I've got figures again. Dave Jackson of Pharaoh's Arms, Box 579, Merrickville, Ontario, Canada. K0G-1N0, has sent me the latest releases from Chariot Miniatures. These are 15mm (that's real 15mm) Russians and there're lots of them.
The best way to describe them as sort of a "Minifig"-which in this case means that they are very smoothly cast; all the detail anyone could want is there too, real crisp and accurate. The infantry comes in nine different poses and since the only way you can tell Russians apart is by whether they do or don't wear a plume (the elites wear plumes), you can mix them up a lot for variety. And, of course, they do come in one of my personal favorites--the march attack position, where the figure is using the Germanic high step. Great guys.
The cavalry are well represented, and they include that rare figure--the Chasseur … Cheval. All these troopers have separate command packs.
I would like to see more variety in the horses. And the only artillery available right now is foot artillery--which, however, does makes a nice animated diorama by itself. I also hope that they will begin making the different Russian style guns.
The figures come in packs of eight infantry or four cavalry at $2.85 U.S. which isn't bad at all--really recommended.
Now, you all should know that I'm not any kind of suck-up, so when I say that EHQ was kind enough to send me some figures for review--well. You don't know how hard it can be to pry anything out of them.
I always yell at them because of "figure creep," but then, they're always guilty--and they never say they're sorry.
The first batch of Front Rank Figurines was 25mm English cavalry (let's just say 30 and get it over with). These boys are a hefty lot but had some of the best detailing and animation I've seen in large figures in a long time. The castings did not have the smoothness of a Minifig, but weren't scruffy or rough and were quite flash free. Considering what the collector/gamer pays for the larger figures, I'd recommend taking a serious look at Front Rank.
Also recommended is a new line of 15mm (HA!) Peninsular War British. These are out of the AB line so what you get is a excellently sculpted and animated bunch of figures. The officers are very good-looking officer material--quite jaunty. Our infantry are very determined-looking, from the sergeant with pike to the flag bearer and all of the line. Extremely nice and definitely recommended, and one additional plus is that--since I don't do the British--the uniforms have enough similarity so I can turn them into Mexican soldiers, although the difference in casting size means that they'll be the biggest men in the Mexican army.
Timing is everything, and so more figures rolled in just as I was writing this. Steven Philips, (Bicorne Miniatures, 4761 N. Bear Canyon, Tucson, AZ 85749 (520-749-0703), produces one of the best 30mm lines around. And with perfect synchronicity--considering that I had just seen the excellent Front Rank figures--he sent me the first troops from his Cuirassier Miniatures range, which just happen to be French Cuirassiers in reserve--officer, standard bearer, sergeant, and trumpeter, with a ton more to come. These blend in perfectly with Front Rank and are characterized by excellent detail and anatomy--really great figures at $1.25 each. No horses yet but you 30mm people can always get them. If you're considering the big figures, between Bicorne/Cuirassier and Front Rank you can't go wrong.
UNFOUNDED BUT PROBABLY TRUE:
Essex has continued to expand their Napoleonic series,but with much more detail added to an already well detailed line. Essex has always been a very good range of figures though with a bit of figure creep. They seem to have settled in at about the 17/18 mm size. Check out their listings for further information on what's currently available.
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