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pirates-indexed.gif MOC based on painting.

Hello, here's my LEGO build of Karl von Steuben’s painting, Napoleon returned from Elba, which shows an event that happened 200 years ago today:

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For closer view click on the picture.

In Napoleon’s quest to reclaim France after being exiled to Elba, March 7th, 1815 was one of those unique moments when just one little wrong move, and modern history would have been drastically different. The 5th Regiment, supposedly loyal to newly-restored King Louis XVIII, was sent to arrest Bonaparte after his return from exile at Elba. The senior general in command, Marshall Michel Ney, promised the king that he “would bring Napoleon back to Paris in an iron cage.”

Always a gambler, Napoleon deliberately presented himself a target, “Here I am,” he declared to troops formerly loyal to him, “Kill your Emperor, If you wish.” If just one soldier had pulled the trigger…but instead the emotion of the moment swept through the ranks and they surged forward to him in idolization. Thirteen days later, he would ride into Paris, beginning his last period of rule, known as The Hundred Days. The end result was the Battle of Waterloo.

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My build, and the orginal painting, Napoleon returned from Elba by Karl von Steuben. For closer views click on each.

In celebration of the 200th Anniversary of this history-changing battle, at Brickfair Virginia this year there will be a massive collaboration to render Waterloo in LEGO, with over 1000 minifigs, terrain, La Haye Sainte farm, and hopefully Hougoumont as well. Here is our FLICKR group for the collaboration: http://www.flickr.co...s/legowaterloo/

Hope you like the build! More Napoleonic builds are on the way...

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Well done! And +1 from me for the brick-built background! The tree doesn't quite look right to me, but I like the technique none the less.

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Nicely done! I like the forced perspective brick built background. Good attention to the details of the painting in the MOC.

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Very cool idea and realization! I like how you did the tree and landscape.

P.S. Where did you get so many French soldiers? :)

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Great way to represent the painting man! (I wish I had so many "black british style hats" they are cool xd) Can't wait for photos of the collaboration.wub_drool.gif

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Fantastic work! :classic:

I really like all the details and kitbash minifigures.

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Great build! You should post this in the Pirates subforum as well. There are several other "Napoleonic" builders there that would appreciate this.

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Very nice representation of this epic scene. And great use of the fp :classic: . (moving this to pirates...)

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Very nice commemorative build! I like the way you did the background. Great work!

Thank you BrickJagger, appreciate the kind words.

Excellent build! I love the mountains in the background and the tree looks great! :thumbup:

Thank you LittleJohn, I was worried about that tree actually...

Well done! And +1 from me for the brick-built background! The tree doesn't quite look right to me, but I like the technique none the less.

Thank you Capt Wolf. Yeah I am a bit concerned after seeing the tree in the shots, but at that point I just needed to get it posted in time for the 200th Anniversary part. I think I need to make that tree smaller a bit...

Awesome attention to detail!

Thank you Hive.

You're gonna be busy! Beautiful, beautiful work

Much love

Daivd

Thank you David, very kind of you to say! You are so right...besides the 200th Anniversary of Waterloo collab, I also have the 150th Aniiversary of Appomattox, the surrender of Robert E. Lee to US Grant and the end of the Civil War, another collab I have with a historian friend of mine, plus some castle builds...whew! :wacko:

Nicely done! I like the forced perspective brick built background. Good attention to the details of the painting in the MOC.

Thank you so much Adventurer1.

Very cool idea and realization! I like how you did the tree and landscape.

P.S. Where did you get so many French soldiers? :)

Thank you Balthazar! Basically, I spent my kid's college savings. :innocent: Regular Infantry (on the left) consists of the torso & legs from the Colonial Soldier CMF + shako+red epaulettes. Imperial Guard (on the right) are the Governor torso & legs from Pirates II+beaskin hat from the Royal Guard CMF+red epaulettes.

Great way to represent the painting man! (I wish I had so many "black british style hats" they are cool xd) Can't wait for photos of the collaboration.wub_drool.gif

Thank you! I bought a ton of the Royal Guard CMF to make my 24th Regiment of Foot for my Rorke's Drift build, but the 24th used pith helmets...so the French Imperial Guard became a convenient unit to build.

Excellent - great job on all the details and the different minifigs!

Thank you Capt B!

Fantastic work! :classic:

I really like all the details and kitbash minifigures.

They were fun to put together...if a bit expensive. Thank you Balbo.

Well done! I am looking forward to more of the Napoleonic builds.

Thank you AFOLGuy, they will be coming along in a few months...

Great build! You should post this in the Pirates subforum as well. There are several other "Napoleonic" builders there that would appreciate this.

Thank you 2 maxwell. Oops...I didn't realize that's where it belonged... :pir-look:

Very nice, great posing!

Thank you EC.

Great fig posing!

Not easy for someone with "fumble-fingers". Thanks UM.

Very nice representation of this epic scene. And great use of the fp :classic: . (moving this to pirates...)

Thank you very much Ecclesiastes, very kind of you. And I didn't realize it's where EB puts Napoleonic builds...I just figured Nappy=historical. So I take it all the other Waterloo builds I will do this year go here in Pirates, good to go.

Epic scene, more than very well executed. And finally this jewel got moved to where it belongs :pir-sweet:

:thumbup:

Wow, thank you Kolonialbeamter, very kind comment. Hehe, I'll put the follow-on builds here in :pir-classic:

Edited by Gary The Procrastinator

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Everything is really well done! Great work.

The only comment I have is that Bonaparte should have short legs. :grin:

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Thank you Balthazar! Basically, I spent my kid's college savings. :innocent:

Regular Infantry (on the left) consists of the torso & legs from the Colonial Soldier CMF + shako+red epaulettes. Imperial Guard (on the right) are the Governor torso & legs from Pirates II+beaskin hat from the Royal Guard CMF+red epaulettes.

pir_laugh2.gif

Thanks for information!

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Excellent build, great work with the tree and the mountains in the background! default_classic.gif Superb minifig posing as well thumbup.gif

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Everything is really well done! Great work. The only comment I have is that Bonaparte should have short legs. default_laugh2.gif

Thank you very much, Phred. If you are joking about Napoleon's height, it would be a good sight gag to pull off! bonaparte.gif

In reality however the whole thing about Napoleon being short is 100% myth. He was literally average height for a Frenchmen of his age, 5'6". You can see it in the painting, actually.

:pir_laugh2:

Thanks for information!

Certainly!

Fantastic build! I like how the mountains in the background turned out default_classic.gif

Thank you RC, it's been the most positive commented-on feature so it definitely worked.

Excellent build, great work with the tree and the mountains in the background! :classic: Superb minifig posing as well :thumbup:

Thank you for the kind comment Garmadon!

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The myth is also accentuated by the fact that Napoleon surrounded himself with grenadiers, the tallest men in his army. As I said before this is a really wonderful moc, and I love recreations of paintings. If I had one critique, it's that Napoleon was famous for dressing more simply than his generals, much closer to the uniform of his men.

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The myth is also accentuated by the fact that Napoleon surrounded himself with grenadiers, the tallest men in his army. As I said before this is a really wonderful moc, and I love recreations of paintings. If I had one critique, it's that Napoleon was famous for dressing more simply than his generals, much closer to the uniform of his men.

Correct, and also the British had some propaganda going as well which has stuck.

You're on target there, he dressed often in his grey overcoat, very hard to replicate in LEGO. I even tried an old Dementer cloak from one of the early HP sets and it failed miserably. So I just put a dark bley cape on him and let it be....

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