Calpe Miniatures
25mm Napoleonic wargames figures, meticulously researched, finely sculpted

Prussian Hussars

The Figures

These three sets of figures are largely based on the Brigade plates by Peter Bunde. Please refer to the Brigade plates for background information and as a painting guide.

The figures represent the Prussian Hussars, both line and Leib, for the 1807-15 period. You will note the lack of standard bearer in the figures lists. The hussars, being light cavalry, did not carry standards into battle. Furthermore, these regiments were not issued with standards until after the Napoleonic Wars. Another idiosyncrasy of the Prussian hussars is that they rarely wore the Pelisse on campaign. The few reliable images showing them wearing these items in the field generally show them on outpost duty in inclement weather with the Pelisse fully buttoned and used as a coat. It would be incorrect to put a pelisse on a Prussian Hussar of this period on campaign so I have not sculpted them. The regimental officer is based on a recurring image from many different sources, Knotel, Brauer (and now Bunde) among them. The officer's uniform is striking in its plainness when compared to those of the men he commands. This is very Prussian when one considers the simple uniforms of brigade and corps commanders. This officer's Leibrock is Prussian blue (see the Brigade plates) with no lace. The Brigade plates show similarly attired officers in 'walking out' uniform, wearing tight fitting breeches and boots and with a straight bladed sidearm. The Brauer plate shows an officer by his horse wearing his cavalry overalls and the hussar sabre. Since I wanted the officer to be mounted, I have shown him as depicted by Brauer. The rest of the uniform is as shown in the Brigade plates.

A short note about the hussar braiding and sash � the braid on the officer's uniform had closer spacing than that on the men's. I have tried to reflect this in the sculpting of officers and men within the limits of what is possible in 25mm scale. The barrel sash was not a solid belt. Having had a chance to see some surviving Hussar sashes recently (French and Austrian), I was interested to see that they were made of strands of wool held together by the bindings on the barrels. These strands come to a point on both ends of the sash, at the back, where a toggle (usually wooden) allows the two ends of the sash to be buttoned together. This toggle is visible on the back of the sash on some of the figures. The long tassels extend from one of the ends of the sash and are then brought forward and looped over the sash at the front giving the two distinctive tassels always seen hanging down there. Officers had heavier decorations on their dolmans. I have been able to sculpt this detail on their backs but not on their sleeves as it destroyed the proportions of the lower arm. This detail will have to be painted on round the trefoil loops above each cuff.

Catching Points

These are complex castings. I make every effort to give you castings which are as clean as possible, however, in castings of this nature there are always points where little tears in the mould can cause marks to appear on the casting. These are best cleaned before the figure is painted. The points to watch on these figures (from experience casting the master moulds and running the trial castings of the production moulds) are the front of the canteen hanging on the shabraque and the sides of the feet.

Prussian Line Hussars: Shouldered Arms

Prussian Line Hussars: Charging

These figures are two-part castings with the sword arms cast separately from the figure. There are various reasons for this. The most important one is that I got tired of having to dispose of perfectly good castings simply because of flaws on the sword. By casting the sword arm separately I can make casting runs more efficient. Each figure has been designed to suit a particular arm. The number of the arm which best suits each figure is given below beside its code. This number is also engraved underneath the shabraque. To read the number you have to hold the figure upside down as this is the only way the number can be engraved (there is a sprue substructure on each figure which is removed after production casting). Match the figure to the relevant arm and your figure is complete. I make the arms with as much care as possible but the moulding process does lead to differential shrinkage which can lessen the fit between arm and body. For a perfect finish fill in any cracks between the body and arm before painting. Do not worry about the numbers of the sword arm and the figure not matching. This was the original intention but as the range progressed, the numbering sequence of the figures changed beyond the point at which the numbers on the arms could be changed. I am offering the sword arms in a separate pack so that you can customise your figures if you so desire. Be warned, though, every arm will not fit every figure. Due to the way the shoulder joint and arm work together, you may have to alter the arm or the figure by filing or filling to get the figure/arm combination to look right. My grateful thanks to Ian (you know who you are) who did remind me at the start that the Hussars did not 'give point' with their swords as they carried a slashing sword, not the straight sword of the heavy cavalry. Arms are in suitable poses (taken from contemporary illustrations) thanks to him.

Prussian Leib Hussars: Charging

These are the famous 'Death's Head' Hussars. I chose the charging poses for these figures because this is how they are usually illustrated. The only short-cut I took when I made these figures was to use the arms I had already made for the line Hussars. This means that arms 13-17 reappear once again. As before, match figure code to arm code (engraved under the shabraque) for best results.

Volunteer Jaegers

I know some of you will be annoyed by the sale of these figures in packs. Unfortunately I really have no option as the figures described above have produced over 40 moulds. The financial and storage implications of this means that I simply cannot afford to sell the volunteers in any other way at present. If I find they sell well, I may review this at a later stage. Each set is made up of four troopers and a trumpeter. They are all conversions of the figures which make up the main sets with added pickers and chains and the new carbine. You will need one of the officers from the relevant sets described above to complete the squadron. Refer to the Brigade plates for accurate information on these figures.