Breyer Models - Step 2 - Sanding

The first step towards customising a model is to sand it down. This removes any factory paint, although this is not necessary. There are also other ways to remove the paint such as soaking the model with warm soap or a small amount of bleach and water, scrubbing with a toothbrush. This method is mostly used on custom painted horses rather than factory painted. Personally I find it beneficial to sand the paint off as it leaves paint in the deeper markings. I can look back on these photos to see where to add shading natural when I finally paint the models.

Sanding the models is also important in order to create a smooth base. With a plastic or resin mold, there are often lumps, seams or joins, which need to be sanded down. As well as this, there will be a makers mark on the model. Some brands such as Peter Stone horses have indented brands which would need to be filled with Epoxy, whereas Breyer horse markings are 3D and can be sanded off. These are usually located under the belly or on the inside leg, and are the size of a 20p piece.

I used 240 grit sandpaper for the initial sanding, to remove paint and seams, and then a 1200 grit to smooth the model. Sanding the horses down was nerve wracking at first as once you sand them there is no going back, but once I got into it, I found it highly satisfying.

I will also add the official names for record, but I will make up my own names when they are more finished.

Starlight

This was quite an easy model to sand as it is a smaller size. The body is also quite round and is in quite a relaxed position with soft muscles hence why it was easy to remove a lot of paint. There were many seams and joins under the chin and around the legs that needed lots of sanding, and there were some lumps on his neck too. Unfortunately you can't really remove any paint off of the mane and tail by sanding and so it is not so easy to imagine what it might look like in a different colour.

Starlight

This model was much harder to sand. The body is larger to start with, the muscles are contracted and tense due to the pose so there were lots of gaps where the paint could not be removed from easily. This model also had a fair few seams and joins under the chin and around the legs and even on the back that needed sanding. Unfortunately with this model it is even harder to visualise what it might look like in a different colour. It will be easier to picture once it has been primed.

Lonesome Glory

This was the easiest model to sand as it was already mostly done! Some of the legs and his face needed to be sanded and so I gave it an overall rough sand down. It is interesting as you can still see the metallic golden paint which was obviously used as an undercoat to give the model a real shine to it. There were lots seams and joins around the legs and on the back that needed sanding, and there were some grainy patches on his belly too. He is somewhat easier to picture in a different colour, although I don't know whether that is because he was already sanded when I bought him...

- Nikon D200