WIP Critique Borodino- Scene Mock-up

[ChaosCossack]

Ahoy

After a bit of a rest, I got back to the Borodino project I started some time ago.
I made up some more armatures from scratch (with Hornet heads... temporarily!) and proceeded to start putting together the scene in the Great Redoubt as a whole. The scene is going to center around the mounted Cuirassier and cannon and spread from there.
At this point I think I might be a couple of players short. For one, the cavalryman who's trapped under the downed horse (perhaps a Saxon Cuirassier) and maybe two more figs to fill the front right corner of the scene.
As for the base, the chunk of styro is just for lay-out. The corks will be gambions and the small pieces of styro on edge will be a section of earthwork.
Obviously it's all very rough. I wanted to keep the figures crowded within the base to recreate the crush of a cavalry attack within the confines of the Redoubt.


Any thoughts, ideas or observations are encouraged and most welcome.
Thanx for looking in.

Colin

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Very cool! Great scene. I take it the cuirassier has entered from another point and is taking the guns from the rear?

Colin

 

[ChaosCossack]

Yes Colin, from what I've been reading ( and it makes more sense) the cavalry charge ( including French and Saxon Cuirassiers) lapped around one side of the redoubt and fought their way through the hollow at the back of the earthwork and charged the guns from inside rather than try to assault the well defended front of the emplacements. Seems the fort changed hands a couple of times before the French finally held it until nightfall... when they abandoned it. Seems a waste after all the effort, the loss of men and horse and the death of Montbrun and Caulincourt, to just walk away...

 

[ChaosCossack]

Oops.. Caulaincourt

 

[Colin_Fraser]

You are motivating me to dust off my 28mm Waterloo cuirassier charge! Sounds like yur research is in very good shape. Press on old man!

Older Colin

 

[Piotrec]

This is going to be fabulous when finished Colin! Waiting impatiently for it to be continued.

 

[pte1643]

That looks like Chaos... (No pun intended).

It's gonna look great when it's done, I'm guessing it's going to take a while though.

 

[Richie]

Hi Colin,
I know it's only early days yet but it does look very dynamic already and conveys the urgency of the attack. I no I might be jumping in a bit quick but the figure on the ground needs his neck pin trimming down a touch unless the head has just slipped.
Looking forward to seeing this come together, very well done looks great.
cheers
Richie
P.S. has the cat got a night off!

 

[Zastrow.cuirassier]

This looks great! Like Piotrec waiting impatienly for what's follow
Just for the history, a lot of people thinks it was the the French Cuirassiers a realase the famous charge on the Russian redout, a lot of people forgot that's in fact it was the Saxons (Gardes du Corps and Cuirassiers of Zastrow ) how make it.

 

[Aveleira]

Christ all mighty!! It looks great and still little is done.... when finished gonna look amazing!!
Colin, work yourself out, I want to see this

Best Regards
Pedro

 

[JasonB]

I like it.
One thing came to my mind. The horse seems to be oddly disconnected from whats going on around it. Its not shying away or looking at any of the soldiers surrounding it, which I think it would. Its kind of staring off into the distance. I think if you were able to move its head so that its looking down and to the left or right it would improve it. I would make it to the left, as it kind of looks like the rider is pulling his hand back as he thrusts with the sword, which would pull the horses head in that direction. Just a thought. Nice work
Cheers
Jason

 

[Grod]

I like the look of this project, very action packed. Will you have it finished by tomorrow? Great stuff.
Gordon

 

[Martin Antonenko]

Pretty nice project, Colin - I will follow with great interest...

Cheers

 

[tiberius57]

Great story, Colin! Will follow closely. I agree with Jason. Horse will look better with a warrior attitude. Head posture will fix this.
Looks very nice already!
Zeno

 

[Alex M.]

Holy crap, that's looking amazing!! Keep it up, there's too many skeletons there....

 

[MarquisMini]

Wow Colin, this is going to be a good one, i could only imagine the finished product.
The action/scene is going to be incredible, i know is a lot of work, but keep at it cause i know you are capable of putting a good show here.
Best regards

 

[ChaosCossack]

Thanx to everyone for the supportive comments and helpful, constructive observations.

@Grod- Not tomorrow, maybe by the weekend with luck

@Jason and Zeno- the horse's head is cocked slightly to the right and the horse will be leaning a little more that way as well, but you're right, the head is kinda relaxed looking. The fig standing in front of the horse will be pulling at the horse's reins/bridle, so I think the horse will be lifting his head more, pulling away from the man grabbing at him. Thanx for the advise.

@Zastrow- You're right. There was a French division involved in the assault (Cailaincourt was with the 5th Cuirassiers when he was shot while trying to outflank the redoubt) but the first element into the interior was the 7th Cuirassier Division made up of the Saxon Garde du Corps and the Zastrow Cuirassiers and the 14th Polish Cuirassiers. The Polish Cuirassiers wore French uniforms while the Garde wore no cuirass with wheat yellow coats and the Zastrow regiment wore a breatplate over white coats. I'll be depicting the Poles with possibly a Saxon thrown in for good measure. If I can sculpt the Saxon, grecian style helmet, that may change.

@Richie- Yeah, the head slipped and I didn't notice until I was cropping the pics for posting. I haven't fixed the heads permanently because I may not use the Hornet heads... I have some Michael Roberts conversion heads on the way with more expressive faces. Hopefully they'll match the scene a little better. As for Shooter, he waited until I took the pics then mounted an assault of his own... knocking everything all over the bench and running away with the downed horse... right now him and I are not on speaking terms over it

Again, thanx everyone for the encouragement. A couple of more figs, some final tweaking of the scene and I can start a rough sculpt of the ground work... then I can start fleshing out the skeletons. That sets me up for the long painful process of sculpting the uniforms... eek!

Colin

 

[Richie]

Hi Colin,
Why not leave everything as is, bring the downed horse and figures to the foreground take another photo and put it on here so we can see the effect on the composition mate.
Can't wait for the weekend.... will you have it painted aswell
cheers
Richie

 

[ChaosCossack]

Hi Colin,
Why not leave everything as is, bring the downed horse and figures to the foreground take another photo and put it on here so we can see the effect on the composition mate.
Can't wait for the weekend.... will you have it painted aswell
cheers
Richie

Will do Richie... tomorrow.
Oh yeah, sculpted, painted and based... No prob. I'm off all week, so, tons of time

 

[megroot]

For me it looks awesome allready.
Gonna look forward to the next pictures..

Marc