"The start of the charge." 4th Queen's Own Dragoons at Salamanca - Perry 28mm.

[Windy]

Hi all. Another vignette in the making, but going back to the Peninsular.

At a critical point during the Battle of Salamanca, Wellington saw that the French left wing was over-extended and launched Le Marchant's heavy cavalry brigade in one of the most devastating cavalry charges in history. They rode down and destroyed two French divisions - those of Thomières and Maucune - eight battalions of infantry in total.

The 4th Dragoons, along with the 3rd Dragoons and the 5th Dragoon Guards, formed Le Marchant's brigade. I intend to have an officer and trumpeter at the front with half a dozen troopers behind, just as they are setting off on the charge.

Beautiful little sculpts from Perry. Got the officer done - trumpeter next!

 

[tigersteve]

very impressive !

 

[The Smythe Meister]

Gorgeous

 

[Tim Marlow]

By God, that will do Windy……

 

[papa 695]

Cracking work.

 

[Steve Brodie]

Wow, Wow and wow

 

[Windy]

Thanks chaps! This one may take a while - there's another six figures to paint yet and I've a base to find as well. It'll be an exercise in painting horseflesh too, which is something I'm not well practiced at. I gave the boss a black, but the troopers will be on bays and browns. I think I might put the trumpeter on a grey - against the orders of Horse Guards but the 4th Dragoons were notoriously resistant to change. I'll see how I get on.

Hopefully post an update later in the week, but as usual work gets in the way!

 

[Jim R]

Very well painted Alex. How you get such detail into such tiny figures I'll never know. I look forward to the rest of the dio.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Thanks chaps! This one may take a while - there's another six figures to paint yet and I've a base to find as well. It'll be an exercise in painting horseflesh too, which is something I'm not well practiced at. I gave the boss a black, but the troopers will be on bays and browns. I think I might put the trumpeter on a grey - against the orders of Horse Guards but the 4th Dragoons were notoriously resistant to change. I'll see how I get on.

Hopefully post an update later in the week, but as usual work gets in the way!

Hi mate
Horse colours can be tricky. I’ve done quite a few now, and the best tip I can give you is to work from pictures. Don’t try to make it up, if never works. There are several good sites out there for horse colours, and about a million pictures. A good starter is this one….

25 Common Horse Coat Colors & Patterns (With Color Chart)

List of most common horse coat colors and patterns. Horse coat color and pattern chart, along with pictures and description of each one.

horseyhooves.com

I always thought bay was a colour, but bays are just brown horses with black points. A brown horse with coat coloured points is a chestnut
I wouldn’t get too hung up about the trumpeter on a grey. By that point in the campaign they would probably be riding anything with hooves…..

 

[Windy]

Hi mate
Horse colours can be tricky. I’ve done quite a few now, and the best tip I can give you is to work from pictures. Don’t try to make it up, if never works. There are several good sites out there for horse colours, and about a million pictures. A good starter is this one….

25 Common Horse Coat Colors & Patterns (With Color Chart)

List of most common horse coat colors and patterns. Horse coat color and pattern chart, along with pictures and description of each one.

horseyhooves.com

I always thought bay was a colour, but bays are just brown horses with black points. A brown horse with coat coloured points is a chestnut
I wouldn’t get too hung up about the trumpeter on a grey. By that point in the campaign they would probably be riding anything with hooves…..

Really useful link that. Cheers Tim!

 

[scottie3158]

Alex,
Cracking job mate.

 

[Mickc1440]

Loving that, great attention to detail

 

[Windy]

Thanks for all the comments chaps! Wee update. Got the trumpeter done. Before anyone asks, the 4th Dragoons' trumpeters were mostly black and at least one of them fought at Salamanca.

Quite an interesting story - link here to an article in the Regimental Museum:

âDistinguished in Actionâ¦â The Black Soldiers of The 4th Dragoons, 1715-1842 | QRH Museum

During the 18th and early 19th centuries, many British Army regiments employed black musicians...

www.qrhmuseum.com

Now for his dobbin!

 

[Windy]

I realised after I posted the last pic that I hadn't painted his buttons, so I added them in. Then I found a reference that said the trumpet cords were braided red and yellow so I repainted them as well, and then I repainted the officer's sword knot, which I'd also missed out. I decided to put him on a grey in the end. It's a bit scrappy, but will do for the moment.

 

[Windy]

What a cracking weekend! Went up to London to stay with my brother and see Iron Maiden at the O2. They really know how to put on a show!

As a result yesterday was a bit of a write-off. Back at it today though and making a start on the troopers (they played "The Trooper" as an encore - natch). I forgot to mention earlier in the thread that the neddies are missing a few details - most notably saddle blankets and forage/fodder bags. Added from miliput, quick spray with Halford's finest next, then to work!

 

[Windy]

Trooper No 1 done, another four to do! The troopers will all be mounted on bays and chestnuts, and for a bit of variety are wearing a mix of bicornes and shakos. Also tried to make his jacket a duller shade of red compared to the officer's scarlet - I used Vallejo flat red with a dab of Humbrol 70.

 

[papa 695]

Some outstanding work going on, keep up the great work.

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Looking great Alex. Let's see a pic of them together so far?

 

[Jim R]

Brilliant! Really quality work.

 

[Windy]

Thanks chaps! Off down to Cornwall tomorrow for the weekend so there will be a bit of a break. Also waiting on a picture frame that I'm going to use as the base, so I won't be able to make a start on the groundwork till it turns up. Here's the three done so far.



Here's Trooper No 2 and his dobbin undercoated and a start made on base colours.



Three still in bare metal, plus an extra horse that I'm adding as an empty saddle. There are many accounts of riderless horses staying in the ranks throughout an action. Need to add some stirrups. That'll be fun!



And the supporting cast - a couple of Voltigeurs lying down on the job. Typical Frenchies!