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Re: French 1813-14 conscripts

Agreed. A group that needs some attention. I suppose its possible to use the various greatcoated sets as "Marie Louises" with some work, but a dedicated set with a real "sculpted in" ragged look would be fantastic. If a marching type set of them was made, then you could also use them as some really beaten up French on the retreat, perhaps after a long and costly campaign?
Theres also room in such a set to not be quite so correct on the details too!! 😉
I would certainly like to see more late war French anyway, given the Strelets treatment with the various boxes of drill/pose types we have been seeing.

Some 1813-1815 Summer dress French Line infantry, with the 4 fusilier companys & the flank companys (1 voltigeur, 1 grenadier), properly represented in a set....making sure that the fusiliers and flank are properly distinguished with the correctly issued single cartridge/bayonet belt for fusiliers and the 2 individual belts & epaulettes for the flank. Marching, advancing etc etc.
Late war French line cavalry such as Dragoons,Chasseurs a cheval, lancers & hussars would also be nice to see.

Either way, theres still plenty of room for more sets OR indeed existing ones that can be improved upon and bettered.

Re: French 1813-14 conscripts

Couldn't agree more, those consripts would be great, as well as the regular French line infantry with the correct distrubution of voltigeurs fusiliers and grenadiers. though there are various sets of French infantry available, many of them have issues. It would be great if the French infantry got the Strelets marching/ shoulder arms/ standing orders treatment. This would really fill a gap. Perhaps this is even more true for the pre-bardin uniform.

Re: French 1813-14 conscripts

Could the Strelets set of French Line Infantry Standing at Attention work? PSR even mentions that the set reminds them of the Marie-Louise conscripts.

Re: French 1813-14 conscripts

I think the conscripts were doing one of two things under Napoleon in 1813-4. Starving or fighting. I would rather a more active set.

Re: French 1813-14 conscripts

Even for conscripts those greatcoat sets maybe a little too smart in appearance. Besides a nice "march attack" set would be helpful, the marching sets for the existing Strelets French are more like they are on a route march....not on a battlefield.
Or as Tim has hinted at, maybe a marching set with tired, hungry, dirty & wounded soldiers looking defeated and in rags? Then perhaps it would have a dual role as could be amalgamated in existing marching sets to show troops on retreat?

Besides.... the French sets made in greatcoats are a right mixed bunch. There is the whole issue of are those sets flank as suggested, or are they fusiliers? No epaulettes for the flank and yet 2 belts as per the flank.
No epaulettes as per fusiliers but 2 belts present, whereas fusiliers had a single belt for both cartridge box and bayonet.
So those earlier French sets are a strange brew....goes back to the whole research issue I guess. 😞

Re: French 1813-14 conscripts

Dear Tim,

I am currently reading Gilles Boué's 'La Campagne de France, 1814'.

He describes each arm/formation of the French army in 1814 against the backdrop of the campaign and battles. Plenty of details of formations, events and actions, interspersed with anecdotes. It is 'lusciously' illustrated with some of the well-known paintings of the mid-18th and early 19th C, some more recent examples and loads of uniform prints. All beautifully reproduced and most in colour. Loads of maps and detailed orders of battle (for the French) too.

Highly recommended. A most useful (and beautifully produced) addition, rather than mere re-hash.

Regards, James