The Anglo Portuguese army in 1810 at the Battle of Buçaco for AOE rules ...

Another project recently finished and started some 20 years ago when only Esci and Airfix existed for you to make Peninsular armies in 1/72nd scale. So you will find plenty of conversions but also many more recent Italeri and Hat figures. A few units are still missing but those are the ones who didn´t fire a shot during the battle of Buçaco. This army has 4 figures in two lines per stand as both British and Portuguese fought, on the contrary of the other armies I´ve showed you which have 6 figures in three lines.

This is the better Youtube version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quPpf0J8nRg&t=161s

Next: probably the Saxon corps at Wagram.

The French Armée de Portugal at the battle of Buçaco 1810, AOE rules and 20mm size

Another big plastic army made along many years. The good thing is that you can see Sula right on this video.

And a better YouTube version;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OzvWZrBDHQ&t=540s

Age of Eagles (AoE) - 1810 Battle of Bussaco in 20mm (part 15) - Leith's Division

Leith's Division approaches its area around the Santo António pass. To the right the Loyal Lusitanian Legion (LLL) starts its move to the far end of the line close to river Mondego and Penacova, in the center stands Spry's Portuguese Brigade and finally Lt.-Col. Barne's Brigade. The Division was engaged in driving back Reynier's II Corps.

Barne's Brigade is made of the 1st, 38th and 9th foot Regiments. The figures are some of the usual Belgian Hat and Revell and Esci conversions with Stovepipes made of EverGreen plastic tubing.

Here is the infamous Tomar Militia Regiment the only allied unit to have fled the battlefield with the first shots. This Militia regiment was attached to Spry's Brigade.

The bodies of the figures are Italeri Austrians (1st box), the ideal uniform for the Portuguese as our 1806 uniform was based on the Austrian 1798 uniform. The heads are completely different: I used ACW Confederate hats and a crest made of GreenStuff.

Like this they became quite close to the original you can see in this drawing by Bob Marrion in Charles Grant book 'Wellington in Defence 1810'.

Here Charles Grant clearly mentions that the crest was also used by the Militia (in fact it was an official part of the uniform) and I opted by using it.

This is the rest of Spry's Brigade with 3rd, 8th and 15th Portuguese Line Regiments. The

models are Revell, Esci and Hat.

Once again some Italeri Austrians were used as Portuguese with heads from surplus Hat 'Red' boxes of British Peninsular infantry. On the back the old but trusty Esci figures.

Now for the LLL. This large unit was made of Portuguese immigrants in England. The figures are Esci and Hat Belgians. The officer is a Revell figure from the riflemen box as this unit was in a fact Light Infantry.

Next: transport for the Schützen of the 7th PD in France 1940. 

Bussaco Military Museum

On the 27th September 1810, the biggest battle ever on Portuguese soil occurred between the French army of  Napoleon's "enfant chéri de la victoire", Marechal  Massena, and the Anglo-Portuguese army of Wellington.

This place is 20 km from Coimbra, the famous recently world heritage city.

Near the battlefield there is a nice museum with a very interesting collection  and the only place worldwide were you can buy the fantastic Pineapple Miniatures.

You can see the long cue waiting to have at least one model of the range...many choose to sleep in tents in the outside waiting for the museum to open so eager they are to be the owner of a Pineapple Miniature.

This is entrance of the museum with the Capela do Encarnadouro welcoming visitors. This chapel served as an hospital during the battle.

A human size model of the famous regimento 19 de Cascais ( for its Sula charge) is manning the gates.

6 pdr guns. These ones are used every year on the annual celebrations of the battle on a yard 100 m from this place.

Loyal Lusitanian Legion. This famous unit was placed at the southern end of the line near the Mondego river.

Caçador model with the late barretina.

Milícias uniform. This one is from Algarve.

6 pdr inside the museum main hall. Previously this gun was crewed  by  6 artillerymen and placed in the center of the main hall in a much better arranjement. Look how it  was 2 years ago:

 There are also some nice new videos of the battle and the napoleonic campaings in Portugal that can be seen inside the museum.

The museum has a nice collection of napoleonic weapons and findings. 

A Sisto of a Portuguese military band.

A small diorama of the Sula combat. This one is very old and was one of my big inspirations for modelling when a teenager (5, 6 years ago...).

This museum is one of the few places where you can find the Portuguese battle flags. In spite of being replicas these ones are true to the original.

A very nice diorama of the entire battle made by Keith Moore with over one thousand metal 25mm models.

And of course the main nowadays attraction of the museum:

.... Pineapple miniatures, yaaaaahuuuu!!!!

There are also some pleasant garden inside the compound with access to the archeological station.

When you can drop a visit to this nice museum! And even if you can´t drop a visit anyhow!!

AOE 20mm - Heudelet 2nd division + Cavalry Bgde, P.Soult - Battle of Buçaco 1810

After Merle Division, here comes Gen. Heudelet Division and Soult Cavalry brigade, thus finishing Reynier Corps.

The larger houses at the far end are paper typical houses. I have these since I can remember and recently they were based and retouched with paint and PVA glue. They are Ok for places like Santo António do Cântaro and Pendurada, the places from were Reynier columns left for the attack.

The smaller houses are resin made and were bought in a Serra da Estrela handicraft shop and repainted.

Here it comes Gen. de Brigade M.S. Foy ahead of his 17eme Légere, after being spiked by his superior officer, Gen. Reynier, to attack. Most of the figures are Italeri and Foy itself is based on the Airfix American officer of the war of independence.

70eme de Ligne follows. Mostly Hat.

 2nd Corps commander, General Jean -Louis Reynier, watching the heights of Buçaco. Italeri figures.

Arnould Brigade: 31eme Légere ahead (most of the figures are Zvezda and Esci and Airfix Imperial guardsmen with ESCI shakos), 47eme Ligne following (Hat).

 Soult cavalry Brigade: Hanoverian Chasseurs (Revell Household cavalry with ESCI shakos) ; 22eme Chasseurs à cheval (same recipe as before) ; 1er Hussares (Italeri) and 8th Dragoons (ESCI).

Tête de Colone of the 31eme Legére.  The ESCI and Airfix guardsmen are great for light or line elite companies when shakos are placed on them.