#20-1: Doug Ziprick, Washington writes: I have found a now super glue from Squadron Mail Order by the name of Zap-A-Gap and it works very well on clean metal castings, especially if you wash them and rinse them as if preparing them for painting. I find that the first application is allowed to dry and then one to three more applications are node to build up a fillet of super-filler glue which then provides a very strong joint. In regards to the finish on the painted miniatures I have tried glossy, semi-glass and flat finishes and find that the glossy finishes look best on the larger sized miniatures and that the flat, dusty finishes look best on smaller miniatures such as lSmm and 1:200 tanks. I then take & place a small highlight of semi-gloss on the I rump of each horse and that makes the horse units look very realistic.
#24-1: Paul Hinson would like to locate two sets of Vietnam rules, namely Bodycount and Giac My. Anybody know?
#22-1 This question was in regard to further information regarding the 7th Neapolitan line and it appears as though a number of people had information on this unit. First John Duffy of Woolridge, Illinois: "They were dressed exactly like the French except they wore all white. Facings were yellow. The grenadiers, fusiliers and Voltigeurs were distinguished by plumes, pompoms, cockades , just like the French line battalions" Next Frank Novak of Kirtland AFB, New Mexico: "Unfortunately, the sources are sometimes confusing or contradictory. (A) "French shako with brass crowned shield-shaped plate bearing 'JN', pompon and cockade but no cords; white coat, shoulder straps, belts and breeches, short black gaiters; yellow buttons, Facings shown on collar, cuffs, lapels, turnbacks, scalloped cuff laps and piping, lst regiment-sky blue; 2nd-light red; 3r& black; 4th-pale purple; Sth-dark green; 6th-oTange; 7th-yellow; 8th-pink; 9thlight blue; 10th-dark blue; llth-pale purple; 12th,green (raised 1814). The 7th Regiment was composed of Negroes. Drummers red, white & blue (later carmine white) lace to facings, carmine swallows' nests (initially in the facing colors), sleeves and seams, brass drums with carmine & white hoops. Pioneers, red crossed axes under a flaming grenade on both upper arms, white aprons, full beards." Extracted from WARS OF THE NAPOLEONIC ERA by Otto von Pivka.
(B) "The dress of the line infantry closely resembled that of the French infantry, except that the basic color was white. In 1812 the distinctions of the regiments were as follows: lstsky blue-, 2nd-light red; 3rd-black; 4th- amaranth red; Sth-green; 6th-orange; 7th-yellow; 8th-pink; in 1815; 9thlight blue; loth-blue; 11th- armaranth; 12th-green. The 7th Regiment was made up of Negroes. Fusiliers, voltigeurs & grenadiers were distinguished in the same way as in France." Extracted from UNIFORMS OF THE WORLD by Richard Knotel, Herbert Knotel & Herbert Sieg.
(C) In BATTLEDRESS - THE UNIFORMS OF THE WORLD'S GREAT ARMIES 1700 to the PRESENT (page 123), a color drawing captioned "Grenadier Officer of the 7th 'Africa' Regiment 1812 shows an officer with white bearskin, coat & breeches. The bearskin has a red plum with yellow cord. The coat cuffs, turnback, collar and lapel are yellow.
(D) "The Black Pioneer Battalion was raised May 1803 from Black Refugees of Egypt and Haiti. Connand was given to Bomengo, a favorite of Napoleon. It had nine companies of 106 men each. In August of 1806 the battalion was transferred to Naples as the Royal African regiment (later designated the 7th Line)." Extracted from NAPOLEONIC ARMIES - VOLUME I FRANCE AND HER ALLIES (page 7) by Ray Johnson.
Finally, from Fred Vietmeyer: "Let us do a literary skim, since several misnomers seem to be involved, Did the 7th Neapolitan Line Grenadiers wear white bearskins?
(A) Knotel, Prof. Richard, UNIFORENkiME XVIII, Band No. 40 (1932) states that the sappers wore white bearskins. The German text indicates exclusiveness.
(B) Talisman (pen name) DAYS OF THE EMPIRE, 7th INFANTERIE DE LIGNE, MILITARY MINIATURE COLLECTOR, Bob Bard, Ed. Jan. 1963, pages 6-11 states that the grenadiers of 1806 wore a black felt french model shako with a white inverted chevron on each side, It was banded with red bands on the top and bottom. On the front was a brass lozenge with the Neapolitan cockade: white, green, red reading from the outside. It had a red plume. The fusiliers wore French style shakos with the typical pompons or disks (note that the word 'musketeer' is a Germanic army term; the French type armies used the word "Fusiliers" for center companies of line infantry). The voltigeurs had shakos with a green over yellow plume coming from a red pompom. The shako cording was green and yellow braided with red tassels. The sappers had white bearskins with red cording and red plume, The ape's rump was red with a white grenade. There was a brass front plate to the bearskin.
(C) Von Pivka, Otto, NAPOLEON'S ITALIAN AND NEAPOLITAN TROOPS, Osprey Men at Arms (1979) page 29, describes the Neapolitan Line Infantry uniforms showing some variations such as red cording on the grenadier shakos and green pompoms on the voltigeur shakos under the plume. He mentions that some bearskins were worn by the grenadiers on parade initially.
#22-1: Regarding uniforms worn by the five Brunswick reserve battalions in 1814, Fred Vietmeyer rsponded thusly; "According to von Pivka, Otto, BRUNSWICK TROOPS 1809-15, Osprey Men at Arms (1985) page 42, the Reserve Battalions had black corsican hats without plume or edging, The short Mack tunics had black collars and cuffs edged white. The black pants had a white stripe, Black belting, Silver horse upturned hat brim (Note that this is a new Osprey publication with color plates by Bryan Foster, The former one was 1973 with color plates by Michael Roffe). Although the uniforms are not specifically dated 1814 and the chapter is entitled 'Uniforms at Waterloo, 1815."
(Editor's Notes; Thanks to everyone who responded to these questions.)
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