A very small but colorful episode in colonial history is the Boxer Rebellion. During the span of about a year in 1900, eight nations -- the United States, England, France, Russia, Austro-Hungary, Germany, Italy, and Japan -- joined together to battle a group of religious and nationalistic fanatics, the Boxer, who were supported by the regular army of the government of China. (Please pardon my summarizing the Rebellion into a single sentence; in a future article I hope to discuss gaming possibilities for this episode.)

Because of the color and variety present the Boxer Rebellion is an excellent game model. For those considering trying it and for those already started, this is an overview of available figures.

Not long ago, when I began preparing an article on the Boxer Rebellion, only Miniature Figurines made figures for this episode. Initially, a major portion of my text was devoted to figure modifications and conversions so one could create an interesting Boxer force and include figures for all of the foreign powers. In the space of just about a year and a half, however, six more companies have released 25mm figures for this episode. Besides MiniFigs, the firms producing Boxer era figures are Frontier Miniatures, the Iron Brigade, Red Wing Miniatures, Savage and Soldier Figures, and Joel Haas Figures. In 15mm three firms are offering Boxer era figures: Joel Haas, Frontier and Lancashire. I will limit myself to only the 25's here.

MINIFIGS

The firm which has been offering figures for the Boxer gainers for the longest time is the one which is most familiar to us, namely Miniature Figurines (MiniFigs). Their Boxer range appeared about 1979. The line originally consisted of 17 figures. After being out of production for a number of years they were re-released repackaged into 13 sets. The present range contains three Boxers. All are rifle armed; the advancing and standing firing figures have a turban and the kneeling figure has a conical coolie style hat. It is a shame that all are rifle armed since the vast majority of Boxers were melee troops, indeed one goal of the movement was to rid China of modern technology including firearms. The advancing figure does have many conversion possibilities. Remove the rifle and add a sword and shield or a pole arm. Adding a ramrod or shell makes it into an artilleryman. The two standing figures can be painted as Kensu Braves (Moslem troops in the Chinese Regular Army). Since there are now so many Boxer figures available, these conversions are not necessary but do serve to provide more variety to Boxer forces. In a package called "Chinese officers" is a Boxer with a raised sword. The other figure in that pack is a regular officer in modern dress with a pistol. Other MiniFig Chinese are an advancing "tigerman" with pike and shield and an old style Imperial infantry with manderin hat and armed with rifle. For some reason an excellent figure of a Boxer standard bearer which had many conversion possibilities has been dropped from the line. I obtained one when the series originally appeared; if any reader has some of these perhaps we can work out a trade as I would dearly love to have some more.

Western forces are represented by a U.S. Marine in full kit, a French sailor wearing a tam with pom-pom, a German-Austrian sailor with a beret style hat, a German "Ulan" with a turned up Australian style hat, and a French "marine". Officers available are U.S. Marine and French/German. British infantry, Gurkas, Indians, sailors and officers are availabel from the Sudan and NW Frontier ranges; a very nice H.M. Chinese Rgt. is included in the Boxer range.

Generally these figures are very useful. They are typical of the current generation of MiniFig releases in terms of sculpting, size and alloy. There are, however, a number of problems in design. Firstly, all Boxer figures are rifle armed which is unfortunate, as I mentioned above. The advancing Boxer can be converted. I have over 100 of this pose as spear, pike, sword, and ax men. By trading heads between the kneeling coolie hat figure and the advancing one, one can create kneeling Kensus and coolie hatted Boxers with melee weapons. The "tigerman" is also troublesome in that these troops were regular troops, not Boxers and wore a turban or manderin style hat. Their tactical role in the Chinese Army was to defend against cavalry and so were armed with grappling hooks and long swords, not a pike, and carried a shield larger than the one offered. Nevertheless, the figure, as is, can be painted up as a Boxer or given a turban head from the advancing figure and fitted with a home-made hook or sword to be a correct tigerman. Perhaps MiniFig research cannot be faulted for this. Savage and Soldier, May-J une, 1977 has a picture of a "tigerman" dressed exactly as the MiniFig model (p. 7).

