Pleased to report that the 1st Michigan are now totally complete.. click on any of the following for a pleasingly enlarged view....
That's in all their table-top guises, dismounted [click here - and also for unit history], with their horse-holders [click here] for when in dismounted mode, and now also in this, their mounted mode...
I could rave for hours about how much I like these figures, but I think the best thing about them is that even my "painting savagery" doesn't spoil the lines...
Purposeful I like to think... 
I especially like the grey on the end - he worked out quite well in this batch...
Figures are 20mm Newline Designs - painting was done in my usual style (rushed and botched...) - black spray undercoat, dampbrush all over in white, and then predominantly a succession of inks/washes.
For the horses I used an old bottle of Citadel "Chestnut", the darker one is Vallejo "Smoke" - I didn't use anything for the grey - just a slightly heavier damp brush with the white than the others.... I then washed them all over with a very thin black wash... I went back to do mains/tails/bottoms of the legs/harness in plain black...
Coat tunics are Winsor and Newton Calligraphy ink "Dark Blue" - I like the way it highlights & shades all in one coat when painted on top of the white... I used their "Black" for the previous step... I like these inks so much I may try some of the browns for horse colours... only "downside" is that the inks are water soluble, but I like it, as it means a simple wet paintbrush easily fixes mistakes...! The inks are then fixed at the end with a matt fixative spray..
Dismounted mode - extended skirmish line with horse-holders behind....
The next eight are already under-coated and waiting to be turned in the Confederate 7th Virginia...
That's in all their table-top guises, dismounted [click here - and also for unit history], with their horse-holders [click here] for when in dismounted mode, and now also in this, their mounted mode...
I could rave for hours about how much I like these figures, but I think the best thing about them is that even my "painting savagery" doesn't spoil the lines...
Purposeful I like to think... 
I especially like the grey on the end - he worked out quite well in this batch...Figures are 20mm Newline Designs - painting was done in my usual style (rushed and botched...
) - black spray undercoat, dampbrush all over in white, and then predominantly a succession of inks/washes. For the horses I used an old bottle of Citadel "Chestnut", the darker one is Vallejo "Smoke" - I didn't use anything for the grey - just a slightly heavier damp brush with the white than the others.... I then washed them all over with a very thin black wash... I went back to do mains/tails/bottoms of the legs/harness in plain black...
Coat tunics are Winsor and Newton Calligraphy ink "Dark Blue" - I like the way it highlights & shades all in one coat when painted on top of the white... I used their "Black" for the previous step... I like these inks so much I may try some of the browns for horse colours... only "downside" is that the inks are water soluble, but I like it, as it means a simple wet paintbrush easily fixes mistakes...! The inks are then fixed at the end with a matt fixative spray..
Dismounted mode - extended skirmish line with horse-holders behind....The next eight are already under-coated and waiting to be turned in the Confederate 7th Virginia...
I salute you Sir!
ReplyDeleteI am always in favour of fielding mounted, dismounted and horseholding dragoons.
If only it weren't so dashed difficult to find the right figures to do it in Napoleonics.
great stuff !!
ReplyDeleteExcellent work Steve. If all my rushed & botched jobs were as good as this I'd be an interior decorator!!
ReplyDeleteVery impressive - congrats on a job well done!
ReplyDeleteNice job! You could save yourself some extra work though, as the saber scabbards were unpainted bare metal.
ReplyDeleteSpeldid, workman like boys, they look pursy darmed good to me. Thanks for sharing the "how", always interesting. I've been meaning o expeirment with inks for ...lets just say a few years now and still haven't quite got to buying any.
ReplyDeleteI may end up with a few Newline cavalry and guns myself. They look good enough on your blog that i checked Plastic Pelisse and saw to my wonderment, that they appear to be pretty compatible with the old Airfix infantry that are the base of my slowly gathering 20mm ACW armies (1st 3 regiments raised in 1982, next 3 in 2010 ..) If I do order, I'll let 'em know you sent me!
-Ross
Blooming fantastic! Good to see the collection growing-looking forward to seeing them tangle with the Rebs!
ReplyDeleteMatt
Thanks chaps...
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - re. scabbards - thanks for that I had no idea - I will hit the books before I do the Rebs..
Ross Mac - re. scale - I'm not so sure about the size compatibility but Matt may be able to confirm as I think he has examples of both...??