French Revolution and Empire (1789-1815)

Prelude to WW1: Total European War for 20 years


You will find many more pics in the Waterloo section. Make sure to visit the order of battle pages. They contain more than 135 figures (one for every 1,000 men engaged).

  • Austria
  • Bavaria
  • Brunswick
  • France
  • Great Britain
  • Hanover
  • Nassau
  • Netherlands
  • Prussia
  • Russia

    France (French Republic 1792-1804, French Empire 1804-1814 + hundred days in 1815, Kingdom of France 1814-1815)

    Year Model Make Photos Historical Notes Model Notes
    1792 French Line Fusilier Italeri Early Revolution French Line in the king's white uniform. 1792 model "ancient style" leather helmet. Very unpopular, replaced by bicorne. The pros in the Royal Army wore their hair powdered in a queue Modified ESCI French Napoleonic with head from ESCI British Horse Artillery.
    1800 French Line Fusilier Hat Les Bleus. Basic French infantry uniform from 1793 to 1807. The coattails sported small "N"'s after Napoleon was crowned Emperor in December 1804 The shako replaced the bicorn after the Prussian campaign of 1806. Hat 1805 French gnome with head from Hat Austrian artillery. The set is a great idea but the figures look like Easter Island statues
    1804-1815 Imperial Guard Grenadier ESCI Guard Grenadiers in campaign uniform. White breeches and black gaiters for early campaigns and full dress. Breeches were being replaced by trousers over the years as a general fashion trend. Stock ESCI figure. Nice.
    1804-1815 Imperial Guard Chasseur Revell Guard Chasseur in campaign uniform. Chasseur bearskins were plain without the brass plate and red top of Grenadiers. Revell figure.
    1813-1815 Grenadier NCO Hat 1812 Bardin uniform with short tails and closed front. Stock Hat Light Infantry 1812 painted as a Grenadier: white plastron and red facings on white trousers instead of all blue uniform. This is a great set. I wish the same sculptor had done the 1805 series.
    1813-1815 Light Infantry Chasseur Hat 1812 Bardin uniform with short tails and closed front. Voltigeurs were called Chasseurs in the light infantry. Stock Hat Light Infantry 1812 painted as a Chasseur
    1815 French Guard Horse Grenadier Hat Late uniform. Single breasted cuirassier coat with short tails. Unit was in process of being armored but Waterloo came before they received the cuirasses. Converted Hat grenadier
    1815 French Guard Dragoon Hat Same uniform for the Empress Dragoons since 1804. Converted Hat grenadier with Italeri carabinier head
    1815 French Guard Chasseur Italeri Largest guard cavalry unit. One squadron served as Napoleon's body guards. Italeri horse artillery figure with sabretache from French Hussar set.
    1815 French Guard Polish Lancer ESCI Stock Esci figure. My first lancer. I would use piano wire for the lance now.
    1815 French Cuirassier Esci/Italeri 1st, 2nd or 3rd Cuirassier with red facings. Differences in cuffs are hidden by gauntlets. Esci cuirassier with legs from Italeri carabinier. The Esci figures are a bit smallish. Horse is from carabinier set with square valise from hat dragoon set.
    1815 French Cuirassier Esci/Italeri 1st, 2nd or 3rd Cuirassier with yellow facings.
    1815 French Cuirassier Esci/Italeri 7th, 8th or 9th Cuirassier with yellow facings. Differences in cuffs are hidden by gauntlets. Esci cuirassier with legs from Italeri carabinier. The Esci figures are a bit smallish. Horse is from carabinier set with square valise from hat dragoon set.
    1815 French Cuirassier Esci/Italeri 10th, 11th or 12th Cuirassier with pink facings. Differences in cuffs are hidden by gauntlets. Italeri carabinier with legs from Italeri carabinier. Head is Italeri carabinier with mane form dragoon. Horse is from carabinier set with square valise from hat dragoon set.
    1815 French Lancer Hat 1st Lancers (red facings) Hat lancers with carabinier heads and piano wire lances sharpened with a Dremel mototool(really sharp). The pennants are heavy foil (the type used for embossing in art classes).
    1815 French Chasseur Hat 6th Chasseurs a cheval. Basic light cavalry, same role as hussars without the panache and expensive uniforms Hat Bavarian cavalry with French infantry heads and Italeri hussar sabers. Only cavalry set I could find with 1812 Bardin jacket. The Hat chasseurs are more suited for Spain pre-1813.
    1815 French Dragoon Hat 2nd Dragoons (scarlet facings). Dragoons acted as multirole medium cavalry, light enough to scout but also used as mounted infantry or shock cavalry. Hat Bavarian cavalry with Hat dragoon head.
    1815 French Carabinier Italeri Stock carabinier. My first Napoleonic figure.
    1815 French 7th Hussar Italeri Some sources show the shako as dark green. Italeri Hussar with shako rouleau from hat dutch dragoon set.

