British Colonials, you say? You mean yet another company making yet another tired line of Sudan figures? Quite enough of those already -- thank you very much!

No, quite the contrary. The line of British Colonials figures that I am talking about is not your normal cup of tea or even pint of lager. East Riding Miniatures (ERM) manufacturers a small line of 15mm British Colonials for the 1820s-40s (four packs of Brits, eight packs of coastal Arabs, two packs of Baluchis). Ever since I read Donald Graves' "Guns Across the River," I have been trying to locate suitable figures for the Battle of the Windmill (ever heard of that one?). In talking about this battle on the 19th Century Conflicts in Canada discussion group, I was informed that ERM might have just the thing I am looking for when it comes to the forces for the Crown. A quick look at ERM's website showed pics of the figs, so I placed an order for one of each pack to get an idea of just how they looked.

Placing my order was a snap. ERM takes PayPal (why doesn't every online merchant accept PayPal?), which makes placing an order relatively easy. I simply sent an e-mail to Tony at ERM with a list of what I wanted, and in 48 hours I had a PayPal invoice to submit my payment. Nine days after making my payment I had my order in my hand. Keep in mind that ERM is based in the United Kingdom, so that to me is a pretty good turnaround time. The figures were packaged well, and I even got a free catalog listing all the products ERM carries (Freikorps, Platoon 20, QRF, BloodAxe, and Grumpy's).

Now, I will take a moment and warn you: These figures are not the most detailed line of 15mm figures on the market. They are not the second most detailed, or even the third. To be honest, the sculpting reminds me a bit of the old RAFM Napoleonics (if you have any of the RAFM Naps, the ERM figures are better). The faces are very hard to discern, and the legs tend to look like ironing boards -- relatively flat with no knees to speak of. That said, the figures are well proportioned, have enough detail to paint up well, and are cleanly cast with little mold lines and no flash. They measure 16mm sole to eye, and are of medium heft (call them 16M on the Barrett Scale). There is decent variety within each pack, as well. And then there is the fact I can't seem to find any other company out there making this period in either 15mm or 28mm.

To the Batcave...er, to the figures I mean! The first pack (CL101) is British Infantry Command. Of the eight figures in this pack, two are officers, two are standard bearers, and four are NCOs. The officers are marching, sword held upright, left hand holding the sword scabbard. The standard bearers are also marching, holding the flagstaff vertically, and carrying swords as weapons. The NCOs are standing, holding their muskets in their left hand while waving their troops forward with the left. The next pack (CL102 - British Infantry Advancing) also has eight figures, this time in two poses, one marching with musket at porte arms, and the other advancing with musket level. The third pack (CL103 - British Infantry Firing Line) has three poses within its eight figures. I received three standing firing, three standing loading, and two figures reaching into their cartridge box for another round. The final pack is CL104 - British Infantry Casualties. There are eight Brits within, all of the same pose, which happens to be flat on their backs. I plan to use these as some sort of morale markers.

All of the figures are wearing the bell top shako. The privates and NCOs are all equipped with muskets with fixed bayonets, canteens and cartridge boxes, and there isn't a backpack in sight. As I mentioned, there are coastal Arabs and Baluchis to face off against the Brits, but I plan on using these for the 1838 invasion of Canada (so aptly detailed in Graves' book). My only dilemma now is finding suitable figures to oppose them (think Texas Revolution militia types).

The cost of the figures is £1.70 per pack of eight figures, which is $3.09 U.S. Shipping was a reasonable 20% of my order. If you are looking for figures that are "state of the art" and super detailed, these are not them. But if you are looking for British colonials from the early portion of Victoria's reign, then the ERM line will fit that bill.

East Riding Miniatures, 1 The Woodlands, Goddard Ave., Hull, HU5 2BW, United Kingdom. Website: http://www.eastridingminiatures.co.uk.

19th Century Conflicts in Canada Yahoo Group: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/FenianRaids.

Reviews: Armorer's Forge

1st Corps 25mm Cape War Range Figure Review.
Freicorps 28mm British Legion Figure Review.
Kingsford Miniatures 28mm Woodland Indians Figure Review.
East Riding Miniatures 15mm British Colonials Figure Review.