"New Russian Line Infantry" Topic

"After the glorious reign of Catherine the Great (ruled 1762 to 1796), Russia suffered under the reactionary and at times insane rule of her son, Paul I, but after his murder in 1801 Russia under Alexander I returned to playing a major role in Europe. During the first 15 years of his reign the new Tsar saw his enormous armed forces participate in many campaigns, including full wars against the Ottoman Empire (1806-1812), Sweden (1808-1809) and Persia (1804-1813). However it is the wars against France that are best remembered today, and while the events of the disastrous French advance upon and retreat from Moscow in 1812 have captured the public's imagination, another major campaign was that of 1805 to 1807, which began with the Battle of Austerlitz and ended with the Treaty of Tilsit. With many sets already produced for the 1812 campaign by various manufacturers, this product from RedBox is one of a series depicting the earlier and equally important period in the Wars of Napoleon…."

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Amicalement
Armand

This set is very problematic. First, and most importantly, the rolled greatcoat is over the WRONG SHOULDER. It's hard to see in these photos, but it's there. This is very bad. A drummer would have been of much more use than a fifer, and I think only grenadiers had fifers, and the officer's sash is hanging from the wrong side. Most of this is minor stuff, but the greatcoat over the wrong shoulder is really bad. So bad that I don't think I can buy these figures.

Molded droopy flags normally have me running for the hills…give me a bare pole any day of the week.

These are Russians. They could not add a bare Pole.

Folk would complain and the esteemed editor would censor.

Unsettling news from PSR, that in 1805 the Russians carried their greatcoats with the valise (according to recent research). Not sure I can come to terms with this: all my preconceptions shattered, and my HaT figures suddenly rendered inaccurate …

Colkitto,

I've read that review. It does NOT say that greatcoats over the right shoulder is CORRECT. They merely say that's where they are cast on these figures. Every illustration I've ever seen contradicts that and the HaT figures are CORRECT. See this link:
link

Having said that, the new Redbox Line Infantry figures may be usable in their own units, but I still hesitate. They do have a great series of firing line poses.

The Guard and Grenadier (miter) sets have the greatcoats folded and strapped to the cylindrical valise, which is less problematic.

I just checked Viskovatov's illustrations, which do not show an infantryman with rolled greatcoat before the 1808 date at which they supposedly "switched" the rolled greatcoat from the right to the left shoulder. I have an email in to the editor of PSR asking for references for this new "revelation."

I've just read the related regulation in Viskovatov, which does not specify over which shoulder the rolled greatcoat was to be worn before 1808, as far as I could tell.

The good news is that the new Redbox sets, which are superior in so many ways to the old HaT figures, are supposedly accurate. They also contain some command figures, unlike the HaT sets, although the musician is a fifer, rather than the more useful drummer.

I would not, EVER, discard painted figures based on this "new" information, even if it does turn out to be correct.