Three 25mm F&I War Ranges
1744-1766

Front Rank, RAFM, and RSM

Reviewed by Bill Prtoz

An itemization of historical miniatures suitable for the French and Indian Wars will appear in this issue. The purpose of this. article is to comment upon a tiny proportion of the cache available submitted to The Courier fo ra specific review. Let me say at the outset that I am firmly comfortable with the concept that the buyer will know what he likes be t after sampling the vast array that is available for the F&I Wars. I am not going to take aim at minute problems of design or anatomy; especially since in the case of the latter, beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. Every range I have seen is competently designed at present and though only some will march comfortably alongside each other in terms of closely similar size and bulk in the same unit, such differences are really an advantage for the period especially in militia units in skirmishes with colonials. My own forces have units from nearly every 25-30mm manufacturer for the sake of variety. I like it this way and I am respectful of partisans taking the position that the XYZ range is the ultimate for them. The three companies to be reviewed in this issue are worthy of your support as are many others. I hope therefore to give you a window of opportunity to view some of the ranges available with the assistance of expert photographer Bill Kojis.

FRONT RANK FIGURINES

11 Southbourne Gardens, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex SSO OAG, Great Britain.

Front Rank is a new company on the scene from Britain which first came to my attention in 1987 with a Jacobite Rebellion 1745 Range. I immediately sent for a catalog in search of another source of British regulars, Scottish highlanders and hopefully figures suitable for the French. Proprietor Alec D. Brown was quick to service my inquiries and samples quickly dispatched met my expectations for the somewhat bulkier uniforms prevalent in Europe of the 1740s. By mid-1988 my F&I Wars forces were happily augmented by one battalion of British, Scots and French.

Very late in 1987 Alec informed me of his intention to introduced a Seven Years War (1756-63) line. By the Spring of 1988 en enormous range of British and French became available with Prussians and Austrians to follow by or in 1989. The photograph shows four British infantry from left to right: SYW3 sergeant with halberd, SYW14 officer with fusil, SYW18 pioneer and SYW infantryman.

One of the hallmarks of Front Rank are the interesting poses of many of the miniatures. Especially compelling to me are the officers, line and senior, which includes a stout Cumberland. Alec must share my sentiment that not every officer must appear as fit, trim and handsome as Adonis. Bravo! Iwish more manufacturers would do this sort of thing. Variety is the thing.

The size of Front Rank miniatures falls into the so-called category of largersized 25mms. Many readers know that different ranges of 25mms will not appear similar in size though all are called 25mms. In the new Seven Years' War range, of the 19 British and Hanoverian foot 11 are suitable for service in North America. There are also 3 artillerymen plus a 3 pounder. For the French 20 of the 22 foot can see duty in the colonies along with 4 artillerymen and 9 cavalrymen of 20. You may be wondering about the cavalrymen at this moment. Well, a two squadron regiment of supposedly fur-hatted light cavalry was raised and led by infantry officers with mounted experience. The unit served between Quebec and Montreal only between 1759 and 1760. Front Rank makes figures suitable for this regiment and in my view the fur hat grenadiers from the infantry can serve as the dismounted counterpart of this unit.

RAFM COMPANY INC

20 Parkhill Road East, Cambridge, Ontario N1 R lP2 Canada.

Another energetic, manufacturer is RAFM. This Canadian firm has been known for many years for the quality of its miniatures and for a commitment to excellence. it was also one of the first companies to design and market a large range of miniatures suitable specifically for the F&I Wars. The company expended considerable energy in research and design of soldiers with clothing adapted to conditions of North America warfare and has made more formally dressed regulars available as well. Plus, each package thoughtfully comes with expert painting instructions.

Rafms are of the so-called smaller sized 25mms. The "Flint and Feather" range features figures representing the first nations of the Great Lakes along with ruggedly clad white intruders. There are 36 packages of different miniatures from fierce Indians to rangers/light infantry and settlers to the French Compagnie Franches de la Marines. I must not forget two sizes of wonderful birchbark canoes with three kinds of paddlers which are in constant use on my table. There are also some hardy womenfolk and the beautiful cavalry regiment. Also available is a second large line entitled, "All the Kings Men". This range offers the regulars of France and Great Britain with personalities plus three sizes of artillery. The photograph illustrates from left to right a soldier of the Compagnie Franches, a French artillery Tan and an 8 pounder with a properly lengthy trail.

One of the many advantages of Rafm has to do with the Indians. It seems that wargamers who need Indians never seem to have enough variety. Well , Rafm solves this problem in large measure with the "Flint and Feather" line. 16 packs of this range provide ample variety for the Native Americans who ought to look as different as possible. We now have the opportunity to avoid warparties with just one or two poses. This is a good thing.

RSM, Ltd. HISTORICAL MINIATURES

188 Woodland Avenue, Lexington, KY 40502, USA.

RSM is a fine energetic company which sells another excellent range of 25mm miniatures suitable for the F&I Wars. This company has made a large commitment to the l8th Century in its Seven Years' War offerings along with another from the American War of Independence. The SYW range provides abundant variety of British and French regulars and there is a broad population of irregulars and Indians.. bearskinned cavalryman and 3 bears kinned grenadiers could serve as a dismounted counterpart with no trouble at all. There are also complete, minilines of the Black Watch, irregulars and Indians. The photograph below shows the newest additions to the RSM family of Native American Indians which now total six in number.

Two other advantages of buying RSM come to mind. One is that Bill Biles has compiled two authoritative uniform guides about the Seven Years' War designed for rapid use by wargamers. Booklet #2 is serviceable for the F&I Wars due to a portion devoted to the French. Secondly, RSM has a painting service. So, for those with little time to paint, one can buy some RSMs and have the company paint them before shipment to you. I have taken advantage of this service twice and am delighted with the result. So is my French Army which now has two additional battalions.

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