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Defenders of France

This is a little out of the ordinary but if you ever took Latin in high school, you'll have some idea of what I was trying here. And if you ever wondered what that name meant on the decal set of the Tamiya Char B kit, well, here's your chance to find out.

Vercingetorix was leader of the Gauls, who fought Julius Caesar's Roman Legions, which conquered what was to become modern day France, about 2,000 years before the tank got its name and I thought it would be fun to combine the two in a sort-of then and now vignette. No one really knows what Vercingetorix looked like, of course, and even his name is a Latin version of whatever the Gauls called him but the figure seemed dramatic enough with those over-the-top wings on the helmet. I had hoped to be able to realize something a little more theatrical with the figure rising from the past at the hour of his Country's need, but I had a problem modelling the dim mists of history. (Maybe there’s a project and future feature article for one of the more imaginative of you out there). Unfortunately, both incarnations of Vercingetorix suffered the same fate at the invaders' hands.

The figure is from Andrea and the base is the excellent Corner Wall from Monroe Perdu. It is all finished in a variety of acrylic paints, oil washes, and pastels with a home-made sign that I hoped might explain the premise a bit. A bit fanciful all in all but I hope you enjoy it.