More reality of War

Foy's kind comment prompts me to publish more.  The figures are a mixture of plastic conversions, Franznap, Strelets, Art Miniaturen, Schilling and many more.  I have used a lot of Airfix WW1 figures, changed their heads and then cast them in metal.

Reality of War

There are some fantastic dioramas of Waterloo in 20mm, but if I have one criticism it is that they tend to be too neat and take too little account of the grim reality of the battle.

There are some honourable exceptions, notably the Winchester model and C M Dodson's very evocative photographs which look every inch the part.

When I eventually get round to putting my figures on my diorama, my representation will show the full horror of the battle.  It is said that the casualty rate at Borodino was equivalent to a packed Jumbo Jet crashing into the battlefield every seven minutes.  I don't believe Waterloo would have been much different.

Through John Cunningham, I commissioned half a kilo of Napoleonic heads - a mix of shakos, helmets and cocked hats.  The 2nd Hussar below thus has a plastic torso and metal head.

People will recognise a Les Higgins Foot Dragoon painted as an Empress Dragoon.  Behind, is a Strelets figure from the Crimea with a pair of converted Atlantic figures from Custer' Last Stand

The Line Lancer is Esci with different legs.  The stretcher bearers are Airfix WW1.  The Cuirassier wrapped in a blanket is Strelets.

The Italieri British Dragoon AWI horse

The wounded Cuirassier is by Eric Bahlouli

WW1 Airfix wounded British converted with a shako

Some Red Lancers, originally ACW

Steelets drummer

Surgical team in the background do their worst.  The Cantiniere is S Range

Wounded limp from the field

Strelets Chasseur from their sledge set with an Art Miniaturen Lancer.

Cuirassier, Airfix conversion.

I had too many Napoleon's, so he lost his head and got this shako.

Contemplative Red Lancer.

The Horse Grenadier was Italieri 7 Years War

I like this 8th Hussar - Imex with a Hat head.

The French train driver on the left is of unknown metal origins.

The Airfix wounded trio converted from the Washington AWI set.

Mostly Art Miniaturen

French 7th Chasseurs a Cheval

I have been collecting for a long time - back in the 70s and 80s the only available figures were first  Airfix, then Esci and metal figures.  So conversions were both fun and essential.

These 7th Chasseur conversions are mostly from the Esci Scots Greys with Airfix shakos.  They look a bit dated now, but I am fond of them.

Belgian Carabiniers

No mainstream manufacturer has ever made Belgian Carabiniers.  There were three Dutch-Belgian Carabinier regiments at Waterloo but the evidence suggests the two Dutch regiments wore bicornes, not helmets like the Belgian regiment.

Here are my Belgian Carabiniers.

I first bought the Kamar figures and added some Strelets conversions from the Saxon Garde Du Corps mounted on their French cuirassier horses.

I then converted some Les Higgins from their British Light Dragoons.  Then Hagen produced some metal figures which look much like the Waterloo 1815 set, made in resin.  Then Eric Bahlouli made a very niche product - French Royalist gendarmes, which, with a bit of converting go well with the Waterloo 1815 figures.  

I have no idea whether Belgian Carabiniers carried a Standard, but here is an imagined version of what it might have looked like.

A Strelets figure

Hagen trumpeter.

One of the Bahlouli figures with a Les Higgins behind.

I am planning to make the Dutch regiments from Italieri Dragoons with bicornes.