Mamelukes of the French Imperial Guard Napoleonic Wars, 1805–1815

HaT Industrie 1:72 Scale Figure Review

Mamelukes of the French Imperial Guard. There were never more than 250 Mamelukes in French service, and they were attached to the Chasseurs à Cheval of the Imperial Guard.

Exotic Cavalry

Emperor Napoleon brought the Mamelukes back from his Egyptian adventure and made them a part of his Imperial Guard. Mamelukes fought alongside the Guard Chasseurs à Cheval, they rode the same horses and received shabraques with a compatible design. When their ranks were depleted, the Mamelukes drew replacements from Frenchmen who were eager to serve in this exotically dressed unit. At the Battle of Austerlitz, the Mamelukes counter-attacked and defeated Russian cavalry. A Mameluke by the name of Roustan became the Emperor’s personal servant.

12 Riders with 4 Poses – 23 mm equal 166 cm Height
12 Horses with 2 Poses – 22 mm equal 15.6 Hands

Evaluation

The hard plastic miniatures may be cut and carved with a sharp hobby knife.
Nicely detailed figures. Lace on the turkish vest, belts, plumes on the headdress, stirrups and the famous Mameluke sabres are easy to paint.
Striking facial features and giant moustaches give these figures a truly martial appearance.
Useful historic poses. Horses and riders are shown attacking at a full gallop. Two of the riders are about to deliver a blow with the sabre and they are correctly positioned on the horse. The other two are in attractive reserve poses, well suited for the supporting rank of a cavalry formation.
Good casting quality, very little flash.
Useful painting guide on the box. Mamelukes were not strictly uniformed and the box cover offers alternative colour combinations.

The plastic does not bond with liquid adhesives which are normally used on hard plastic figures and vehicle kits. We used superglue to fix the riders in the saddle.
Unusual gait on one of the horses, the front legs are galloping while the hind legs are walking.

Historical Employment

French Mamelukes 1805-1815

Possible Conversion

Lithuanian Tatars (lancers) of the French Guard. For the 1812 campaign in Russia, each of the participating French guard cavalry units received a squadron of Tatars, quite possibly in response to the numerous Cossack lancer units serving in the Russian army.

HaT Industrie’s Mamelukes fill an important niche in Napoleonic figure ranges, they are not strictly uniformed and they add a lot of historical flavor when they are displayed alongside Revell’s Chasseurs à Cheval. No doubt, these figures will be popular with wargamers and collectors alike, even if their historical number was so small that a box or two may satisfy most people.

Detailed and well researched historical miniatures are more popular than ever, and HaT Industrie has excellent opportunity to establish itself as a manufacturer of specialty items, like the Mamelukes, as well as standard troop types like the upcoming Prussian Dragoons. Wargaming is an increasingly popular hobby, and the Napoleonic Wars offer an enormous variety of troop types which have not yet been covered in 1:72 scale. Collectors and gamers have already been spoiled by many new releases in recent months and, with companies like HaT Industrie joining the effort, there is much more to come.

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