From My Sample Box (7) - Hinton Hunt - Early French Napoleonic Infantry (1798-1806)

It's a pity Hinton never developed this range further - there's lots of good Republican/pre-Imperial era battles to fight! These were the only figures he produced in this range for this period. Also, unfortunately, he never made any early Austrians wearing helmets for these figures to fight! Alberken/Minifig did however.
(As Roy points out they can fight the 'Stove-Pipe Shako' British figures that HH made for Penisular battles - which again was another limited figure range)

From Left to right: FN 271 - Officer Charging, FN 274 - Private Charging, FN 275 - Private Firing, FN 276 - Officer Marching and FN 277 - Private marching

From My Sample Box (6) - Hinton Hunt - French Napoleonic Dis-mountable Line Cavalry

The images above show all the French line cavalry dis-mountable series from left to right:
Top row: FN310 Cuirassier (FNH5), FN311 Carabinier (FNH5), FN313 Lancer-Gendarme 1811 (FNH3), FN315 Elite Hussar (FNH7), FN315a Elite Hussar holding carbine (FNH7). Middle row: FN315b Elite Hussar firing carbine (FNH7), FN316 Hussar Trooper (FNH7), FN317 Hussar in Merliton Cap (FNH7), FN318 Elite Chasseur a Cheval Trooper (FNH7), FN319 Chasseur a Cheval Trooper in Shako (FNH7), FN320 Light Horse Lancer (FNH7).
Bottom row: Horses FNH3, FNH5 & FNH7. Red paint remnants are from aborted attempt at recasting!
Not shown FN148 Dragoon - which is included in Line Dragoon numbering series.

From My Sample Box (5) - Hinton Hunt - French Napoleonic Dis-mountable General Staff

Left Image:
Top Row: FN350 Napoleon, FN351 Prince Murat, FN352 Eugene de Beauharnais, FN353 Marshall Bessieres, FN354 Marshall Ney, FN355 Marshall Davout, FN356 Marshall Massena.
Middle Row: FN357 Marshall Soult, FN358 Marshall General Junot, FN359 General Lasalle, FN360 General Dorsenne, FN361 General Nansouty, FN362 General Baraguay d'Hilliers, FN371 ADC.
Bottom Row: FNH10, FNH11, FNH13

Right Image:
Scan of page 5 of the same Hinton catalogue.

Ok - I received a complaint from the French Ambassador about unfair treatment - So here is the same deal for the French as the British received in the previous blog.
All the dis-mountable General Staff figures as a complete set. The only one I didn't purchase at the store is the last one - the ADC and I haven't yet stripped the paint of him! - unfortunately there were a few empty compartments in the drawers at the store when I visited it.

From My Sample Box (4) - Hinton Hunt - British Napoleonic Dis-mountable General Staff

Left Image:
Top Row: BN250 Wellington, BN251 Leut-Gen. Lord Hill, BN252 Leut-Gen. Earl of Uxbridge, BN253 Leut-Gen. Sir Thomas Picton, BN254 Leut-Gen. Count von Alten.
Second Row: BN255 Maj-Gen. Sir Stapleton Cotton, BN256 Maj-Gen. General Cooke, BN257 Maj-Gen. Ponsonby, BN261 ADC, BN264 Cavalry Staff Corp Officer.
Third Row: BNH10, BNH11, BNH12 Bottom Row: BNH13, BNH4.

Right Image:
Scan of Page 8 of the Hinton catalog at the time showing these figures and which horse to use. Has my tick marks that I made as I found the items in the drawers - which were not all that tidy!

I was sorting out different sample figures to photograph to send to Clive for inclusion in his great 'The Hinton Hunter Blog'. I couldn't resist photographing all the British General Staff dis-mountable figures since these are a complete set along with the appropriate horses which I picked up myself at Hintons shop in London many years ago! I will always remember going there and being allowed to rummaged all through the many drawer cabinets gathering a vast array of single figures to keep as samples both to order from later and also in case I ever got good at casting! Of course I didn't mention that - nor did I get any good at casting! I left there hardly able to walk under the weight of the lead but luckily I was a few pounds sterling lighter! How I wish I could still go and visit that store now!

