The German Allies

Of the older part of my collection and my current obsession with Perrys and plastics (28mm of course) aside, I  like the most Napoleon's German Allies and in particular the Bavarians.  These are very popular with collectors and gamers precisely because the uniforms are so colourful and distinctive with their big 'Raupenhelm' caterpillar-crest helmets.  I seem to have acquired and lost (as in traded or sold) several Bavarian armies so when I got a job lot of old Foundry that needed a bit of a touch-up with the brush I decided to keep them.  One thing led to another and I actually ended up buying one of Front Rank's battalion bags of them too, along with a regiment of their Chevau-leger brothers.  Esthetically, they don't mix in that well with the Foundry figures as they tower over them but when massed together in a brigade you don't notice or care that much as they make great eye-candy! The mounted officer is a conversion from an 1805 French officer in bicorne (Foundry) - required a bit of work to create a Bavarian coat out of a French jacket but it came together OK and now the six battalion brigade has a commander!  The guns are also scratch-built and meant to represent captured Austrian ordnance which the Bavarians made quite a lot of use of.  The gunners are Foundry (some of their nicer old sets) but no idea what the guns are - apart from captured Austrian 6 pdrs!

                                                                     

The Foundry Bavarians are on the right.

The Front Rank figures are very good, only criticism is the Teletubby proportions of the figures - they could all use a trip to Jenny Craigs! - and  the lack of variation in poses, noticeable against even old Foundry's.  But the detail etc is superb and they paint up very well - particularly the cavalry.

Another one of the guns.  We like the guns - very pretty (with apologies to Trailape: 'pretty' is not a thing to call gunners or their guns!)

Next in line is the cavalry.  I have actually painted these up as Baden Chevau-leger - the horse's cloth is the only way to tell the difference between them and the Bavarian version.  Imagine the confusion if that lot came up against Austrians Chev-Legers in their green uniform!  The Baden infantry (old Foundry Austrians with some conversion) are in the background.

What the FR lack in animation is well and truly made up for in detail - lovely figures.  I have also finished a regiment of Bavarian Chevau Legers in 'Wiesfrocken' - horse furniture cloths correctly painted this time! - all later Foundrys which I will post at a later date.

Next in line are the Baden infantry - converted Austrians from very, very ancient Foundry figures (I wondered if they were knock-offs some were so rough) but they turned out OK I think.  I created a little command diorama to go with them.  The only figures missing are the Grenadier companies which I made out of a combo of Foundry and Minifigs (shock horror - yes Minifigs!) and they actually look OK. Probably because they fit in with the dwarfish old Foundrys.

Note also the Swiss along side them - all Old Glory (I think) command in front and Elites behind - not too shabby either!  So there you have it - the 'German' allies.  Always room for more of course - a few Rhineland Federation regiments wouldn't go amiss.  No problem really, just have to sell one or two of the children to afford it.