I think he looks gorgeous!!! his seat on the saddle looks very comfortable and natural.This will look amazing when painted.

Oda.

I agree with master Oda- gorgeous, not like a Historex figure at all. I've just noticed what you did with the left hand holding the reins- very nice.

He's looking sweet Paul, a rest from him is a good idea, come back refreshed and you will get the most out of him.

Cheers Simon

Thanks Oda, it’s hard to see the wood for the trees after a while so a vote of confidence is much appreciated.

Thank you. I think because all the limbs are scratch built he does look a bit broader in the beam than standard Historex figures. I wanted a big bloke on a big horse about to cause some trouble and because he’s an officer there was probably extra cake available.

Exactly:not like a historex figure at all.

Oda.

Thanks Simon, it has been refreshing to work on something else. In the past I’ve been a devil for getting too much started and never finishing anything, so these days I try to have a ‘one project and stay focussed till it’s finished’ policy - I’ve just never had a project that’s gone on this long and where I undertook so much scratch building. The new project - a Guard Horse Artillery gunner standing with his horse - is intentionally *a lot* simpler.

Looking good, don't spend too long on the other project, we want to see this one done

Looking back at the previous pics it doesn’t look like I’ve got much further - I think when you get to the end of a build - or paint - there’s a sort of law of diminishing returns where the last bits take ages and you can hardly see where you’ve spent all that time.

Anyway, with the exception of reattaching the sword blade and bit more tidying up (which I didn’t notice till I looked at the photos) the build is about done. That’s given me the opportunity to tentatively work on the setting and do some experiments with snow. I’m not quite sure what battle it might be but it’s a Carabinier, in Russia - so that can only mean one thing - snow (and frostbite and an untimely death, but that’s by the by )

I also got my airbrush out to prepare to prime him but that turned out to be in a very sorry state so it’s been sent away for an overhaul. Anyway, that’s given me a chance to dot all the ‘i’s cross all the ‘t’s and have another look at my guard artillery project. Hope all’s well in model soldier land?

Absolutely brilliant, a very natural pose, beautifully done.

A stunning figure Paul, one that will.be a joy to paint I'm sure. Personally I'd be inclined to keep the base fairly simple without too much detritus of war, though coating some of your test layouts with snow would be pretty awesome.

Cheers Simon

This is looking good, I can see the progress. Really nice staging and groundwork, very much looking forward to seeing this painted.

Another Superbe work by Paul!.
Keep 'em coming!

Thanks Simon. Yep, it is a bit of a jumble at the moment. I was planning for most of it to be buried under snow as it’d be very easy to distract from the figure in such a small space.

Amazing work.. looking forward to seeing him painted up..

Thank you Warren and thanks all for the kind comments and encouragement - appreciated. I’m now counting the days until I get my airbrush back and can get on with the painting.

As it turns out my airbrush needs a new needle, a new nozzle and a thorough clean before it’s usable again - it really was in a very sorry state - so my anticipated priming of the Carabinier has been set back a couple of weeks. However it has meant that I’ve been able to give the Guard Artillery gunner my full attention. None of my projects seem to be quick by any means but compared to the disasters and reverses of the Carabinier it’s been a straightforward and fairly pain free build (so far - not wanting to tempt fate ).

On the subject of airbrushes and priming I’d intended to use a Mr Hobby primer called ‘Mr Surfacer 500’ that I spotted on a YouTube video. Does anyone else have any experience of using this product and am I right in thinking it’s a cellulose based paint? If so, when I clean my airbrush do I put cellulose thinner through before airbrush cleaner when cleaning up? I’m very keen not to block the whole thing up again.