Lamming French Napoleonic Cavalry original range FC 26 Mameluke with Blunderbuss

A very recent acquisition - a first series Lamming Napoleonic Mameluke with Blunderbuss.

Very welcome for a number of reasons:

1. It is an extremely attractive figure
2. I have not seen many Lamming original series cavalry, they have mostly been the reworked "heroic" figures
3. I have had an example/examples of the later series figure for years and have always wondered what the original figure looked like - the later one holds his blunderbuss vertically.
4. I have a large number of S Range Mamelukes from the French Revolution & Egypt Campaign to paint at some point (these are different to the French Napoleonic ones in carrying small round shields) and he will make a good and distinctive leader figure for them.

First of all pictures from different angles to show the figure off in the round:

And then a comparison shot.

Unfortunately I don't have the later FC 26 figure to hand so this is the FC 27 Mameluk Officer.

This photo is not very successful in showing the difference in size and build of the two figures but if I can find the later series FC 26 figure I will do a further comparison shot with that.

Lamming Napoleonic Figures

A recent eBay arrival contained, among other things, around 20 Lamming Napoleonic foot and eight mounted figures. There were one of each of the foot figures and some duplicates among the mounted, which included four different types of horse.

This is a significant addition for me as I have never had sight of most of these figures - I have a couple of units (yet to be repainted) and a few odds and ends, mostly command figures.

The foot figures contain more of these (command figures), two four man artillery crews (RHA and French Foot), and a number of standard infantrymen.

The artillery crews do not quite include all the gunner figures which were produced. There is also one slightly intriguing figure, of which more anon. With this exception they are all from the first series Napoleonic Range (before Bill Lamming replaced them all with "heroic 25 mm" versions. While all the figures are very welcome additions, I am particularly struck by the mounted figures as I am not sure (without an all-day expedition into the loft) whether I actually have any of the first series cavalry already.

I will also need to do some further investigation into the horses, in case I can identify and/or find a list for those with visible codes - this may provide a further post.


BRITISH FIGURES

British Line Infantry BI 1,2 and 5 - advancing, officer and drummer

British Light Infantry BI 8 - advancing

Royal Fusilier Officer BI 10

Royal Horse Artillery BA 1, 3, 5, 6

Royal Scots Grey Officer BC 6

FRENCH FIGURES

French Line Elite Company FI 1

Imperial Guard Grenadiers FI 4, 6, 3 - officer, drummer and advancing

French Line Fusilier FI 8

French Line Foot Artillery FA 1, 3, 5 and 6

French Cuirassier Officer FC 8

Dutch or Polish Lancer FC 19

PRUSSIAN FIGURES

Prussian Line Infantry PI 3 - officer

Prussian Guard Grenadiers PI 5, 2 - officer and advancing

FIGURES - IDENTIFICATION NOT CONFIRMED

I have not been able to provide confirmed identification of these figures and any help with this would be gratefully received. In some cases I have a strong idea but don't yet have 100% certainty.

Mystery Prussian Line Infantry - PI 1?

French Hussar Elite in Busby FC 13; or FC 1 Chasseur a Cheval of the Guard? Or other? Horse is not necessarily a clue - haven't done any work on the horses so mounted at random

Possibly British Hussar BC 1

I have two further British Cavalry figures to photograph - British Lifeguards BC 3 and 8 - trooper and officer.

When I have done whatever I can on the identification of the horses (which may not, of course, have been the right ones to start with) I will add new photographs. I also hope to add individual posts for each of the figures in this post.

And next I will post something about the mystery Prussian Fusilier pictured above. I have been talking to the Hinton Spieler about this figure and I think it is fair to say we haven't reached a consensus on it, so I think Matthew will be also be posting about it there,

Rose Napoleonics project 2019:: French Army

The whole French army - in the blue trays - British army in red trays behind.

The whole army comprises:

3 battalions French Line Infantry
2 converged battalions French Carabiniers
5 battalions Guard Grenadiers, one painted as Dutch
1 battalion Bavarian Line Infantry
1/2 battalion Nassau Infantry (2 light companies, 1 company Grenadiers)

1 squadron Carabiniers
2 squadrons Cuirassiers
I squadron Dragoons
1 squadron Lancers
1 squadron Line Chasseurs a Cheval

3 guns and crews.
Gunners are Rose and I have given them 2 8 pdrs and 1 howitzer, all of which are Hinchliffe 20mm models.

Guard Grenadiers are of course grossly over represented, but as this is an army constructed out of what I've got and in particular from two main collections, one originally painted and the other originally unpainted figures, it hasn't been created to order.

In the end a good variety of troop types. The originally painted collection figures, which have just needed a small amount of refurbishment, are finished to a better standard than those I have painted from scratch, However, because of the stylised nature of the figures and in particular the two infantry poses, I think they look very good en masse.

Rose Napoleonics project 2019:: French Infantry

Carabiniers (with Line Infantry behind)

Line Infantry

Guard Grenadiers - as you can see a disproportionate  percentage of the whole, but probably representative of how many Grenadiers re probably sold by any Napoleonic range.

Bavarian infantry - not sure what the base figures are, possibly Austrians, the drummers and standard bearers must ne French Grenadier conversions, the mounted officer is again a Wellington, this time with an Austrian helmeted head.

Nassau infantry. After taking the picture I found another base of four light infantry. I think the base figures are French Carabiniers; again there is a converted hornist. Busbies for the Grenadiers may have come from Garde Chasseur a Cheval figures.

Rose Napoleonics project 2019:: French Cavalry

The whole arme blanche. The horses are all authentic Rose ones but have been fixed to bases taken from Hinton Hunt horses; I think the Hinton Hunt horses were used for cavalry casualties. All swords are made from pins and wire reins were added This has greatly enhanced te base figures and they have ended up as very nice figures.

These are Line Chasseurs. They are Rose figures but there were no line chasseurs - I am not sure what the base figure was.

`Cuirassiers - whole unit.

 Cuirassiers - second line of unit in previous photo.

Dragoons

Carabiniers

Lancers - I need to make a repair or two (reattaching lances)

Rose Napoleonics project 2019:: French Artillery

The gunners are Rose and I have used Hinchliffe 20mm artillery pieces with them. I have never knowingly had any Rose French guns but I have seen some lovely brass masters which I think were the Rose artillery piece masters.

Rose Napoleonics project 2019: French Command and Casualties

Another paint conversion of the Wellington figure, which has a claim to be the earliest publicly available 20mm wargames figure, dating back to the late 1950s. Also present in the Guard Grenadiers stand in the second photo below, and more heavily converted in a shako on the Line Infantry command group on the left of the photo below.

The mounted officer is a more drastic conversion of the Wellington figure, with a head swap to give him a shako.

French Carabinier command - I think the officers are Guard Grenadier ones with Carabinier heads swaps. Both bases have converted hornists.

Guard Grenadier command elements

Bavarian command - I think French Guard Grenadier figures with Austrian head swaps. I suspect these heads came from the Austrians converted with shakos.

French Cavalry casualties

French Guard Grenadiers casualties

 French line infantry casualties

Figure converted into a Bavarian casualty