    Great Britain

    Year Model Make Photos Historical Notes Model Notes
    1808-1815 52nd Regt, Oxfordshire Light Infantry ACTA The 52nd wore the same "old" stovepipe shakos at Waterloo as throughout their campaign in Spain. Stock figure. Warning: a lot of the ACTA figures have their kit reversed, ie the canteen/bread bag on the the right and the cartridge box on the left.
    1815 Foot Guard Infantry Revell Foot Guardsmen wore scarlet uniforms with lacing on the cuffs Stock figure. Lots of unwanted plastic in this set.
    1815 95th Rifles Revell Popularized by the Sharpe series in their distinctive dark green coats. Stock figure. Distinctive face, not seen elsewhere.
    1815 Highland Light 71st Regt ACTA The only Highland regiment in trousers. Stock figure
    1815 79th Regt "Cameron" Italeri/ESCI One of the 3 regiments in tartan at Waterloo Italeri figure with ESCI head. Dastardly paint job.
    1815 Highlanders ESCI 92nd Gordon and 42nd Black Watch Highlanders. The Black Watch are currently in Iraq. Stock ESCI figures.
    1815 British Life Guard Revell, ESCI, Hat 1st and 2nd Life Guards had same uniform. The Horse Guards are in blue. Stock Revell figure. A beautiful set. The blask horse needs highlighting. The unshaded semigloss sheen doesn't look right.
    1815 British 6th Dragoon Revell, ESCI, Hat Scots Greys, with the distinctive covered bearskin Stock ESCI figure. Italeri also make a set of Scot Greys but they are too small!
    1815 British 6th Dragoon Revell, ESCI, Hat Standard heavy Dragoon uniform Stock Hat figure, a bit smallish for heavy cavalry
    1815 British 12th Light Dragoon Hat Standard 1812 Light Dragoon uniform with yellow facings Stock Hat figure
    1815 KGL 1st Light Dragoon Hat King's German Legion were Hanoverians and other Germans in British service. They gave outstanding service in Spain and in Belgium. Stock Hat figure
    1815 KGL 2nd Light Dragoon Hat . Stock Hat figure
    1815 British 12th Light Dragoon Hat Standard 1812 Light Dragoon uniform with yellow facings Stock Hat figure
    1815 British 7th Hussar Airfix/Accurate Queen's Own Hussars Upper body from Airfix hussar, legs from Hat light dragoon, horse from ESCI Polish lancer
    1815 British 10th Hussar ESCI/Italeri Prince of Wales Hussars. Distinctive red shako. ESCI figure with head from Hat light dragoon.
    1815 British 18th Hussar ESCI/Italeri Drogheda Light Horse ESCI figure with recut sabre
    1815 KGL 3rd Hussar Italeri Largest cavalry unit at Waterloo with 875 Italeri French Hussar with lengthened sabre

    Kingdom of Netherlands 1814-1815

    Year Model Make Photos Historical Notes Model Notes
    1815 Dutch Infantry Hat Strong Austrian influence. Stock Hat figure.
    1815 Belgian Infantry Hat Same as Dutch infantry but with British type Shako Stock Hat figure. Beautiful set.
    1815 Dutch/Belgian Jager (Light Infantry) Hat Same as infantry but in green Stock Hat figure.
    1815 Dutch/Belgian Militia Hat Simplified infantry uniform with British stovepipe shako Stock Hat figure. Beautiful set.
    1815 Belgian 2nd Carabinier Hat Pretty much a French unarmored Cuirassier uniform with a carabinier helmet Converted Italeri dragoon with carabinier head.
    1815 Dutch 4th Light Dragoon Hat Stock Hat figure with recut sabre.
    1815 Belgian 5th Light Dragoon Hat Almost the same as French 6th Chasseur, if not for the waist belt and shako cords. Stock Hat figure with recut sabre.

    Brunswick

    Year Model Make Photos Historical Notes Model Notes
    1815 Avant Garde Gelernte Jaeger Hat Brunswick elite sharpshooters Hat figure. They are all a bit tall in the set for skirmishers so I shortened his legs by a couple mm. The musket was shortened to depict a rifle.
    1815 Leib Battalion Hat Brunswick guard infantry Stock Hat figure. The set is missing bayonet frogs
    1815 Line Infantry Hat Brunswick Line Infantry Hat figure.
    1815 Light Infantry Hat Brunswick Light Infantry Hat figure.
    1815 Brunswick Hussar Italeri Standard hussar dress in black. Stock Italeri French Hussar

    Hanover

    Year Model Make Photos Historical Notes Model Notes
    1815 Hanover Line Infantry ACTA Hanover troops raised after 1814 were clothed and equipped like British troops Stock ACTA figure
    1815 Hanover Line Militia ACTA Militia were dressed in the pre1812 British uniform with the stovepipe shako. Stock ACTA figure. More figures in the Waterloo section

    Kingdom of Prussia

    Year Model Make Photos Historical Notes Model Notes
    1815 Prussian Infantry Revell Prussian line infantry Stock Revell.

    Kingdom of Bavaria

    Year Model Make Photos Historical Notes Model Notes
    1808-1814 Bavarian Infantry Hat Bavarian line infantry. They fought for Napoleon until 1813 and turned against him during the German Campaign. Stock Hat figure.Interesting face