Unboxing British Heavy Dragoons from Waterloo1815

[Kekso]

Hi guys. I just got a box of British Heavy Dragoons 1812-1815 from Waterloo1815 and I feel like sharing some photos with you. Please note that I'm no expert. This is just my personal opinion and some of you might think otherwise. For real review you might wait for PSR or some forum member that knows much more.

First of all, box is nice and I really like box art (I was so excited so I forgot to take picture of back side )



Though it is really nice, box contains only 12 riders and 12 horses. I'm not complaining about figures quantity but box is pretty large for that number of figures. Here is comparison to HaT box that also contains 12+12 figures:



Set contains 4 sprues. 2 identical with riders and 2 identical with horses. That means there are 6 different poses for riders and only 3 for horses (in whole set). Still better than most of HaT cavalry sets.





Figures are nicely sculpted, poses seem to be good and there are some mould lines to be removed. Here are some close ups:





Verdict: Those are my first figures from Waterloo1815 and I really like them. But I'll have my final opinion when I'll start to paint them - and that will be very soon

I hope you like this unboxing report. Cheers.

[MABO]

Thank you for the review and the pictures. I am no expert either but for me the figures do not have so much details. The horses are very boring, that is no news. I really like the pose of the dragoon hit by some thing but in a collection of 12 not 3 times. But in general it is nice that there is another set dealing with these units so important for the british cavalry. I was already wondering why there was only one set in plastic on the market...

[Marvin]

Just got my box through too!

I think there's only two poses for the horses? Another horse pose would have been nice.

I thought one was missing an arm until I saw it was separate on the sprue...

Sculpting looks pretty good, which is what I've come to expect from Waterloo 1815. Can't wait to see how you get on with them! It will probably be a couple weeks or so before I get a chance to start on them.

[Kekso]

I think there's only two poses for the horses?

Hi Marvin. You're right, only 2 horse poses I noticed my mistake today when I started to paint them.

Well, my first opinion about figures was better than now when I started with painting. Sculpting isn't that good when I inspected them more closely. Plastic is very hard and that is good for removing mould lines. But that means long thin parts (like sabers or scabbards) can easily break

[Marvin]

Well, as I always say "the brush will have the last word".

Actually, I just made that up...

[MABO]

Sculpting isn't that good when I inspected them more closely.

That's what I mean.

[Beano Boy]

Thanks for posting Dalibor. I noticed there are spare arms holding swords on the sprue. BB

[Kekso]

I noticed there are spare arms holding swords on the sprue.

Hi Paul. Not spare (as in some HaT sets). Those are only arms, It seems they have been moulded separately because pose complexity.

[davbenbak1]

So you get two buglers per 12 figure set?

[Beano Boy]

On E Bay they are charging £2.99 over the price of 7.05 that Waterloo1815 Shop is selling them for.
Another E Bayer stating Free Postage,and over charging. I will not pay £30.00 Postage on 10 boxes.
They are not available yet on Model Hobbies or E Models yet so I am playing it cool until they are.
For those wishing to buy more than one box now, my advice open an account at the Waterloo1815 Shop on Line where they charge £7.05 a box and with combined low postage.
A question befor I go, Are these the figures Alex made? BB

[Kekso]

@davenbak1 Yes

@Paul Postage for me (Croatia) is 17€ flat on Waterloo1815 webshop. That is way too much for a single box and at the moment I can't afford to buy 10+ boxes. So I chose Flagbearer on ebay and I paid 10£ (free shipping). I always choose webstores rather than ebay when I can. It is cheaper.

[Peter]

Thanks for the review Dali!

[vellek]

Thanks for the helpful review, Dali. These are nice, but like the Scottish Infantry in Square from the same maker, not nearly a multiple-box purchase for me.

[fIIsion]

Just got 4 boxes of these figures from Hannants today. I have to say that I'm rather disappointed with the set.

The sculpting is rather poor and not of the high standard I usually expect from waterloo1815 (I thought their sculpter was originally from italeri) In particular detail is either missing or poorly defined. The horses have mostly dull poses and again lack detail.

[Marvin]

Just got 4 boxes of these figures from Hannants today. I have to say that I'm rather disappointed with the set.

The sculpting is rather poor and not of the high standard I usually expect from waterloo1815 (I thought their sculpter was originally from italeri) In particular detail is either missing or poorly defined. The horses have mostly dull poses and again lack detail.

My thoughts exactly - now I've had time to look at them in detail. The set seems to be fundamentally lacking in the kind of crisp definition previous Waterloo 1815 sets have had in spades.

As for the horses (only two poses) I can only say - have you actually tried mounting a figure on to a horse yet...!

[Peter]

As for the horses (only two poses) I can only say - have you actually tried mounting a figure on to a horse yet...!

You can't be serious? I want to see it!

[Kekso]

I just tried to mount officer. It fits nicely. Am I missing something or I was so lucky to pick a figure that fits?

BTW My horses are painted and riders are 80% done. Hopefully I will present them in Gallery in a few days.

[Marvin]

I just tried to mount officer. It fits nicely. Am I missing something or I was so lucky to pick a figure that fits?

BTW My horses are painted and riders are 80% done. Hopefully I will present them in Gallery in a few days.

Maybe I've been really unlucky. I tried all the figures straight off the sprue and they were absolutely nowhere near to sitting on the saddle. They were like those stunt riders standing on top of their saddles! I resorted to extreme slimming of the horses flanks by hacking away relentlessly with a craft knife. Drastic alterations have removed all sign of the saddle and cloth but at least they (nearly) fit on now.

I'm really looking forward to see how you got on with these. They are not without merit but personally I've already found them a struggle, and not just because of the horses which I haven't begun to paint yet.

[MikeM]

" I resorted to extreme slimming of the horses flanks by hacking away relentlessly with a craft knife"

Shaving a little off the inside of the riders' legs is quicker and easier! I also found it necessary to trim the tails of the jackets on some figures, nothing spectacular. Just remeber that a rider's backside is not permanently attached to the saddle in real life, and a slight gap gives an impression of movement!

On the whole, I found the set quite good. Too many command figures, but well executed. Sculpting is good, but could have been a little crisper, with less mould lines. Equipment is accurately done, as are the heavy cavalry swords, which is very good. It is also refreshing to have an accurately done set of horse equipment, although I would have welcomed a further horse pose. Having said that, the accurate equipment is worth more than a different horse, so that is cancelled out. Nothing worse than having to replace all the horses or remodel them completely to get the required look.

[Marvin]

" Shaving a little off the inside of the riders' legs is quicker and easier! I also found it necessary to trim the tails of the jackets on some figures, nothing spectacular. Just remeber that a rider's backside is not permanently attached to the saddle in real life, and a slight gap gives an impression of movement!

I, err, hadn't even thought of that! As you might guess - I'm not a very practical man...

And you are right about the gap in the saddle. There probably will still be a small one for mine when I fix them on.

I certainly wouldn't say that the set is a bad one, just more of a disappointment in the detail given their previous high standards.