Norman Cavalry in 28mm: Assembly, Basing and Painting Guide

Quick answer

Build your Norman cavalry in sub-assemblies, base them on 25x50mm or 40x60mm bases depending on your ruleset, and paint the horses and riders separately before final assembly. A simple three-colour scheme with shield transfers gives you tabletop-ready knights without a huge time investment.

Step-by-step: assemble, base, and paint your Norman cavalry

1. Clean and dry-fit the parts: Remove mould lines with a hobby knife and test-fit the horse halves, rider legs, and head options before gluing. Common mistake: gluing the rider to the horse too early, which makes it harder to paint the horse's back and the rider's legs. Keep the rider separate from the horse until after painting.
2. Assemble in sub-assemblies: Glue the horse together, attach the rider's legs and torso to a temporary holder (like a cork or pin), and leave the head and shield off. For the Norman Cavalry set, decide which figures will be knights (mail) and which will be lighter cavalry (scale armour) so you can paint them accordingly. Checkpoint: ensure the rider's legs fit the horse without forcing. Label each rider and horse pair so you don't mix them up later.
3. Prepare and attach bases: Glue the horse to the base (25x50mm or your ruleset's size) with superglue or plastic cement. Add basing texture (sand, gravel, or textured paste) around the hooves, avoiding the horse's legs. Common mistake: applying texture after painting, which can ruin a finished paint job. Do basing before painting so you can paint the base along with the model. Use a toothpick to keep texture out of the horse's hooves.
4. Prime the sub-assemblies: Spray prime the horse, rider, and shield separately with a grey or white primer. A light primer helps colours show accurately and makes shading easier. Checkpoint: spray in light coats to avoid obscuring detail, especially on the horses' faces and the riders' mail. Let primer dry fully before handling.
5. Paint the horses: Basecoat each horse in a different colour (browns, blacks, greys, and chestnuts) to create variety. Use a wash over the basecoat, then drybrush a lighter tone to pick out muscle definition. Common mistake: painting all horses the same colour, which makes the unit look flat on the tabletop. Checkpoint: keep a reference image of real horse colours for inspiration. Paint horses before riders to avoid handling the rider while painting the horse.
6. Paint the riders: Basecoat the rider's clothing and armour. For Norman knights, use a mid-grey for mail and a slightly lighter grey for highlights; for scale armour, use a brown or bronze tone. Paint the face and hands with a flesh tone, then add details like belts and scabbards. Common mistake: using too dark a basecoat for mail, which hides the detail. Checkpoint: apply a wash to the mail to define the rings, then highlight with a lighter grey. Keep the rider's shield separate until after painting the body.
7. Paint the shields and add transfers: Basecoat the shield in a light colour (white or light grey) to help transfers adhere. Apply Little Big Men Studios transfers according to the instructions, then seal with a gloss varnish before adding a matte varnish to blend. Common mistake: applying transfers over a textured or glossy surface, which causes silvering. Checkpoint: use a decal softener to help the transfer conform to curved shields. Let transfers dry completely before varnishing.

The figures you'll be working with

• Norman Cavalry: The Norman Cavalry set includes 12 highly detailed 28mm plastic figures with a mix of mail and scale armour, plus many head and weapon options. The variety lets you build a unit with visible differences between knights and lighter cavalry, which adds visual interest on the tabletop.