Toy Soldier Collector Magazine

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First Legion Ltd - French Old Guard Grenadiers

Review taken from 'New Releases Part 2'

Now firmly established as one of the leading manufacturers of matte finished figures First Legion’s range continues to grow at a pace. The latest figures released as part of the Arms & Armies of the Napoleonic Wars range are the French Old Guard Grenadiers. Known affectionately as the ‘grumblers’ of the Imperial Guard, the Old Guard Grenadiers were the finest infantry troops of the Napoleonic Era.

Entry requirements for the regiment were pretty strict. In 1806 only one man from each infantry battalion was admitted to the Old Guard. All recruits had to be under 35 years of age, have a minimum of 10 years of service, a citation for bravery, participated in at least three campaigns, and be a minimum of 5’10” tall, as well as being able to read and write! Although for those men that had been awarded the Legion of Honour the height requirement was graciously waived.

These most favoured troops of the Emperor were also an elite strike force that Napoleon kept in reserve to be called upon at the most critical point of a battle to break the enemy line or to stave off defeat. The Old Guard Grenadiers, whose bearskin hats struck fear and awe in the hearts of their enemies, were living myths whose reputation alone was enough to cause an enemy battle line to falter. The Old Guard was the elite of the elite, the crème de la crème of Napoleon's infantry and they knew this with an almost casual arrogance. Having campaigned with the Emperor over the 20 year course of his wars, the mutual attachment between Napoleon and his Imperial Guard was clearly evident at their tearful parting when he bid them a farewell of “Adieu my friends, would I could press you all to my heart!” to the rousing response of “Vive L’Empereur!”

Given the First Legion treatment, which means world class sculpting and painting as well as being competitively priced, this latest set of figures is available in the now familiar form of a number of different variants to allow the collector plenty of scope when it comes to displaying multiple figures of the same regiment or column.

This release also marks a first for the company in that the Old Guard are presented in full dress parade order. As a result it is a bit more difficult to see the difference from figure to figure as the variations are much more subtle because of this. It does though, as I have already mentioned, provide some welcome options for large groupings which has to be more preferable to buying multiples of the exact same figure in order to create the desired effect.

The figures available include an Officer, Standard Bearer, Drummer, Sapper, NCO and four Privates all at the march. An added bonus this time, as First Legion continues to provide their customers with that little bit of extra choice, is the fact that each of the four Privates available has a unique head whilst they are also available with two different leg and arm combinations, again to provide that extra bit of variety. First Legion’s attention to detail and accuracy is also once again to the fore with the sleeve decoration on the figures to indicate length of service - 10 years for a single stripe and 20 with a double.

Ideally suited to Waterloo, Borodino, or any number of other battles in the Napoleonic campaigns, First Legion’s rendition of the Old Guard Grenadiers will make a fantastic addition to any serious Napoleonic Toy Soldier collection.

The prices of the individual figures range from $69.95 for the Standard Bearer to $49.95 for the Officer, and the four versions of the Private and NCO, while the Drummer and Sapper both retail at $59.95 (for UK pricing please contact your nearest stockist).

Date Published Sun, 06/06/2010 - 08:24
Author: Martin Ainscough

Contact
First Legion Ltd
11 Hancock Street
Newburyport
MA 01950
USA

Tel: +1 978 925 5067
www.firstlegion.com

UK stockists:
Maison Militaire, TM Terrain and The Treasure Bunker

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