Box Art-Chasseur a Cheval by Marion Ball

[Gra30]

Nice, very very nice, but:

- The green is too light
- One row of laces missing on the pelisse (17; should have 18)
- Scabbard belt (long one) improperly fastened to the belt
- Very strange shape of the sabretache (original painting is better)

What a pity that such talented sculptor / painter do not put more effort in getting serious documentation - which is easily available on such a popular subject.

Paul,
Thank you for your comments and your opinion which you are fully entitled to.
I commissioned the piece both as a sculpt and painted and to me it fully captures the undeniable essence of a Chasseur a Cheval officer.

It will proudly reside in my collection and as stated is available as a kit, as you see, to those that like the piece for what it is, rather than what it is not.

Just to clarify,

The slings are provided as metal strip for fitting (I will mention the fitting to Marion), as far as I am concerned and as it was designed, at my request, to represent the colour plate, it is the only justifiable error you have mentioned and is purely in construction.
The tunic can be painted as dark as the painter chooses.
Sabretache looks fine to me.
According to my sources, lace ranges from 16 to 19, Osprey napoleons mounted chasseurs, colour plates by Patrice Courcelle.
Finally, Andrea have 17 on their infamous 90mm figure, please see image below as I am sure they have put serious effort into getting their documentation correct.

Of course if it is not to anyone's liking, then there is no obligation to purchase it.
Best wishes

 

[Don]

Graham, lovely sculpt by Maurice and superb painting by Marion, always one of my favourite painters.
Outstanding work.

I looked at your painting for reference and counted the rows of lace on the pelisse, tend to think he doesnt have 18 and the painter must have had the Chasseur standing in front of him.

Lovely figure Graham!

Don

 

[Tecumsea]

Don't you just love rivet counters! It's a hobby don't ya know!

Keith

 

[Funky50]

Don't you just love rivet counters! It's a hobby don't ya know!

Keith

Took the words right out of my mouth......try not to be to crestfallen mate as my old granny used to say "People ,Can't live with em can't batter them to death with a mallet"I have got this figure and it really didn't occur to me to try and find the minutest detail that might be wrong to complain about.....which to be honest there really aren't and thanks Graham for posting the pics it's a great reference for painting and a cracking figure..... Looking forward to a British subject from this era too.....

 

[polyphemus]

It makes sense that the number of rows on the pelisse may vary depending on the height of the wearer & I've also come across reference to there being anything between 16 to 19 rows of lace.
With regard to the sabretache it's depicted with the fringed edging sloping downwards under the effects of gravity which of course gives the slightly rounded upper corners, again makes sense.

Geoff

 

[Paul20100]

Didńt want to hurt or criticize. The figure is extremely attractive and I wish I could sculpt like this.

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

As regards the Sabretache, it could be just a simple case of redefining the outer cords! for those that wish too! however I am no expert in such matters! .. so I will shut my gob!

Regards,

Mark

 

[Gra30]

T

Didńt want to hurt or criticize. The figure is extremely attractive and I wish I could sculpt like this.

Thank you Paul for replying, no offence taken.
I felt the need to clarify points as adverse comments can affect sales if errors are believed. I will openly hold my hands up if something is genuinely wrong.
Regards

 

[prhayes68]

T

Thank you Paul for replying, no offence taken.
I felt the need to clarify points as adverse comments can affect sales if errors are believed. I will openly hold my hands up if something is genuinely wrong.
Regards

I can attest to this. Gra is the first to jump in and put a perceived problem right even if the customer didn't think there was a problem in the first place Gra practices customer service the way it should be done.

Pete

 

[Johan]

To Tecumsea and Funky50 : I'm always amazed how, on this forum, everytime some well-meaning soul challenges the historical accuracy of a military miniature in a constructive manner, the trolls jump out of their holes, club the poor guy to death, and give him the epitaph of rivetcounter and nitpicker ... it's just a hobby you know

OK back to my painting lair,

cheers

 

[Gra30]

Unfortunately Johan and as mentioned, well meaning or not, it can affect sales if accuracy is questioned and in this case I do not feel was justified, as shown.

I often see manufacturers having to defend the choice of subject and to justify sculpting and painting.

I think the term Troll is a little harsh as these are usually the very customers that support manufacturers and enable new releases.

I personally would prefer a new release section that allows no comments, products can then be bought at face value.
Best wishes

 

[Funky50]

To Tecumsea and Funky50 : I'm always amazed how, on this forum, everytime some well-meaning soul challenges the historical accuracy of a military miniature in a constructive manner, the trolls jump out of their holes, club the poor guy to death, and give him the epitaph of rivetcounter and nitpicker ... it's just a hobby you know

OK back to my painting lair,

cheers

Unfortunately nothing you have to say ever surprises me you are well known for it......

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

If I may!. ... this is becoming a, 'Storm in a Tea Cup',.. which is truly not necessary. .. The bottom line is!.. is that this is an absolutely, 'Gorgeous piece' . I mean just look at it !!.. However, if an individual has the skill to render, what they feel is an improvement! with this, or any other piece, then go ahead! ... is this not the whole ethos of modelling? ... Ok, I will shut my 'Cake-Hole', again.

