1:72 Napoleonic Russian Uhlans (1812-1815)

The lancers of the tsar's cavalry

The Russian army took the lancer regiments over from the Polish tradition, and they entered the campaign of 1812 as light cavalry intended for reconnaissance, pursuit and a quick blow into the flank. The recognition marks were the square cap called a czapka, the short jacket with colored facings and above all the lance with a pennon, whose movement betrayed the direction of a whole squadron at a distance. It is precisely this detail that makes the lancer the most rewarding cavalry figure of the Napoleonic period.

The rider as scale and as movement

At 1:72 a horse measures not quite three centimeters, and its familiar shape works as a reliable yardstick against which the viewer sets a wagon, a gun or a cottage in the background. A group of riders moreover adds something a static scene lacks: a vector. By turning the horses' heads and tilting the lances you determine where the attack is coming from, and the diorama thereby gains a moment in time instead of a mere parade.

What to watch out for

• The lances are among the thinnest parts in the package; fit them as the last step of the build.
• Stiffen the pennon with a drop of thin glue, otherwise it will bend in handling.
• The rider's legs sit against the saddle in one position only; try the joint dry beforehand.
• The coloring of the horses within a regiment was uniform; alternating shades looks implausible.

The package holds the castings alone, without paints and without a base. The horse and the rider are glued separately.

Putting a squadron together

A smaller number of riders comes off better than a dense swarm. Three horses at a trot, one being held back and one rearing make up a scene that has both a beginning and a climax. Leave the rest of the space empty, because movement needs a clear area in front of it.