British 54mm Napoleonic Horsemen.

[Dave Ward]

I've learned a few things about horses today, the difference between a chestnut and a bay, so, the Airfix Hussar horse is a bay.


More work needed, including painting the leather tackle, but getting there.

And the Historex Scots Grey Horse.................................



I was going to try the airbrush, but realised that I couldn't do anything that small....................
I don't think that brushes are really going to work, so I'm going to try bits of sponge, in tweezers dabbed onto the surface. I'm finding it difficult to get consistent sizes, so maybe a sponge is the answer.

The dappled grey comes in all sorts - like white over grey (top), and more grey over white ( below ).
Either way, mine is not good. I'm not going to strip the paint, I'm going to go over the existing finish & see what happens ( I'll probably end up respraying anyway )
Not the easiest paint job - at least Luftwaffe Mottle Camo is on reasonably flat surfaces!
Dave

[Neil Merryweather]

try a cocktail stick for the dots , Dave

[Neil Merryweather]

I forgot to say the Bay looks good

[adt70hk]

Dave

The horses are looking very good indeed l. Keep up the good work.

Andrew

[Tim Marlow]

An option I used on greys at 28mm scale was to take an old round brush of a suitable size and cut the bristles down to about 5mm. I then used it as a stipple brush . It’s also worth getting the coat underlying colour and shading right first and dapping over that.
Your bay looks the part.

[Dave Ward]

Neil, Tim, I've just repainted the basecoat on the grey, I'll try the cocktail stick & the sponge, and see if either will help me - I take the point about shading, then dappling. Looking at the photos of the real horses, I'm going to lean more to the top one. - I've just added a few highlights to the Bay, and I think he's ready for detail painting.
I was just thinking, how do you paint a black horse?
Dave

[Tim Marlow]

Hi Dave
I think a true black looks good if painted warm black (black with just a touch of red in it) and highlighted with a blue black. No shading is needed. Remember the flesh coloured nose area though...look at horse images for inspiration.

[Dave Ward]

Well, the bay is just about finished - I'll have to add the bit & finish his mouth.................


The grey? - well, I'm reasonably satisfied.......................

I tried the cocktail stick, but that seemed to give sharp edges, so I tried a little piece of torn up sponge, in tweezers. Dipped in paint, then the surplus dabbed off, then gently applied in as random pattern as I could, turning the horse all the time, so as to vary the angle of the dabs. I had several attempts, but I think that is the way to do this. I still have to do his head, it looks far too 'white' at the moment. ( and touch up the skin behind the girth )
Of all odd things I'm going to search for on the 'net - the colour of the inside of a horse's mouth!
Dave

[Tim Marlow]

Coming on Dave, the dapping technique looks effective and the Bay is looking fine. Have you missed a bit of dapping at the front of the saddle on the left hand side of the grey or is there a bit of kit to go there?

[Dave Ward]

Tim,
yes, missed a bit - I thought there was a rolled 'manteau' over the front of the saddle, but it's actually a 'portmanteau' over the back. No idea of the proper names - they could be capes, I suppose!
Dave

[Tim Marlow]

Looking at images there appears to be a blanket and cape tied across the front, with the portmanteau on the back. I’m not sure of the names either, I struggle with the various bits of the horse....

[Dave Ward]

Whatever it's called, I don't have one! It seems that there were a few items that could be carried or not, and that is one. I'm always confused by what is parade/campaign issue, so I'm going with the bits I've got. I spent quite a while puzzling over an object in the Historex box - I finally twigged that it is a canvas cover that fits over the lock on the guys carbine..........
Dave

[dave]

The Horses are looking good

[rtfoe]

The Bay and the Grey look good Dave. I'd have a slightly darker grey or wash to outline the edges of the brown straps...helps keep the lines straight and neat. I struggled with the item names for the grey I built too...most of them were called watchamacallit. :tears-of-joy:

Cheers,
Richard

[Dave Ward]

Richard,
yes, a few washes are in order - however due to my total ignorance of horses & associated tackle, I realise I've missed off an important strap - for want of the proper name, the breast strap, that stops the saddle slipping backwards. I'm consistent, it's missing on both horses! I'm going to have to carefully add them & hope that I don't mess up the paint.
Dave