The western figures, likewise, have a few subtle poroblems. The French marine wears a sailor hat and a sheepskin jacket and is the perfect image of a Franco-Prussian War naval brigade figure. With a bit of trimming of the jacket you can make a nice short-sleeved sailor without collar for a little more variety. Perhaps the figure is intended to be a marine in winter dress. This uniform is mentioned in Bodin's The Boxer Rebellion (Osprey, 1979), but he refers to an overcoat and beret without a pom-pom. But, feel free to use as is, for we all know that early uniform regulations were made to be broken. The figure called a ulan is also misnamed but is sculpted as should be for the German East Asia Brigade raised in Germany after the uprising began. These should not be present at the siege of Peking. Note that in the same issue of Savage and Soldier mentioned above there is a picture of this German figure and it is identified as a ulan and was perhaps used as a reference by the MiniFig designer. The U.S. Marine is named and dressed correctly but, alas, is in full pack and blanket roll and not suitable for use during the siege of Peking. All in all, the MiniFig offerings are very good and provide a number of basic figures and the source of a number of conversion opportunities.

RED WING MINIATURES

The other UK manufacturer of Boxer era figures is Red Wing Miniatures, an extension of Ahketon Figures from the Model Shop, Harrow. They offer a full assortment of Chinese and allied troops. These figures are on the bulky side to my mind; the allies more so than the Chinese. The allies have full equipment -- packs, blanket rolls, cartridge boxes, canteens, map cases, etc., and are in unusual poses -- crouching, loading and kneeling. The arms of all types are generally cast close to the body so only limited conversion is possible.

There are at present a variety of Boxers, Imperials (one with a great halberd), Japanese (an excellent firing officer), French marines and sailors, U.S. infantry, and Russian infantry and sailors (a particularly well done one with a slung rifle). The Boxers have beautiful detail including tassels on the pole arms and half shaved heads with waist length pigtails. The poses are so unique that one might like to have a number spread throughout a large army but not entire units of the same pose. The firm promises, and indeed, by the time this goes to press might have released more, including Germans, British, Austrians, and Italians. I would ask that they reduce the amount of impedimentia attached to each figure which might keep costs down and reduce painting effort. Note that the recent Ahketon USA catalog staes that this range may be terminated because Ahketon will be releasing their own range of figures in spring, 1986. Do not miss out on these excellent Chinese figures before they are gone.

FRONTIER MINIATURES

Frontier Miniatures provides the most extensive line available for the Boxer Uprising. Some 50 differrent figures are available. They are well sculpted of a Ral Partha size and of similar design quality. Chinese figures include 5 Boxers, 2 tigermen, 6 other Imperials, including 2 cavalry. The Boxers come with shaved heads, turbans, and coolie hats. They have open hands and separate weapons -- swords, shields, and pole arms. All are in action poses and are readily convertible. Both traditional and modern dress Imperials are available.

The allies list is exhaustive and quite accurate. Included are infantry, cavalry, and artillery for the U.S., Japan, Germany, and Russia. The French offerings include a marine, an Annamite, a Tonkinese, a Turco (thus all one needs to do Vietnam Black Flag pirate games) and a beautiful Chasseur d'Afrique. British are represented by an Indian, Gurka and H.M. Chinese. There are no British infantry or sailors but these can be adapted from the other colonial ranges. There is also an Italian Bersagliari. The only sailor offered is a Russian and it is excellent, including the long tails on the tam. The U.S. Marines are especially nice in that they have no packs or other encumberances; one is in shirtsleeves and the other in a jacket so variations within or between units is possible.

Each artillery crew contains two poses. The Japanese and Russians have standing and kneeling figures. My favorites are the U.S. and German sets. The former has one figure with slung rifle, shading his eyes with one hand as if scanning the distance and the other also has slung rifle but holds a shell. Both figures are very versatile and easily converted into scouts, engineers, and NCO's. The German set, too, has many possibilities. One figure is pointing with the right hand and holding the rifle by the barrel with the left with the butt resting on the base. The recent Frontier catalog also lists a "carving knife brigade" figure. These are civilian and ex-military types present in Peking at the time of the siege who tied knives onto their sporting rifles.

