Jul 4, 2013

Zvezda Polish Winged Hussars

Post is picture heavy. 


I've been working on these for three days straight - the masterpiece of my armies. At some places the painting could have been better but I am extremely proud of the outcome.





The painting has been done as follows:
  • Assembly, cleaning; black undercoat, white on the pennants and standard.
  • Vallejo gunmetal on the armor pieces with black added, highlighted with standard gunmetal. Black wash on the armor, 2nd highlight with gunmetal/silver 1:1 mix. Gold ornaments added where I felt necessary.
  • First white drybrush on the wings followed by Vallejo Umber wash. On some I added a Pale Grey wash but it wasn't such a good choice. Second drybrush with white followed by black+dark grey on the tips. The wooden parts are 1:1 Revell Leather Brown and Dark Earth with some Buff added into the highlights.
  • Pennants and lances. Red and white block painting, Umber wash, 1st highlight, Red&Pale wash, 2nd highlight.
  • Boots blocked with Revell Yellow + Vallejo Buff, washed with Sepia, highlighted with Buff. Spurs and stirrups painted with various metallics, highlighted with silver.
  • Main clothing pieces painted, washed with Umber, highlighted.
  • Sheathed swords, scabbards, belts painted, washed, highlighted.
  • Faces with Revell Flesh tone, Umber wash again, highlight, minor corrections around the faceguards. Facial hair with Revell Polish Mustache Brown (hehe).
  • Decoration on the lances, last corrections.
  • Work on the horses begins, block painting, Umber wash, highlights. 2nd highlight on the blue tacks, red wash on the gold ornaments.
  • Gently quickshade/varnish the figures and horses separately.
  • Basing on 4x1,5cm cardboard slices, painted Dark Earth, highlighted with white+Dark Earth and grey. Flocking added, drybrushed with yellow.


2x5 + 1x6 movement trays.





See their pennants flying.

These were quite obviously taken on the sunlight. Good weather is a blessing but 40°C at 11am isn't so much.


I felt most of the pictures above crowded so here are some 'open order' shots with better detail.


The flag turned out well.

Just love this one with double wings and three quarter armor.

Poor trumpeter is the only one who doesn't have any plate.

A three metres long pennant on a five metres long lance, must have been heavy as hell.

Bit more distant open order shots.



I'm awaiting your feedback now if I should change anything or do something better. The figures are possibly the best in 1/72 scale - this is why painting all the details took so long. Looking at the end result all that time  was well spent.

21 comments:

  1. Great looking troops, very nice paintjob on the wings!

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  2. Really nice work - it was definitley time well spent!

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  3. Really nice work and paint on this Polish Winged Hussars , great !
    Greetings

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  4. These are absolutely tremendous! There is something so inspiring about the sight of the winged hussars - well done Sir.

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  5. You've every right to be proud of these. Looking at these in the light box really helped to see all the detail you painted. The faces are great, the horses are great, the wings are great-well the whole work is bloody brilliant.

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  6. True masterpiece and a great inspiration for me. However I'm a bit surprised that you begun with assembly - I paint the horses and the riders separately. Is it some kinda heresy? :)

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    1. Thank you - assembly stands for fitting the wings and lances on the riders where they are separate. I put them on pins and paint them separately.

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  7. Great painting. The detail is a pleasure to see and enjoy. The feathers definitely catch the eye; well, at least mine.

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    1. Thank you - the wings are quite spectacular. Their enemies did think so too.

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  8. very good job, moreover on such a small scale!
    bye

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  9. I have long ago felt that the Polish Winged Hussars were the acme of Mediaeval cool. If ever I made up a Polish Army, it would solely because of those guys. The Zvezda figures do them justice, and your paint work and finishing do the figures justice. Excellent!

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    1. Thank you! They certainly have a presence. They were the rich guys of the day - sort of Western knights a few hundred years later. My only trouble is to find fitting Pancerni Cossacks et al to support them. I may resort to sculpting.

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  10. great stuff! they look excellent! certainly I would have a body guard dressed like them! they are some of the coolest cavalry around! if not the coolest!

    great work on those as they look fantastic!

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    1. Thank you, flamboyantly dressed they were, but in the end the Swedes beaten them. Poor Poles.
      My great-grandfather served in the royal guard of Franz Joseph I and they had these sorts of leopard skins and whatnot. Joke's on them: the Polish King's hussar bodyguard was even more well dressed.

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    2. my great grandfather was in the catering corps, I don't think he would have been as well dressed as yours then.

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    3. Must have had some sort of parade uniform. Well 20th century uniformisation kind of killed the whole 'dress as best as you can for war' idea.

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  11. Great painted cavalry! And thank you for the painting guide!

    Maybe some day I will paint mine! ;-)

    Greetings
    Peter
    http://peterscave.blogspot.be/

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  12. these are great ,I can see these crushing any army in there way ,jon

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