Waterloo is hardly a battle that needs any introduction, and it was no surprise when Italeri focused their very first figure sets on this campaign. The decisiveness of the result and the large number of combatants from many European countries have all contributed to its appeal, as has the fact that it was the last major battle in Europe for many years thereafter.
This was the very first battleset made by Italeri, and it did not follow what would become the formula for later sets in the range. Instead it followed the more common formula used by other manufacturers such as Esci, and provided a couple of sets of figures plus some generic battlefield accessories and a base. In this case the figure sets included were:
The accessories were a half set of the Italeri Battlefield Accessory Set, specifically two of the four sprues - the ones that allow construction of a watchtower, bridge and a couple of the chevaux-de-frise. The other component of the set was a printed cardboard base that folds out to about 660 mm by 460, and shows a river with an unmade road crossing it at a ford. The figure sets were the first two Italeri ever made in 1/72 scale, and were not ideal for the role they played here. As our review of the French infantry pointed out, there are many accuracy mistakes which mean no one at Waterloo was dressed like these men. The British heavy cavalry are much better in accuracy, but still have some issues, though many customers will find they are able to overlook the problems. If the figures are less than ideal then the coloured base is downright weird. There were no significant bodies of water at Waterloo, so the design seems irrelevant to the actual battle. The accessories are even harder to explain, since Waterloo had no watch towers, stockades, bridges or chevaux-de-frise. The artist commissioned to produce the box artwork had an impossible challenge - how to make sense of all these strange elements. By loyally sticking to the brief and actually portraying what the box contained, they produced an absurd image of French infantry in a part-built stockade by a stream being attacked by Scots Greys who have entered via the gaping hole in the wall. It is a lovely image but nothing at all to do with Waterloo, nor with any action in the Napoleonic Wars. At least the artist made the uniforms correct, so in that sense they did not reflect the actual contents, but overall this is quite a surreal set that would teach someone nothing about the historic battle.
From the back of the box, this illustrates the accessories on offer. For the sake of offering us something, they offered us these pointless items.
Again from the back of the box, we see the design for the cardboard base. Not a bad design, with opportunities for a skirmish where neither side can quite get at the other except via a bridge, but nothing to do with Waterloo.
Italeri would later produce much better sets of French infantry for various periods of the Napoleonic Wars, including Waterloo, but these were not available when this set was made. Italeri would also go on to make many much more appropriate figure sets for Waterloo, and then more Waterloo battlesets, so this poorly-designed product has long been discontinued. It is unlikely to be missed.