Savage and Soldier

25mm Colonial

reviewed by Ian Knight

It is, perhaps, unfair to follow a review of Ral Partha's latest with one of the limited range of Colonial figures now being marketed by Lynn Bodin of Savage and Soldier (14219 NE 74th Street, Redmond, WA 98052), since the latter inevitably came off worse by the comparison. Their detail is not so crisp, their size varies from one figure to another, and they are cast in a brittle metal which increases the risk of damage in transit. However, if standards of sculpting and production are a little lacking, the Colonial enthusiast will surely forgive the S & S range in view of the subjects covered.

Designed to fill existing gaps in other manufacturer's ranges, these initial releases provide not only a selection of figures to complete the international armies of the Boxer Rebellion - British marines, Italian Bersaglieri, French mounted Chasseurs D'Afrique - but also a complete range of Malagasy troops, opening up the French campaigns in Madagascar for consideration on the wargame table. Indeed, inventive Colonial buffs might find that these figures have all sorts of possibilities; the Malagasy irregular (25o5), wearing nothing but a wide-brimmed hat and a blanket, carrying a musket, has already joined my South African armies as a Xhosa warrior in the Cape Frontier Wars. In short, this is a range for the specialist, who is prepared to sacrifice some of the quality of the mass-market manufacturers in orderto stock up on a few unusual figures he cannot get elsewhere. If you are interested, Infantry cost $4.00 for a pack of eight, cavalry the same price for four, and packs of four gunners or officers $2.50 each.

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