones with oils to capture a Asian coloration.

Chinese characters were added to the tunic front & painted freehand. The hand & spear were added & the figure’s soles were drilled to accept strengthening rods for mounting on a wooden base.

Texture was added using Milliput to replicate cobbles & all was painted & weathered using pigments & pastels. The same tones were applied to the Boxer Rebel’s footwear & trousers to blend him into the terrain.

All-in-all, a fun project that shone a light on a interesting period of our history. As he made this figure some years back, it’s interesting to see how enamels & oils still hold their own compared to today’s acrylics.

Thanks Doug.