Review: British Fusilier Minifigure (LEGO-Compatible from Aliexpress)

Here we have the British Fusilier, which is available for as little as £0.76p a figure on Aliexpress (affiliate link) There is currently no English translation of the brand name, so I will post it as it is written for you - 粤智益达. In my opinion these are a game changer in the world of Napoleonic Minifigures for animators and MOCers, as historically, printed Napoleonic figures have been incredibly expensive from the likes of United Bricks and other similar websites - with individual figures being over £10, so the cost to build an army (let alone two!) would be beyond mine and many others ability. 

The Torso's printing is a beautiful and accurate design of a generic line infantryman of the time.  Regiments would have their own specific facings, colour of the cuffs and buttons and spacing of the buttons or lace, but as a figure that meets the idea and feel of the soldier it represents, it's pretty spot on. The closest reference I can find to this chap is the 70th, with the colar and cuffs being black.  On the back of the figure there is a water canteen and a couple of pouches, along with the continuous cross-belts carrying over from the front.   

British Fusilier from the back with black rucksack, including the rolled up sleeping blanket. 

British Fusilier from the back - blue water canteen, knapsack and ammo pouch.

The legs feature white breeches or pantaloons and black gaiters or boots (depending on how you interpret it. This is fine, and once again matches our mind's vision of a soldier of the period. However, trousers were being worn more on campaign the later we go into the Napoleonic Wars, with grey trousers becoming common - this is a swap that those wishing to use these models may wish to consider if they were to be representing the Peninsular War and Waterloo Campaign. The white legwear has some creasing and weathering designed onto it, so is not lacking in detail!

Side view of the Fusilier, showing arm-printing and the peak of the Shako.

The Shako is a Stovepipe shako. I must admit when I bought these, from the images on Aliexpress I expected this to be a standard minifigure shako similar to the one first produced by LEGO in 1989. However, this one is a unique and more accurate representation, with a thinner and longer peak above the eyes. This Shako, introduced in 1800 is perfect for the majority of the Napoleonic Wars, but it's worth remembering that it had largely been phased out for line infantry by the start of the Waterloo campaign (except for the 28th, who were still wearing it). 

This said, I have found very few options for representing the Belgic shako, which was introduced in 1812 as a minifigure accessory, and even in the large scale Waterloo productions of LCM Brickshow and Brictator, the Stovepipe Shako is largely used and I can't blame them for this at all! You can find a Waterloo figure on United Bricks, priced at £14.49 (13/11/2022) which wears this shako, but it does appear to have the plume molded into the shako as a black plume, and of course is several times more expensive than this one!

The weapon is a great representation of a musket of the time, with a bayonet. The only criticism I can give is that they aren't the easiest accessories to pose in the hands of a minifigure, as there are no designated hand-holds and they are a little too thin to stay gripped. Adopting a shooting position is not the most convincing unfortunately.

British Fusilier in the best firing position I can manage!

The only thing I would be inclined to alter on the figure is the plume. This white plume indicates a Grenadier, whereas the red and white plume of the Sergeant would be suitable for a line regiment. If you're happy with a company of grenadiers, or not a picky person then be happy and carry on, but if you do want to represent a Centre Company you might need to invest in some Sergeants, hope that the brand bring out some plume multipacks, or dab your plumes in some paint and hope no one is watching! 

Another interesting possibility is to use these models as light infantry. I'm not talking the rifles of the 95th, but instead the regular Light Infantry companies who would still have been using the Brown Bess musket but with additional training in skirmishing and sharpshooting. If one was investing in the Italian Light Infantry models, you would end up with a green plume, while the infantry take the pompom. Take the plume, add it to your Fusilier, and voila! You have a light infantryman! 

All in all, for the price they are available at, these are fantastic models and are an affordable and convincing way into building a large army of LEGO-Compatible Napoleonics, as I intend to use them! 

Click here to take a look at the range now! If you're looking to build up an army, why not pick up a pack of 50 in one go? 

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