I’ve said it before that I find Hinton Hunt one-piece cavalry castings can be tricky to paint and they’re certainly not everyone’s cup of tea aesthetically. The later two-piece castings are less chunky and perhaps more pleasing to the eye. However, I like the challenge these older figures present and I’m quite happy with the way this one turned out.
The first half of this unit was painted by Matt G a couple of years ago before I managed to get hold of a copy of the Hinton Hunt painting instructions (thanks Clive) otherwise I would have chosen them to represent the 12th regiment as specified. One thing I have noted is that there is a lot more uniform detail mentioned in the instructions than I could ever hope to paint (or for that matter find) on the figure. This may stem from the fact that Marcus Hinton was an expert on Napoleonic uniforms and perhaps some of the detail just never made it onto the figures e.g. the shabraque “yellow crown above G.R. with XII below and L.D. beneath” – hmm, I think a blob will do!
I have only painted 12 Hinton Hunt cavalry so far. I found the 2 piece French Elite Hussars harder to do than the single piece Prussian Lancer. This may of course be that Hussars are always harder to paint.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a bugle to me. Nicely done
Thanks Mark - bugle it is then!
ReplyDeleteI do like a one piece mounted figure . saves on the gluing ! .
ReplyDeleteIan I prefer the one piece cavalry figures as they have more movement about them than the "dismountable" series who are mostly sitting around with their swords on their shoulders. I also like Minifigs 20 mm and S Range one piece cavalry so maybe it's a wider thing.
ReplyDeleteWhen I bought my first One-piece Hinton Hunt cavalry figures back in 1970(?) I was a bit disappointed. I think this was because my only reference point before this was The Airfix 7th cavalry! However since then I have grown to like them and have certainly painted quite a few and yes they save on glue!
ReplyDeleteVery nicely done. I find one piece castings easier to paint which is probably a result of the casting restrictions but separate horse and rider do always look better.
ReplyDeleteDid cavalry every use bugles? I tend think of bugles as a light infantry thing. Anyway,looks like a trumpet to me!
ReplyDeleteHowever despite the exact nature of the brass instrument he looks a treat.
Matt - I am using the figures you painted as a guide so that our two styles blend better for the final full unit. I think you must have used Foundry chestnut for the horses as luckily the colour match is perfect!
ReplyDeleteRoss - didn't the US cavalry have bugles in all those old movies? Trumpet does sound more Napoleonic though.
I've always thought the OPCs are much harder than the demountable versions. Everything is sitting on top of everything else, literally! It's clearly no problem for you, however, Ian. Another really splendid job.
ReplyDeleteGreat looking musician, he's come up a treat!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
After 10 minutes on Wiki, I am now an expert on bugles and trumpets. A bugle has a tube that gradually increases in diameter from mouth piece to exit (even if it is coiled). A trumpet may have sections of constant diameter and have valves. A bugle has a call that can penetrate the din of battle while the trumpet sound my be lost. British Light Dragoons adopted bugles in 1764 when infantry still used drums. Infantry (particularly light) gradually took up bugles. Even the Household Cavalry used bugles at Waterloo.
ReplyDeletehttp://tapsbugler.com/bugle-horns-and-bugles-in-the-british-army/
http://waterloo200.org/200-object/bugle-sounded-at-waterloo-not-a-trumpet/
The advantage of the OPCs is the movement and dynamism of the figures ( most of them, not the British Heavy Dragoon) . The disadvantage, for me, is getting the carbine off the figure to make officers and of course, the shabraque and portmanteau which are hell to remove. With the dismountable figures its all so much easier.
ReplyDeleteYour bugler looks great, Full marks for creating the instrument !!
Roy
Thanks to all for the comments and to Anon for clearing up the bugle vs trumpet controversy!
ReplyDeleteRoy - I did remove the carbine from this figure which as you say is tricky. I didn't mess around with the shabraque or portmanteau though!
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ReplyDeleteVery nice indeed Ian. Is it a JC casting? Have you noticed how some of the genuine HH British OPCs seem quite portly?
Tony S
Tony - Yes, this is a JC casting from an original I provided a couple of years ago. The original is being included in the unit to add a bit of authenticity to them. However to be honest there is little difference between the original and the recast and any reduction in size is barely noticeable. Some original OPCs were a bit on the chunky size but there were others that were quite thin like the French carabinier and the Prussian hussar. The quality of some of the cavalry castings I bought direct from HH in the 70s was appalling, you almost had to carve your own figure from a solid block of metal. If you buy second hand vintage stuff today you are likely to see quite a lot of flash still attached that has just been painted over by the original owner who probably couldn't be bothered to try to remove it!
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