The 13th Légère Line Up

The 13e Légère march out.

It's a cold winter's night here in Wellington, but  I'm warmed by the fact that the 13th Légère are finally ready to take the field.

Joining the DK 8 chasseur companies featured in my last post are six DK 8E: French Line Infantry Elites 1812, Charging, painted as carabiniers; and two  DK 8E and four DK 11E painted as volitgeurs.

That I was able to find only eight DK 8E suggests that the typical ratio of elite to centre company figures in DK French line infantry sets was 8 to 16, organised into six, 4-figure companies. If this is so, mustering the 6-figure elite companies needed for my organisation is likely to become a problem.

Although there are more French infantry in the painting queue, these are going to have to wait a bit as it's high time I did some cavalry. Anyone would think I've been avoiding them...

March Past for the Emperor

The truth is that this is almost certainly what I've been doing. When I was a teenager I hated painting cavalry units as they seemed to take three times as long as the infantry, and I really wasn't very good at them.

The 13th looking spiffy in their all-blue uniforms!

As the best way round this aversion would be to start with something simple, expect to see some Prussian cavalry in the next post!

WM

Manoeuvring in style!.

A classic vintage line up.

The 45th Goes Forth

Fall In the 45th!

I was at home with a cold today, so had nothing better to do between sneezes than to finish my DK tribute to Ian's 45th.

At just under four weeks to paint from first to last, this battalion has got to be something of a speed-painting record for me.

Two whole companies devoted to grenadiers and voltigeurs was a bit of an extravagance, but I thought that as this was my first French battalion I should stint them nothing.

I think I'll need to do at least one more battalion to get the French Army well and truly underway before returning to the Prussians. The only question is, should it be another line battalion or some light infantry? I rather like the idea of an all-blue unit....

Many thanks again to Chuck for providing the vital command figures. It just wouldn't have been the same with a home-made Eagle. Having said that, I think it's certain that I'm going to have to have a go at this at some stage!


WM

French Flankers

DK 9E: French Line Infantry Elite, Advancing

They took me a little bit longer than expected (all those piped collars, cuffs, lapels and epaulettes!), but the 45th's flank companies are finally ready.

First up are two examples of the Der Kriegspielers DK 9 E: French Line Infantry Elites 1812, Advancing figure, painted as a line grenadier and a line voltigeur. As with the DK 9 fusilier figures, these are clearly related to the Hinton Hunt FN 5 French fusilier figure, but with added elite company distinctions and those trademark DK hanging musket straps.

DK 11E: French Line Infantry Elite, Repelling!

Contrary to my previous post I found that I actually had nine of these figures. This gave me enough for six voltigeurs, but only three to form the grenadier company. However, help was at hand in the form of three DK 11 E figures, French Line Infantry Elites 1812, Repelling.

Pictured is one of the original veteran DK 11 E figures (on the right), with my revamped version (on the left). Underneath all the old paint were some very tidy little casting! Many of the DK poses seem to consist of little more than a slight variation in the musket position, but I think this one qualifies as something altogether more original. My version has his head twisted round to face the front in order to make him blend in a little more with the DK9s.

The bases have been prepared and are drying, so the next post featuring the whole battalion shouldn't be too far off.

WM