20mm French Napoleonic Carabiners and Empress Dragoons

Slow going but finally got to the end of my "elite" French Cavalry. I've got these in VERY old Airfix (Cuirassier conversions) but thought I ought to have a decent set for Waterloo next year. Figures are Newline 20mm.

Empress Dragoons

1st Carabiners

1st Carabiners

1st Carabiners on L, 2nd Carabiners on R

Last Ever Napoleonic French Foot in 20mm?

Bold statement I know - but by my calculations we now have enough French troops for Waterloo at ~1:33, assuming my count of my brother's figures is right!

Next year I only have a 3 cavalry units to do (Empress and Carabiners), which are really more about improving very poor early Airfix conversions than filling gaps - and then that will be the Cavalry done too, and Artillery also already there. My focus in 2020 will then switch to support Nick with British allies, and restarting my own Russians so as to better fight other battles.

These last figures are two battalions of Young Guard Voltigeurs, and a one of Young Guard Fusiliers.

The Army Painter Varnish/Dip was getting a bit dense and stale by this stage, hence the heavy-handed look. Will be switching to their wash next year.

20mm 10th French Hussars and Middle Guard

Bit of a catch up post but finished my latest batch of Napoleonic 20mm painting for our 2021 Waterloo - 2 Bns of Middle Guard and the 10th Hussars - according to my records the only French Hussar regiment actually at the battle. Had been hoping for something nice and colourful, but they're green and so little different from all the Chassuers a Cheval regiments!

Middle Guard - 20mm

Finally got the two battalions of Middle Guard I bought at Salute painted. One done as Fusiliers and the other as Chasseurs. Figures are Newline 20mm, and very nice too.

I think I have three more battalions of Middle Guard to do next year to bring the MG up to strength for Waterloo. Just one OG left, but a horde of YG I think.

Lancers of the Imperial Guard

Polish Lancers

June's painting batch, actually done in July and based in August, were the two regiments of Imperial Guard Lancers - 1st Polish and 2nd Dutch.

Polish Lancers command group

The figures are Newline 20mm, and 9 to a medium sized regiment (so about 1:33). I know that the Guard cavalry regiments were huge, but I already have two regiments in plastic, so all-in-all I should have about the right number of figures now.

Dutch Lancers - Young Guard at left

In doing the Dutch Lancers I discovered that about 1/3rd of their squadrons were "Young Guard" and so had blue, not red, uniforms, hence the blue guys on the left of the photo above. This may be why some eye-witness accounts mention being charged by blue lancers, even though some (one?) writer I've read then dismissed this with a "only the Dutch were at Waterloo so must have been mistaken" line.

Dutch Lancers - command and Young Guard