"Napoleons Berlin coach" Topic

The latest installment of my project to paint the warlord Games version of Napoleons Berlin Coach. It's slow progress…

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Arcane Steve, you are well on your way to completing this nice model. Before you paint over the green you feel is too bright, try a thin burnt umber wash applied sparingly a couple of times. You may like the effect, and if not, can go to your darker green option.

Please continue reporting. You are inspiring me to get busy painting my coach.

Good progress – I agree a thin wash can really tone down the bright colours

Nice, very nice…

Looking good!

Was this coach design exclusive to Emperor Napoleon, or would other dignitaries have similar conveyances?

Would Marshall Kutuzov, Frederick the Great, or Lord Cornwallis have a similar set of wheels?

Very nice work; I think that the green will look fine if you tone it down a bit, the darker green looks too dark to me.

Kutuzov and the others would undoubtedly have had their own version, probably several versions.

At this time there was no standardisation of design such as we are used to seeing nowadays. One would commission a coach maker to design and build you a carriage according to your individual specifications having given a steer as to whether you wanted a Berlin, a Brougham or some other type of coach.

If you Google both Berlin carriage and Brougham carriage, you will see that Napoleon's is a bit of a hybrid. The lower half of the bodywork is Berlin but the upper part is Brougham with the section where the rear-facing passengers in a Berlin would have sat being panelled over, giving a two-seater carriage with the leg space of a four-seater. I recall reading that Napoleon slept in this carriage so I'm guessing the extra room allowed some sort of bed to be set up.

Great to see this model is turning out so well. I'd be tempted to do the wheels in a deep red…looks good, nice contrast and much evidence for it

Napoleon's Carriage (there were several) was what was known as a Dormeuse. It was based on the Post Chaise, a design that had been around since the end of the 18th C and lasted for nearly 100 years (although suspension changed dramatically). It was only intended for forward facing folk and generally relied on a postillion (seated on left rear horse) or two, rather than a seated driver. Variants were known as chariots, Berlines etc, but the Dormeuse featured an extension, allowing drawers and a working desk on one side and room to stretch out on the other. Even the extant Malmaison Coach has a smaller leather folding extension, although intended for four passengers.

For those who do not want to scratch build were are lucky now to have this model (really clever to have opened the door) landaus, curricles and even the earlier design shown below (I suspect earlier than Fred the Great but I needed something for Louis XVIII.

Below my first attempt at Boney's Dormeuse. Below, a post chaise carrying the Waterloo Despatch. Then the Malmaison model. Then the Tsar's landau (Ideal for Kutuzov?) and finally the earlier design. Note the primitive suspension. No C springs here!

Wow! if mine turns out half as well as those above I'll be delighted! Fantastic modelling.

Thanks for that. The one model I would redo is the Tussaud's destroyed one. I worked from the scale drawings, but made an error in positioning the cab. It is set too far back on the chassis. At least, with yours, Boney could get the door to open! Your lamps I would have killed for when I was trying to use clear plastic for the glass

The yellow post chaise is simpler, but based on the same plans…..and better finished! The doors open……..

Note the lack of the extension for legs/office and a trunk instead of a seat for the poor Mameluke. He could never have driven this coach by the way. He was for decoration only….postillions instead!

I've just been told I have to redo my entire mameluke band, as I did not mount them on greys. I am actually glad to hear that now though and am at work on that. So, in a similar vein………..

Just been looking at your work on the Arcane Models site and it hit me. As above, the undercarriage would look better in a deep/dull red…it is easier anyway and actually correct.

No, what struck me was the upper half of the cab. Behind the door you have a section green or black, with a diagonal curved line demarcating the two. Actually the whole upper cab should be black. The lower half is a sort of plywood. The upper half is waterproofed, lacquered, leather. In a true cabriolet, this can fold down. That is what the diagonal bar is for. Boney's coach had a wooden reinforcing to strengthen the roof and it was permanent….but looked the same from the outside.

Good luck with this. I'm watching out for progress!