"Figure Identification and color schemes" Topic

Here are some figures that have and I want to make sure that I have them properly identified and then properly painted. As such any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

Figure 1: picture
I know that this is a British Rifle figure but that is it. Would it be the 95th? The 60th? Or some other unit?

Figure 2: picture
Figure 3: picture
These came from the same bag and I believe that they are French Light Infantry. If I am correct the figure with the bearskin hat would be with the Grenadier/Voltigeur companies and the figure with the shako would be the centre company. >IF< I am correct. As with the British figure I am at a loss as to painting the figure. My only experience painting Napoleonics was over a decade ago and that was a single unit of Prussian "Death's Head" Hussars.

Any and all help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

I also need advice on "when" to paint this figures for. At the moment I am not too worried about using 1805 Prussians with 1812 French but I do at least want all of my French to be of the same year. What year would be the most versatile for painting French and British (the two main forces I am cobbling together)? I was thinking somewhere between 1807-1809, but I just do not know. It is pretty much all new to me!

Thanks!

Take care and have a great day….

ciao,
john.

The Rifles figure can be the 60th or the 95th, Depends how you paint it. Red facings for the 60th, black for the 95th.

The two French figures look like what you say, but someone cleverer than me will be along shortly to tell you different.

Epaulettes denote the elite companies on the French (as well as a sword), so figure 2 is from the Volitgeur/Carabiniers too.
Figure 3 must be a Greadier(carabinier if lights). Voltigeurs didnt have the bearskin, some regiments had the smaller busby. Can't make out the rear of the Bearskin though.
Most versatile uniform for the French is the post 1806 uniform. Pretty good up 1814.
Starts to be replaced in 1812…but that took a while and was never completed in some instances.

The second figure could be painted for French light infantry regiments 12, 16 and 27, for Chasseurs (4 center companies to the battalion) or Voltigeurs (1 company). These three, and the 2nd light infantry, are the only ones I have seen confirmed with the long tails, until the 17th light infantry also joined them later in the period before the short tailed coat and closed lapels of the Bardin regulation.

The triangle formed at the bottom of the turnbacks suggests 1807-08, for the turnbacks were later folded to eliminate the triangle at the bottom of the tails. The 2nd light infantry also has long tails, but the shako cords hung from the top of the shako on the right down across the front and back and looped low around the left side. If anyone cares! I painted 38 of them in the 1970's with the normal cord arrangement as shown here.

There seems to be an etching on the leg to denote the short leggings. I can't see the shape of the bottom of the lapels, but they should be "pointed" – simply running gently into the line of the front of the cut-away habit. If they are squares, the figure could be painted as line infantry voltigeurs (1 company per battalion) or grenadiers of some line regiments – 26th, 63rd for example. The leggings for line infantry should be painted straight across the top, and a couple inches above the knee.

Figure 3 has a short bearskin, and should work fine for the Carabinier (grenadier) company of the battalion. Carabiniers of the 2nd light wore a bearskin, as did those of the 27th. And the 17th adopted them in their third or fourth uniform of the era. All five of these regiments served in Spain, 1808 or later. I believe they were all "in theater" for the Jena campaign as well against the Prussians.

I have never seen an illustration of a Carabinier of the 12th – but the chasseurs had the short legging, but straight across the top with a white edging. The 16th had Carabiniers in shakos.

If there is a drummer with the pack, the 27th wore a sky blue uniform faced crimson (darker red with a hint of violet). The only other musicians I have seen are a drummer of the 16th (shako regiment) in dark green faced white; and the 17th, but not in the long-tailed iteration. When they came from Poland their drum major and band work polish shakos (czapkas) in yellow edged crimson, yellow coats faced crimson! The company drummers would not have worn that uniform. They are shown earlier with scarlet lapels, short tailed coats.

Have fun with your troops!

GdeP

For the British, the Peninsular war seems the most versatile for the entire six years duration. Drummers wore reversed color coats, except for royal regiments which wore red faced dark blue. New drafts, and new battalions joining the army in late 1813-14 might have had the Waterloo shako, but the old English and Welsh battalions would use cylindrical shakos – pre-Waterloo – even the 7th, 21st and 23rd Fusiliers.

Troops could appear in white breeches with black leggings to below the knee; off white, tan, light gray, dark gray, even brown overalls made from local cloth. Back packs were often painted in the facing color with regimental number or other symbol superimposed.

The 95th rifles seem always to have been deployed in battalion strength (or at least half-battalions) on the battlefield, but the 60th had companies attached to seperate brigades of the line infantry, and were not pulled together in battalion strength.

As youngsters, we probably all did Fusiliers in the small bearskin (I have 53 in my 30mm army to this day!); dozens of kilted highlanders (only the 42nd, 79th and 92nd were in Spain in kilts); and lots of rifles (all the 95th were in the Light Division as part of their 2 brigades). A long-gone friend even has the grenadier company of his Guards battalion in formal London dress uniform with bearskin!

A fun hobby!

GdeP

The third picture is strange because of the lack of sword if an elite. Cannot be grenadier as has no plate on bearskin. Is the plume broken because it is quite short for a Carabinier (elite "heavy" type in french light btn).

The figure also appears to have one broad belt and one narrower one

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