Committing to Cav...MiniArt 1/72 French XV Cavalry

 

My latest project has been a box of 1/72 Miniart French XV Cavalry for Lion Rampant. I have another, more ornate box of Zvezda French cavalry waiting in my queue, but I'd thought I'd start with these figures, as these seem a little simpler. A good introduction, as I'm not experienced with painting horses.

 From the outset, it's been more involved than I had anticipated. 

The figures were cheap - on special for just under ten bucks - so I added the box to a purchase of some more Italeri English 100YW bowmen I felt I just absolutely needed. Clicking around online hobby retailers after a long day is starting to get a little dangerous. 

I just thought what the hell...maybe I can use some more cavalry figures to bulk up the table, or at least provide some other choices when choosing a retinue for a game.

Well...they're an odd bunch of figures. A labour of love to be honest. Covered in folds and flaps of flash. The horses and figures took a good hour or so just to cut into some reasonable, passable semblance. Remembering of course that I'm a table top painter, I don't usually fuss about with cutting or filing mould lines. 

So, if one was inclined to perfection, these figures would drive you spare. It was an education for me, to put it politely.

Having said that, I've actually find them charming, as the figures have a kind of old school, toy-soldier appeal. 

I've been impressed with the Citadel contrast paints I've been using on the horses. Nazdreg Yellow, Cigar Brown, Snakebite Leather...all in different combinations with a base coat of Skrag Brown. The contrast paint has a way of working around the piece providing subtle highlights that define the muscular proportions of the horse. 

The horses in the box are actually of a much higher quality than the knights. The proportions and poses are superb. The knight figures don't have the same dynamism or variety.

I've decided to really consolidate my 'magnetic' approach to include basing for my larger pieces. I went to my local Bunnings and bought a 1 metre strip of galvanised steel (@$9.80) and spent an hour yesterday arvo cutting smaller sections with my Dremel. 

I don't know what it is, but it was immensely satisfying to spend that time just slicing and dicing bits of steel in my garage. The entire street probably thought I was intensely engaged in some kind of ultra-blokey, home-improvement style endeavour, as opposed to the reality. A grown man farting around making toy solders.

So to the bases. A bit of super-glue, trowel a bit of polyfiller, some white glue, a sprinkle of sand, a splash of Vallejo Green Brown, glue a few grass tufts and some static grass....

Simple.