Swiss Guard, Pope and Cardinals

[Santi Pérez]

Great stuff, Santi. If you hadn’t found your mission monks I was going to offer to mail you a half dozen unused priests from my Spanish Guerrillas set! Glad you couldn’t use those dull railway figures... Good luck with the project. Bill

Thank you very much, Bill. Finally I'm happy with the monks from the Pegasus set. Their variety has facilitated the conversion work, as you will see in a next post.

Looking forward to see this finished! And the W.I.P. too. Also bought the Pegasus set for the monks, but maybe I'll do something with the natives.

Due to my limited spare time to dedicate, it's a long term project, Susofrick, but I'll be showing my slow progress.

A very nice and unusual theme, Santi!

Well, huib, looking at my previous diorama of the Swiss Guard, it's not so unusual for my tastes, hahaha.

Now, more information about the Swiss Guards conversions.

First of all I remember that my conversion techniques include the repositioning of parts in one figure, “transplants” of parts from one figure to another, carving parts and adding other new ones with white wood glue (PVA), creating new parts from paper, wood or plastic, etc., as you will see in the upcoming pictures. The modelling using PVA glue is basic and very tedious, because a lot of layers are needed (due to their thinness) to achieve the desired result.

The Halberdiers and the Corporal are very similar. They only needed a new right arm in a new position and a new rigid shaft (coming from the Hät Imperial Roman Auxiliary Infantry spears) for the halberd head. The Corporal carries a pike instead of a halberd. Its head was modelled with PVA again. Other two simbols of the Corporal's rank are the calf ribbons and small pieces in the cuffs.



The Halberdier (before and after the application of the PVA):



And the Corporal:



Both the Officer and the Sergeant needed more elaborate conversions, so I will show them in the next post.

Santi.

[Peter]

This is like a good TV serie, you don't want to miss an episode! Great work Santi! Go on!

[lobo]

Santi,
Good job!
Thank you for share your conversion techniques, I need to learn a lot about them...
Antonio.

[Santi Pérez]

This is like a good TV serie, you don't want to miss an episode! Great work Santi! Go on!

Thanks, Peter. It's true that I want to keep the mystery, but it's also true that my progress is so slow that I have to dose the posts to prevent people from getting bored, hahaha.

Santi, good job! Thank you for share your conversion techniques, I need to learn a lot about them…Antonio.

Thank you very much for your kind words, Antonio. But don't be so modest. I have seen your AWI troops and they have great conversions. This is one of the fantastic things in this forum: we can all learn from everyone.

Well, it's time now for the Swiss Guard Sergeant conversion.

Originally, I had the intention of including a Sergeant with drawn sword, in a way similar to that of my former Swiss Guard diorama:



I even made it:



However, after deep research, I found that the Sergeants of the Swiss Guard never carry their drawn sword in their right hand, but a cane in their left, something like this:



So, I made another Sergeant with the correct accesory and in the correct position, using a pin end for the cane:



The hand comes from the standard of the Signifer from the Esci-Italeri Roman Infantry set:



Later I added also a Zvezda French Cuirassier sword pendant for the cane pendant:



And this was the result (before and after the application of the PVA):



The next post will be dedicated to the Officer, which is the most transformated of all the Swiss Guards.

Thanks for watching.

Santi.

[MABO]

Very detailed conversion. Interesting to see where all the parts for the sergeant came from.

[Konrad]

I am impressed by the work you have invested in these nice figs.
And also from the heart's blood.
You love what you do.
Very creative work.
My respect.

[Wiking]

The very most swords here are made in plastic, pew...
Yours are made of steel !!!

Very nice conversion of figures.
It is fun to to watch out for the hand, arm, weapon and all the bits and bobs to collect on OTHER figures.

"And do not press with the knife too ... , sh_t "!
"Luckily the box provide another and LAST (!) useful figure to cut the needed part.
With the droplets of sweat on the forehead, cut off very carefully the part that you can`t live without it.

For your guard troops the options of manufacturer are nicely say, limited.

Very good job so far. Thank`s for showing us that Swiss guard "nacked".

[Bluefalchion]

What a fantastic story you are telling us, Santi. Although there is not much suspense--I already know the end result will be masterful.

Wiking--I know what you mean about the critical moment of a project. I have found myself holding my breath during the most delicate stage of the operation. Say a very fun brush stroke? For a degree of difficulty, try it with a fascinated 5-year-old sitting on your lap.

[Jaques]

Hi , Santi.

Wonderful work.


If you need it, I have it in resin, and I can send you some ecclesiastical hats for conversions.







Regards.

[Santi Pérez]

Thank you very much for your gently words, mates. You made me turn red when I have read them.

I am impressed by the work you have invested in these nice figs... You love what you do. Very creative work...

Work and time, Konrad. There are a lot of hours behing every finished figure. And yes, this is my beloved hobby and I always try to give the best of me in every new job.

The very most swords here are made in plastic, pew... Yours are made of steel !!! Very nice conversion of figures...

Well, Wiking, it's really a cane, not a sword, hahaha.

