Thursday 26 April 2012

Hesilrigg's Lobsters

The figures below represent one of the few 'Cuirassier' regiments of the ECW.

I've recently been reading a variety of books/ pamphlets on the Battle of Cropredy Bridge 29th June 1644. I decided to paint the cuirassiers as Hesilrigg's 'lobsters' who were present at the said battle. These were so named because of the style of their 3/4 armour.

I find ECW cuirassiers very charismatic figures and have always liked painting them.

 I painted these in 2 parts. Firstly the horses using the oil wipe method. Then the rider (seperately) using a Matt black undercoat. I intended to do a step through for these but I painted them faster than I could photo them! I also wanted to see how they looked before I did  a painting guide. When/if  I find some more cuirassiers I'll hopefully do a guide which I can also use to show how I paint horses (many of you already know and use this method but I've had quite a few requests to show how I paint them!)

What I like, with the finished result, is the way the Brown (horses), black armour and the orange scarfs compliment each other to give the effect I was after.


















A few close-ups.





The figures are Bicorne with the odd Renegade. Flag/cornet by GMB Flags.

6 comments:

  1. Nice work!

    I am also building my ECW collection around Waller's Army and the Oxford Army, so I would be interested in what books and pamphlets you're reading about Cropredy Bridge.

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  2. That black armour looks very effective. I would recommend visiting the battle site if you haven't already. The actions of the both sides makes a lot more sense from ground level.

    Regards,
    Matt

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  3. Another stunning unit!!! the orange sashes do look excellent, well done!

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  4. Stop it! I will not paint more ECW stuff... These are great!

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  5. Thanks for the comments.

    Main books on Cropredy are;
    'Cropredy Bridge 1644' by Peter Young. Roundwood Press. Great book, long since out of publication but occassionally on ebay!

    'The Battle of Cropredy Bridge' by David Frampton. A Forlorn Hope guide. Partizan Press. Great little guide to troops involved, uniforms, flags etc. and breakdown of armies for wargaming.

    I look forward to visiting the battlefield - I've always wanted to but haven't got there yet!!

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