The previously completed (around 1973) French Line 1st Division (Hinton Hunt) for comparison

Basic Figures to be used for the New French Line 2nd Division (Hinton Hunt)

From left to right - FN5(88), FN9(22), FN3(22), FN4(4), FN1(10), FN8(2), FN86(2), FN6(5)
FN224(1) and Minifig FN43 Sapper(1)


From left to right/top to bottom: FN31(4), FN35(2),
FN33(2), FN32(2), FN30(2), FN34(4)


Hinchliffe's superb 20mm Artillery: 20/4 8pdr (3) and
20/12 5.5" Howitzer(1)

Recruiting a new French Line Infantry Division

I thought this might a good place to start my posts - I wanted to begin assembling the troops for my French 2nd Division of the Line.

So after rummaging around in the various storage bins, boxes, drawers etc I gathered the figures together to create this division and laid them out to show the makeup. With one exception all the figures are Hinton Hunt 20mm - The exception is the Sapper in the Grenadier battalion which is early Minifig 20mm. I purchased enough figures over the years to make several divisions like this - either Line or Light Troops with some variations of course.

This Division will be identical to my Ist Division and will consist of 4 Line regiments each of two battalions. The battalions will consist of 4 centre companies (I'm a Brit thus English version of center!) , and one Grenadier and one Voltigeur company. Since most of the time (in my games that is) the grenadiers are massed into separate battalions as are the Skirmishers - I make the flank companies from different figures.

There will be divisional artillery attached also which will consist of 3 8prs and one 5.5" Howitzer - all from Hinchliffe's 20mm Artillery pieces (I think I read somewhere that these products will be available again soon - I am trying to confirm that since i want a few more) . This Division is commanded by a French Mounted General FN 224. I'll name him now - It is written done in the master Army List - if I can ever locate it!!

As stated each of the 4 Regts in the division are comprised of 2 battalions - the 1st Btn carries the Eagle which distinguishes it from the 2nd Btn. Each center company is comprised of 3 figs - FN5 Fusilier Charging (although I like to think it is actually Advancing). The 1st company of the 1st Btn differs in that it comprises 1 FN6 Drummer Advancing, 1 FN4 Colour Bearer and one FN5 Fusilier. Each Battalion is commanded by an Officer Charging FN1. Incidentally I paint the pompom's of each of the four regiments in the respective colors of the battalion companies - i.e the first regiment is all Green pompoms and the second is blue and so on Orange, Violet - This is great for identifying the regiment and also, on mass, makes it look large a large battalion!

The 2 Grenadier battalions consists of 4 companies each of 3 figures - FN9 Grenadier Marching but the first company of the first battalion has 1 FN6 drummer and a Minifig Sapper with one FN9. Each battalion is commanded by an Officer Marching FN8.

The 2 Voltigeur battalions consist of 4 companies each of three figures - FN3 Grenadier Firing but the first company of the first battalion has 1 FN86 Bugler (with Colpack) and 2 FN3's.

Depending on the Tactical requirements the Division can be split into 2 brigades of 2 regiments each of 2 battalions with respective flank coy's. or even three brigades each of 4 battalions with one of those brigades comprising the flank coy's. In which cases I recruit some additional Mounted Generals to command each brigade. I can also attach other troops to the Division - e.g. a Swiss Legion regiment and/or some Hessians or other allies - again depending on the tactical situations.

The artillery battery comprise 4 figures per gun making 16 figs and they are made up from all the Line Artillery figures available. I sometimes state that there are 2 batteries represented by 2 guns each - or one battery represented by the four gun's available (It depends on how I feel!)

So there we have it the Division is recruited - the Regiments will receive there No's in the Army Listings and also there Eagles from Nappy! and then we move on to flash cleaning, undercoating and painting - a very slow and tedious process but well worth it when it is completed.

I'll discuss how I came up with this organization and my French army plan in a future post.