"Which is your favorite miniatures Napoleonic Army???" Topic

Of your miniature Napoleonic armies, which is your favorite?

Mine is the Russian Army. I like their uniforms, flags, names of their units, and even the challenges of playing the Russians on the table top battlefield.
(My miniature armies consist of French, Austrian, British, and Russian. Mine are in 15mm.)

What's your favorite and why please?

I like the Austrian/Hungarians. I don't have any anymore – sold off all my Napoleonics (not that I had very many), but I liked the Austrians.

1813 Prussian…I like their no fuss business like look and the interesting mix of troop types ( most of it conscript which I also like )….it's also a nice bunch of battles.

Peninsular British, just started with them and have grown tolove that army.

Probably Spanish and Russians with the Austrians right behind.

Good post, John. My problem is that I like them all. If i must choose one favourite, then it is French. I particularly enjoy the spectacle of a French army deployed for battle. Beautiful. Not always a winner, but always fun. Spectacle and fun – two of the primary reasons I game.

Bavarian or French. With Austrian close behind.

John,
1806 Prussians. a very colorful Army. White & Yellow Cuirassier, Mid Blue Dragoons, Hussars of many colors, Infantry in blue and green with many different facing color. Artillery in dk Blue with a great looking uniform for the horse artillery. What's not to like about them.

Ok their command and control and no artillery or cavalry reserve did them in facing the French in 1806, but they bounced back at Eylau.

John

PS to John Tyson,
My daughter is being trransfered to FT Benning GA next February or March 2014, when her husband returns from Afganastan. Might have to look you up on our next trip down after she's transfered.

Brunswick and then Austrians

Portuguese and Spanish, though I have also done French.

I like them all. Unfortunately I don't have enough time or money..

I began my Napoleonics with an 1806 Saxon army and they're still a favorite. I have to admit to a fondness for all the tiny states of the Rheinbund too: Schwartzburg, Reuss, the Saxon Duchies, etc

I too like the Rhinebund forces. But I am currently pining away for the one I do not have..Danes.

Otherwise, I started with Russians over 40 years ago [my high-school buddy collected French].

Over time I decided to build the French army around the 1812 campaign [I had the Russians]. This allowed me to pretty much touch every nationality: Italians, Bavarians, Poles, Austrians, Prussians, Saxons, Westphalians. Portuguese Legion, Joseph Napoleon Spanish, the Confederation of the Rhine, Wurttemberg, Hesse Darmstadt, Berg, Baden, even Neapolitans in Augereau's 11th Corps!!

That pretty much means I don't have any Peninsular forces though.

Prussians of 1815 with the variety of uniforms.
Second place is the Northern Italians.

French.

For me it has to be the Saxons from 1810 to 1813. Then the Kingdom of Northern Italy.

French 1805-1807 and the Russians of the same period.

Foot any of the Confederation of the Rhine especially the big three Baden, Wurttemberg, and Bavaria.

Saxony 1809 at Wagram.

Cavalry, French heavies and lights, Line and Guard.

VR
James Mattes

Neapolitans – they look fantastic and nobody ever expects me to win with them!

1813 Prussians. They have a dour charm of their own.

Austrians look amazing on the table-top. All the armies do, to be honest.

The French probably have the greatest diversity of uniforms, the most interesting Commanders, were present at more of the battles and fight differently to all the other Nations, so i would say that overall its the French. Tough question though.

1809 French, 1812 Russians, British then 1813-15 Prussians

I have and love my large collections of French and Russians, but like Chris, Neapolitans are my favourite!

British, Austrians, Brunswick and Naples. On that order. Spain just come in at 5th.

Prussians least favorite.. Very dull.

Love 'em all – hard to separate French & Wurttembergs with Austrians a close second. Rather partial to 1806 Prussians – they look gorgeous and fought hard but were let down by dreadful senior command.

Slightly off-period, but I have a 1790s Anglo-allied army that I think looks great. 1799 Russians follow closely behind.

Agree with Baden, Wurttemberg, and Bavaria
but Spanish is up there

Kleeve Berg and Hesse Darmstadt. I love the fact that you can switch them between the French and the Allies. The cav is great, the inf not so much, but that is the fun part. No one expects much from conscripts. Holding a flank or withstanding a cav charge just brings a smile to my face even now…

It will come as no surprise that I prefer the French. With a moniker like Garde de Paris, what else would I choose?

