The Battle of Waterloo

Ever since I was little, I enjoyed miniatures. Whether they were historical model ships or 28mm figures, I loved building and painting them. I decided to start up again and implement some higher level techniques to see how good I could get it to look. After much research on what interested me the most, I landed on Perry Miniatures 28mm figures in plastic and metal. Perry has a wide spread of miniatures, and I thought the colors and uniforms of the Napoleonic era were the most captivating.

Planning!

To make the diorama look presentable and professional, I found a really nice glass cloche with a walnut base. It came in as eight inches in diameter, a good size to fit the scene I had in my head. I wanted to fit the French and British soldiers in close quarters, with some on horseback and others on foot. Perry Miniatures has a huge selection for Napoleonic figures, more than enough to build out the scene. I started planning in mid-Oct 2023 and wrapped up in the end of Feb 2024.

Final Photoshoot

There’s a true story in this scene. Sgt. Ewart was a member of the British cavalry known as the Scots Greys at the Battle of Waterloo. Sgt. Ewart captured the French 45th regimental flag on June 18, 1815. I found an online store in the UK that makes miniature flags for these scale figures. This online store sold Napoleonic flags including the exact French regimental flag, which I placed in the hands of Sgt. Ewart in the scene below. I was hoping to encapsulate the fast moving pace and chaos that would have surrounded this moment, both in everyone’s faces and in their movement.

I implemented the most advanced painting techniques I have learned; like base coats, recess shading, highlighting, dry brushing, layering, washing, outlining, and stippling for horse hair. To make the scene more interesting, I hand built a stone wall with an attached wooden fence and tree. And under all that, I had a lot of fun creating the wet mud with puddles and grasses with tufts.