1st Battalion, 2eme Leger - And more...

There was a lot of industrious painting in March, with the aim of increasing my forces for the refight over the Easter weekend.  I felt it essential to add at least one French unit to my forces for the game, and so I set to a recent purchase of the Hat Industrie 28mm Plastics:

One box of Marching light infantry and one pack of the Command set provides enough models for two battalions and spare figures to support other uses.  64 figures for about £20 is the best value out there, and the figures are really not too shabby!  My only reservations about the Hat models are that they are moulded in a lurid blue, that could challenge some modellers sensibilities, and the plastic itself is very tough - hard to cut and so opportunities to convert models (other than with paint) are likely to be minimal.

Size wise they maybe stand a millimetre or so smaller than Perry miniatures, and another mil less than Victrix, but it is the physique that is most distinctive.  Slender fellows these, they are well proportioned but the fine detail may not appeal to all, and they will not mix and match terribly naturally with the other major manufacturers.  Within their own unit however they'll look fine, so it's handy that Hat provide models for all the main requirements.  Additionally, the mounted officer is a nice touch, on a very pleasant horse.

Whilst pottering about with my Napoleonics collection, I revisited my War of 1812 models.  They admittedly spend more time nowadays impersonating Portuguese infantry, but that will change in time. I found a spare cannon to provide their artillery crew with something to do:

And then I added a couple of Officers to their host from the bag of bits.

Whether the Americans will ever really be used for anything is an open question.  One thing that is clear at the moment is that I am rationalising my collections quite savagely at the moment, and steady sales of items I no longer want are making space for the items that I do.  The Napoleonics collection is absolutely safe in this regard however.

The same can't be said of everything else...