Britain's Napoleonic Figures - IMPRESSIVE (1 Viewer)

[mestell]

Recently I decided to jump into the Napoleonic fray by collecting the more recent Wm. Britain Defense of Hougoumont range and also the soon to be released 42nd highlanders and 4th French Lancers. Today Fed Ex delivered 13 more sets of figures at my doorstep. I have been opening each box and as I do I can't help but to be amazed and be highly impressed with the level of detail these "little guys" have.

Hougoumont was defended by the British 1st Regiment of Foot Guards (Grenadier Guards), the 2nd Regiment of Foot Guards (Coldstream Guards), the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards (Scot Guards), the Nassau 2nd Light Infantry, the Hanoverian Field Jagers, and the Hanoverian Luneburg Battalion. Although the 1st & 3rd Regmt of Foot Guards and the Hanoverians are not represented in this line (perhaps in the future hopefully) I want to tell you that in my opinion Ken Osen has hit the nail on the head with the Coldstream Guards and the Nassau sculps. The uniforms are dead on to the campaign style uniform these troops were wearing at Waterloo in 1815 down to the white linen trousers (not the gray wool as often depicted).

Hougoumont was attacked by Napoleon's Left Wing (Marshall Ney), II Corps, 6th Division (Prince Jerome) 1st & 2nd Brigades. The first Brigade was comprised of the 1st and 2nd Regiments of Line Infantry and the second Brigade was comprised of the 1st & 2nd Regiments of Light Infantry. In this series the French 1st Regiment of Line and the 1st Regiment of Light infantry are represented. Once again, Ken Osen has done an outstanding job depicting the French attackers in 1815 campaign dress. These figures look like combat troops down to the mud and dirt on their uniforms and the overcoats that many were wearing (it rained the night before and early in the morning at Waterloo - the terrain was soggy and muddy). The accuracy in the color of the epilates, hat poms, uniform collars & cuffs, cartouch emblems, waist coats, etc. for the Chassuers, the Voltigeurs, and the Carabiniers are very reflective of the French uniform plates of both these regiments that I have seen and used for research. Check out http://www.mont-saint-jean.com/cent_jours/unitesFR.php

I am very glad that I have chosen the Wm Britain line of Napoleonic figures to collect. These are great looking combat troops and I look forward to more in the future. All I can say is keep up the great research, the great figure sculpting, and give me MORE in the future.

I ramble -

Best Regards,

Mike

 

[johno2412]

very interesting read mike you keep on rambling

have to agree i'm really looking forward to the black watch figures that are coming out soon

regards
johno

 

[mestell]

I love this hobby. The Post Office just delivered 5 more Britain figure sets. Its like Christmas in April. I really like the new single-figure packaging that Britain's has developed. I would show pictures but I am still opening packages and last night I resurfaced the display table I will be using with a 4'x8' sheet of 1/4" plywood. It is covered with clamps and weights until the adhesive dries. Once the adhesive is dry, I will caulk the edges, and prime & paint the plywood surface. Then I will set up my collection so far and take pics to share.

Thanks for the kind remarks Johno. Glad to have you on my Friend's List.

Mike

 

[Jagdpanther]

The W.B Napoleonic figures are just awesome! I also cant wait for those new 42 coming soon. Looking forward to your pictures.

 

[Dragoon]

Mike , I started collecting the Hougoumont collection when they first came out. Great authentic detail and individual action poses. Sounds like you're having no problems catching up for lost time. As Britains moves on to other parts of the Battle of Waterloo I'm hoping they'll return to Hougoumont every once in a while. Some of the other buildings in the courtyard would be a great addition. - Ken

 

[mestell]

Mike , I started collecting the Hougoumont collection when they first came out. Great authentic detail and individual action poses. Sounds like you're having no problems catching up for lost time. As Britains moves on to other parts of the Battle of Waterloo I'm hoping they'll return to Hougoumont every once in a while. Some of the other buildings in the courtyard would be a great addition. - Ken

Thanks Ken and Jag -
I think the poses are fantastic and perfect for the melee hand-to-hand combat that took place at the north gate. What impresses me the most, is the combative look of the figures, ie the fatigue trousers, the rolled cuffs above the boots, the dirt and mud on the uniforms, etc. I am also hopeful that more Hougoumont buildings will be in the offering.

You are right Ken - I am having no trouble at all finding the figure sets I need to catch up with. As of today I am only short 8 sets and have a resource for all of them. The only problem is, I am laying out a lot of $$$ all at once just to make sure I acquire them. Oh well, my credit is good.

Mike

 

[thebritfarmer]

Great stuff Mike,

Although I don't collect Naps nor have I seen the Britains ones first hand. I do have the Britains matte Zulu and I can assume that the Naps are just as good as these. Looking forward to following your dio as the Crusader one's you made were fantastic and I feel this one will be no exception!!

Scott

 

[Spitfrnd]

I also think they are rather good and a much better size that some of the competing popular options. I think some of their newer poses and sculpting are quite good. I find some of their earlier poses a bit limited in their use for my purposes. I wish their horses looked a bit better and would like to see them have better coverage in poses for their various choice of armies. Let's hope they continue expanding the line.

 

[HistoryfortheAges]

Britains figures have improved tremendously in the last 3 years. I have most of the Hougoumont range as I buy figures I like and not everything that is available. I also admire the clamshell packaging. It makes it easier to see what figure it is, easy to remove from and replace into the pack, and saves on storage space which was becoming a problem for me. I haven't picked up any new Britains figures this year even though I'm a member of their Collector's Club. I am concentrating on the Zulu Matte range in the next couple of months and intend to get most of the new sets in this range. As for Napoleonics, I just picked up the British cannon set and a couple British Guard figures from FL. My first purchases of the year! These are excellent figures and fit in better, scale-wise, with Britains if your looking for a mix in dioramas.