Redoubt Enterprises

25mm ACW Zouaves (figures)

Reviewed By David Barnes

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

Zouaves

Price rise. Foot figures to 65p, horses 95 to £ 1. 15. ACW packs to E4 each. These are in an Action Pack like ACX17 "20th Maine" and ACX18 "Band of Brothers." This is ACX30 Zouaves. This has thirty figures, including officers, standard bearers, sergeants, a bugler and a drummer. Most of the models are two part castings with heads on the upper halves. This means the owner can create a tremendous variety for wargames or dioramas.

As readers will know, Zouave officers tended to wear the standard frock coat and trousers (probably so that they could pretend that they were nothing to do with their wild and indisciplined zouaves, as some zouave regiments were!). Some of the men wear the fez and some the turban and one a kind of hybrid headgear. On close inspection it is a bandage round his head with part of it hanging down!

Bibliography:
1. "Uniforms of the Civil War in Color" ("colour"for the Brits) by Philip Haythornthwaite. Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. ISBN 0 8069 5846 4
2. "Civil War Uniforms, a Photo Guide" by Philip Katcher. Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 185409 333 9 (fascinating old photographs!)
3. "Wargaming in History, the American Civil War" by Paul Stevenson. Argus Books. ISBN 0 85242 990 8
4. 'Arms and Equipment of the Civil War" written and illustrated by Jack Coggins. The Fairfax Press 1983. ISBN 0 517 402351

All these figures seem filled with a tremendous energy and the actual humans tried to emulate what they'd heard about zouaves on the European Continent. Many zouave regiments were formed to fight for both North and South. Much of the gaudy finery wore out in the first year of the war but not the tear away reputations of the regiments. I will comment on some of the figures and draw some, not to scale.

These 30 figures can be divided into two battalions so one can create a favorite zouave bn. for each side. The drummer runs forward waving his stocking cap fez in his right hand. His drum is under his left arm. The bugler is blowing lustily. He sports a turban fez and a back pack. The NCOs have stripes and carry their bayonetted rifled muskets at belligerent angles. Quote Coggins "The bayonet was carried by the infantry of both sides. It was used as an entrenching tool, can opener, roasting spit and for a great many other purposes, but seldom as a weapon." [p. 291] have seen a bad wound caused by a man fainting on his bayonet. I have also caused an attack of nerves in the adjutant of a regiment I served with. On the Queen's Birthday Parade in Aldershot he was placed just in front of me on a very hot day. Says he to me, "For God's sake don't faint! You'll stab me to death! "

By the way the list sheet calls them "Zouves" - what happened to the Zouaves then? Ho ho. The modeling and animation is tremendous and the casting is crisp - all we've come to expect from Redoubt. Get some samples, see for yourself. Now I shall draw some of them, not to scale:

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