VOICES IN THE WILDERNESS With no wish to tread on Charley Elsden's toes, this is a piece about that most esoteric [look it up] of wargames, those with 54mm size figures! Charley does a great job with his regular [though in my view too infrequent] column Those Fightin' Fifty-Fours trying to bring more across to the dark-side, but in the UK a small group of like-minded souls have been doing our bit for the past 30 years too. So, with no apology to the unenlightened, here's a review of some new 54mm figures. [And in case the heavy handed attempts at humor don't come across too well, to avoid getting caught up in the debate about one kind of wargamers hating another, let me say that all the preceding is meant to be in a light hearted and joking tone, and I love my fellow small scale garners, all of the cretins]. NEW PAINTED AND UNPAINTED ACW FIGURES Conte is a relatively new US company who is at the forefront of the new Golden Age of Plastic. They do metal figures too, pairited collectors pieces at painted collector's prices, but we're only concerned with their more plebian plastic brethren. The new painted and unpainted ACW sets are out and very nice they are too. I didn't go for the painted sets - the paint job is OK, but I enjoy painting so didn't see the point. I have the first Union and Confederate sets, each of 8 figures. The poses are excellent "in action" types with no parade ground slouches, nicely animated, and the equipment detail is excellent too. The kit looks like real CW pieces, not just blobs vaguely representing them. Rifle-musket detail varies. Most are excellent, a few a bit crude, especially lock detail, and all have bayonets fixed. They are also a little bit bendy, but can be straightened with the boiling water treatment. More importantly, the plastic is not the soft & wobbly stuff used by Conte before, like in their WWII sets. It's harder, well, actually, firmer would be more accurate as it isn't hard as such. Weapons do not need replacing because they flap. They are stiff enough to be left once they've been straightened. But the really good news is that there are no mold lines or flash! Somehow this has been eliminated entirely, and all the faces are unmarred by any mold lines at all. Superb job, Mr C.! These two sets are sold as North and South, in gray and pale blue plastic, but obviously they can actually be used for either side, and mixed-and-matched to create variations. THE REBEL SET This is a lively set of all action figures, no doubt about it. They consist of: Standing firing: A young looking guy in a kepi, buttoned up short jacket, with upright collar, trousers tucked into his socks and rather well equipped for a Southron - cartridge box [a proper size one too], cap pouch, haversack, canteen and tin mug, and a knapsack [a big, solid rectangular affair which looks like it might have come from a Federal soldier!] His pose is leaning slightly back [taking the recoil?] and knees slightly bent - looks very real. Kneeling firing: Dressed [but jacket open] and equipped just like the standing firing figure but with an older face with a goatee beard and moustache. A word about the pose though, he's down on both knees, which is a most unusual pose in 54mm figures and looks great. Standing "on guard": Another young looking guy in a round topped brimmed hat, buttoned up short jacket, with upright collar, trousers tucked into his socks. Equipment - cartridge box [a very large one], cap pouch, haversack, canteen and a rolled blanket over his left shoulder. His body is slightly twisted and leaning back, so very "lively" for what would otherwise be a stock pose and rather undynamic. Nice to see this attention to detail. Charging: Right leg up off the ground behind him. He's really moving. He's dressed the same as the Standing figure but the coat is open, and with a tin mug. His hat's also very similar but has a cord with tassels, and his trousers are outside his boots. Loading [ramming]: This one looks like a real vet! He's got mutton-chop whiskers that make him look grizzled. Kepi, buttoned up short jacket, with upright collar, trousers rolled up over his boots. Equipment - cartridge box, cap pouch, haversack, canteen and a rolled blanket over his left shoulder. Charging: Right leg up off the ground behind him, but not as high as the other Charging figure. Kepi, short jacket buttoned up, blanket roll and his trousers are outside his boots. Color Bearer: Yes, a figure with a Southern Cross! And it's a good one! He's moving forward. Jacket and slouch hat, trousers outside his boots, revolver in a flap-over holster on his right hip. Officer: A real gem, this one. Corded kepi, double-breasted frock coat with chickenguts on the sleeves, officer's haversack [from his previous service in the Union army before the War?] & canteen on right hip, revolver holster & sword in scabbard on the left hip [nice touch], waist sash. He's standing firing a large Colt Navy [or a Confederate copy] with his right hand, right foot forward and leaning slightly back on his left leg bent at the knee, sword scabbard clutched vertically in his left hand against his left hip. He has a sharply pointed goatee and is shouting ie moth open. Has to be one of the best officer figures ever. THE FEDERAL SET The Federal set comprises very similar poses to the Rebs but with different equipment and details. All have knapsacks and rolled blankets on top, buttoned-up sack coats, cartridge box, haversack, canteen, cap pouch, bayonet scabbard: Standing firing: Goatee beard. Kneeling Firing: Full set beard, no rolled blanket. Standing "On Guard": Clean shaven, no rolled blanket, leaning back slightly [a nice pose]. Charging 1: Right leg bent and back, trousers tucked into socks, full beard. Loading [reaching for a cartridge]: clean shaven. Charging 2: right leg straight and back, moustache, trouser over boots. Color Bearer: [Yep, another one! Ain't it amazing that there are none and then two come along together?] Charging forward with a National color shot full of holes [nice touchj, goatee, revolver in holster on right hip. Officer: Another good one, with a most unusual pose, walking forward but slightly crouched so he looks like he's flinching slightly under fire, really nicely done !worthy of being one of Wild Al's wonderfully posed action conversions]. Kepi, doublebreasted frock coat with shoulder bars, sword in scabbard & officer's haversack on left hip, revolver holster on the right hip, waist sash. He has a Colt Navy in his right hand, sword scabbard clutched diagonally in his left hand away from his left hip. He has a sharply pointed goatee and is shouting. This has to be one of the best officer figures ever. GETTING THE FIGURES Figures are available from Conte at www.contecollectibles.com direct, or all good plastic figure sellers [I'm not sure quite who does sell them and who doesn't!] In the UK, try Drum & Flag at www.drumandflag.com and Maison Militaire, which was where mine came from at www.maisonmilitaire.com. In the US, Minutemen Miniatures certainly have them. GAME FROM THE BOX All in all I am impressed. Two more sets are supposed to be coming out, and the four will make probably the best ACW plastic figures ever, in my humble opinion. They have got me thinking again about my "Game From The Box" idea, taking a set of figures from the box, giving them characteristics and playing a scenario with them. I thought the Armies In Plastic [AIP] ACW sets were ideal for this, and indeed they would be, but these new Conte guys are even more full of character and animation. Maybe the ideal answer would be to use both manufacturers! Next time we'll take a look at doing this with the Conte sets.  Back to MWAN # 128 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2004 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com