28mm Royal Naval Guard "Real Marina" of the Kingdom of the two Sicilies 1848

This is the first unit for my Kingdom of the two Sicilies for my Risorgimento project. I hope that this is the start of the last major army for the project. I will admit, my initial figure purchases were all over the place as I compared figure lines and explored options. This is one such exploration.

The naval infantry "Real Marina" unit was an elite unit and comprised half of the Royal guard. That said they were far from ceremonial, participating in several campaigns including the  Battle of Volturnus in 1860. I'll include an image of the Peter Dennis painting of this battle which shows the unit fighting in their campaign hats. I've tried to model this unit after that painting. To do so, I've re-purposed Perry Miniatures ISA33 Infantry marching, flank co, greatcoats and 'Isabellino' caps from their Carlist War line. The backpacks aren't an exact match, but they're close enough for me!

The core of the line infantry for the Neapolitan army will be from the Gringo40 Neapolitan Infantry line, but I wanted something 'different' for the guard unit and this unit and these figures seemed to fit the bill. Not all guard wear bearskins!

Here is a good look at their packs. They are missing the characteristic blanket rolls. I considered adding them with green stuff, but they would have been positioned comically high. Also who's to say that on campaign, the luxury of carrying some non-regulation gear wouldn't be allowed to such an elite unit? Either way, this is how they're going into battle, like it or not!

 

 

These will count for another six figures in this year's painting totals. Next up a unit of Swiss line infantry for the Neapolitans. To the left, the Peter Dennis painting that I mentioned above. I've opted for flank company figures with their more adorned shoulder scales, hoping to set the 'guard' unit off a bit more on the tabletop. Call it creative license.