Bayerische Infanterie, Grenadiere und Schützen, Napoleonische Kriege, 1807–1815

Testbericht der 1:72 Figuren von HäT Industrie

Bayerische Infanterie, Napoleonische Kriege 1807–1815, 1:72 Hat Industrie.

Readers of Military Miniatures Magazine voted for Bavarian Infantry as their third choice of the Wishlist 1998. The list was forwarded to popular plastic miniatures manufacturers und HäT Industrie actually responded to our readers’ suggestions und released their Bavarian Infantry two years later. The result is well worth it, as can be seen in the photo. The Figuren are Grenadiere und Schützen of the line elite companies attached to every infantry battalion. Füsiliere, who made up four of the six companies in an infantry battalion, are not included in the pack, although they may be converted by carefully removing the helmet plume.

Inhalt

48 Figuren in 8 Posen – 23 mm entsprechen 166 cm Körpergröße

  • Bayerischer Offizier (4)
  • Bayerischer Unteroffizier, marschierend (8)
  • Bayerischer Grenadier oder Schütze, angreifend (8)
  • Bayerischer Grenadier oder Schütze, schießend (8)
  • Bayerischer Grenadier oder Schütze, stehend (8)
  • Bayerischer Grenadier oder Schütze, kniend, ladend, eine Patrone ergreifend (4)
  • Bayerischer Grenadier oder Schütze, stehend, ladend, die Ladung stoßend (4)
  • Bayerischer Grenadier oder Schütze, vorgehend, mit leerer Hand (4)
Bayerische Infanterie der Napoleonischen Kriege, 1807–1815.
Bayerische Infanterie der Napoleonischen Kriege, 1807–1815.

Bewertung

Excellent choice of subject. The Bavarian Grenadiere und Schützen are unique in this scale. Unfortunately, the Figuren represent only elite company soldiers wearing the tall plume on the left side of the Raupenhelm. Four of the six companies in every line infantry battalion wore the Raupenhelm without plume, und wargamers will have to carve a lot of plumes off these Figuren in order to recruit their regiments und brigades. It would have been a relatively simple matter to represent the proper ratio of Fusiliers to Elites in this set even with only eight poses to chose from.

The loading und firing poses are well done, und they can be used to raise wargame units.

Satisfactory casting quality. Obvious flash und mould lines need to be removed prior to painting. The editor used the Rai-Ro Wachsspachtelgerät heated spatula to blend mould lines into the surface of the model.

The officer is incorrectly shown wearing a regular enlisted man’s Raupenhelm with the more compact lambskin caterpillar crest. Offiziere und Unteroffiziere trugen Helme with caterpillar crests made from bearskin which are noticeably thicker, und which protrude straight forward at the front of the helmet. This mistake will be difficult to fix. The officer is not suitable for the popular 1812 und 1813 wargaming periods, because he is wearing the Schärpe which was officially discarded before the invasion of Russia.

Bavarian infantry flags should be 24 mm square in this scale. The separate plastic pennons included in this set are practically useless, they measure only 11 mm square, less than half the size of an infantry flag und nearly twice the size of a cavalry standard. It’s amazing that manufacturers routinely make such silly mistakes, even though reliable historic information is readily available.

The marching und advancing grenadiers exhibit a serious motor coordination problem. These Figuren are sculpted in a horse’ ambling gait, moving the arm und leg of the same side in unison. If you’ve ever tried this at home or in the military, you’ll know what an impossible gait it is. You just don’t get very far when you walk that way, because the body rotates around the vertical axis. One ambling soldier in a marching formation will quickly cause mayhem, particularly if bayonets are fixed.

The grenadier with open hand is marred by the moulding process: his lower chest und belly are flat, without any detail. Expert painters may fix this problem by painting in the missing details.

Historische Verwendung

  • Bavarian Officers 1805–1812
  • Bavarian Line Infantry Grenadiere 1807–1815
  • Bavarian Line Infantry Schützen 1811–1815

Conversions

  • Bavarian Infantry wearing the Raupenhelm without plume
    • Line Infantry Füsiliers 1807–1815
    • Line Infantry Schützen 1807–1811
    • Light Infantry Füsiliers 1807–1815
    • Jäger, 1. & 2. Jäger-Bataillon 1815
  • Bavarian Infantry Elites armed with a short rifle
    • Karabiniers der leichten Infanterie 1807–1815
    • Karabiniers der Jägertruppe 1815
  • Bavarian Infantry in Greatcoats
    Heads with the Bavarian Raupenhelm may be used to convert French infantry in Greatcoats to Bavarian Infantry. Fusilier helmets need to have the plume removed which was only worn by grenadiers und skirmishers of the line infantry battalion.

Wargamers will be happy to have these Bavarian line elite soldiers, even if some conversion is required to convert them to line Füsiliers.

HäT Figuren

Bibliographie

Figuren der Bayerischen Armee der Napoleonischen Kriege