The entire Frontier line is excellent and a must for anyone building forces for Boxer games. My only wish for this collection is that it include dismounted cavalry figures and poses besides advancing infantry. How about some firing, slope arms or at trail? This comment is, by the way, true for all manufacturers. I include it here because Frontier already has so much to offer I thought a little more would not hurt. I would enjoy seeing figures for each country represented in a national pose -- the Italian Bersagliari running at trail, the Russian at attack march, the U.S. skirmish firing, the British at slope arms, the Japanese at a quick march. I should mention that Atley Turney, the energetic founder and motivator of Frontier, will make custom designed figures for a fee (he did an excellent dismounted Natal Native horse figure for Hal Thinglum). If there are any well-to-do gainers out there who like my idea, feel free to commission Frontier to bring it to fruition.

FALCON MINIATURES

Falcon Miniatures is the other large scale U.S. firm with Boxer figures. Please note that this is the "new" Falcon Miniatures, not the one which made the oversized French figures some years ago. Their Boxer range consists of nine packs. A number of figures in other series are also suitable for use in Boxer games.

All of the figures are well sculpted and nicely animated. There are four Boxer packs including a command one with a leader in a Manchu hat, a standard bearer in a hooded "sweatsuit" (a Ia picture on page 4 of the Bodin/Osprey book) and a running figure with a raised rifle. Other sets are Regular Chinese in Kensu and modern dress, a tigerman, artillery crew in a versatile open-handed pose, and an irregular cavalryman. From the French Indo-China range one can use four Annamite figures as Boxers.

Falcon produces only four packs of Allies explicitly for the Boxer Uprising -- U.S. Marines advancing and officers and British infantry and officers (these are the first of a projected series of British in Slade-Wallace equipment). Figures from other lines, however, work very well for Boxer games. In the French Indo-China range are a standing, firing French sailor, a sailor gun crew, an advancing marine, a marine gun crew, and an officer set. In the French Foreign Legion series are Turcos and a Chasseur d'Afrique plus a field gun and machine gun. Both horse and foot schutztruppen from the German Southwest Africa line can be used for the German East Asia Brigade and the sailors and marines can likewise fit in for Boxer expedition forces.

In general the figures are compatible with MmFigs and Frontier but the cavalry tend toward the tall side. For example, the irregular Chinese horse will not look well intermixed with the one made by Frontier. If you switch horses and riders between the two companies, you can obtain a nice effect (however, one casts figures with saddle on rider, the other with saddle on horse). Some of the Chinese figures are sculpted with the arms close to the body and not easily suitable for conversion. But, with the large number of different figures available today, perhaps this is a minor complaint, and some of the figures do lend themselves to modification since they are cast open-handed. Every Chinese and allied force needs Falcon figures in the muster.

IRON BRIGADE

Yet another firm producing figures for this era is Iron Brigade Miniatures. These figures are fewer in number than the ranges already listed but nevertheless are of equally high quality. The two Boxer figures have baggy clothes and coolie hats. The open-handed pikeman is supplied with a pole with a sword tied on the end to form a makeshift pike. Others in the range include a Kensu attacking, a tigerman with grappling hook, an artillery set with four different poses (each of which has many conversion possibilities), a unique Imperial archer, a musketeer and a wonderful two-man gingal set. All of these figures are convertible to other poses and can give a unit the appearance of variety. I have created one unit with 20 different poses from the basic 7 figures. The pikeman, for example, can be given a sword, halberd, ax, or even a crossbow. These are a welcome addition to any Boxer contingent.

