Miscellaneous Napoleonic Cavalry

[Bessiere]

Hey KB, I really want to look closer but the image files are too small. Maybe getting compressed somewhere? Your cavaliers all look great and I know they do when you get in close, even more so. You got a deeper depth of field in those last pictures and I had the same experience using a digital camera. Your figures deserve some close ups, (so I can study them and learn how to paint better).
Cheers,
Bessiere

[k.b.]

Thank you for your comments and interest Bessiere.

I have upgraded my Photobucket account to unlimited storage this morning … (previously I was using their medium package which was actually all I needed in terms of the number of photos I could save, however, only on their premium package do they say that your saved images would not be compressed).

My photos can be blown up to 120 mm size and bigger and the details can be seen clearly on my pc so both my iphone and camera are taking large pixel sized photos and as such there shouldn’t have been a reduction in quality.

Nonetheless something is causing this deterioration in picture definition.
Let’s try to get to the bottom of this……. I am intrigued.

[k.b.]

Let's see what these piccies turn out like.......







I think this sized piccie gives a better idea of the work that goes into my cavalry but it is a bit cruel to judge 1/72 figures as though they were 120mm

[Bessiere]

Yes! Thank you for giving us a nice close look. Fantastic painting KB. Nobody would judge them as if they were 120 mm. 1/72 is a difficult scale to work in but you seem to have it well in hand.
Cheers
Bessiere

[MABO]

I agree!

[Rich W]

These hold up very well in the close up! Very nice!

[k.b.]

Thank you gents ……. but those buttons down the side of his overalls badly need a new paint job……. as well as a better trimming of his moustache.

Sadly, these are sad signs of fading eyesight with the passing of the years……my naked eye which was a 10/10 when I started painting seriously at around the age of 21 is no better than a 5/10 nowadays, and I strongly dislike using magnification. Oh well, I suppose I have no choice for I dislike sloppy brushwork on the finer details even more than I do artificial magnification.

So give me half an hour to find my optivisor…… aaaaah …. so there it is! Now where on earth can I find a new series 7 W&N paintbrush!

[Peter]

Mh,



I can see that these are good painted, but that guy needs a new barber. That moustache is awfull!

[MABO]

Painting Napi Cavalry always deserves respect!

[dykio]

one of the reasons i have never painted nappies is because of al the details of the uniforms. But you really nailed it perfect painting

[k.b.]

Thought it might be interesting to show off some cavalry - in this case Zvezda Russian Guard Cossacks - against a plain background to see what not only i think, but more importantly, what you guys think of figures displayed this way. It kinda reminds me of the Plastic Soldier Review mixed with a German site i used to visit some years ago, which inspired me enormously, but which unfortunately i have forgotten the name of.
If anyone sees a similarity and think they can jog my memory i would be most grateful.
Anyways, here goes;



One of the biggest problems I had with these figures was getting the riders to sit on their horses.
I used a new, and may i say dangerously sharp scalpel, to cut away at the underside of the riders until i could get them to sit reasonably well on their steeds. In truth i think i was only partially successful. Anyone find a better solution? Am planning to resculpt some hats and convert a dozen or so of these chaps into Don Cossack figures in the near future so if anyone has found a perfect solution I'd love to hear from you.



Found another piccie with some French Cuirassiers and Polish Guard Lancers photographed similarly...

[MABO]

If you ask me I would prefer pictures from the figures standing on the bases and more close-ups as well. This gives one a better impression of the painted figs in 3d. For me the picture of the cossacks looks flat. And you don't see the more important front of the riders. That is why PSR does not present the riders on the horses I think.

Concerning the conversion you plan, I can recommend these spare heads from Franznap:
https://www.franznapminiatures.com/SHOP#!/AC-022A-SPARE-HEADS-Russia-Don-Cossacks-Soft-Hats/p/255682765/category=14487041

[k.b.]

Thanks a lot Mabo for the tip! Am gonna have a go at sculpting some Cossack heads myself but if I have no joy then I will be placing an order to Francesco

[dykio]

dear k.b.,
Your figures realy look superb!!. And about the ill fitting riders. Did you ever try to pin them to the horses? You could still try it although it might damage the paint.
Regards

Dykio

[k.b.]

Hi dykio,
Never really thought about pinning riders to their horses for the following reason….. I don’t wargame with my figures and I like to be able to move riders to different horses. That is providing they don’t sit so tight that if I remove them I will lift/scratch my paintwork. In truth most of my figures sit comfortably astride their horses. If they’re a little loose then a little ball of blu tac usually does the job nicely.
The Zvezda Cossacks are different…. The horses are too large for the riders to sit on. Therefore I need to cut away between the riders legs and/or at the saddle or two sides of the horse to let the rider sit snugly on his mount. To put a pin in the horse onto which I could sit the cavalryman might work for a time but it would just be a question of time before the pressure between the two figures would unhorse him anyways.

[k.b.]

Finally finished a few more French Dragoons so here are a few piccies before they close in on the enemy....

[C M Dodson]

Very nice painting of these dragons indeed.

They really are splendid.

Best wishes,

Chris

[Minuteman]

Very nice dragoons, excellent painting!

I particularly like the horse colours and tones you have managed to achieve here. They look very life-like. You may have told us before, but what paints are you using on these horses?

[Bessiere]

These look wonderful massed together, each painted with great care. Makes a lovely sight indeed. If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion you may wish to try twisting a few heads and arms to vary the poses. So long as you take care to pad the inside of the pliers it won't mess up the details. You don't even have to soak them in hot water though it is helpful to retain the desired pose.
En avant!
Bessiere

[k.b.]

Thank you Chris, Minuteman and Bessiere for your kind words.

As far as my horse colours are concerned Minuteman I used by and large W&N oils ranging from Yellow Ochre, Mars Yellow, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber which are my staples with Naples Yellow, Indian Red, Van Dyke Brown among others with Ivory Black to darken tones and Titanium White to lighten them.

I think you were spot on Bessiere when you mentioned the need to add some further variety by swapping a few heads, altering their directions and changing some arm positions. I have made a few changes but I could certainly have done more. I think I lack a bit of patience and confidence but I’ll see what I can do with the next regiment. Your constructive criticism is always welcome and motivates me to push further.

Another challenge is to add some human and horse casualties to make the battleground look a bit more realistic as well as adding some discarded items such as backpacks, helmets, rifles and broken cannons, lances, swords etc. Your last thread Bessiere and Chris’s Antietam certainly provide tremendous inspiration even though I don’t intend to be as extreme in terms of blood and guts. Let’s just wait and see what I can come up with.