Sunday 12 July 2015

LD3 Erzherzog Johann Light Dragoons - AB and Boki Miniatures

The 3rd Light Dragoon Regiment FM Erzherzog Johann Baptist is the first unit of my light dragoons that I've finished. I've used the brand new Austrian cavalry from Boki Miniatures for the troopers, AB Miniatures for the command, with horses from Campaign Games Miniatures (Boki supply the figures without horses).

I'm quite happy how these turned out, though to be honest I struggled with a lot of the detail. Sho Boki had some excellent detail that I couldn't paint with these old eyes and fingers, especially on the saddle cloth. I wasn't sure if they should have had white or green jackets as there is conflicting information as to when, or even if, the coats of every unit were changed to white, but my plan is to create 4 units, two with bicorne and two with kasket, with one of each in white and one in green. Here's the plan to ease confusion (it may not be 100% correct, but I'm hoping to show the variety that may have been seen in these units).


So here are the figures...


These are great figures and fit in really well with my collection. I've ordered more horses and Boki is planning to release new figures really soon, including line infantry officers, so there will be loads more mounted miniatures coming to my collection soon.

5 comments:

Phil C said...

very attractive painting and basing of figures - lovely work!

cheers,

Drew Jarman said...

If your going to do the Casket units be careful which one you do in Green, the 7th wore genn but was only raised very later in this era see this link http://www.napoleon-series.org/military/organization/Austria/ArmyStudy/c_AustrianArmyCavalry.html plus the Austrians preferred white as it was cheaper to produce than green.

Paulalba said...

Good man Colin, love seeing your newly painted units, always really interesting and colourful!

Jonathan Freitag said...

Great stuff and I need to investigate the Boki figures. From your photos, they look very similar to AB.

Anonymous said...

This business of when uniforms changed is always tricky unless you have a painting or some list available. In Karger there is an interesting note on the Chevauleger, when they changed back from being Light Dragoons in 1802.
This is the list for the reversion:
CL1 Kaiser Franz II; 1806 Kaiser Franz (formerly LD1)
CL2 Hohenzollern (formerly LD4)
CL3 O’Reilly (formerly LD10)
CL4 Vincent (formerly LD11)
CL5 Klenau (formerly LD12)
CL6 Rosenberg (formerly LD13)

Karger notes that in 1801, Archduke Charles ensured that those former Chevauleger units, which were then wearing green uniforms would retain them until they wore out. In 1806, it was definitively decided that 1, 2 and 4 would retain green and 3, 5 and 6 would revert to white. As late as 1806, permission as given to the officers of 3, 5 & 6 to continue to wear their green jackets until they wore out.

It would be speculation, but this would point to all the officers going into green from the start (ish!) of the new regulation on 1st Jan 1799, but possibly that LDs 10, 12 & 13 perhaps never went into green for troopers?

Dave Hollins