More News

Strelets*R have now released pictures of the last set of their Prussian cavalry sets the Prussian Hussars, box number 155. Once again I was looking forward to these but they are again disappointing as with the Dragoons.

All pictures from Strelets website

There are twelve figures and horses (which are at a halt) in this set. As with all of the three Prussian sets there is a useless standard bearer with a large flag yet another conversion? But I do love the other two in this picture the officer smoking his pipe and the trumpeter adjusting his hat.

Another thing is that the set contains five holding their carbines and not one with a sword in his hand. So are they out on patrol looking for the enemy?

I very much like the three cavalry sets due out soon, one hopes, as the sculpting of these sets are at their top for Strelets. I do like my HaT Prussian Hussars which I already have but I must think about these.

Again this set holds just two civilians in the set and they look great once again, if you buy all three you can make a little crowed waving off the troops.

More News from the Front

Picture from Strelets*R

Strelets*R have now released pictures of the Prussian Dragoons box number 229. Now I was looking forward to these but they are a bit disappointing. Once again there are twelve figures and horses (which are not shown) in this set. As with the Uhlans set, there is a useless standard bearer with a large flag. But this could be an easy conversion to replace the flag with a sword. As you can see on the right hand side an officer holding a telescope which is a nice little touch to this set. Another thing is that the box contains five holding their carbines, so I assume that the horses are standing like the Uhlans set.

Again this set holds three civilians in the set and they look great, but again will I use them? These two Prussian sets that they have shown look very clean and sharp, so the hussars are going to be interesting to see.

Picture from Strelets*R

News from the Front

It was not that long ago that I posted about the three new Strelets*s Prussian Cavalry sets that we hoped that they would bring out this year. Well the good news is that on their website, they have given us pictures of the first set the Prussian Uhlans box number 228.

Picture from Strelets*r website 

There are 12 troopers with their horses and the sculpting of these figures are fantastic. As I have said before, that I do not have any of their previous Napoleonic sets but this one is a must for me. The only thing that bothers me, and some of the other fans of these, is that one is carrying a very large flag. Now usually cavalry regiments never carried flags in to battle and if they did, no way would they be this big. So I will have to think of what to do with this figure when they do come out. All of the horses are standing and not charging, which will not be a problem for me.

Including in this set are two civilians which look as if they are waving at the cavalry as they trot pass. These are okay and it’s nice that they have fought about the population in the towns that they pass through on the way to battle, but again I do not know if they will be on my table at any time. 

From Strelets*r website

Napoleon’s Arabian Stallion, Le Vizir

In July 2016 taxidermists finished working on restoring a stuffed horse - the last one ridden by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Le Vizir was a gift to Napoleon, given to him in 1802 by Selim III, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, a former adversary. The stallion was  rigorously trained  at the imperial stables, as were many of the 130 horses that Napoleon rode during his 14-year campaigns, some of whom included the famous Marengo (pictured in Jacques-Louis David’s painting, Napoleon Crossing the Alps) and Mourad Bey. Though he was often painted on horseback, charging courageously into battle, in reality, Napoleon was not a very accomplished rider. Born on the island of Corsica, he didn’t sit a horse regularly until the start of his military career, when he continued to prefer small, docile horses for his mounts.

Taxidermists at work

Le Vizir fit the bill, and became a quick favorite of the emperor’s, who branded him with a crown and his imperial “N”. Napoleon rode the stallion in the Battle of Jena in Prussia, the Battle of Eylau in Russia, and on campaign in Poland before he accompanied the emperor on his year-long exile in Elba in 1814.

Napoleon's brand

By the time Napoleon swept back to power -- for the 100 days Campaign-- in France the following year after escaping from Elba. Le Vizir was spared the indignity of carrying Napoleon to his final defeat at Waterloo in 1815. By then, the ageing stallion had been put out to pasture.

Napoleon died in 1821, but le Vizir outlived his owner by five years, passing away at the ripe old age of 33 in 1826. His remains were preserved by taxidermists in the same year by order of Léon de Chanlaire, a stable officer who sent le Vizir’s hide on to England for protection when anti-Napoleon sympathies in France reached their zenith. The stallion was displayed at the Manchester Museum in 1843, but later returned to France, where he went in and out of favor with the rise and fall of Napoleon III. Eventually, Le Vizir wound up in storage at the Louvre, where he remained for nearly 30 years before he was rediscovered and moved to Paris’s Musée de l’Armée.

 

Le Vizir Restored 

At last News from the Front

It’s been a long while since we reported of any new figures that might interest me for the Waterloo Campaign to add to my collection. But over the last year there has been some suggestions that some of the plastic companies will just do that.

You might remember that last year HaT asked it followers what new set they could make for us. There was a big interest in the Dutch and Belgium Carabiners for this period. But as to date there are no drawn sketches or even mock-ups of the figures, so we hope that these are still in the pipeline to be produce. They have also said that they are finally doing the Prussian limbers and ammo caissons for the artillery. We have seen the drawings so while ago but again nothing more to report on them either. They also mention on their list Prussian wagons, but nothing has been said about that set.

Now there are two companies that I have not brought any figures from due to the way they are produced. One is called Linear-A who have suggested that they are going to make a set for the Prussian Landwehr Cavalry. Strelets is another company that have on their list to produce are Prussian Uhlans and Dragoons. Now I know that HaT have already produced the Dragoons a very long time ago and they do need updating and the Strelets figures are looking better these days  Now the last two companies seem to be filling in the gap for the Prussian cavalry and am pleased that they are doing that and hope that it will be for the Waterloo Campaign.

So taking a deep breath of air, I do hope that these will be produced in 2020 it might help to get my mojo back.