"MAW Mexican Shako Shape" Topic

I am collecting figures, mostly 1/72 plastics, for the MAW. Most sources show the Mexican infantry wearing a shako that tapers slightly from bottom to top, but other illustrations show officers wearing an older style of Napoleonic shako that is wider at the top than at the bottom. My life would be much simpler, and cheaper, if I could use Napoleonic French for MAW Mexicans. If I were doing 15mm, there would be no question I could get away with it, but 1/72, 20mm is large enough that details like shako shape are noticeable.

Late napoleonic Spanish too

I'm away from my resources at the moment but from what I recall, the later shakos were more tapered whereas the the earlier ones (Texas War of Independence) would have been the inverse. I don't believe this was something that was a sudden transition. The Mexican uniforms and organization went thru several changes in that period.

I wouldn't get too worked up about it, I don't think supply and kit was a strongpoint of the Mexican Army. Unless a unit had a patron or was a favored unit of Santa Anna, I doubt they got new uniform and kit issues in a timely or organized fashion. I say use what you want and what you can get your hands on.

The Mexican uniforms from the Texas Rebellion/Alamo featured a bell top shako (wider top than bottom)

link

By the time of the Mexican-American War, the official infantry pattern shako was conical (wider at the bottom than the top)

link

link

That being said, I agree with PA's Revenge that Mexican army issue of kit was, to be diplomatic, rarely timely

Most illustrations at the time of the Mexican American War show a tapered shako. Occasionally officers are depicted in a stove-pipe shako, or one that is slightly bell crowned, but not as severe as the bell topped shakos of the 1830s.

Okay, I'm a sniveling opportunist, but all questions about Mexican ?Army uniforms may be found in Joseph Hefter's indispensable "The Mexican Soldier" which may be found via this link in both Print and PDF Editions.

The Rene Chartrand addition to the Osprey range is also helpful, but like all other sources is based almost entirely on Hefter.

TVAG

TVAG, nothing sniveling about that opportunism! I have the Hefter book (ordered from you of course) and it's an invaluable resource.

Patrick, I own a copy of "The Mexican Soldier". It does show the conical shakos replacing the slight bell topped ones starting in 1839. But on Plate V and Plate XV they show the bell topped shakos still in use, as well as straight stovepipe models. So there's room for speculation, especially given the vagaries of supply as has already been mentioned.

To me a shako is a shako is a shako. The play is the thing!