Redoubt

25mm ACW and
Napoleonic British Hussars
(figures)

Reviewed By David Barnes

Review of Redoubt Enterprises 25mm ACW and some British Napoleonic new releases 49 Channel View Road, Eastbourne, E. Sussex, BN22 7LN, and Miniature Service Center, 1525 Bridge St. #163, Yuba City, CA, 95993, USA

Well, that old gang at Redoubt have done it agame! More interesting and well modeled figures - improved animation too - more natural poses as this designer matures his/her style. These verge on the diorama standard rather than just good wargaming modeling. I will list the packs sent, comment, and draw some of the figures, not to scale.

Redoubt Enterprises produce ranges in various periods from Mycenae to 1914 (Foreign Legion "March or Die" range) - but the individual figures don't suffer from mass production's blight - the vast majority of these individual figures look thought about and even lovingly made. It seems Redoubt are determined to develop as far as they can each of their big ranges. ACW has, besides the obvious "teeth" arms, signallers, engineers and medical staff. The following releases in ACW include skirimshers, "casualties" and command groups. Casualty figures can be used to denote moral state of units, they can "decorate" display games or dioramas, or they can be used with certain rules to affect your games. For instance, a "green" regiment is ordered forward and comes up a "windrow" of casualties during its advance. What is the effect of these untried warriors as they step over and around their recently dead comrades? Dice for morale surely?

Besides the ACW, there are some British Hussars and some grand bits of kit for British foot Artillery and some of the stalwart chaps themselves.

To begin, four packs holding six ACW skirmishers each in dramatic action poses, loading and firing. All come complete with your choice of heads from officers kepi, officers slouch, mens kepi, slouch, Hardee, bareheaded, puffball, Havelock, Texas kepi and Texas slouch. Extra heads available for 50p per pack of six. Complete packs cost £ 3.60 at the time of writing, including choice of heads where applicable.

ACW81 Shirt. This pack includes: standing firing (with well braced rear leg), kneeling loading (or maybe observing - musket in left hand at the point of balance, on right knee, right hand could be lifting the shot pouch cover orjust adjusting the pouch), kneeling at the ready, loading semicrouched (all these have gum blankets wrapped around them), crouching firing (a very unstable platform for firing this - he's just getting off a shot quickly before getting down to load agame), and kneeling ramming (rolled blanket hanging on his back along with his tin cup).

ACW82 Shell jacket. Firing on the move, squatting ramming, kneeling on right knee with left leg braced forward firing, kneeling getting cartridge with right hand musket upright, kneeling on right knee musket upright, ramming with left knee bent and right leg braced back. Tremendous poses and excellent detail of dress and equipment.

ACW83 Sack Coat. Kneeling on left knee ramming with gum blanket, kneeling on right knee cocking musket lock, kneeling on right knee fetching cartridge with right hand with musket on left knee with gum blanket, squatting firing with gum blanket, leaning forward firing with blanket roll hitched behind, and kneeling on right knee ramming with left leg braced forward.

ACW84 Frock coat. Kneeling right knee ramming with right hand with gum blanket, running firing half left with gum blanket, squatting musket at ready with gum blanket, kneeling ramming with left hand, leaning forward putting bullet in barrel, and firing with left knee bent and right leg braced back.

ACW Command Groups

A bewildering variety of poses and none of the unnatural. Next a marching/trotting command set for both Blue and Gray - similar to the previous standing sets (already reviewed) ACX15 and ACX16.

ACX28 Confederate command, two mounted officers and one on foot with drawn swords, complete with a choice of heads in the pack. The horse tack is very elaborately shown. High command would have expensive stuff and would need the best, being long hours in the saddle. All the figures are frock coated with sashes, pistols, cap cases, and scabbards. The mounted gentlemen both have extra pistol holsters at their saddle pommels. Both horses are equipped with extra leading reins - looking a bit like martingales at first glance. The swords come on separate arms for you to glue on.

ACX29 Union command. Two mounted officers and one on foot with drawn swords. Choice of heads in the pack. These figures have subtle differences in animation as well as the expected ones of uniform from ACX28, e.g. rank bars instead of "chicken guts" on the sleeves. I've given my Union guys slouch hats whilst the Confederates sport kepis. The arms holding swords can be set on at differei angles, as can the separate heads of course. As any puppeteer knows, slight differences can make differei characters. Great figures.

