RAFM

25mm ACW

by Paul Koch

The good people up at Rafm have introduced a new line of figures for our great Civil War with their "THE BLUE AND THE GREY" range. The figures are a true (from the top of the base to the hat line) 25mm, appearing to be about the same size as the Mini-Fig and "Iron Brigade" figures. They are marketed in blister packs of 6 infantry, 3 cavalry, 4 gunners and foot command, and 2 pieces of equipment, etc. The packs retail, as of this writing, at $4.00 per pack. infantry then is about $.67 and $1.34 for cavalry. Rafm has then come up with a high quality product for competitive prices.

The detail of the castings is quite good, at times, even excellent. There is some minimal flash, but I managed to clean up my review samples by hand in just a few moments. For the historically picky the Union infantry in great coat will be in deep trouble. He has forgotten or misplaced both his cartridge box and cap pouch. He isn't going to be able to fire more than a single round from his finely detailed musket. The Confederate cavalry too look a great deal like extras from a John Ford epic. The horses however are really very nice, reminding me of the Ral Partha horses only just slightly larger.

The line is definitely on the stocky side. These are very well fed warriors. They look very much like the classic Mini-Fig style of design but with better proportions. The heads are just a shade too large, but that does allow for better painting. The artillery limbers appear to also be just a little too small but not by much.

As an added bonus there is a small sheet of uniform information and a suggested reading list. Both are very basic, and since they fail to include "On To Richmond", very incomplete, but it is a nice touch.

The initial range includes some 28 sets. The range is adequate but hardly complete. There are no staffs for either side. The Union cavalry has no command; neither do the Zouaves, or Berdan's Sharpshooters. There are no casualties, dismounted cavalry, etc. So there is more for Robert Murch (the designer) to do. The figures are all also very stately with very little animation.

All things considered Rafm has given us a valuable addition to the 25mm ranges covering the war. They will fit with a number of other lines. I can give them my recommendation and encourage the Canadian firm to press on with future releases.

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