Latest Additions 2

And so to the second of three LA installments and for this one I've chosen to return to some recently released figures from Britains which I featured in a couple of posts last year

I bought them a while ago but again it's taken me some time to get around to snapping them in situ, on the shelf they occupy with some First Legion enemies, on terrain modules produced by David Marshall

The figures in question are those depicting the Brunswick Leib Battalion which fought on the side of the British at Waterloo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Brunswickers

Although not depicted here fighting the French they nevertheless make for quite an attractive group of figures and don't look too out of place sharing the same diorama with their FL fellows

Talking of FL, the company make a handful of 'Brunswickers' of their own, depicting the regiments you can just about catch a glimpse of on the left hand side in the illustration below

I'll end this post with a couple more photos of the Britains figures. Ideally I'd like three more and would love WB to make three more variants. Failing that, I'll double up on three already purchased

Happy Hunting!

First Legion: Upcoming Releases

First Legion

New Expected Late September 2014! Russian Litovsky Uhlans We are pleased to present the Russian Litovsky Uhlans of the Napoleonic Wars. Uhlans were light cavalry regiments armed with Lances that typically wore a double breasted jacket and Czapka which is the headwear most famously associated with Polish Lancers (or Polish Uhlans). Our presentation of them here includes an officer, an NCO, a Trumpeter, and 2 privates, one with lance and another with a sword and carbine. In their striking blue and fuchsia facings with blue and white pennons. NAP0449 Russian Litovsky Uhlan Officer NAP0450 Russian Litovsky Uhlan Trumpeter NAP0451 Russian Litovsky Uhlan NCO NAP0452 Russian Litovsky Uhlan with Lance NAP0453 Russian Litovsky Uhlan with Sword and Carbine Russian Litovsky Uhlans British 51st Light Infantry The 51st Light was positioned on the right side of the Allied line at the Battle of Waterloo and was engaged in the area of Hougoumont. We have presented them as a mix of firing line and skirmishing so they can be used both in an open order display as well as shoulder to shoulder in line of battle. With 16 sets totaling 17 figures, the Great British 51st Light Infantry regiment of foot will make a fantastic addition to Waterloo dioramas the world over. NAP0471 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment Major NAP0472 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment Ensign Standard Bearer - King's Colors NAP0473 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment Ensign Standard Bearer - Regimental Colors NAP0474 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment Bugler NAP0475 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment NCO NAP0476 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment Standing Loading #1 NAP0477 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment Standing Firing NAP0478 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment Kneeling Loading NAP0479 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment Standing Loading #2 NAP0480 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment Kneeling Firing NAP0481 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment Standing Ready NAP0482 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment Standing Attacking NAP0483 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment Attacking with Raised Musket NAP0484 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment Scanning for Target NAP0485 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment Advancing Firing NAP0486 British 51st Light Infantry Regiment Vignette of Wounded Sergeant Major British 51st Light Infantry WWI The Great War FL-GW008 German Maschinegewehr 08 Team - 62nd Infantry Division FL-GW009 German Trench Mortar Team - Wurttemberg Co. 307 Great War Germans by First Legion Happy Hunting! http://www.toysoldiersclub.com/2014-09-FL-EN.html

John Jenkins Designs: September Releases

As has become customary of late, here's the latest releases from JJD for next month, even before this month has come to an end. They aren't even up on the JJDUK web site yet!

Happy Hunting!

Centurion Toy Soldiers: New Venture

Chester based toy soldier retailer Centurion Toy Soldiers has recently commissioned six new figures

Selling under the brand name Cold Steel Miniatures these new figures represent the 43rd Monmouthshire Light Infantry, a regiment which fought during the Peninsular Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars

43rd Monmouthshire Light Infantry

The 43rd Light Infantry Regiment of foot fought right through the Peninsular War starting at Vimiero Ridge, the retreat to Corunna with sir John Moore, Busaco, the storming of Cuidad Rodrigo and Badajoz and countless other battles. Part of the infamous Light Brigade under Robert Crauford. Here we present them in the early battles of the Peninsular War

According to Iwan Williams, owner of CTS, the figures are being produced exclusively for him by a family run factory in Shenzen, a factory with 10 years experience in the toy soldier production business. A further six figures are already planned and in the pipeline and ought to be available later on in the year

Judging by the images on the website these figures have been designed to look strikingly similar to the Russian produced figures already being sold by the company. Like Matt at First Legion, I think Iwan has made a deliberate attempt to produce a group of figures that retain many of the hallmarks of top quality Russian examples but which will sell at a much more wallet-friendly price point

You'll have to take a closer look at them for yourself and see if you agree

Happy Hunting!