ACW Skirmish Command Groups

ACW85 Two Confederate skirmish commands in one pack. Consisting of an officer, sergeant and bugle each. One in shell jacket, one in frock coat. They can be split into two discrete groups of 3, one crouching with the officer making a situation appreciation and the other a moving command group making for d objective or another vantage point in cover. The "still" group have an officer crouching, left hand holding his sword hilt upright beside him. The bugler kneels on one knee with his bugle in his left hand poised on this left knee, his rifle musket is held at the long truil in his right hand. In the "moving" command group the officer grasps his sword at the mid scabbard and has a colt pistol in his right. The Sgt. is scooting along hauling his rifle musket by the barrel and the bugler is "flying," his bugle in his right hand, his rifle musket on his left shoulder, trigger guard uppermost, his kit swinging around him!

ACW86 Two Union skirmish commands with two officers, two sergeants and two buglers, one set shell jacket, one in frock coat. The "static" command has the officer pointing, the Sgt. kneeling with rifle musket, the bugler holds his instrument down by his right ankle and grasps the muzzle of his rifle musk near the foresight. The "movers" are in pretty violent action, as anyone who has heard "crack-thump!' will appreciate.

ACW battlefield dead and wounded

ACW87 Shirts, ACW88 Shell jacket, ACW89 Sack Coat, ACW90 Frock coat. New heat go with these packs: casualty heads in kepi, casualty heads in slouch hats. Sometimes face down sometimes hat beside the head or covering the face. These heads are reality itself - rather gruesome in fac The bodies are basically six poses with different dress as stated in each packet. At the time of writing ti price per packet is £ 3.60. Select a pack and say which heads you want. The poses are reminiscent of the poignant photographs taken at the time of the dead at various ACW battles. I only wargame because the are no lead widows or orphans.

Now a change of some British Hussars of the Napoleonic range. They could be the Kinj German Legion Hussars too - very much counted on by Wellington in the Peninsula for screening w intelligence. All these last figures are 60p each. The previous packs are £ 3.60 each at time of writing.

BRC6 Dismounted Hussar officer waving sword. Probably making a silent signal. Good modeling.

BRC7 Dismounted Hussar trumpeter blowing trumpet. A traditional pose well delineated.

BRC8 Dismounted Hussar trooper running crouched. To get unobserved to another point of vantage.

BRC9 Dismounted Hussar trooper kneeling firing. The barrel of my figure's carbine is a little short, the metal didn't quite make the end of the mold, but that's a quibble.

BRC10 Dismounted Hussar trooper kneeling, observing, shading eyes. Rather a Victorian pose - but well modeled. Withe their mounted counterparts they can provide your light horsemen in your British army very successfully. Great figures.

New British Napoleonic foot artillery

BRA1 Foot artillery officer, sword on shoulder, pointing. These are by a different designer than the ACW range. The modeling is improving.

BRA2 Foot artillerist crouched with shell. It's a round shrapnel shell with fuse. Good pose.

BRA 3 Foot artilleryman holding trailspike. Conventional pose - about to ram it into the trail slot.

BRA4 Foot artillerman in waistcoat standing with rammer. Hot work - too hot if there are some crumbs of the last charge still in the barrel. This weskit has sleeves. The whole was sometimes called a "bumfreezer" for obvious reasons. Trouser bottoms rolled up.

BRA5 Foot artilleryman standing with linstock. The latter was earlier called a "serpent" as it had two lengths of slow match twined round it to its two arms, like an Asclepiadean staff with its serpents (viz RAMC badge).

Now some gorgeous bits of equipment for these gentlemen (or "scum of the earth," whichever you prefer) to man. All packs 0.50 at the time of writing.

PX1 British 6lb gun. This packet holds the trail with axle boxes; wheels, r-ammer/mop, bucket, barrel and ammo chest. Cleanly cast, sturdy weapon.

PX2 British 9lb gun. All the foregoing bits in this packet except for a larger 91ber barrel.

PX3 British 5.5" Howitzer. An interesting beast this. The trail includes the flat howitzer base so the axle comes as a separate part. Two locations for the axle. "Action front! Prepare to remove wheels!" and all that stuff. A short wicked looking stubby howitzer barrel included with all the other gubbins.

PX4 British limber. Trail with footboard, 2 caissons, one with a lug, the other with a corresponding hole to stick onto the trail. Wheels and extra a-ail rod. Intriguing, and well cast. Finally,

PX5 British Ammunition Cart. Four bits in the pack - 2 wheels, base with trail and 2 boxes cast together. A sturdy bit of kit, well cast. You may be a rotten General and lose all your battles, but Redoubt figures win 99% of the time. Get some samples. Drawings now, not to scale:

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