42nd (Royal Highland) Reggimento Britannico, 1808–1815

Recensione dei Figurini Italeri in Scala 1:72

Companies granatieri e leggeri were the elite formations of the fanteria di linea units, e they were routinely chosen for the most difficult e dangerous assignments. Granatieri could be expected to lead an attack o to resist enemy assaults con exemplary courage e determination. Light companies were employed in skirmish formation to protect the battalion from enemy skirmishers e to harras formed enemy units. Highland regiments have distinguished themselves in so many battles that there is no doubt about their elite status.

Upon first inspection the Italeri soldatini appear caricatured, primarily because some of the men are extremely straddle-legged. The charging Highlander looks strangely posed, but he is actually ambling like a horse con his left arm e left foot forward, a debilitating gait for a soldier ed usually grounds for dismissal. These mishaps are unfortunate because the soldatini are otherwise historically accurate e very well sculpted.

Contenuto

50 soldatini con 15 pose – 23 mm pari a 166 cm di altezza

• Ufficiale con flag, 2 NCOs,
• Bagpiper
• 46 Granatieri o fanteria leggera:
  • 8 standing
  • 12 advancing
  • 3 attacking
  • 2 wounded
  • 10 kneeling & standing, tirante
  • 11 loading, kneeling & standing

Valutazione

• Nicely detailed soldatini, con kilts, tartan patterns, feathers e plumes on the bonnet, hose e garters, lace, shoulder wings e metal parts clearly shown. The tartan pattern of the kilt is deaply engraved ed it will be easy to paint.
• It is a nice touch that most of the soldatini are shown fighting in light gear, without the knapsack. Strangely, the standing e firing figure is wearing the knapsack, but the man kneeling e firing in front of him is not, despite the fact that units ordered to discard knapsacks would have done so in unison. Knapsacks look more appropriate on marching soldatini con shouldered muskets, which may be grouped in marching formations at some distance from the battlefield.
• Useful historic poses of fighting e firing granatieri. Some of the poses make excellent skirmishers for the Light Company.
• The officer carrying the company colours is an exquisite figure, wearing the grey o dark blue overalls which replaced the kilt on campaign.
• Very good casting quality, minimal flash. The granatiere standing at attention has a minor molding problem between the musket stock e the left arm, but this may not be noticeable after the figure is painted.

• If fewer poses had been used for the company granatieri e leggeri soldatini, it might have been possible to include soldiers from the Battalion Companies as well, offering the entire 42nd Regiment in one set of soldatini. I battaglioni di fanteria britannica consisted of 10 companies, eight Battalion e due Flank Companies. Accordingly, the historic gamer e collector would have needed a box containing 40 Highlanders, 5 Highland Granatieri e 5 Highlanders of the Light Company. The problem can be corrected by chopping the shoulder wings off the soldatini granatieri, converting them to Battalion Company men.
• The feather bonnet is the one worn exclusively by the 42nd Regiment, it has a noticeably different cut than the bonnets worn by the 79th (Cameron) e 92nd (Gordon) Highlanders. The 42nd is probably the most famous reggimento nell’esercito britannico, but there are so few of these men involved in the Guerre Napoleoniche that one box will satisfy most wargaming needs.
• The painting instructions sulla scatola are misleading, showing men from the Battalion Company, not granatieri! Instead of shoulder wings, Battalion Company soldiers wore small woolen tufts, they had red hackles e black cockades on the bonnet. Granatieri of the 42nd wore blue wings con white lace e short white fringes, white hackles con red tip e red cockades. Men from the Light Company wore the same blue wings without fringes, green hackles con red tip e green cockades con red edging. Drummers were distinguished by yellow hackles con red tip, red e black cockades.

Utilizzo Storico

• Flank Companies of the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment (Black Watch) 1808-1815

Conversione

• Battalion Companies of the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment (Black Watch). A simple conversion, removing the shoulder wings e leaving only a small round tuft attached to the shoulder strap.
• 79th New York Volunteers 1861. These American Highlanders fought at Bull Run, distinguished themselves at 2nd Bull Run e participated in 59 other engagements. They wore dark blue uniforms con red cuff flaps e collars, edged light blue, o light blue collars con a red collar patch. Kilts e Trews of the Cameron of Erracht Tartan pattern e Glengarry caps were worn on parade. Field service dress included the typical union kepi e sky-blue trousers. The Italeri soldatini without knapsacks are very suitable for this particular conversion, but the wings have to be removed.
• 79th (Cameron) Highland Regiment, using bonnets from ESCI Highlanders.
• 92nd (Gordon) Highland Regiment, using bonnets from ESCI Highlanders.

Highlanders e Highland Granatieri of the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment (Black Watch), photographed at the reenactment commemorating the 180th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, 16th-18th giugno 1995. The granatieri Company was deployed on the right flank of the battalion, the Light Company would be on the left flank o they were sent forward, to skirmish in front of the battalion.

Bibliografia

• Knötel-Sieg: Handbuch der Uniformkunde, pp. 196-198
• Uniforms delle Guerre Napoleoniche in Colour 1796–1814, Jack Cassin-Scott, Plate 70
• Haythornthwaite, Philip: Uniforms of Waterloo, plate 17
• Funcken, L. & F.: L’Uniforme et les Armes des Soldats du Premier Empire, pp. 104-105

Italeri Highland Granatieri are a welcome addition to the ESCI Highlanders. Both sets lack the Battalion Company soldatini, although they are readily converted from the existing soldatini. Highlanders are popular, but very rare: Only tre reggimenti in the esercito britannico delle guerre napoleoniche wore the kilt, due of which had feather bonnets similar to those supplied con the ESCI soldatini e the 42nd Regiment, wearing the bonnets now available from Italeri. The Italeri soldatini should be a delight to paint, particularly because the tartan pattern is deeply engraved, guiding the painter’s brush.

Italeri Soldatini

Domande più frequenti

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Soldatini Britannici Napoleonici

– Pubblicato: 1996 – Aggiornato: 10.07.2007
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