French 20th Dragoons - AB, Part Two

A good day yesterday, with a successful mid year appraisal out of the way at work, and my wife and younger son away in London visiting Kings University, I was in the mood to get stuck into painting while the house was quiet.

So I decided to get the riders first highlight done and the first colours on the metal work. I started at 7pm with a break mid evening to have tea and watch a "D-Day as it happened" programme I recorded from last month with my eldest son, I painted through to 11.30pm. Thus I post the results this morning, Wednesday 17th July.

Ok so, all first highlights done except the white stuff, which is showing as buff in the pictures. The tricky stuff with these figures is working out the shape of the sabre hand guards when held in the gauntlets, the various straps bracing the muskets and sabre scabbards.

After setting up the last two figures on the right I suddenly realised that what I initially thought were sabre scabbard straps were in fact the coat tails flying backwards in the breeze as this chap commits to the charge. This required the addition of extra yellow to highlight the turn backs that are exposed.

These chaps are in the pre 1812 uniform changes and are on 1801 saddle furniture and using the model 1801 sabres, hence a lot of the metal work is more towards steel rather than brass.

The plan is to have these guys "in the tin", by this weekend with the next two units primed and ready for work next week. I have ten battalions of Xan infantry on their way in the post as I write this, so there's no time to waste. So much to do, so little time, what fun!

Stay tuned for more updates