Thursday, January 10, 2013

Perry Life Guards - The Cheese Mongers

Well, here is the first completed project for 2013. A unit of Perry British Household Cavalry painted up as Life Guards. Alternatively, they could be painted as Blues, but red coats were chosen as they are unmistakably British.
Over a brown base coat, the horses were given a wash of black and then a healthy stain of Minwax Tudor Satin. It really gave them the look of "blacks" - as the Household Cavalry are known to have ridden, and indeed still do to this day.
I used a bit of Green Stuff to secure the riders more securely to their mounts. You may be able to see some of this in the photos. I'll paint those areas black after the super glue dries.
All in all a nice unit to paint up, but I wonder how the same unit produced by Renegade would look compared to them. I think they might be larger and possibly give the proper effect of these Heavies. I understand they had a fairly tall height requirement to enter the Guards. Something like 6 feet plus - and riding large horses must've made these guys pretty imposing on the battlefield. EDIT: this height requirement is not substantiated. :) Incidentally, the famous actor Ray Miland (The Man with the X-Ray Eyes) served in the Royal Horse Guards The Blues.
I also think their broadswords could've been sculpted a little larger or thicker - kind of the way Front Rank does theirs; pretty sturdy for gaming.
Anyway, please don't take these comments as complaints - I am very happy with the overall look of these figures. After a few other projects and commitments, I plan to host a Black Powder game with these along with the rest of the Napoleonics collecting dust on the shelf. I may also pick up a copy of Albion Triumphant - for the eye-candy if nothing else. Again, best wishes to all of you this year and hope you all have great days ahead painting and gaming - Dean.

16 comments:

  1. looking fantastic, about time you dusted off your Naps then
    Peace James

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  2. I'd be happy with these too. Very nice looking unit. Also good to see the Brits getting some of their own heavies back at the French.

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  3. Figures look pretty but horses and tails should not be the same color. The stand looks like a piece of pork or beef ;). In general, the models presented nicely.

    Regards
    Slawek.

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  4. Great looking unit Dean. Agree with Slawek if if you add a bit more variation to the horse colours they would stand out even more. Still, awesome work!

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  5. Lovely as usual.

    I can remember talking to an off duty trooper a couple of years ago and without the helmet and boots he was no taller than me. And I am shorter than 6'.

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  6. Very nicely done great job they looks fantastic

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  7. Thanks for the great comments friends.

    Slawek: LOL! I really should give my bases/stands more attention.

    Warm regards to all, Dean

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  8. Dean, my guide for you to create the bases for figures:

    http://warhammster.blogspot.com/2012/05/malowanie-husariikonie-czesc-1.html

    Slawek.

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  9. First glue vikol. Later, small pebbles, then sprinkles, then sand. Paint black paint. When dry, paint with a dry brush in brown, then bleach brown, light brown again, again very light brown, so three times.

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  10. The unit turned out beautifully Dean - the horse mains & tail's should be black - same as those the Household cavalry currently ride (easy to check if you like). Big black horses 16 hands at least with big blokes on them. For the cavalry the height requirements were a bit less: 5' 6" I believe (tho I may stand corrected). Given the average height in those days was a little over 5' the Brits would have had trouble finding enough 6 footers - who would have been giants in that day and age. For example Frederic the Great had to go to extraordinary lengths - scouring the length and breadth of Europe - to find enough 6 foot plus gentlemen for his famous Guards.

    Cheers,
    Doc

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  11. Thanks again for the great comments everyone.

    Slawek - I will try to include these tips in basing in the future.

    Doc: Thanks for the correction on the height requirements, and the mane & tail color. Although it is possible for variation in coloring (even for the horse itself) on campaign, I like to portray units in an idealized way too, so went with what the regulations would've been.

    Best, Dean

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  12. I really like this particular unit. Very well done.

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  13. Wonderfull painted cavalry unit!

    Greetings
    Peter
    http://www.peterscave.blogspot.be/

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