Realistic horses?

[rossbach]

Hello all,

These 3 will be in my Christmas sock this year.

I showed these and pics of other mounted figures to a colleague who owns and rides horses.

We talked about hairgrowth, horse sizes etc. Finally I asked her how realistic she thought these horsemodels actually are.

They are not she said. According to her the way posture and movement is sculpted is ok. But generally speaking the horses show far too much muscle. This according to her is unrealistic.

Cheers,

Paul

 

[DEL]

I think the problem your colleague has is applying actual anatomical knowledge to what is after all comparatively tiny model.
To some extent the sculptor has to take onto account that the model is going to be painted by people of varying skills and who do not share that anatomical expertise.
To compensate some sculptors deliberately exaggerate muscularity, thank goodness .

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

The word being, scale vs realism. There has to be adaptions.

Hell's- Bell's. I have flushed numerous 'Dogs-Dicks', in the past. .. Does this make me an authority on 'Dogs penile muscle structure'.? .. No ..

If the horse looks, and feels right, then it is. ...

Regards,

Mark.

 

[Helm]

From what Mrs Helm has said the problem is more that almost all the horses modelled are thoroughbred standard and not the nags they in a lot of cases probably were
Steve

 

[billyturnip]

This is even more common with flats, however if the muscle structure isn't exaggerated and therefore painted that way the horse will look..... err, well, flat.

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

This is even more common with flats, however if the muscle structure isn't exaggerated and therefore painted that way the horse will look..... err, well, flat.

Bloody 'Traction Engines'. ..

Mark

 

[rossbach]

Well....... my colleague's reflections on the realism of scale model horses will certainly not prevent me from painting them the way they come in the box

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I think the problem your colleague has is applying actual anatomical knowledge to what is after all comparatively tiny model.
To some extent the sculptor has to take onto account that the model is going to be painted by people of varying skills and who do not share that anatomical expertise.
To compensate some sculptors deliberately exaggerate muscularity, thank goodness .

Same thing with everything else scaled down. Some details you have to exaggerate while you have to tone down some others.
Additionally the horse has taken quite a journey the last 1500 years. You have to be knowledgeable about older breeds that does not exist today.

Cheers
Janne Nilsson

 

[Blind Pew]

Unrealistic they may be, but to our untrained eyes - they look good!

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

I am not sure about the whole context.

Muscles move, and change with every small movement. .. So what is right???

Mark

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Well this is what the military artists paint and this is the reality
It will always be the lancer for me , the one in colour that is .
Im about to start painting another horse and this will be the roll model

 

[DaddyO]

Thinking along the same lines exactly Roger.

 

[billyturnip]

Never one to miss the opportunity to publicize flats here's an example of an in-scale realistic sized horse.

 

[John Bowery]

Roger,
Looks to me like the horse might collapse
Cheers
John

 

[DEL]

I've got a few mounted figures in the GA and in every case I've chosen each piece as a 'unit' where the horse has to be compatible with the figure.
Not all will be 'historically' correct but there are plenty of examples where the sculptor has got it right.
Border Miniatures,Mounted Border Reiver. Frank Minatures, Mounted Eastern Viking. Andrea, Gothic Knight

 

[Mark S]

With all respect to your college Paul, I dare say they are very familiar with the many modern horses we see (and eat) today but may never have encountered an ancient breed of Asian steppe horse or an ancient breed of Japanese horse.

These talented sculptors are at least trying to bring to the hobby a more authentic looking horse from ancient times, rather than having every mounted figure from every age in history portrayed atop a modern thoroughbred, which has been the situation in this hobby for many decades.

For instance the Bayeux Tapestry was thought to be a caricature or inaccurate portrayal of mounted Normans because their feet appeared to be only inches from the ground. But this was indeed a true depiction of a mounted Norman knight because the horses they rode were quite small, the riders feet were only inches above the ground but they still gave the rider a deadly advantage over a foot soldier especially when routed.

And yet we often, if not always, see Normans and other contemporaries mounted on modern thoroughbreds because a realistic portrayal would be deemed ridiculous by most modellers.

 

[yellowcat]

Roger,
Looks to me like the horse might collapse
Cheers
John

Here is a thread regarding the size of the Mongolian and Japanese horses.

http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/pegasos-75-mm-hideyoshi-toyotomi.54567/

 

[billyturnip]

54mm figures with a 90mm horse anyone?

He's19 hands high and is currently the Percheron supreme world champion.

 

[Mark S]

Someone's been horsing around with that pic.

 

[billyturnip]

Nope, Google Percheron.