Hi, Santi. Wonderful work. If you need it, I have it in resin, and I can send you some ecclesiastical hats for conversions...

Thank you very much for your offer, Jaques. Finally I got almost all the ecclesiastical accesories I needed...using only white wood glue.

What a fantastic story you are telling us, Santi. Although there is not much suspense--I already know the end result will be masterful...

Thanks for your confidence, Bluefalchion. I'll try not to let you down.

And here, for you and all, is the last figure of the Swiss Guard, the Officer.

He's got the deepest conversion of all because his uniform is quite different to that of other ranks. I had to cut almost the entire surface of the figure to eliminate the striped design and afterwards added the desired elements, modelled, as always, with PVA.



The right forearm and hand and the sword hilt come from the Waterloo 1815 Highland Infantry Officer:



The sword guard belongs to a GerMan Musketeer:



Both the sword and the scabbard are made of pin tips (yes, Wiking, this sword is really steel made ). I also added a piece of paper to the scabbard.

And this is the result (before and after the application of the PVA):



The next chapter of this series will be the first dedicated to the religious figures. I hope to continue enjoying your interest.

Santi.

[carlosfaro]

Incredible research, work and results here, Santi!!
Just Jorge Bergoglio (Paco I)is missing..
Enhorabuena!

[C M Dodson]

You seem to have taken to the role of Dr Frankenstein very well here.

A brilliant selection of bits and bobs from all eras, creating some very nice individuals.

A different subject matter and fantastic imagination going into this project.

Best wishes,

Chris

[Graeme]

Very interesting to see the conversions in progress, I'm enjoying this journey.

[Santi Pérez]

Incredible research, work and results here, Santi!! Just Jorge Bergoglio (Paco I)is missing…Enhorabuena!

Be patient, Carlos, and even Bergoglio/Paco will apear.

You seem to have taken to the role of Dr Frankenstein very well here. A brilliant selection of bits and bobs from all eras, creating some very nice individuals. A different subject matter and fantastic imagination going into this project...Chris

Thank you, C M Dodson. It's true that my imagination flies free every time I design a new diorama. Only a correction: I'm not Frankenstein but Fronkonstin (I hope you have seen Young Frankenstein movie).

Very interesting to see the conversions in progress, I'm enjoying this journey.

I'm glad you're enjoying the journey, Graeme, because it has still some more stages.

In today's stage, the first religious figures appear.

All of them has been converted in a similar way: first, the unwanted elements of the original figure have been removed with a blade (in some cases, even the head). Then, the different elements of clothing and accessories have been added with PVC to make it as desired.

I begin with the Cardinals.

The first original figure:



And the final Cardinal (his head comes from the donation made by another fellow whose head was replaced by another):



The second original figure:



And the corresponding Cardinal (he has retained his own original head):



More to follow.

Santi.

[Santi Pérez]

Here are some more Cardinals.

Original figure:



And the converted one (in this case with no much conversions):



Another original figure:



And the result, with repositioned left arm and a head coming from a Caesar Miniatures modern militiaman:





More to come. Thanks for watching.

Santi.

[MABO]

Great conversion again. I am really curious about the other figs.

[sberry]

My own projects are more or less based on (and dictated by) the commercially available figures. I greatly admire these conversion and sculpting skills shown here, enabling you to create exactly what you need!

[Kostis Ornerakis]

Santi you have made wonderful work!!

[Santi Pérez]

Great conversion again. I am really curious about the other figs.

Thanks, MABO. Follow this thread and I hope to satisfy your curiosity.

Santi you have made wonderful work!!

Thank you very much, Kostis. It's always a pleasure to read so kind words from masters like you.

My own projects are more or less based on (and dictated by) the commercially available figures. I greatly admire these conversion and sculpting skills shown here, enabling you to create exactly what you need!

This was my case many years ago, sberry. Until once I thought: if I have to wait until a manufacturer just makes the figures I desire, my patience will run out. And then my facet of conversion-maker begun. You get great pride and satisfaction with every new original figure you create, knowing that nobody else in the world can own it, that it's only yours.

Today I bring you two more figures, another Cardinal and a Monsignor.

First the Cardinal original figure:



I had to remove the book he's holding with his left hand and then replaced his head with that of this figure from Caesar Miniatures Underground Resisters set.



This is the result:



The original figure for the Monsignor:



Here I had to remove both the staff from the right hand and the book from the left one, and bend the right arm to its definitive position. His new head was donated by a figure from the Linear B Roman Market set 2.



And this is the resulting Monsignor:



I hope to continue maintaining your interest. My best regards.

Santi.

[Santi Pérez]

Today's post is dedicated to the last of the Cardinals.

This one was the most difficult to convert of the six, due to the complexity of the original figure:



Firstly, the native boy on the left and the stick on the right had to be removed. Then, the right arm was turned to its definitive position and the left one was reconstructed, adding a new hand from a figure of my spares box.

A new head was also added, from a slaves driver of Linear B Roman Market set.



This is the final result:




Patience, there is less left to reach the Pope figure.

Santi.