Copplestone Castings

30mm British Sailors
in Sennet Hats

by Steve Winter

Every now and then, something shows up in the review box that just makes a guy sit up straight and shout “Wow!” It seems that no matter how much of Mark Copplestone’s work I see, each new sculpting never fails to elicit gapes of slackjawed wonder. The Darkest Africa figures that he’s produced post-Wargames Foundry are no exception. The only figures actually received for review are those from set AF4, British Sailors in Sennet Hats at the ready (I say that only by way of shameless panhandling for more review sets).

Mark Copplestone is obviously a master sculptor at the top of his craft. The figures are nearly flawless, with clean lines, excellent proportions, nice thickness to height ratio, and beautifully animated faces. They’re tall, measuring 30mm from bootsoles to eyeballs (30M on the Barrett scale). It’s hard to explain the perfect combination of detail and simplicity, but the figures have just the right amount of detail to look stunning, yet they’re easy and fun to paint. Each of the figures is slightly different from the others in pose and expression, but similar enough to form a very nice, active-looking unit.

In short, there are no finer gaming figures available on the market, in this reviewer’s opinion. These are better than what you’ll see in most museum dioramas.

The downside (and there always is one) is that all that quality comes at a price: $12 for a pack of five figures, or $2.25 apiece, to be precise. A standard 20-man Sword & Flame unit costs $45, twice what most manufacturers charge. That spendiness will push these beautiful little men out of reach for most traditional, army-level gamers looking to put three or four hundred figures on the table. There’s no question that you’re getting value for your money, and even at that price this hobby would still be affordable when compared to serious model railroading, flying radio-controlled planes, or riding a Harley-Davidson.

If you can foot the bill, or you’re a skirmish gamer building small units, or you’re a perfectionist who simply won’t settle for anything but the best, then Copplestone Castings makes the figures for you. Available from RLBPS (Robert L. Bowling Painting Service), 4827 Treeview Terrace, Rockford, IL, 61109; tel. (815) 874-5351, fax (815) 874-4829; http://www.rlbps.com/RLBPHOM.htm.

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