Why we'd be better off if Napoleon never lost at Waterloo

An interesting little article in the Smithsonian today - see "Why we'd be better off if Napoleon never lost at Waterloo"

It's an issue that could be endlessly debated, though I lean towards this position myself... Figuring out the complexities and psychologies of 200 years ago is a challenge of course. Nice to have this counterpoint to all the boring old anglophile accounts at any rate.

I also listened to the Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast last year, which takes a similar positive view. Over 100 hours of listening there! Great to have these things to listen to while painting.

Great article on Chasseurs

I'm a fan of the under rated Chasseurs - hardly surprising given the name of my blog, and what I said in a previous post on my own Chasseurs!

Thus I'm pleased to see that Warlord Games have released a box of plastic Chasseurs. Though already having three units myself I'm not sure I need any more right now!

Just as interestingly, they also have a great article on the Chasseurs, so do check it out! It has a lot of good information.

Here's the new Warlord Chasseurs box set, looking very nice!

My first Napoleonics from 20 years ago!

I started wargaming with Napoleonics as a teenager. While cleaning out the cupboards at her house my mother found a few non-digital photos of games I played over 20 years ago, which I've photographed digitally and uploaded. Looks like a Hundred Days campaign battle based rather loosely on Quatre Bras if I remember correctly. Well... it had a crossroads anyway! The quality of the photos is pretty terrible but shows the sort of thing I was doing at the time.

The figures were 1/72nd, mainly Esci (Now sold by Italeri) with many conversions to get the sort of troops I wanted. French and British, and I remember painting up Nassau and Brunswickers, and British Guards in white trousers (and possibly even bearskins!!). Rather carried away with artistic license in that latter case. I sold them all about 15 years ago. However the Napoleonic flame didn't die and is now back from Elba and re-establishing the Empire in 28mm.

Here's a table in my parent's basement. 

On the left flank, French assaulting some allied squares. Those flags and uniforms near the top left behind the hill might be some Brunswickers from the looks of things.

In the centre.

Right flank.

I also took them along to a Wargaming Convention, this must have been around 1994 I think.

Individual casualty removal apparently. Rules were pretty terrible (in terms of speed of play anyway!)

Well that's it, not much to see really, but nice to have a few last memories of them and thought a few other people might like to have a look!

Currently finishing off last of the figures I need for Waterloo, some much better pics soon!

Getting ready for Waterloo, French Infantry

It's that time of the century when wargamers all over the world are getting ready for the bicentennial of Waterloo. I've been polishing off heaps of French infantry, and now have a dozen 24 strong units, plus three 12 strong units of skirmishers. These are all Perry plastic figures, though I selected only models without greatcoats for this group as I think they look better. The skirmishers have a role in the second Waterloo game we'll be playing using General de Brigade. For the first game using Blackpowder they are abstracted and not required.

Before June 13 I need to get another dozen French Lancers, 4 artillery and some generals done. In the first Waterloo I'm taking the role of Lobau and in the second Ney so they are also on the painting table!

Battle of Chunuk Bair Diroma

If you haven't seen it yet, the huge Battle of Chunuk Bair diorama is ready at last. I recognised a few of the figures I painted among the masses! See my previous blog posts on painting the allied casualties and Turkish casualties. A huge amount of work in the whole thing. Here's just a few pictures from the latest Mustering the Troops blog post. 

There are also many interesting pictures of the construction process. Here's Lt General Rhys Jones (ex-CinC of New Zealand Defence Force), Sir Peter Jackson and the Perry Twins surveying some of the figures prior to them being put into the display.

Check out the rest of the photos on the Mustering the Troops blog. And visit the exhibition if you get a chance, it's on for the next four years!

Here's a video news clip with the unveiling of the diorama.

Here's a TV news clip about the wider museum exhibit, which also includes the amazing "bigatures", figures 2.5 times life size and very realistic looking.

Herman Van Kradenburg also has this excellent post on the battle and diorama.

And another news clip about the diorama from Maori TV.

Lastly I'll also list again this very good news clip about the painting process.