POLISH LEGION OF THE HUNGARIAN REVOLUTION

Here is the latest in my Chocolate Box Wars project: The Polish Legion of the Hungarian Revolution.  I used Murawski Miniatures Napoleonic Poles (In "Scruffy Campaign Dress") and converted them for the era.  There were significant delays along the way, mainly in the acquisition of correct figures (or to put it more accurately, the figures I wanted).  The Murawski sets come with varied figures, only 1 or 2 of which are in the rolled blanket.  I don't want to say how many sets I ordered to get 6 figures like this.  let's just say that between an ebay score and ordering here in the US through Brigade Games I wound up getting "several" sets--and have plenty of spare Poles in campaign dress for other projects.  As usual, clix pix for BIG PIX.  

Here is what I was aiming for: Polish Legion Infantry in Dark Blue uniform, 1849:

 From The Honved Army 1848-49 Gyozo Smogyi 

The major distinctive features that set the above uniform apart from the earlier Napoleonic version are the longer coat and the "soft" czapka.  There are also several depictions of the Polish Legion that show the top of the czapka being a black square framed in red.  That generally also seems to be with a shorter version of the czapka (almost kepi-like). Given that I was converting Napoleonic Poles with a full-sized czapka, I went with this model, which shows a red top with a thin, white cross.

Once again, I deployed my Xacto knife and green stuff to modify the figures. I shaved off the ornaments and lines on the czapka, and I also shaved down the buttons on the cuffs. I then added green stuff to soften the lines of the czapka to replicate the more irregular soft version and I added green stuff to lengthen the coat:

The Murawski figures have rather spindly legs, so it was challenging to add the extended coat without making it look like a diaper.  From a "gaming distance" I'm happy with the overall effect, even if there are one or two fellows who, upon closer inspection, would seem to be wearing a bustle...

 I hope to shift effort from painting to playtesting in January!

Excelsior!