French Guard Skirmishers

[Marthas Dad]

Hello all,
Can any of you gentlemen point me in the right direction for French Guard skirmisher figures. I'm looking for which Perry figures are most suitable for my Young Guard mostly and thought that you might stop me making a mistake. Would the new Elite plastic box be correct or one of the metal packs. It is for the 100days campaign.
Thanks
Paul

[Ogrob]

The Elite Infantry box has a bunch of skirmishing poses. There are three different sprues in the box, the most numerous is this one:

[Marthas Dad]

Thanks for the picture but are they correct for 1815?
If they are that would be my go to choice.
Regards

[Jemima Fawr]

Thanks for the picture but are they correct for 1815?
If they are that would be my go to choice.
Regards

Sadly not.  For the Young Guard of 1815 you'll need Bardin uniforms (square lapels) and fringed epaulettes for both the Voltigeurs and the Tirailleurs (the Tirailleurs didn't have epaulettes in previous campaigns).  They should also have the Young Guard eagle badge on the shako.  The badge was repeated on the cartridge-pouch for the Tirailleurs, while the Voltigeurs had a hunting-horn badge on their pouches.  The Young Guard lacked sabre-briquets by this time (though NCOs had them), so should only have one cross-belt (for the pouch), with the bayonet suspended from the single belt.

Sadly, I can't help you with 28mm figures as I'm a 15mm man, but this might help with the uniform differences: http://www.jemimafawr.co.uk/2019/08/26/la-garde-au-feu-my-15mm-french-imperial-guard-part-4-the-young-guard-uniforms-and-painting/

Voltigeurs:





Tirailleurs:

[Arthur]

Can't put it better than Jemima did. There's a dearth of 1815 Young Guard figures on the market at the moment. Foundry still do a pack of light infantry/young guard skirmishers in Bardin coatees sculpted by Alan Perry over 25 years ago. They're nice miniatures but expect them to be noticeably smaller than Alan's current Perry Miniatures sculpts.



They're also lacking epaulettes and sabre-briquets, which is a problem for 1815 young guard tirailleurs and voltigeurs. If you are willing to go a couple of years back in time, they will do nicely for 1813 flanqueurs-chasseurs 

[Donkeymilkman]

Are the Front Rank figures appropriate?

https://www.frontrank.com/product-category/napoleonic/napoleonic-french/french-middle-guard-napoleonic-french/

[Jemima Fawr]

Are the Front Rank figures appropriate?

https://www.frontrank.com/product-category/napoleonic/napoleonic-french/french-middle-guard-napoleonic-french/

No sorry, they're the Fusilier regiments of the Middle Guard (aka the first iteration of the Young Guard in 1806 and then becoming the 'Old Soldiers of the Young Guard' with the expansion of the Young Guard in 1809, before officially becoming the Middle Guard in 1811 and finally being disbanded in 1814).  They're essentially wearing the same cut of uniform as Old Guard, with long coat-tails, cutaway front showing the waistcoat and long gaiters.

The Young Guard also wore 'cutaway' coats until 1813, but had short coat-tails and short gaiters.  By late 1813 they were wearing the square-lapelled 'Bardin' style.

[Jemima Fawr]

Front Rank do have these for the 1809-1813 Young Guard (Tirailleurs & Voltigeurs), though:

https://www.frontrank.com/product-category/napoleonic/napoleonic-french/french-young-guard-napoleonic-french/

[Donkeymilkman]

No sorry, they're the Fusilier regiments of the Middle Guard (aka the first iteration of the Young Guard in 1806 and then becoming the 'Old Soldiers of the Young Guard' with the expansion of the Young Guard in 1809, before officially becoming the Middle Guard in 1811 and finally being disbanded in 1814).  They're essentially wearing the same cut of uniform as Old Guard, with long coat-tails, cutaway front showing the waistcoat and long gaiters.

The Young Guard also wore 'cutaway' coats until 1813, but had short coat-tails and short gaiters.  By late 1813 they were wearing the square-lapelled 'Bardin' style.

Sorry about that, I read your first response thinking young guard and completely zoned out and sent the link for the middle guard . Thank you for the fascinating information though. It does amaze me the font of knowledge people have about uniforms on this forum.

[Marthas Dad]

Thanks gents, I was hoping someone new.

[Jemima Fawr]

Sorry about that, I read your first response thinking young guard and completely zoned out and sent the link for the middle guard . Thank you for the fascinating information though. It does amaze me the font of knowledge people have about uniforms on this forum.

The first step to wisdom is to be very, very bored on a long night shift... 

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

All that knowledge AND he makes the trains run on time.

And usually without having to torture/shoot anyone!

Usually......