"Obscure Cavalry of the Emperor?" Topic

Calling for help here. New owner needs help with figure ID. (Previous owner is dead. So's the one he bought them from.)

1. Has anyone ever seen someone identical in cut to a French Napoleonic dragoon, right down to also having an elite troop in bearskin, but in a bluish-gray coat with red facings?

2. How about an eclaireur in blue, but with shako instead of czapska?

The box was marked "Fr Carb & Scout Lancers" but since the two units I could identify were mounted douaniers and gardes d'honneur de Neufchatel, I'm not in a trustful mood.

Thanks for any suggestions.

How close are the dragoons to British Heavies or American Regulars?

Avec une image, cela serait plus facile…

The eclaireurs may be these.

link

The hats seem to rule out Gendarmes.

Kingdom of Holland dragoons?

Number one would be Carabiniers like the box says.
Dragoon style uniform coat in blue with red facings and Bearskin is the 1805 – 10 uniform.

Are the non elite troopers in bearskin? I get the impression that they are not, may be some misunderstood uniform info here.

As you describe it, the blue may be a bit dodgy too.

Thanks everyone. And I appreciate you working with me despite the lack of images. The pseudo-dragoons are clearly from a French Dragoon mold--the saddle cast with them is the classic 1st Empire heavy cavalry saddle. Four stands of four in French dragoon helmet and one stand of four in bearskin, almost certainly intended for "Column, Line and Square." My gut feeling is that Trockledockle has nailed it, but the "blue" on these fellows looks more like Army Painter "Wolf Gray" or French Horizon Blue. Well, there will be daylight eventually--Curse you, Daylight Savings Time!--and I will be able to find my reference books and follow up your leads.

Thanks again.

As an alternative cavalryman – Garde de Paris

Nice call, Prince of Essling! I remembered the infantry, but I'd completely forgotten the dragoons, who are very close to the bluish-gray of "my" castings.

And Trockledockle, I'd missed it: yes, those "eclaireurs" may very well have been intended as petite gendarmerie in Spain.

Sadly, this is only the beginning. The shelf of incomplete and/or unidentified Napoleonic castings extends 24'. The four boxes I'm currently going through are only in the first four feet, and didn't take up all of that.

Please, let's all of us mark the bottom or edge of our bases.

Robert,

My pleasure.

You've reminded me that I need to mark bases but can't work up the enthusiasm. I was thinking of printing them on adhesive paper but think that will take longer than writing them out!

Hi Trockledockle, I bought some self- adhesive labels about 7mmx10mm and I just stick them to the bottom of the magnetic bases, works great and probably 2 minutes per unit?

Or use a dymo machine….

When I have time, I just print off a batch on regular paper, cut them out and glue them to the bottom of the base with Elmer's on both sides for adhesive and protection.

But these are all ID'd with a Sharpie immediately, just in case.