"Other uses for Scots Greys figures" Topic

So I bought a pack of Baccus 6 mm Scots Geays from their Napoleonic's line. Given that I have two separate basing systems I can use about half. Any suggestions on how I can use the remainder? Other units? Remember these are 6 mm so there is good detail but it's easy to do paint conversions.

So you have a peaked bearskin, with a short surtout style jacket, overalls instead of heavy cavalry boots (but paint should fix that) hopefully horses' tails are not "docked"……. sounds very like Gendarmes d'Elite to me (but then they would I guess)……failing that Grenadiers or early Carabiniers if you ignore or lose the peak

I did it the other way around. I bought the French Guard Grenadiers and painted the left overs as Scots Greys and early Carabiniers. But this was before they had Scots Greys.

You could also use them as Wurttembergers. Some of their cavalry wore bearskin caps:

French Gendarmes d'Elite and early Carabiniers, and Wurttemburgers. Thanks!

If you decide to go for Wurttembergers and you need uniform information I recommend the guides by W. E. Rawkins. You can buy them as e-books and they are ridiculously cheap considering all the information they contain: link

Thanks.

The Elite Gendarme idea is neat. I may have to convert the Airfix 54mm Scots Grey into one of those.

The uniformes 100 jours site shows them in crested helmets though?

The bearskin cap was introduced for the Elite Gendarmes in 1805 but was replaced with a crested helmet during the Bourbon restoration in 1814. It now generally seems to be believed that due to lack of time and resources it wasn't possible to fully re-uniform everyone during the 100 Days so vestiges of uniforms introduced by the Bourbons, such as the Elite Gendarmes' crested helmets, were still in evidence at Waterloo. However, Rousselot in 'Napoleon's Army 1790 – 1815' states: "During the 1815 Campaign, the Company (of Elite Gendarmes) wore the surtout, grey riding trousers and fur bonnet."

The First Restoration saw the introduction of some of the finest uniforms ever seen, on some of the worst military units. A curious novelty was the combination of crested helmet but with a horse tail as for dragoons and cuirassiers. Gendarmes kept theirs up to 1830s but Black Musketeers did not survive the Second Restoration!

It is often said that a G d'Elite helmet was found at Waterloo, but I think that is mistaking it for 1st Chasseurs Royalist helmet.

General impression seems that such a unit would have done everything to get back to their traditional famous look, but some would surely have been stuck with the helmet (a massive and unwieldy thing even by the standards of the day)

A 54 mm conversion of a Scots Grey might be more tricky than a 6mm figure. An awful lot to do. I'd fork out for a Historex figure or some such

A curious novelty was the combination of crested helmet but with a horse tail as for dragoons and cuirassiers.

I believe that French Carabinier officers had this – a red crest PLUS a red horsehair mane – soon after the introduction of the white uniform.

Now that I had never heard! I always thought that look was unique to the new royalist army and esp Maison du Roi….

Clearly predated them then.

Love this forum!

Isn't that a Swedish cuirassier style crest?

link

As they are only 6mm, you could crush the top of the bearskin with pliers, file to shape, and have British heavy dragoon helmet, currasiers of many nations, carabinier, French first chasseurs, all sortsa kit!

John

Almost like the Swedish cavalry helmet, but a true horse tail as well as a furry crest on the comb, as in Black Musketeer in background here

or the real thing in La Musee de l'Armee, even if he is not on a black horse!

and this is labelled as Gendarmes in 1830 (but with aigulettes on right side…!)