"Burgos Legion for Villadrigo Oct 1812 - which 28mm?" Topic

I'm not sure if the Burgos Legion cavalry in question came from the Gendarmes a Cheval or Gendarme Lancers. So help on that point is essential!

Which company sells suitable figures?

Several sources note the the introduction of lancers into the unit was progressive from 1810 onward. Windrow & Embleton's book Military Dress of the Peninsular War states that it was entirely lancers by December 1812. They also note that the other gendarme legions in Spain were foot gendarmes.

I use Minifgs for my unit.

Rick

Thanks, Rick. It looks like they have a Chasseurs outfit, plumes all round, lace painted in on the waist coat, and no sign of an elite company in the picture I have.

I wonder which Chasseurs will be easiest to convert to lancers?

Gee, when I did mine I just used the MiniFig mounted Gendarmes for them. Liked the figure a lot. Sounds like it may have been wrong.

21eRegt – As Rick says, they started with swords, so your figures are correct for early on.

I think you chaps just cleared up a misunderstanding. I had thought these figures, from Bicorne miniatures, were Elite Gendarmes (of the Guard)

Gendarme trooper, bicorne
link

Now I realise that this is one of the early (Burgos Legion) Gendarmes we are talking about. I also found this on their site

CON-F014C Guard Gendame £1.25 GBP

I originally thought they had ended up with two elite gendarme models, from two different ranges.

So I now just have to find early Chasseurs which will convert to the lancer (later) Burgos Legion.

I wonder if there are any Chasseurs a Cheval of the Guard figures modelled for hot weather (without pelisse) and in the early uniform? Perhaps they would have braid on their waistcoat.

Just to clarify, Minifigs currently has two lancer-gendarme castings (FNC-37 and FNC-38). The latter is an officer.

These are the ones I used.

The other four codes in current Minifigs production (FNC-82-85) are all guard gendarmes in bearskins. They are troop, officer, trumpeter, and eagle-bearer castings, respectively. I have used these for both French and Joseph's Spanish mounted gendarmes of the guard.

I also have a unit of Westphalian mounted gendarmes in bicornes that I bought from a painter (Mike Gilbert) many years ago. I don't recall if Minifigs ever had a casting like that in their French line-up. I suspect he may have used Spanish line cavalry castings (SNC-11) and painted them as the Westphalians.

I do like the look of all of them, but then I have two uncles several generations back who were RCMP.

Rick

These lancers wore dark blue cut-away, long tailed habit and dark blue breeches in the typical Hussar-style boots, edged white. white tassels. Napoleon's green habit of the Guard chasseurs is the style. Scarlet vest edged and laced white. I don't have a good picture available, as all my Napoleonic stuff is packed away.

Hussar shako, scarlet plume, no cords.

What makes it difficult to convert a conventional line chasseur is the shabraque. Dark blue, pointed at rear, wide wide edging. Round cantlepack in dark blue, edged white.

GdeP