Hi to all on PF ,
If you say the word hussar to most folk both in or out of our hobby the reply would be something along the lines of "Dashing, flamboyant and colourful" well nothing could be nearer the truth IMO .......and that is what we will be looking at in this Review a dashing hussar .
This is the release from Grenadier Miniatures which is run by Alison Hale (helped by her other half Stuart ...yes thats right the man who runs Stormtroopers...certainly a very talented couple ) .
The model is based on a original uniform in the Musee de L' Armee in Paris ...a heavan for the modeller of this period packed full of orginal artifacts of the period .
The word hussar has several supposed origins with the first written mention of the word "Hussarones" (in Hungarian: Huszár) has been found in documents dating from 1432 in Southern Hungary A type of irregular light horsemen was already well established by the 15th century
According to another source the word hussar also stems from the Hungarian huszár, which in turn originates from the Serbian and Croation хусар (Husar, or гусар, Gusar) meaning pirate.
Another the word is derived from the Hungarian word húsz "twenty", suggesting that hussar regiments were originally composed of twenty men. Or the term huszár probably signified 'one in twenty' as selected for service by ballot
Through the centuries there are many famous types of hussars including Polish "Winged" Hussars and the Black Hussars of Frederick the Great but for me and many others there is no period that typifies the hussar as the Napoleonic and that is the period that Grenadier Miniatures have chosen to depict in this model .
The hussars of Napoleon created the tradition of sabrage, the opening of a champagne bottle with a sabre. Moustaches were universally worn by Napoleonic period hussars.
French hussars also wore cadenettes, braids of hair hanging either side of the face, until the practice was officially stopped when shorter hair became universal although many still retained the distinctive "rats tails".
The uniform of the Napoleonic hussars included the pelisse
which was a short fur edged jacket which was often worn slung over one shoulder in the style of a cape, and was fastened with a cord. This garment was extensively adorned with braiding (often gold or silver for officers) and several rows of multiple buttons. Under it was worn the dolman 
or tunic which was also decorated in braid.
The hussar's accoutrements included a Hungarian-style saddle covered by a shabraque a decorated saddlecloth
On active service the hussar normally wore reinforced breeches which had leather on the inside of the leg to prevent them from wearing due to the extensive time spent in the saddle. On the outside of such breeches, running up the outside was a row of buttons, and sometimes a stripe in a different colour. A shako or fur busby was worn as headwear. The colours of dolman, pelisse and breeches varied greatly by regiment, even within the same army.
A famous saying was that it was expected that no hussar would live past the age of 30 due to their often reckless bravery in battle often carrying out frontal asaults at great loss of many a brave trooper .
France had many men who went on to become senior officers in the Army amongst them who began his military career as a hussar was Marshal Ney (known as "The Bravest of the Brave") , who after being employed as a clerk in an iron works joined the 5th Hussars in 1787. He rose through the ranks of the hussars
in the wars of Belgium and the Rhineland (1794–1798) fighting against the forces of Austria and Prussia before receiving his marshal's baton in 1804 
after the Emperor Napoleon's coronation.
Obviously due to the dashing uniform the Hussar is very popular with reenactors
References abound , there is of course the Osprey series
in addition to this there is the excellent range from Histoire and Collections 
....all of which I feel are a must for the bookshelf.
Continued in next post:
Nap
If you say the word hussar to most folk both in or out of our hobby the reply would be something along the lines of "Dashing, flamboyant and colourful" well nothing could be nearer the truth IMO .......and that is what we will be looking at in this Review a dashing hussar .
This is the release from Grenadier Miniatures which is run by Alison Hale (helped by her other half Stuart ...yes thats right the man who runs Stormtroopers...certainly a very talented couple ) .
The model is based on a original uniform in the Musee de L' Armee in Paris ...a heavan for the modeller of this period packed full of orginal artifacts of the period .
According to another source the word hussar also stems from the Hungarian huszár, which in turn originates from the Serbian and Croation хусар (Husar, or гусар, Gusar) meaning pirate.
Another the word is derived from the Hungarian word húsz "twenty", suggesting that hussar regiments were originally composed of twenty men. Or the term huszár probably signified 'one in twenty' as selected for service by ballot
Through the centuries there are many famous types of hussars including Polish "Winged" Hussars and the Black Hussars of Frederick the Great but for me and many others there is no period that typifies the hussar as the Napoleonic and that is the period that Grenadier Miniatures have chosen to depict in this model .
The hussars of Napoleon created the tradition of sabrage, the opening of a champagne bottle with a sabre. Moustaches were universally worn by Napoleonic period hussars.
French hussars also wore cadenettes, braids of hair hanging either side of the face, until the practice was officially stopped when shorter hair became universal although many still retained the distinctive "rats tails".
The uniform of the Napoleonic hussars included the pelisse
or tunic which was also decorated in braid.
The hussar's accoutrements included a Hungarian-style saddle covered by a shabraque a decorated saddlecloth
On active service the hussar normally wore reinforced breeches which had leather on the inside of the leg to prevent them from wearing due to the extensive time spent in the saddle. On the outside of such breeches, running up the outside was a row of buttons, and sometimes a stripe in a different colour. A shako or fur busby was worn as headwear. The colours of dolman, pelisse and breeches varied greatly by regiment, even within the same army.
A famous saying was that it was expected that no hussar would live past the age of 30 due to their often reckless bravery in battle often carrying out frontal asaults at great loss of many a brave trooper .
France had many men who went on to become senior officers in the Army amongst them who began his military career as a hussar was Marshal Ney (known as "The Bravest of the Brave") , who after being employed as a clerk in an iron works joined the 5th Hussars in 1787. He rose through the ranks of the hussars
after the Emperor Napoleon's coronation.Obviously due to the dashing uniform the Hussar is very popular with reenactors
References abound , there is of course the Osprey series
in addition to this there is the excellent range from Histoire and Collections 
....all of which I feel are a must for the bookshelf.Continued in next post:
Nap