I like the 1805-13 range – long tailed coats, colorful drummers, and bearskins. Lots of great data from folks like Rousselot, Rigo, Hourtoulle, and the like.

GdeP

Austrians, then Clève-Berg, Duchy of Warsaw and Baden.

Hello John and VonBluhcer,two great guys.

Even though I love my Russians, I would have to go with the French. How can I resest my French Guard cavalry.

The next time I go to L.A., maybe I will take pictures of all my figures MYSELF, so I can show them to you. I hoped you liked the photos of the Austrians in Texas.

Maybe I should but them on the GdB website. They are 20:1 also.

My favourites are the Austrians and Neapolitans. They look great on the games table and, under any set of rules that has any form of handicapping (national characteristics, troop or leadership qualities) they are very hard to win with and fairly easy to beat so no bragging rights over beating them. If YOU win though, boy can you crow!

I've just started re-building the Army of Bohemia in true 15mm scale after a 15 year lay -off from gaming

Although the black Brunswickers look great and the British make for a nice sight, my favourite are the French…

I suppose French, both in terms of playing them and tabletop "presence." Duchy of Warsaw a close second. Who couldn't like all those lancers? Spanish for the sheer range of figures and colors. Austrians are my second favorite to play with but kind of boring looking. Peninsula Brits and Portuguese next. No real feelings about the rest.

The Austrian Hussars set the standard for this troop type and color combinations.

I do love the German states. I play Prussians because of ancestry. Am drawn to Northern Italians for the same reason.

Duchy of Warsaw has a lot of appeal. The Brunswickers because of their story, not very interesting to paint though; sort of the polar opposite to Austrians ;-)

Gotta love the British Guard Cavalry and Highlanders though. Those tartans are murder to paint in 15mm though!

1806 Prussians are my favorite army, even though it did not perform well in battle. Peninsula British would be choice 1B after the Prussians.

As for the French, I like the 1805 Grande Army as it includes Napoleon's opus magnus: Austerlitz, my favorite Napoleonic battle.

My current collection is French and Austrians. Like Ma, I think they look great on the table. My next Napoleonic effort will be the Peninsula/ British, French Spanish and Portuguese during the 1809 period. You can see my French and Austrian battlefield at link

1806 Prussians/Saxons for many of the same reasons listed above. Very colorful, and fun mixed divisions. Lots of cavalry and decent troops.

Also, having walked Jena and Auerstadt, it is difficult to not "love" these armies.

Hoch Absburg!! Austrians.

Anything but the French Guard, Scotts Greys or Pavlov Grenadiers – why do they always seem to end up on the table!!! Oh and NOT the Swiss…….Charlie

Does the French 1793/94 revolutionary army count?

Post 1810 Saxons for me as well. Nice mix of colours in their units. Never won with them though.

I'm with Duc de Limbourg. The Revolutionary period is so interesting as Napoleon's army was developing.
Phil

Wellington's 1815 gang, especially the Brunswickers

1805-1809 French..1809 Austrians and combined 1806/07 Russians and Prussians

Persians, to fight Russians.

Maltese revolt (with Brit and Italian help).

DB

Maybe 1812 Russians because of headgear trappings
Or 1813 Prussians (though I'm done) because trying to make them look like poor cousins
Or 1812-15 British because of them snazzy Red coats.

Hey, Charlie Torok! My Peninsular War armies almost passed your test. No French Guards (they were all converted to line!); no Scots Greys (they were all converted to British heavy cavalry in bicorns, fore and aft); no Pavlovski Guard (all converted to Portuguese Cacadores. But my 2nd "Rainbow" Division has regiments that served at some time in the II Corp in Spain, and one battalion of the 3rd Swiss (black facings). 15th Line in white faced black; 33rd Line in white faced purple (even though they never served in Spain!); Paris Guard in green faced red; 3rd Swiss in red faced black; eventually Legion du Midi in brown faced mid blue; and 2nd light; 17th light; 27th line; 65th line; 88th line (in white vests, covered shakos,and baggy brown overalls); and 26th line all in dark blue.

GdeP

Wurttemburg – particularly the light infantry brigade as they did so well in the 1809 campaign.

The 1809 campaign in general though is a particular favourite as the Confederation troops were heavily involved.

Truth be told though I am a sucker for the entire period and I like pretty much everything!

If I ever get painting, my Austrians.