Ral Partha

25mm British Colonials

by Ian J. Knight

Ral Partha's new Colonials mark the first major American incursion, with the honourable exception of Jack Scruby, into a field hitherto dominated by British manufacturers. Although Colonial campaigns have never been a major field for UK gamers, the 1879 Zulu War has had a certain popularity there since the release of ZULU in 1964, and there have been a steady trickle of releases from the major manufacturers to cater for this minority interest. The fact that Ral Partha have sought to provide their commitment to historical ranges by launching a Zulu War range perhaps indicates how the Colonials period has 'taken off' in the States in the wake of the SWORD AND THE FLAME rules.

The first thing which strikes you about the figures is that they really are of the highest sculpting and casting quality. They are fractionally larger than many of Ral Partha's other historical ranges, with the result that they are just about compatible with the chunkier style of existing Colonial ranges, notably that from Minifigs, until now the market leader in this period. Anatomically, the figures are excellent, well proportioned, and sculpted with an elegant, relaxed air which brings a flavor of naturalism in contrast to rivals' stiffer poses. There is always a tendency to represent African warriors as muscle- bound supermen, but Ral Partha have mercifully resisted it, and their Zulus are slim and wirey. The detail is exquisite, crisp and sharp, but in no way overdone. It must be said that it will require a fair degree of painting skill to make the most of these figures.

Historically, the designers have done their job well, though this can scarcely be surprising in view of the copious amount of information on uniforms of the Zulu War which is currently available.

If I were to be extra-critical, I could mourn the influence of the Osprey Men-at-Arms title THE ZULU WAR, whose errors daily become more entrenched. Although the book has many good points in its favor, it does misrepresent several items of Zulu dress quite badly, and, as manufacturers have sought to make their Zulus more authentic, so, unfortunately, they have been incorporating and perpetuating these errors.

In Ral Partha's case, this is most noticeable in a couple of the Zulu headresses. It is more than compensated by the lightness of the sculptor's touch, however; these Zulus do look as if they are wearing lightweight feathers and fur, a far cry from the leaden lumps some manufacturer's burden them with. The only other error is to be found in the shape of the cavalry horse-cloth, which follows the line of the saddle, and should in fact be squared off.

I can't resist mentioning a couple of real beauties. The trooper of the Frontier Light Horse is a real gem, with bags of character in the bearded face under the battered hat, and the Zulu inDuna is quite simply the only Zulu Chief in any scale worth bothering with. So nice to see the leopard-skin collar and war-kilt of animal tails correctly depicted for once.

As much as one might like to fantasize about novelty items like Rocket Troughs and the characteristic boney transport wagons, which featured prominently in almost every South African war in the last century, it is clear that the Rai Partha range is as complete as anyone has the right to expect. It provides a selection of British infantry, Cavalry, Naval Brigade and Artillery, as well as supports in the shape of the FLH and Natal Native Horse and Infantry (complete with a mixed weapon pack, so that you can get the quota of rifles to assegais right!) and a good selection of Zulus. Ral Partha deserve to be congratulated on living up to their boast that they are providing the "finest Colonials on the market". Let's hope that we can look forward to more of the same in the future.

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