The General

After a seemingly interminable wait, the Pegaso kit of Napoleon in Egypt (54-149) has finally arrived! My first reaction upon seeing this petite little gem was, "What was I thinking?" My second thought was, "Now I know why I never got into Napoleonics!" Seriously though. . . this figure will definitely challenge whatever skills I might have acquired over the last quarter century plus!

The casting consists of 8 (7 + base) VG+ pieces. They casting is actually excellent, but I am compelled to gig it based on the "rough" surface on the breeches and the coat. The days of the silky-smooth finish on castings are apparently behind us, and if one accepts what I received as the "new standard", then the production values of this kit are indeed excellent. In any event, the roughness can be eliminated/sufficiently attenuated with careful scraping, sanding and polishing--no more than 20-30 minutes tops.

Fit is overall excellent. I have some quibbles with the flush-fit engineering of the coattails to the sash, but only because it will require a swipe of filler-- negotiated around the delicate embroidery!--to make the transition seamless. I might undercut the sash and re-engineer the contact surfaces to preclude me from having to do any putty work post-painting.

I will not delve into my usual commentary on the historicity (or lack thereof) of the kit, as I am well out of my league on this one. At first blush, all seems as it should be, but I will be doing some additional research by way of confirmation.

As a final note, packaging is excellent! And for once, the size of the container is sufficient to protect the contents!!

And that wraps-up the review of what is arguably the best 54mm foot-figure of Napoleon in Egypt on the market, if not ever: the other two offerings, by Andrea and Valiant, respectively, don't even come close.

And before I close, the work that inspired this madness. . .