Frei Korps

15mm "Yellow Ribbon" US Army

review by Paul Koch

The Yellow Ribbon range is made by Frei Korps in celebration of the nearly endless campaigns of the US Army against the western Indian nations in the later half of the 19th Century. It derives its name from the wonderful John Ford cavalry movies. How could I dislike figures having anything to do with the Duke?

I received for review some fairly unusual figures to add to the range. At the low end of the scale are IW20 (US Mounted infantry), the castings are good but lacking in any real animation. The riders merely sit or slump lifelessly on their mounts. The saving grace is the overall good detail and very nice horses. Quite a bit better is IW18 (the mixed infantry). The skirmishing poses all might have been lifted from a Frederick Remmington painting. They appear resolute without being melodramatic. I especially liked the marching figure who, believe it or not, actually looks hot and tired!

The other sets are IW22 (settlers) and IW21 (Indian women and children) - while heavily robed thus blurring their detail, the Indian dependents look just perfect for Sand Creek, Wounded Knee or other sadistic scenarios. If you have ever toyed with the idea of western dioramas these are great for nomadic "trail of tears" scenes. The settlers are terrific. They are just the thing to populate not just frontier towns, but your ACW villages as well. They might even be added to Christmas scenes. My personal favorites are the frolicking children and a delightful chap raising his brewon high in mockingsaluteto Cary Nation. Histop hat is battered and face somehow full of personality in spite of the scale.

All of these sets are very good but the Settlers should attract gamers from other periods. They have the unfortunate brittle qualities of Frei Korps but if treated with care make splendid showpieces. They are available from Ulster Imports Ltd., Box 1748, Campaign, IL 61820, These little guys and gals rea!ly are very charming.

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