The Gods: Grenadiers a Cheval de la Garde Imperiale

Started by Not Drowning, Waving, 26 August 2019, 01:21:39 AM

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Not Drowning, Waving

I am wanting to get units of Guard cavalry, and see that if I want to stay with PEN conversions are the go.  The obvious candidate for these fine fellow is NPF21 early Carabiniers.

If you have gone this route, what changes (if any) did you make to NPF21?  I can't really see the sculpting from the photos (maybe my ageing eyes) but the two things which to me stand out are a) no aiguillettes I think they are called (gold curly braid stuff worn on right hand shoulder, front and back) and b) NPF21 I think has sheepskin cover over the saddle cloth (shabraque?) like for Cuirassiers, whereas the Grenadiers had no sheepskins and those prominent angular bits at the front of the shabraque which I think are called Chaperons.  Are there any other differences? 

I am thinking pre-knotted glued thin cotton for a) and greenstuff for b).  Am a bit of a greenstuff novice, so might practice on something else.  Have always liked this unit, never done it before in any scale, and might put some effort into getting it right (but we will see how long that lasts...).

Cheers LPWC

Duke Speedy of Leighton

Good luck.
Nowt in the 1870 range that might work?
You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

Not Drowning, Waving

Thanks for the suggestion. I went and had a look - goodness they are nice figures!
Saw nothing on horse with a bearskin, but there were a few possibilities for other figure conversions.

Zippee

I don't think you'll find anything closer than the carabiniers.

French Carabiniers 1809 - 1st Regiment 04 by Zippee Jerred, on Flickr


Not a lot of the front shabraque is visible to be honest

French Carabiniers 1809 - 2nd Regiment 04 by Zippee Jerred, on Flickr

It is a cuirassier style half-shabraque with sheepskin though, no pistol covers

As for aiguilette (the cord that attached hat to belts - started life as the powder cord for matchlocks but devolved to a decorative feature) surely the existance of whopping great epaulettes is a bigger problem, not to mention the full lapelled habit coat wheras the grenadiers almost universally wore the single breasted habit a kinski/surtout thing.

They are the closest but not a perfect fit, all depends just how pernikity you want to be - and with such a prestigious unit pernikitiness is permitted  ;)

Maybe ask Leon when we can expect the much anticipated IG range to reach production status?

Westmarcher

These look great, Zippee! And thanks for the fun fact about the hat cords - didn't know that.
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

paulr

Lord Lensman of Wellington
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Not Drowning, Waving

Thirded.

The aiguilette's evolution from functionality to bling is a thing of beauty and was completely unknown to me. What an encyclopaedia you are Learned Zippee!

The absence of Gard cavalry does seem a bit of a craterous hole. I guess atm you use early carabiners for the grenadiers a Cheval, elite Chasseurs a Cheval for their guard counterparts, Duchy of Warsaw Lancers for the Polish and Dutch regiments, and ordinary dragoons for the Empress regiment. That last one is a bit of a sad compromise given their fabulous saddle furniture and plumes, absent with the line sculpts.  But there are problems with each of those conversions, and it is a bit disappointing to have Guard cavalry in the same poses as everything else.

Pernikitiness needs to be kept tightly locked in its box, and only let out occasionally. These chaps may have to be one such occasion, so I will contact Leon, and put the project on hold for the moment.

Btw what do you use for Mamelukes?

Zippee

Quote from: LetsPartyWithCossacks on 27 August 2019, 09:04:54 PM
Thirded.

The aiguilette's evolution from functionality to bling is a thing of beauty and was completely unknown to me. What an encyclopaedia you are Learned Zippee!

The absence of Gard cavalry does seem a bit of a craterous hole. I guess atm you use early carabiners for the grenadiers a Cheval, elite Chasseurs a Cheval for their guard counterparts, Duchy of Warsaw Lancers for the Polish and Dutch regiments, and ordinary dragoons for the Empress regiment. That last one is a bit of a sad compromise given their fabulous saddle furniture and plumes, absent with the line sculpts.  But there are problems with each of those conversions, and it is a bit disappointing to have Guard cavalry in the same poses as everything else.

Pernikitiness needs to be kept tightly locked in its box, and only let out occasionally. These chaps may have to be one such occasion, so I will contact Leon, and put the project on hold for the moment.

Btw what do you use for Mamelukes?

I have no Mamelukes (and probably no intention of ever having any) so I really can't help much, they're failry unique unles syou can find a suitable proxy in the various Turk lists.

I'll not be proxying anything for guard units - I'll wait on the release, and then adjust and amend as necessary based on that. in the meantime if I need Gods in a scenario my Carabinier will stand in as is. I have more than enough painting in that big box under my desk, the one labelled "PD 1809 Rhinebund non-KS"  :D