Regards,

Mark

 

[Johan]

I personally would prefer a new release section that allows no comments, products can then be bought at face value.
Best wishes

Hi Graham,

I don't think that would be beneficial for sales in any way. It would only be a form of advertising space, and in the "online magazine" that the forum is, constructive critisism comments on sculpting and accuracy would then, for example, be posted in the review section - unless you disallow comments there also, and so on ...
Hell, in the end you could disallow any kind of comments that are perceived as "negative" everywhere on this forum, or maintain a section which allows comments but never advertise a new figure there. What would be the point of having a forum then ? It would be jsut advertising space, nothing else, no discussion of exchanging of ideas anymore, no creativity anymore.

I respectfully disagree with you on this subject, and I think manufacturers should invest time in decent research, and you know what - you could ask people here on the forum to send you or post information and pictures about subjects or uniforms you're interested in. It would bring manufacturers and customers closer together. It would be an interesting dynamic, creative and constructive process of interaction between manufacturer and customer, a win-win situation as the customer would get the figures he wants and the manufacturer would get more sales and more money, and from the number of and kind of reactions you get you could possibly predict what sales of the subject you have in mind would be like - you can always cancel the project if reactions were few. Same goes for sculpting - if there would be a way to show a "pre-release-master" which can still be corrected to forum members, some errors could be corrected before manufacturing, and negative comments avoided.
Also I respectfully disagree that the term Trolls is too harsh - they ridiculised the comments of another well-meaning member, which is harassing behaviour, and someone used the words - I quote - "as my old granny used to say "People ,Can't live with em can't batter them to death with a mallet"

... wonder who his granny was ... Norman Bates' mother ?

 

[Johan]

Unfortunately nothing you have to say ever surprises me you are well known for it......

I'm just speaking my mind. And at least I am well known for something.

Now back to your troll hole - shoo !

 

[pmfs]

Napoleonic figurines are like almost every woman, all have points of interest. Regarding this figure, love the pose, hate the face and dont like the scale.
About the painting, is a good paint job but not the best from Mrs.Marion IMHO.

Pedro.

 

[smudger1960]

Beautiful sculpting and painted by one of my favourite painters, i saw it at euro on your stand graham and I wondered then how it would paint up,well it hasn't disappointed me, it's stunning,congratulations graham I'm sure this will be a very popular piece for you

Brian

 

[jenghiz]

Agree with Johann on this one,the discussion has worked well with points raised and rebutted.To criticise people who raise aspects of research is negative and such debates are to be encouraged. It would be a great step forward if sculptors/manufacturers could tap into the lifetimes research many modellers possess.It has always suprised me how points raised even before casting are ignored.

 

[Henri]

Hi. I just recently bought this figure, which looks definitely amazing. I see that there are doubts among this community regarding its aspect . First, I must say that the casting is excellent, which I have frequently noticed with resin. My only concern would be the legs, which I think are a bit too close to each other. To be more explicit, theys seem to be superglued to each other ! But it is not that bad. I even believe that a patient and meticulous figurebuilder could do a surgical work to correct this...
Now, regarding the other remarks: the green is too light...Well, the original colour is sometimes desribed as a "bottle green", and also "vert chasseur". The samples of uniformes which have survived tend to look extremely dark indeed, and in a magazine, I have seen a hussar jacket, supposedly green, which is now blue! The reason being the lack of strength of the yellow pigment... For the Chasseurs a cheval de la Garde, originally "Guides du general en chef", then "Chasseurs de la garde des consuls", the colour was described green, but the paintings and illustrations show different shades of green: some are close to the green of the Dragon uniform, others are darker with a bit more blue than yellow. I would personally choose a medium green, a bit more dark than this figure, but this is my feeling. And also, the colour of a uniform might be different in a cold weather, in the desert, or after a year of campaign. This officer seem to wear a parade uniform though... The number of rows of lace? Well, in theory, yes, it should be 18, but as someone pointed out it was not so strict, and bear in mind that we are in front of an officer, and these guys notoriously took some liberty with the regulations. A nearly complete hussar uniform , kept at the Musee de l'Emperi in Salon de Provence, shows a dolman with 17 rows of lace... I have also noticed that the pelisse seems to have 4 rows of buttons? In my opinion, it might have to do with the casting and the way the pelisse is shown, hanging from the left shoulder. But on some illustrations ( for ex:Michel Petard, the french artist who works for Soldats Napoleoniens ) you will see a dolman with 5 rows and the pelisse with 3... If I had a comment about the sabretache, I would say that it seems too thick, but again, I suppose the casting of the details explains that. My last point is the colour of the breeches. On the plate above, the fellow wears red breeches. It might be another officer's fancy. They were green, when worn with the "habit". With the dolman and pelisse most paintings show cream/off white breeches, described as deerskin in some books, and without the pointed bastion shaped laces like those seen on this figure.

 

[Gra30]

Hi Henri,
Thank you very much and so glad you like the figure
As mentioned and I admit I took some liberty and requested Marrion paint the figure as the illustration he was based on, purely because I liked it. Pic below
As you say and in the book referenced in the painting instructions they are usually green, but as you mentioned Senior Officers were not unaccustomed to making their own dress changes.
The sabretache is probably as thin as I can get to cast correctly and to not leave overly fragile, it could be sanded lightly at the back if you really wanted to thin it.
As said many thanks for your kind words.
Best wishes
Graham