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First Glance: When I first sat down to look at these after they came back from the painter, I was impressed. They certainly look impressive at first. The horses and riders are big, even a bit chunky perhaps, but not overly so. The detail is pretty good, and I like the poses. While they generally hold up on closer examination, they do have room for improvement.
Anatomy: The horse is stocky, almost pony-ish. The legs look too short and squat for a horse (granted, remounts were probably hard to come by, but really...). The rider seems solid. Neither a knuckle-dragger nor a bandy legger he. I think the lower leg and foot might be a bit oversized, but I may just be splitting hairs here. The French hussar (in blue) does seem quite “barrel chested” but again, nothing you’ll notice from a few feet away.
The Finer Things: The level of detail here is good. The face is there, if unexceptional, and the uniform has quite a few “folds” to shade and highlight. I like the size of the sword - some riders look like they’re carrying steel 2x4’s. The tack and horse furniture are reasonably done, as is the carbine. All in all a nice figure.
Second Chances: The other figures exhibit the same characteristics. On the French Hussar (in blue) I do like the horse’s pose. Energetic and animated without being so dramatic that a unit of them will look silly in reserve.
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