"Carabiniers a Cheval" Topic

More pics on my blog:
link

These look like the Italeri 1/72 set, and they look great! I would point out that the tack should be black, not brown, but how to make that stand out on a black horse?

I use PVA white glue mixed 50-50 with water as a flat coating for my 1/72 plastics, and it has the additional advantage of preventing paint flaking (very flexible). The trouble with that is that it also makes the black leather FLAT. My solution to that is to paint the "flat" parts, like the horse body and cloth uniforms, coat that with the PVA-water mixture, and THEN paint the leather, armor, and weapons. That seems to do the trick.

They look marvelous! I think the brown tack is reasonable "artistic license" to help it stand out better against the black horses.

They look great – another excellent unit. I have just picked up yet another box of Italeri hussars cheap – that entire range is very nice in detail and animation.

Again, really great stuff. These guys are on my "1/72 Things To Do" list.

As far as that goes, I'm thinking that these Italeri figs would make great head swaps with Zvezda French Cuirassiers. The only difference is the helmet, right?

As good as the Italeri figs are, Zvezda trumps everybody. I could see including some of the Italeri horses. They are very good.

Widowson, Gonsalvo, you're right about the brown tack. The idea was to make it stand out. ;-)

Widowson, the cuirassiers are indeed pretty identical, except for the heads, so you should be fine. I have a kit of those zvezda cuirassiers, and I can atest to their ridiculous awesomeness. Also, they have a flag bearer with a beautifully engraved standard.

Nicely done! I just finished out a set of 18mm Napoleon at War Carabiniers. Compared to these….my guys are squatty, no neck, Minfig looking. LOL

Don't worry about the tack comments. They're yours. Paint them in your style and how you want! They do look great and since they're part of your collection, they don't eat anything right?

Steve Miller
DFW Irregulars

Mateus,

I didn't mean to be critical. The figures look fantastic.

I'm so sold on Zvezda that I'm considering using their Russian Cuirassiers to make early period cuir. without the cuirass. A conversion requiring HaT dragoon bodies (without armor), with everything else coming from the Zvezda kit, including arms and legs. Just need to add the caterpiller crest to the heads.

Those guys are also on the list . . .

You don't like to make it easy for yourself do you I thought I was pushing my luck when I considered replacing the hand and sword from my Strelets carabinier with Zvezda from the cuirassier set, and the horses.

Good to see your still messing around with the ol' plastics though.

I'll never quit with plastic 1/72, due to cost and convertability. The Zvezda Russian helmets are SO FAR superior to the HaT figures, that it's well worth it. Besides, creating printed shabraques for Russian cuirassiers is so much more work than just working with the later Zvezda figs and dealing with getting rid of the armored bodies! Besides, it may be some time before I have access to a computer that will let me do the printed shabraques.

Sadly, I have to agree re the early HaT stuff – I love it because they really moved the plastic market forward – look at the range of kit they do – but Zvezda are just technically brilliant. I keep toying with retro fitting their excellent artillery with the early Russian shako from the HaT set to create some "sort of" early war Russian artillery.

And of course, there is always Strelets…

And your saddleclothes – I reckon you could market those as they look so nice on "my" Dutch Belgiums that I would use them on all my cavalry with complex shabraques. People sell flags, so why not shabraques?

Ok, the key to the early period Zvezda Russian artillery conversion is to use the Guard artillery set. They don't wear backbacks, so a head swap with the HaT heavy infantry set is all you need to do. And you can use HaT Russian Dragoon head swaps for the horse artillery – or the Zvezda cuirassiers with added crest work. I added a longer saber scabbard just glued onto the one provided. I've done both and they work pretty well.

As for the paper shabraques, the art work and printing is only half the story. You have to carve off the valise on the horse, then replace it with a hand made one. Also, the sheepskin over the cloth shabraque needs to be added. I used modeling clay with an epoxy coating, though maybe you could use green stuff. I've never worked with that, so I can't say if it would work.