William Britains: New Brunswickers

William Britains have just announced the release of the second group of Brunswickers to add to the one released earlier in the year, and here they are

Napoleonic - Brunswickers

• BR36117 -- Brunswick Leib Battalion NCO No.1 
• BR36118 -- Brunswick Leib Battalion Officer No.1 
• BR36119 -- Brunswick Leib Battalion Standing Reaching for Cartridge 
• BR36120 -- Brunswick Leib Battalion Casualty on Ground 
• BR36121 -- Brunswick Leib Battalion Drummer 

Brunswickers

Happy Hunting!

First Legion: Latest Releases

Following hot on the heels of the latest figures to be released for their ACW and Samurai ranges, here are a few more figures from First Legion due to be shipped in early May

First, sets GERSTAL050-GERSTAL053 are two summer Germans at rest and two winter Germans at rest.   We like to think of these figures as essentially being the same two men showing how they would have appeared at the start of the battle [Stalingrad] and how they appeared closer to the final German defeat.

    

Next we have sets DAK025-DAK031 “Fighting” DAK Infantry. 

Up to now, the range has showcased moving and resting DAK figures. These are the first true combat figures for the range which means of course that an enemy/allied release is not too far off! 

   

Finally, following up the success of our multiple figure vignette sets “Death of Lannes” and “French Camp Life” we are extremely pleased to commence the pre-order of NAP0443-NAP0448 “Holy Virgin of Smolensk” vignette sets. These figures depict the evening before the battle of Borodino when the Virgin of Smolensk Icon was paraded before the Imperial Russian Army to steel their nerves for the horrors that would come the following morning.    

The DAK, Stalingrad, and Napoleon Europe vignette are pre-orders shipping early May in just a few short weeks.  

And if that wasn't enough, how about a couple of 'sneak peaks' to get you salivating even further. First up, an utterly majestic looking Russian Uhlan officer for their flagship Napoleonic range, followed by the first regiment in yet another new range of figures just announced

First Legion is extremely pleased to present our newest figure range, the Anglo-Zulu War!!!  Part of a larger plan to cover the wars of the British Empire, we are launching the range with the iconic Great British 24th Regiment of Foot.   

Elements of the regiment were heavily engaged in the desperate and heroic defense at Rorke's Drift where less than 150 British soldiers held off a Zulu force numbering close to 4,000. In this action, the 24th Foot were awarded more Victoria Crosses than any other single regiment in a single action in British military history.    

Around the same time, the bulk of the regiment was decimated at the Battle of Isandlwana where over confidence led to the annihilation of the British and allied forces. 

Happy Hunting! 

William Britain: New Nappies!

I don't generally post about Britain's figures but occasionally something catches my eye as I rifle through the pages of the latest edition of Toy Soldier Collector and, this weekend, it happened again

As a collector of German-themed fighting men from across the centuries my beady eye was drawn to a review of some of the latest Britain's releases, featuring as it did the figures pictured and briefly outlined below, the Black Brunswickers of the Napoleonic era. They're definitely on my hit list. What do you think?

Black Brunswickers

The Black Brunswickers were raised in 1809 to fight Napoleon Bonaparte’s occupation of Germany. These Brunswickers were distinctively attired in black wool uniforms, black leather belting and wore silver death heads on their shakos, quickly earning the nickname ‘The Black Legion’ or ‘The Black Horde.’

During the Waterloo campaign, they were placed under the Duke of Wellington’s command and joined the Allied forces of the Seventh Coalition in Belgium.

The regiments were heavily engaged at Quatre Bras on June 16, 1815, where their commander, Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, lost his life. The corps lost over 500 men in this engagement, and only two days later they were again engaging the French as part of the Anglo-Allied army at Waterloo.

Wellington held the Leib and Light Battalion in Reserve just north of the Chateau Hougomont. By mid afternoon the regiments were moved forward to support the Allied right wing, and were formed into squares where they stood in place taking heavy casualties from artillery. At about 4:00 P.M., 4,800 French horsemen charged their positions hoping to break the center right of the Allied line, but the Brunswick squares stood fast.

Late in the day, the Brunswickers were repositioned to the center of Wellington’s line facing the last gasp attack by Napoleon’s Imperial Guard. Facing these veterans, the Brunswick regiments broke and fell back in disorder, but were rallied by their officers in time to participate in the Allied “General Advance” that swept the French Army from the field.

Our new release of ‘Black Brunswickers’ will allow you to form a firing line or to build a square to repel your French Lancers!

Happy Hunting!