In my last post, I shared that I had finally finished the base of the carousel, which meant it was time to start working on the horses, and that is exactly what I did.
If there was one thing I knew from the very beginning, it was that I wanted to paint all the edges of the horses in their proper colors. I didn’t want them to stay in plain wood, because the contrast felt too strong to me and I had the feeling the kit would lose part of its charm that way. I also really recommend painting the inner parts too, especially around the legs, even if it’s just in white, because those areas do show once the horses are assembled, and if you leave them unpainted, the light wood color is quite noticeable.
And here comes a little personal opinion, one I’ve already shared with some of you before, and some of you agreed with me, but I still don’t know if we are the majority or the minority. For those of you who have ever painted or customized your kits in one way or another, don’t you sometimes feel that in a kit like this, with the horses attached to the central poles of the carousel, leaving the edges unpainted makes it look a little incomplete or unfinished?
Lately I keep getting that feeling more and more often. Sometimes I feel like if I don’t paint them, something looks off. I know it’s just my own feeling, but I also don’t want that thought to make me demand even more from myself than I already do. So now I’m curious… what do you think? 
That said, it may sound like only a few steps and something quick to do, but I spent hours working on these horses. I painted them so that the pattern would continue around the edges too, instead of just leaving them plain white on the sides, for example, as you can see in the photos. And yes, colors like white took quite a while because it needed layer after layer until it looked properly white. But what can I say… even purspector Bochi approved the results.
There are nine horses in total. Three of them do not have a matching pair, and the other six I tried to paint as similarly as possible. One little warning though: you really need to watch the direction of the golden rod, because if you place it the wrong way, the horse can end up facing backwards. It is actually very well designed, because each horse has a letter, and it has to go into the hole with the matching letter. So even though you have to be careful, they are still very intuitive and easy to place.
And once they were all attached to the base, they looked this beautiful.
I really recommend testing them before moving on. Check that the horses rotate properly and see whether you need to add a bit more wax, because at this stage it is still easy to take things apart if needed.
So that is where I’ll leave it for now. The next step will be fitting the lights and starting on the roof.
I hope that if any of you ever decide to build this kit, my little tips can be helpful. Thank you so much for reading, as always.
And for those of you who are in Spain, or who know about the lovely tradition being celebrated here today: happy Sant Jordi!!!
For anyone who does not know it, the Diada de Sant Jordi is a very special day in Catalonia, celebrated every 23rd of April. It is often known as the Day of Books and Roses. Traditionally, people give books and roses to the people they love, and the streets fill with book stalls, flower stands, and people simply enjoying the atmosphere. It is one of the prettiest days of the year here (and my favorite!!). There is such a lovely mix of culture, affection, and celebration everywhere, and it always feels very special to live it from here.
. Happy Sant Jordi to you too!! 
enjoy your build 