28mm Napoleonic Saxon Heavy Cavalry (Connoissur miniatures)

For people who have visited the Wargames Holiday Center in the UK (now in Berkshire) some  units are evocative. I will always remember their Saxon Heavy Cavalry, made with Connoisseur miniatures. Connoisseur, now sold by Bicorne miniatures, was started by the late, great, Peter Guilder. The figures have great proportions. They look good today - even alongside contemporary ranges.

These figures present certain difficulties to the modeller. In the rush to introduce ranges manufacturers skipped over musicians and other figures we count on today. You only get an officer and a trooper. Forget about getting figures in a variety of poses. In olden times this was not a problem as people could make their own. You try to tell kids today and they don't believe you...

Here are the Saxon Guard du Corps

Napoleonic Saxon Guard du Corps (Connoisseur miniatures)

These are the Saxon von Zastrow Cuirassier

Saxon von Zastrow Cuirassier (Connoisseur miniatures)

28mm Napoleonic Saxon 1806 Line infantry and artillery

Six battalions of early Saxons and a battery of artillery. The metal is from Elite miniatures.

 

28mm Napoleonic Saxon line infantry and artillery

28mm Napoleonic conversion of Saxon Guard du Corps trooper to French Carabinier trumpeter

Connoisseur don't do a trumpeter for their French Carabiniers. So you have to make them yourself, like they did in olden times. It was easiest for me to choose a Saxon Guard du Corps trooper and then convert him. If I had used a Carabinier trooper I would have to file off the Cuirass. For the Saxon, I had to change the plume and saddle work. Then a trumpet had to be made. Here you can see the WIP. The figures are actually all painted now and in the process of being based. I just remembered I took these photos. Je vous présente...

Conversion work

28mm Napoleonic Saxon Prinz Johann Cheveauleger

There are no trumpeters in the Connoisseur range for these figures, so they have to be adapted from troopers using wire, araldite, green stuff to make trumpets and "shoulder pads." The Russian campaign was very hard on the Saxon Light Cavalry. Only 28 officers and men from this regiment returned. The other regiments were not so "lucky." Most were captured at Berezina. Those captured generally did not make it home.

Saxon Prinz Johann Cheveauleger

28mm Napoleonic Saxon line infantry (Calpe miniatures)

These figures are from Calpe miniatures. White is a very hard colour to paint. I have used various techniques to paint white and never settled on one. For the moment my view is that a white uniform should be mainly white, with subtle shading. That is hard to achieve in reality. For most purposes it is best just to paint the item white and use a very light grey or brown wash. I've done "highlights" of pure white after this. It takes quite a long time.

Napoleonic Saxon line infantry

28mm Napoleonic Saxon Guard Grenadiers (Connoisseur) and Russian Jaegers (Elite)

Saxon Guard Grenadiers from Connoisseur. I love the drummer carrying a pistol. Followed by Russian Jaegers.

28mm Napoleonic Baden, Bavarian, Saxon trumpeter conversion

A lot of "old school" ranges are missing key figures. Back in olden times you had to make these figures yourself by converting other figures. That was part of the hobby.

Here are some Baden Hussar, Bavarian Cheveauleger (I have two of these regiments) and Saxon light cavalry.

28mm Napoleonic conversions of Connoisseur miniatures to make trumpeters

28mm Napoleonic Saxon Guard du Corps

Here is the companion unit to the von Zastrow Cuirassier I posted yesterday. These are the Saxon Guard du Corps. I can't decide which of these two regiments is my favorite Napoleonic unit. I have had the chance to lead both units a few times at the Wargames Holiday Center (UK) and it was a pleasure to see them clip-clopping into battle.

You will see that Eureka have a nice casualty figure falling from his horse. Back in olden days you had to do this sort of thing yourself. What a time those folks had in the days before they invented TV and when they had to make their own entertainment ;-) You tell young people today and they don't believe you!

I still have one of each of these regiments in lead from Connoisseur miniatures. Painting those will be a big undertaking as they must be converted. Peter Guilder, the illustrious sculptor, didn't even make trumpeters.

Reinforcements by Post

28mm Napoleonic Saxon von Zastrow Cuirassier

The Saxons had wonderful cavalry during the Napoleonic wars. I was inspired to paint the heavies by the Connoisseur miniatures Saxon heavy cavalry at the Wargames holiday center. The figures are virtually all conversions, very animated, with some figures falling. I actually have the Connoisseur figures somewhere to recreate what I saw all those years ago. I did a "trial run" on some British Hussars, swapping swords, chopping up figures, grinding off reigns and replacing them with thin copper wise - sheer madness.  I am still trying to block the memory of the many hours it took to grind off reigns. I think I spent a couple of days on it.

The Zastrow Cuirassier have have black metal breast plates. To simulate metal I painted them black, then used a graphite pencil to scuff them on the sides and along the ridge where light will hit. After all was done I went back and gloss varnished all the metal work and these breast plates. It is perhaps too subtle to show on camera.

The figures are from Eureka. Most are one piece castings. They are very nice. It was however tough to get nice photos as they are mostly in a Charrrrrrge! pose leaning forward.

These cavalry had silver bugles. They managed to save them at one point in Russia but they, and much else, was swallowed up by the great bear.

28mm Napoleonic Saxon Guard Grenadiers

These lovely 28mm Napoleonic Saxon Guard Grenadiers have marched into my depot and joined my Saxon forces. The figures are from Elite miniatures. They are grenadier figures which I had to paint epaulets onto. I actually like my painted epaulets more than those you get molded onto figures.

http://reinforcementsbypost.com/?q=content/28mm-napoleonic-saxon-guard-grenadiers