"pre-bardin uniforms at waterloo !!!" Topic

I'm nearing the end of my waterloo project, but having got a bit bored of French Great Coats in March attack, I've gone and bought a box of victrix plastic – pre bardin uniform(1804-1812 I think). The flank sprue comes with 3 grenadier heads with bearskins and 3 voltiers with massive plumes, plus a bunch of heads that look the same as the Bardin heads ( PomPom plus a bit). So given everything else is painted in 1815 style, and I probably won't do another Napoleonic project any time soon, what should I do:

a) Cut the tails coats, ignore the waistcoats, use the 1815 heads and paint everything in 1815 style – white piping etc.
b) Go half way, leave the tails coats, paint everything in a 1812 style(more Red piping), but still use the 1815 heads so they don't look totally out of place
c) Go the whole hog, bearskins, massive plumes and all.

I'm modelling 3 brigades of French, 2 regular, 1 Imperial, so the box will make 2 battalions of 24 plus skirmishers, so I could just have a pre-bardin brigade. I only play with my son for now, but might play in a club one day. I'm torn between adding variety, and keeping it historically accurate. Any thoughts?

I would paint them as what they are. The differences between the uniforms are not that great and you won't be fighting only Waterloo the rest of your life anyway. My Austrian army is half shakos half helmets, my Russian army is about 2/3 1812 uniforms, the rest older. I would hesitate to put a demi-brigade in shakos but otherwise troops are troops.

When I start worrying about micro historical details like this, I make it go away by musing about the rules I'll be using, which have no firm ground scale; no firm time scale and which leave all my troops' movements visible to my opponent. Works every time.

+1 for jeffreyw3.

Jeffrey and Murvihill both make valid points. My preference is to build and paint them so they're right for something, even if they're not right for a particular battle. There will be other battles, after all. Priorities are roughly (1) have an accurate uniform for the war/period, (2) tell which side the unit is on, and (3) tell what sort of troops they are at a capabilities and modifiers level. Generally you can do all three if you give it a little thought.

Ok thanks for the feedback. Prebardin it is then, as you say it's right for something. Except I don't know much about those uniforms. When did the greniders wear bear skins and when not? What's with the massive voltier plumes, and when did they wear the smaller plumes ? Think I get six of each, so if I do 2 battalions one will have bearskins and one not.

Happy, you're worrying too much. Evidently after Nappy repented of the white uniforms, there's no overarching regulation--certainly no enforcement--until the Bardin, and colonels had quite a bit of leeway. If you want to get really fussy, try the Osprey "Napoleon's Line Infantry" which records the known variations. But bearskins had a long official life, so they tended to be worn on battlefields even after the formal adoption of the shako, and no one ever had a unit thrown off a tabletop because the officials felt the voltigeur plumes were too big. Do what pleases you.

I am with Robert. My French should be on the Danube in 1809 but they have appeared in Spain in 1812 and Saxony in 1813. In short have the painting accurate for a 'moment in time and place' but be flexible about where and when they actually deploy.

Agree with all the above – my French are classic 1812-14 but have been in battles with Austrians in helmets and Russians in kivers

My Napoleonic French time travel from 1795 to 1815 with the greatest of ease.

I ain't painting three French armies!

Ok thanks, I'll stop worrying then.
I once read a magazine article asking the question when was using the wrong figures too much. The worst example the author gave was a terrible ridiculous scenario where someone wanted to use early imperial romans in place of late republic romans. The author found this hilarious, can you imagine anything so crass and misguided, early imperials omg! Anyway it made me a bit scared about what serious gamers might think.

We once used General Kenobi in Lego as the general in a medevial war game (obi wan had a light sabre sword) and frequently use a sky lander giant in kings of war games. 😀

I find the blip in historical accuracy r.e. the wrong kind of cuff (or whatever) rather pales into insignificance when compared to the fact that 32 little figs stuck on plastic bases are somehow supposed to represent 650 men!

I believe that the grenadier,s bearskins were gone after 1812, to be replaced with a shako with usually red trim.
The tall plums would be great for Young Guard, though.
Everything else as above. Our gaming group isn't wired very tight regards 'absolute' historical accuracy…

Some groups are very picky about details… I remember my first "Russian" Corps of Scruby castings. I had no idea about the Napoleonic period and just picked whatever colors came to mind! LOL

So I painted up the IV Corps at Borodino and they looked very non-Russian. One regiment had grey coats, another blue, you name it, every color under the rainbow.

Later when I bought the Osprey book on the Russian army and then a ton of Minifig castings well they ended correct.

But that Scruby corps would best be termed "Mythical Siberian Corps" I think.

A friend of mine bought all of my castings and still has them to this day. The castings date back to the late 70s.