British 16th Light Dragoons

[Peter]

I was back to painting British Dragoons this fall. Most of my painting is driven by the scenarios I plan to play, although I have a bad habit of getting the units painted only after I have played my game!!
These were not the case, the 16th being the second regiment of Light Dragoons I have painted now, having started with the 14th. And these arrived just in time to engage with the French on the Road to Porto and again in my current battle of Porto game.



Here are a few pics, with a bit more history and lots more photos on my blog, of course, if you are curious.
https://tinywarsplayedindoors.blogspot.com/2021/10/british-16th-light-dragoons.html

[C M Dodson]

Very nice indeed Bill.

You have worked wonders with these troops.

PSR gave them a good dressing down but your painting has restored their grace.

Best wishes,

Chris

[Santi Pérez]

How could it be otherwise, a fantastic new addition to your peninsular armies, Bill. Great job.

Santi.

[Bill Slavin]

Thanks all. Yes, Chris, the set is very problematic but a bit of TLC helps immensely! I still like the campaign feel of the set, despite its failings.
I think the link to the blog post was ill-formatted so here it is again.

https://tinywarsplayedindoors.blogspot.com/2021/10/british-16th-light-dragoons.html

[Bessiere]

You just made me realize the difference between a good painter and a great one. The great ones can take any set and make it look good. Best looking British dragoons I've seen. Bloody amazing work.

[Bill Slavin]

A super generous thing to say, Bessiere. There is so much talent out there that puts my daubing (I do daub!) to shame, but thank you.
But I know what you mean about a good painter doing wonders with a mediocre set. Marvin, who we used to see more of on this forum, is one of those, and I am always amazed what miracles Joan on this forum does with his SCW figures, which aren't always the most beautiful sculpts.

[PaulRPetri]

That is great painting work Bill. Outstanding! Plus that battlefield shot is just breath taking!!! What a great gaming set up you have. Over the top!!!

[Minuteman]

Great paintwork, and a fine-looking cavalry unit. Of the two HaT British Peninsular cavalry sets, this one is the better of the two in my estimation and you have more than done justice to the figures here.

[Bill Slavin]

Of the two HaT British Peninsular cavalry sets, this one is the better of the two in my estimation...

Agreed, Minuteman, these are the better of the two sets. But I have a half dozen boxes of the heavies, and need three more units for Talavera so I better get painting!!

[Peter]

Wonderfull painted cavalry!

[Andrey]

Bill Slavin, Beautiful dragon figurines, look great in the game!

[Bill Slavin]

Thanks, Andrey. They may have looked sharp but they performed terribly. Fortunately the 14th came to their rescue!

[Patrick71]

Very nice painted unit of dragoon figures!

[MABO]

Saw them already in Porto, right?
Amazing paintwork!
Perfect Cavalry!

[Bluefalchion]

For me, it is the dapple grey in the second unit’s command stand that has me in a swoon. Sometimes your daubs turn out Marvin-worthy and no mistake.

Have you ever linked to a picture tutorial on your process for pinning the arms during assembly?

[Bill Slavin]

Saw them already in Porto, right?

Yes, Jan, they were in Porto, where they did badly. They were on the road to Porto as well, (Albergaria) where they also performed badly! Poor British cavalry, they will get better, I'm sure.

I'm glad you liked the dappled grey, Aaron. Greys fascinate me, as I now know they all start as black horses that lose their pigment. I keep trying new approaches for painting them. As for the tutorial on pinning the arms, I will keep that in mind with my next batch of British dragoons, probably heavies. I have a ton to paint for my Talavera game! It's all pretty straight forward.

[Bessiere]

I know for a fact I could learn a great deal from you about painting techniques. I'm one of those color in the lines guys and your method totally throws that out in favor of a larger aesthetic. Do you have a thread or video about your methods anywhere as i would be very interested to see it? If not consider this a vote that you get around to it sometime.
Cheers,
Bessiere

[Bill Slavin]

I know for a fact I could learn a great deal from you about painting techniques. I'm one of those color in the lines guys and your method totally throws that out in favor of a larger aesthetic. Do you have a thread or video about your methods anywhere as i would be very interested to see it? If not consider this a vote that you get around to it sometime.
Cheers,
Bessiere

Thank you, Bessiere. I don’t stay within the lines too well, it’s true, especially since I lost my depth perception a couple of years ago!
I will seriously think about putting up a tutorial - my style changes up constantly, but I do have a process now which I think I could articulate. It would be fun to try and document it, if for no other reason than I might remember what I have done from session to session.