15e Chasseurs a Cheval Expanded and Up to Strength

The 15e Chasseurs a Cheval with New Recruits!

I had always hoped to find the figures needed to bring the 15th CaC up to strength, and until recently had despaired of ever finding some.  Hinton Hunt figures from the dismountable series are terribly hard to find. I was elated a few months back therefore to find some, and in my excitement, purchased them without looking as closely as I should have.  It turned out their mounts were terribly undersized and not even by Hinton Hunt, and frankly may not have even been from the Napoleonic era.  I was sorely disappointed.  Somewhat later I was looking through my spares box and realized I had some elite Chasseurs a Cheval that were recasts, which I had forgotten about.  They just happened to be mounted on the correct horse and I was able to find four castings that were reasonably well done.  A bit of work with epoxy putty to fill the holes in the bases and pits from poor casting and voila - the horses I needed.  So without further adieu, I present the completed regiment of the 15e Chasseurs a Cheval.

The biggest challenge when matching an existing unit is getting the colors right - which I almost did.  The horses turned out a hair darker, but not distractingly so.  The new company is at the front left of the line in this picture.

Here's a comparison shot - very subtle differences, but I was extremely pleased with the final match.

The new company is on the right.

Here is the command stand, now with an added trooper from the newly painted castings.

Dick Tennant's brushwork on these was spectacular, and I was hard pressed to match it!

Close-up of the newly painted company

Note the solid red pompom of the newly painted company.

Some of DTs work for comparison.

In the originals painted by Dick Tennant, the company pompom was red with a white line.  The other company distinctives are light blue, and light blue with a white line (not pictured here, but in the second rank of the main picture).

Newly painted four figures on the left.

New figures once again on the left.  They fit right in as if they had always been there.

Next Up - Elite Voltigeurs Skirmishing and Carabinier Command for the 6e Legere

French 1st Hussars Regiment

The French 1st Hussars are an iconic regiment resplendent in their fur lined pelisses encrusted with lace worn over the shoulder of their laced dolmans, with elaborate sabretaches dangling from corded waistbelts.  They really were quite the spectacle.  These Hinton Hunt figures were originally painted by Richard Tennant and came to me as part of his collection.  I am pleased to say they have been painstakingly restored and are now once again ready for battle on the tabletop.

Clearly this photo was taken sometime during their deployment in Austria, long before they travelled along the dusty roads of Spain.

I had originally intended a new addition to the unit to serve as the Colonel, but Richard had done such an amazing job on his own colonel, that I demoted my addition to a company Captain.

With all of the work that went into the leopard skin saddle cover I simply could not make myself hide him amongst the rank and file.

Here is the command stand with a Franznap interloper painted as the company Captain.  The Franznap figures are slighter in build and more finely sculpted, which is why I had originally intended for him to be mounted as the colonel and thus on his own base.  Despite the mis-match in styles, I like this look and don't mind the commander being a little stylistically different, it distinguishes him from the other ranks after all.

The trumpeter is one of Mr. Tennant's lovely conversions.

Horse butts.

Arrayed for review.  There are two squadrons represented here, each of two companies.  Each company has its own distinctive pompom at the base of their plumes, and of course the elite company is distinguished by the red plumes and fur busbys.

More horse butts and a whole lot of lace.  Thank god I did not have to paint all of that lacework on the dolmans and pelisses!

Next up on the painting desk are four Chasseurs a Cheval that will be painted to match Richard's work on the 15th Chasseurs.  He has some incredibly fine detail work on the vests and jackets of these figures, so it is with some trepidation that I will try and match them.

The riders are original Hinton Hunts, but the horses are recasts that I have repaired and in the end I believe will be very difficult to distinguish from the originals.  I guess we will know in a month or so...