"A Grey Horse - Napoleonic Trumpeters Grey" Topic

A simple paintjob.

link

Simple? Nothing more difficult than greys. Any fool can do a black horse, with grey highlights. Any shade of Chestnut or Bay is just an exercise in brown inks over any lighter brown.

Only kidding. Blacks need some very bizarre tints (even blue) for best effect…but that is for the expert.

Greys are awful, if not to look like rocking horses with daft dapples of white on grey. Layer upon layer of very dilute white, but dry brushing with black! A cocktail stick of off white for the tiniest dapples and, even then, must be graduated across the figure.

You have done great I think, it looks like a horse and not My Little Pony.

Two problems. Perrys slightly "cheated" with the Carabiniers option. Cuirassier horses do not work. Oddly for heavy cavalry, the portmanteau should be round (as in British heavies!). Conversion can be done. I tried but gave up (see below why)

Also……..Trumpeters in France did ride Greys, but think about that sheepskin. Bit dull in white, like his pals'? It's black for the trumpeter.

Your biggest challenge will be the heads. The Perrys have no greater fan than me, but, (very) rarely, they get it wrong. The Carabiniers' heads are far thinner in the coronal plane (ie face on) than the cuirassiers' and, for what were big guys, are really disappointing. I think unusable to be honest………OK I'll take the fliegerabwehrkanone for that……

@deadhead

They'll be good enough for me.

Thanks for your kind comments.

Looks good!

I like to give mine a thin wash of acrylic Payne's Grey diluted in Future Floor Finish -- tends to blend the transition of hues, and leaves a nice gloss finish.

I've fixed the sheepskin!

I was wrong. Carabiniers were an exception and used white sheepskin for trumpeters……

So redo it now.

PS

Only kidding…….black is right.

Well done Jim. Looks better as well. Will look forward to seeing the rider. Imperial Green with yellow lace or that earlier pale blue with white lace that looks wonderful?

Imperial green is my plan!

@Deadhead

"Two problems. Perrys slightly "cheated" with the Carabiniers option. Cuirassier horses do not work. Oddly for heavy cavalry, the portmanteau should be round (as in British heavies!). Conversion can be done. I tried but gave up (see below why)"

Really, you can see round and square valises even on contemporary prints, Rousselot states that is was usually round (and I would love to see them like that) but that also square ones were used.

"Your biggest challenge will be the heads. The Perrys have no greater fan than me, but, (very) rarely, they get it wrong. The Carabiniers' heads are far thinner in the coronal plane (ie face on) than the cuirassiers' and, for what were big guys, are really disappointing. I think unusable to be honest………OK I'll take the fliegerabwehrkanone for that……"

Do you speak about the plastic set or the metal ones??

I too have occasionally seen them portrayed with square valises, but it always struck me as very unusual that they are the only French heavy cavalry unit shown with round ones, so consistently. I have never seen cuirassiers, dragoons, grenadiers thus shown. there must be strong evidence for their use…..if not exclusively?

I will rarely dare criticise any Perry work. Their recent releases just show amazing imagination in producing such "different" subjects.

But I did feel their carabinier option for the plastic cavalry did not work. Perrys have never done metal carabiniers (at least not in their own range, since Foundry) other than a single officer on foot. Face on, those heads are far far too narrow, in marked contrast to the cuirassiers oddly. Just a personal view. I have invested in a few Front Rank carabiniers. They are big chunky lads!

cuirassiers being converted from the line cavalry had very well round valises in the beginning – there exist both versions of them as well

I suspect you are surely likely to be right! That I did not know, and it all makes more sense then…….

I often say this. This forum is great for picking the brains of the experts and it is good of you to devote such time to providing this sort of information.

It had always puzzled me!