"Fun with plastics (French foot dragoons WIP 1)" Topic

Hi guys

This is the first in a series of posts about 28mm Napoleonic plastic conversions, 28mm isn't my personal preferred scale, however like most of us I succumbed to shiny syndrome and bought a few boxes of plastics as they were released, and have always intended to see what I could do with them, I don't get much personal hobby time to paint, but I can do this type of modelling sitting on the lounge watching tv (I only like painting during daylight hours), so these will be constructed faster than I can paint them.
I am a modeller/painter, not really a gamer, and would rather they got game time than collect dust, so these may (depending on how attached I get to them) become available for sale once I have finished, email me with an offer if you are interested, highest bid wins.
To start the series I have chosen foot dragoons (as opposed to dismounted dragoons), I have 1 box of Perry dragoons, and was able to get 16 foot dragoons out of that box without lessening the number of mounted dragoons I can make, I only had enough bearskins for 6 elites (I might try and sculpt a couple to extend it to 8) I will be basing these for Sharp practice, I will keep the dismounted dragoon bodies for later use.
Bodies and arms are from the Victrix French infantry box, heads and swords are from the Perry dragoon box, I am going for a campaign look, my favourite setting is the Peninsula war so modelling these for that, does anyone know what foot dragoon units were used in the Peninsula?
The Victrix plastics are nice, but I find some of the detail is a little understated, so have re sculpted these areas, I made the collars higher and opened them up, bulked out the cartridge cases, they were way to small, and added shoulder loops/boards to the non elites, I also added patches, neck kerchiefs, holes to some knees, and a second cross belt to some of the bodies that needed them.
I prefer action poses to marching for skirmish game figures, so did that, I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, I will be building this force up to 5 or 6 8 man units, but will use different French troop types for the other units including cavalry.
Next up Black Brunswicker Oels Jagers for the Peninsular, all comments welcome, please feel free to give me any corrections or improvement ideas, better getting these before they are painted then after.
dan.dunbar@hotmail.com
Loads more pics here
link

Looking good.

There were no specific foot mounted dragoon units in the peninsular – any foot dragoon troops would simply be the dismounted horse dragoons. These would be obviously be dressed in mounted dragoon uniform, and not the foot dragoon unit uniform (no riding boots etc)

I love the look on them, great job. I might steal some ideas, since I want to be able to field a Dragoon force (both foot and dismounted) at some point in SP.

I succumbed to shiny syndrome and bought a few boxes of plastics

LOL well put.

I like these – they are quite cool.

"There were no specific foot mounted dragoon units in the peninsular – any foot dragoon troops would simply be the dismounted horse dragoons. These would be obviously be dressed in mounted dragoon uniform, and not the foot dragoon unit uniform (no riding boots etc)"

Pity, oh well, I will just paint them up generic campaign style.

Very nice figures!

I seem to remember reading somewhere that due to the lack of horses, some dragoons were dismounted prior to the battle of Talavera. I guess these would not have worn riding boots. The Peninsular took a heavy toll on horseflesh!

Otherwise your best bet would be aiming for the 1805 campaign!

Absolute genius. I love to see such imaginative conversions.

A thought. You could still do exactly the same only use the plastic carabineer heads next time (They are spares anyway if you do cuirassiers)

Instant plastic Engineers of the Guard

Hi Kiethbaker – thanks for the Talavara info, good enough for me, will look into it.
Hi Deadhead – yes, good idea, had thought of that, may do them, not sure, wasn't planing on doing guard units, but they would be fun, so who knows.

How long are the coat tails here? Are they long enough for pre-1812 dragoons?

Are these bits of an infantry and a cavalry set, or what?

Hi 4th Cuirassier – yes, they are good for pre 1812, the rest of your answers are in my original post, there are more pictures at the link provided.

Well, that solves a problem. I need eight dismounted French dragoons for my 1805 army and nobody seems to make them in metal. I had not thought about using plastic. so I guess I rip off your idea.

Are those dragoon muskets they're using? One could presumably give them blue coats with red facings and make them dismounted cuirassiers without their cuirass too, no?

not dragoon muskets, muskets are from Victrix French infantry, yes, I think they could work for cuirassiers

If you want foot dragoons in metal in pre 1812 uniform there are some made by Brigade games

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Are those 28mm?

Yes

"There were no specific foot mounted dragoon units in the peninsular – any foot dragoon troops would simply be the dismounted horse dragoons. These would be obviously be dressed in mounted dragoon uniform, and not the foot dragoon unit uniform (no riding boots etc)"

Pity, oh well, I will just paint them up generic campaign style

True, however in 1806 there were a Regiment or two of Dismounted Dragoons so the application of this mod is very useful.
Also,.. in Spain it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to expect to find some horseless Dragoons pressed into dismounted service. Given the logistic problems faced in the period and on that campaign i would suspect the sight of some ragged dismounted dragoons in Spanish cloth would be fairly expected.
This has come along just in time as I was about to put together about 20 Perry Plastic dismounted dragoons but wasnt looking forward to the result as with only (i think) two different poses to chose from the lack of variety would have been off putting.
I'll pinch this idea myself.
I've just finished assembling 30 Victrix plastic highlanders but have added in some Perry Plastic arms for added variety.
The options provided for by mixing the Perry and Victrix kits is a real bonus when working with plastics

The Dragoon heads in Bearskins (Elites) would be useful for making Light Infantry Carabiniers!

Hi Scott- yeah, they would make good Carabiniers, I think the bearskins would be fairly easy to sculpt, I will probably make some carabiners at some time. Will be painting the Dragoons for Spain.

Many of the dragoon regiments of the army of England in 1805 had an unmounted squadron. It was expected that they would be mounted on captured horses. I would think it would be the junior squadrons that went without horses.

I am pretty sure dismounted cuirassiers were tasked with guarding the baggage train in 1805 and were among the few of their number who did not turn their carbines in to the depot.

Not mods to Gunner Dunbar's standard but a simple mod just using Perry Napoleonic Brit Infantry arms,..

they look good Scott.