SAVAGE & SOLDIER MINIATURES

Boxer expert Lyn Bodin, himself, entered the figure business with Savage and Soldier Miniatures. These were produced prior to the entry of the last three above mentioned firms in order to fill in a number of gaps then existing. He offers a package of four different Boxers (one with a homemade halberd, a pikeman, and two with swords), a Kensu advancing, a tigerman with sword and shield, a two-man gingal set (one figure kneeling, holding a gun rest for the standing firing figure), and a versatile open-handed artilleryman. The latter offers many conversion possibilities. I purchased quite a few of these to create varied units such as dismounted cavalry to go with the Frontier regular cavalry, regular infantry, Chinese civilians fighting with the allies, engineers, as well as Boxers. The former are given rifles while the last mentioned are supplied with a variety of melee weapons. I might mention here that the serious Boxer Episode gamer must be on the constant lookout for good packs of loose weapons. Medieval peasant weapons -- sickles, bills, hoes, rakes, and the like, assorted pole arms, old muskets and matchlocks, and swords are all useful for converting open-handed figures and those from which you remove rifles into Boxer melee troops.

On the European side there are Russian infantry, a running Italian Bersaglieri, a Chasseur d'Afrique, a French Marine, a U.S. Marine in winter dress, and a wonderful British Marine in undress, wearing a fatigue cap rather than the usual sun helmet. No one else makes this and it is a must for anyone doing a siege of Peking scenario. To my mind, the Europeans generally tend to be on the large size and I did not think I could intermix these within the units with other companies' figures. At the 1986 HMGS WinterCon, I did see a Boxer game using S & S Europeans and they looked quite nice mixed with other brands, once painted.

JOEL HAAS MINIATURES

The final entry into the current log of 25mm Boxer Rebellion figure sources is Joel Haas Miniatures. Joel offers moulds so gainers can cast their own figures. On the Chinese side he has two boxers with sword and two Kensus. On the western side he offers some twenty different options covering most of the types present. The Chinese figures are quite good when painted up and mixed in with other figures. I do not think the allies are up to the standard of MiniFigs, Frontier, and Falcon. Moreover, one must look at the cost and benefits of buying a mould. To me, the advantage of a mould is that it offers the chance to create large numbers of figures at a comparatively low cost. There are some pitfalls to keep in mind. Home casting is not exactly free; you have to buy the lead and pay for the heat, and you must also spend time doing the casting. How many figures will you need to make before you save enough to pay for the mould? If you need only 20 castings then a $20 mold results in each costing at least $1.00. I personally think a mould is worthwhile for natives since one needs many. A convertible pose allows you to make a number of conversions so as to achieve a nice variety in a native unit. I have a mould of the running Pathan with raised rifle. While not a Boxer, the figure is very useful for any "native" type and the rifle can be removed and replaced with a sword or spear. Joel has sold figures in the past, in case you do not want to do the casting.

As you can see, there is a wide variety of figures for gaming the Boxer Rebellion. Every allied nationality present in China in 1900, and every unit thereof, is available. Most Imperial Chinese units and a large variety of Boxer types can be obtained. Today you can achieve quite a nice mob effect with little or no conversion by just intermixing figures from different manufacturers. With only minor conversion -- moving arms and interchanging weapons -- you can produce hundreds of different poses. Figure availability is no longer a valid excuse to keep you from this exciting wargaming area.

Below, from L to R:
Top: Chinese w/ rifle. Red Wing; J. Haas; Iron Brigade; Frontier.
Bottom: J. Haas, Red Wing, Frontier.

Above, from L to R.
Top: Savage & Soldier, Red Wing, Falcon, Iron Brigade, Minifigs, Frontier.
Middle: Europeans: Falcon; Minifigs; Savage & Soldier.
Bottom: Chinese w/ rifle. L to R: Savage & Soldier; Falcon; Minifigs.

MANUFACTURERS' ADDRESSES

MINIFIGS
Box P.
Pine Plains, NY 12567

RED WING MINIATURES
Ahketon, USA,
RD 1, Bus 124,
Philadelphia, NY 13673

FRONTIER MINIATURES
7343 Branding Iron
Cantutillo, TX 79835

FALCON MINIATURES
One High St., Suite 102
Medford, MA 02155

IRON BRIGADE
2345 Nw 121st St.
Oklahoma City, OK 73120

SAVAGE & SOLDIER MINIATURES
c/o L. Bodin
23902 St 42nd St.
Issaquab, WA 98027

JOEL HAAS MINIATURES
3215 Merriman Ave.
Raleigh, NC 27607

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