Despite the enormous expansion of this hobby in recent years it is hard to imagine any major manufacturer producing a set of Neapolitan general staff because sales are unlikely to make the investment worthwhile. In resin however much smaller production runs can be economic, and so we find this interesting and quite surprising set made by Franznap. Three of these figures are aides de camp, with the middle figure serving the king himself. The other two figures are a general (second from left) and a Guard Guide officer (last figure in row). Neapolitan uniforms followed the French in style, and all these figures have quite typical features, although we could not obtain sufficient information to comment on specifics.

The set includes five horses, of course, and each has a separate saddle so any horse could be matched with any rider. Despite the relatively fragile nature of resin this arrangement works remarkably well, with the saddlecloths fitting well and the men fitting the saddles equally well. Again the saddle furniture is typical of the time, so no problems with authenticity here either.

The figures are beautifully produced, with plenty of detail and highly realistic poses. There is no flash, but the flexible rubber mould means the poses have plenty of depth and look great. The horses too are well done and do not suffer the restrictions usually placed on plastic animals from a steel mould. This colourful and unusual subject has been really well done here, and is clearly a companion to the figure of Murat as king of Naples, making a very attractive group that should go down well with fans of the Napoleonic period.