Waterloo Crossroads

[Captain Sibourne]

Dear Forum Members,

Well, it has been a while, and my apologies for being absent from the forum for so long. A late summer blast of heat here in the UK has allowed me to get outside and start the next section of my Waterloo project: the area north of La Haye Sainte to the crossroads. Here are some photos:

There are five squares, 79th Camerons, 28th Glosters, 27th Inniskillings, 32nd Cornwalls and 8th KGL.



This is the cottage just north of the crossroads:



8th KGL in the foreground:



28th Glosters in the foreground:



1st/95th line the hedge and occupy the sandpit:



The sandpit from La Haye Sainte:



About half of the 1st/95th are in place:



The orchard looking north:





There is still a great deal to do, but they're already about 4,000 figures on this part of the diorama. Hope you enjoy!

[k.b.]

Absolutely brilliant Captain. Can’t wait to see more!

[Minuteman]

Much appreciated Captain Sibourne, and pleasing also to see that it has been possible to take these photos outside in what appears to us UK residents to be a late (and very welcome) burst of summer.

As always, the groundwork and modelling is meticulous in its detail and execution, and the five squares of these famous battalions look very fine.

As a point of detail, I am also very pleased to see the images of the first battalion 95th Rifles defending the sandpit. I have occasionally wondered quite how this important feature looked in 1815, and I guess that this model now lets me know!

All good wishes to the whole team as this phase progresses.

[MABO]

I agree with Minuteman. So huge! So many details! Amazing!

[Rich W]

Great updates! What a spectacle to enjoy!

I recently came across The Napoleonicist podcast and found it really interesting listening to this project being talked about in one of the old episodes. Hearing about the scale of the logistics and just how amazing the effort is from so many people worldwide has given me even more appreciation of these photos.

[C M Dodson]

Most impressive as always .

The scale really gives the visual sweep of the thing ala Mudford / Silby and their paintings.

Best wishes,

Chris

[Captain Sibourne]

Many thanks all, the next challenge will be fitting in two batteries of British guns, one each either side of the cross roads.

[Captain Sibourne]

I use the two Siborne models as my primary source, but note the significant differences in colour palette:

[Bessiere]

What a pleasant surprise to see! Up the ridge and the last step before the squares and Neys impetuous charge. Glad to see things are still rolling along and I have seen the recent unit contributions posted on Whatsapp which all look terrific. I took most of the summer off from painting entirely and feel rejuvenated getting back into it. Thanks for your persistence in getting logged in and giving us this fantastic update.
Cheers,
Bessiere

[Captain Sibourne]

Thanks Bessiere, your contributions are amazing!

[Captain Sibourne]

Thanks Bessiere, your contributions are amazing!

[Bessiere]

Thanks kindly James, it's been fun doing casualties. Before we can get to Ney I'm guessing Papelotte will be next for construction? Nice to see you back at Bennos!
Cheers,
Bessiere

[Captain Sibourne]

Thanks David, we already have Papelotte, I'll send you a video by email as I have no idea how to post videos on the forum.

[PatrickJ71]

This gigantic project is simply amazing!
For every miniature lover and Napoleon addict, this project will be the pinnacle of experience to ever see it live.
Once the project is complete, you will need binoculars to view the entire battlefield in detail. I hope that a book will be made with hundreds of photos so that we can properly admire all the details and all the small sub-scenes.
Thanks a lot for sharing and keep them coming,
Patrick

[Kekso]

That's impressive

[Bessiere]

My greatest desire is that each section is videotaped and synched together so that one may wander about the battlefield viewing whatever interests you with zoom in/out ability and optional popups telling what unit/action/etc you are seeing. I really believe than it's future as an online educational tool has no equal. A big task to be sure but not so much compared to the actual construction. This might be influenced by my desire to see it entire but not being able to travel. Most of the world can't go see it in person but nearly everyone can get online.
Cheers,
Bessiere

[Bill Slavin]

My greatest desire is that each section is videotaped and synched together so that one may wander about the battlefield viewing whatever interests you with zoom in/out ability and optional popups telling what unit/action/etc .

A very do-able wish, I’m sure, Bessiere. Some smart soul could probably do it with their iPhone!
As always, wonderful to see this project move forward. I love the sand pit and Rifles, a real sense of movement and action. And I very much like the palette of your version of the terrain, Captain Sibourne.
4000 figures! What a remarkable group effort. That more or less equals my own combined collection of painted figures, so I have a very good idea of what it takes to reach that number! Cudos to all who have contributed.

[Captain Sibourne]

Very many thanks for all your kind comments. A few close up shots after I took each section apart and put the model back in my shed:
































Next, I'll be working on Rogers and Ross's batterie either side of the crossroads. Hope you enjoy!

[Bessiere]

Thanks for the encore, always enjoyed.
Cheers,
Bessiere

[k.b.]

Riveting stuff Captain…… It’s a crying shame that this entire layout of Waterloo is not on permanent display somewhere. The general public definitely deserve to see it up close. Either that or if one photographed the whole thing with professional quality photos that could be viewed for even just a small fee I don’t think anyone would begrudge that, considering the amount of research/man hours that went into its construction.
Absolutely stunning!