French and German 'true scale' colonial troops?

[answer_is_42]

What ho!

I'm looking for 28mm French + German colonial troops for games with my Perry miniatures British. As a result, they need to be 'true scale 28mm' (I've bought some Copplestone but they don't fit). I'm not that bothered about time periods, but later colonial is prefered.

Thanks...

[Howard Whitehouse]

While I am a bit leery of referring to any of our models as 'true scale', I think you'll find that Castaway Arts have what you want in the French.

You might also look at Bob Charette's Parhoon Station line, which is VSF but features a lot of historical stuff.

For Germans --- well, Bob Murch has German marines in gis Pulp Figures line, which is nominally inter-war, but the marines will work. They may be a little chunkier than your Perrys, but they are clearly smaller than Copplestones.

The old Falcon line (the US Falcon line, not the British company of the same name) has slender figures, more 25mm than 28mm. They date from the 1980s and it shows, but they are quite nice, and cheap.

[Landsknecht]

For the French -- I know Old Glory Miniatures does a French Foreign Legion range that should be about the height of Perry Miniatures. 

[answer_is_42]

While I am a bit leery of referring to any of our models as 'true scale', I think you'll find that Castaway Arts have what you want in the French.

You might also look at Bob Charette's Parhoon Station line, which is VSF but features a lot of historical stuff.

Castaway arts look good, but are a little out of reach. Do you have a UK/Europe stockist?

Landsknecht: I never thought to look at old Glory's stuff, thanks.

[Howard Whitehouse]

Oh, don't look at the Old Glory FFL range if you are using Perrys as your benchmark. Even OG owner Russ Dunaway, who isn't inclined to concede that his figures have too many faults, says they are horrible. 

I don't know if Castaway have a European distributor. Gerry doesn't have a very big operation; he's a guide on the Great Barrier Reef as his full time job.

[Poliorketes]

Askari does French.

[Banderium]

Eureka does tirailleurs sénégalais with a french officer. Not sure about the (true) scale...

[argsilverson]

Tiger Miniatures has:

German and Dutch colonials for Africa & Asia!
[plus the greeks, bulgarians and turks for Balkan Wars, tribals etc for Nortern Frontier]

Askari has Russian colonials, as well, alongwith the french and italian colonials.

Brigade games has a very comprehensive range of German and English colonials, for WW1. I think they mostly fit in what you refer as "true scale".
OG of course has more types that may fit with yours.
Dixons has some french colonials as well.

The problem is that I do not know the Perry figures. However I feel OK when mixing and matching figures from various manufactures. My colonials [mostly WW1] do include foundry, copplestone, tiger miniatures, brigade games, OG and some great war miniatures - specialists.

[thejammedgatling]

What ho!

I'm looking for 28mm French + German colonial troops for games with my Perry miniatures British. As a result, they need to be 'true scale 28mm' (I've bought some Copplestone but they don't fit). I'm not that bothered about time periods, but later colonial is prefered.

Thanks...

I'm looking up at my painting shelf right now where some rather nice french foreign legion have been sitting next to some Perry Sudan stuff for a while. They come from the Unfeasibly range which I stumbled across last year. Have a look:




Heaps of detail and pretty much on the nose to the Perries, though possibly a little small if anything (usually as with the Copplestones it is the other way around...). I raised the bases on mine about 1mm (I think it also comes from their flatter bases than the Perries) and they are perfect. I think that if you are fussy then getting a figure which paints up as well as a Perry as well as just being the right size is pretty important.

The manufacturer is good but releases are coming out very slowly. Anyway, their site is:
http://www.unfeasibly.co.uk/page8.htm

These are later colonial, so looking at uniforms of around the classic very early 1900's. However, if your not too fussy or are good with the green stuff you could use them as far back as the Mexico campaign in the 1860's, according to the illustration in my osprey guide.

Of course, you could always use the foundry stuff for the Franco Prussian War:


Have a look at the Army d'Afrique stuff.
Not too sure about the Seebattalion stuff for the Germans, but the Renegade ones looked good on the table in our recent VSF game. What about the early Germans in field caps? Here:



The scale looks about right, though of a slightly more chunky build than the Perries. Plus these seem to be of a higher sculpt quality than some of the renegade stuff. Think they had a sale on...or maybe still do?

Hope some of that helps. I'm sure Plynkes will correct me on Legionairre uniforms....

TJG

[answer_is_42]

Thanks for all the responses chaps!

I reckon I'll buy some French from unfeasibly and have a look 'round all the other sites for Germans.

People have mentioned Dutch, Italians and Russians, which I never considered looking into. I can see this becoming more expensive than I planned... 

Again, thanks.

[Banderium]

I can see this becoming more expensive than I planned... 

[Le matou rouge]

For early colonial french (till WW1) don't forget the Dixon Dahomey range : they would be more historically accurate than the FFL (if you bother about such futile things  )

Our JollyBob had marvellously painted them here :

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=5706.0



Or you could see them "in the lead" there :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dahomeyproject/

meow,
Matt

[answer_is_42]

I can see this becoming more expensive than I planned... 

 

@Le matou rouge: Oooh...those look good. However, I've bought Dixon miniatures before and they're a bit chunky for what I want. I shall consider, thanks.

[Banderium]

However, I've bought Dixon miniatures before and they're a bit chunky for what I want. I shall consider, thanks.

The Dahomey range was sculpted by Mike Owen and it doesn't suffer from the "chunky" syndrome of Dixon miniatures.

[argsilverson]

Thanks for all the responses chaps!

I reckon I'll buy some French from unfeasibly and have a look 'round all the other sites for Germans.

People have mentioned Dutch, Italians and Russians, which I never considered looking into. I can see this becoming more expensive than I planned... 

Again, thanks.

And to continue the list you can find some turcos and zouaves out in the ranges of foundry, chasseurs d'afrique by askari , some bits useful for annamites from london warroom and exotic opposition (apart the normal ranges of DA by foundry, OG colonials, brigade games  and etc) eureka has dayaks, tiger miniatures has demon head warriors and moros, parroom station has vietnamese etc,

Not to mention the Spanish American War !