A free and independent Poland suited French aims by providing a buffer between French-controlled Prussia and a hostile Czar.  The Duchy of Warsaw became a French satellite state, and the Poles became the most enthusiastic of Napoleon's auxilleries.

Many Polish infantry regiments wore the same uniforms as the French.  Most wore the more distinctive uniform depicted by the Waterloo 1815 set.

The figures in the Waterloo 1815 set are beatifully sculpted, but have some annoyingly wrong uniform details.  The colorbearer has a strap holding nothing, yet his cartridge box is unsupported.  Many of the figures lack cuff flaps, which must be painted on.  The drum is undersized.

The pose selection is very poor: there are one each of the nine poses on each sprue; the two kneeling figures are suitable only for skirmishers, yet lack the epaulettes and braid that voltiguers would have worn; there are no elite company men; the kneeling firing man is pointing his musket into the sky; the loading man does not have his bayonet fixed, even though all the others do.

The officer, marching man, eagle bearer, advancing man, and standing-firing man are all excellent figures with lively animation.  They will be very useful for wargaming units and dioramas.  Unfortunately the figure mix ensures that you will only get four of each figure in a box.

These figures, with their beautiful sculpting, lack of attention to uniform details, and two very poor poses show all the signs of having been the work of the Esci / Italeri sculptor.  It's a hit-and-miss effort from Waterloo 1815 for their first new set.

Last updated 19 July, 2002
This page created using Netscape Composer