These are some of my WIP Work-In-Progress on the painting table.
One of the more awkward of the 12 figure poses for conversion from the Poundland tub of £1 for 100 36mm plastic figures is this Rambo style bare-chested machine gunner figure, a figure beloved in different scales of many pound store toy soldier makers.
Work so far
Out with the scalpel and off with the machine gun barrel and magazine. The cartridge belt get some incorporated into or covered by the tissue paper robes later on.
Next hot glue gun the plastic figure to a penny base. Post 1992 in the U.K., these pennies are magnetic cupro-nickel, useful for later storage and transport. The figure’s original plastic base overhangs the penny so I have trimmed it back with snips and scalpel as far as possible.
Out with the mini hand drill and finest drill bit (bought from Prince August) to drill the right hand to take a wire spear made from stiff uncoated garden wire.
Drill a hole through the left hand to take a pin shield. The shields used are patterned upholstery pins ordered online, which took weeks to come free post delivery from China. Standard drawing pins would suffice. The long pin tail can be cropped with metal snips later on.
A small strip of tissue paper attached round the legs with white PVA glue ( a small dob of this in a plastic milk bottle top palette) makes a suitable robe effect, and scrap of tissue to helmet and back of head. This needs time to dry overnight.
The spearman are not based on any particular troop type. The hefty pike of a spear seems ridiculously long for now but looked odd cut shorter. It can be transformed into a flagstaff or standard. It can be trimmed down later as needed. I may add with hot glue gun a wire or Fimo scabbard for a sword or not. A wire sword can be fashioned by trimming down the spear, if I change my mind.
This PVA and tissue paper robes were done using the same approach to the completed Pound Store desert warriors and kilted colonials (see link below). They easily cover up the modern trousers and any obvious modern military kit.
Undercoat with white acrylic before the painting proper begins.
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That is as far as I have got for now … as I said, it’s all WIP / Work in Progress.
They currently share the WIP painting table with the generic Boer / Confederate / Mexican / Cowboy / Bandits and the Kilted Colonials from Carry On up the Khyber, both of which are almost finished.
All good inexpensive fun conversions starting with a penny plastic figure.
Blogposted by Mark, Man of TIN for my Pound Store Plastic Warriors blog, 12 December 2017.
Pound Store Plastic Warriors 
They’re coming along nicely – the decorative drawing pin is very effective. I remember sticking drawing pins in Airfix Robin Hood figures to make shielded infantry for some Ancients army!
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Thanks MJT – Those Robin Hood figures were so versatile!
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