Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Colonial Adventures => Topic started by: huevans on April 18, 2025, 04:26:19 PM
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I've been chatting to genius minis sculptor, Stavros Zouliatis about sculpting some Victorian skirmish figures and Old Glory about mold making and casting them. Both of these are super well known in minis / wargaming circles and Stavros' amazing work speaks for itself.
https://www.instagram.com/stavros.sculpts/ (https://www.instagram.com/stavros.sculpts/)
There are already at least 2 very well done ranges available from large, reputable companies. The Perrys do an ACW range which has figure sets that can be adapted to Early Old West and also a British Intervention Force that has tons of period character!
And Empress has a huge Indian Mutiny range sculpted by the incredible Paul Hicks and extensively researched by Mike Snook.
I basically want to fill in the gaps with some of Stavros' great sculpts. Here are my ideas so far:
1. A Victorian espionage / crime range - gentlemen in top hats and frock coats with pistols and sword canes and elegant society belles with derringers and a range of brutal thugs and sinister villains to accost them.
2. A few sets of British India colonial personality figures - cavalry officers, early archeologists, Indian princesses and Sultans, tulwar men, fakirs and fanatics - both mounted and dismounted, to fit in with the Empress range.
3. A Royal Navy landing / boarding party to fight with South Asian, Japanese and Chinese pirates.
Other ideas are French and Russian colonial sets. But the British seem to capture so much more of the media and popular imagination that I am not sure other nations would be viable.
Does anyone else have ideas for ranges that would be interesting to do and potentially well received??
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Burmese. Britain fought three wars against the Burmese in the 19th C and there's but one, small and fairly obscure range, suitable only for the third Anglo-Burmese War. Yes, you can cobble together forces from other ranges ( ancients and the odd lightly dressed Indian) but no dedicated range.
The Burma wars are fascinating struggles that see all kinds of 19thC technology like rockets and early steam ships being deployed in amphibious assaults, attacks on fortified stockades through to jungle skirmishes. To make things stranger, there are suitable figures for the British and Indian Armies, the First and Third Wars being best catered to. The Second War, depite being the least nteresting of the three was the early career maker of that most modern major general: Garnet Wolseley.
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If you do go for French, a set of 5 officers and 10 NCOs would have lovely cross-over appeal as the entire French military mission that served actively in the Boshin War:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_military_mission_to_Japan_(1867%E2%80%931868)
Bac Ninh Miniatures has a lovely range of Japanese infantry types for the war, but it takes some considered scrounging and conversions to expand beyond that.
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I think your 1-3 periods are rather well covered already by Foundry, Copplestone, Perry, Pulp, Brigade and others.
I would very much like some Russian colonials but also 2nd Boer War Boers and US infantry for the US Mexican War 😁
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I will encourage you to think Canadian and get us a new set of Métis and Cree suitable for the 1870 Red River and 1885 North West Rebellions, especially now that Rafm is gone and with them their line of 1885 miniatures. Get us Gabriel Dumont, Big Bear, Wandering Spirit, and the man himself, Louis Riel. Get us Canadian militia armed with Snider-Enfield rifles rather than having to repurpose British Zulu War troops with Martini Henry rifles.
And while you're at it, some early (1873-1885) NWMP :)
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A French range for West Africa with Western Sudanese,Dahomean,Samori's forces, Rabih etc. Briere DeI'lsle,Archinard,Bonnier,Dodds,Borgnois-Desbordes, and other noted French officers.
Mark
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I agree with your number two. Personality figures for Indian Mutiny and the Raj would be great.
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I like 2, I think it has potential for many visually distinctive and diverse characters.
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I've been chatting to genius minis sculptor, Stavros Zouliatis about sculpting some Victorian skirmish figures.........
2. A few sets of British India colonial personality figures - cavalry officers, early archeologists, Indian princesses and Sultans, tulwar men, fakirs and fanatics - both mounted and dismounted, to fit in with the Empress range........
Another vote in support of this idea, especially if it includes the "Great Game" adventures in Afghanistan. Non combatant figures like Civilians, Merchant Caravans and Camp scenes and suitably suspicious spies like Arthur Connolly and Charles Stoddart. Natives apart there are (limited) military figure options for 1st Afghan War and a much wider selection for later campaigns but a severe lack of the non combatant characters needed for narrative games.
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Spanish American war US infantry figures for sure. There are very few options for them out there.
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Another vote in support of this idea, especially if it includes the "Great Game" adventures in Afghanistan. Non combatant figures like Civilians, Merchant Caravans and Camp scenes and suitably suspicious spies like Arthur Connolly and Charles Stoddart. Natives apart there are (limited) military figure options for 1st Afghan War and a much wider selection for later campaigns but a severe lack of the non combatant characters needed for narrative games.
What specific characters and narratives would you have in mind?
Empress has 1 set of "civilian adventurers" as part of their Indian Mutiny range. But it could certainly be added to.
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Spanish American war US infantry figures for sure. There are very few options for them out there.
https://www.empressminiatures.com/1898-miniaturas-59-c.asp
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I've been chatting to genius minis sculptor, Stavros Zouliatis about sculpting some Victorian skirmish figures and Old Glory about mold making and casting them. Both of these are super well known in minis / wargaming circles and Stavros' amazing work speaks for itself.
https://www.instagram.com/stavros.sculpts/ (https://www.instagram.com/stavros.sculpts/)
There are already at least 2 very well done ranges available from large, reputable companies. The Perrys do an ACW range which has figure sets that can be adapted to Early Old West and also a British Intervention Force that has tons of period character!
And Empress has a huge Indian Mutiny range sculpted by the incredible Paul Hicks and extensively researched by Mike Snook.
I basically want to fill in the gaps with some of Stavros' great sculpts. Here are my ideas so far:
1. A Victorian espionage / crime range - gentlemen in top hats and frock coats with pistols and sword canes and elegant society belles with derringers and a range of brutal thugs and sinister villains to accost them.
2. A few sets of British India colonial personality figures - cavalry officers, early archeologists, Indian princesses and Sultans, tulwar men, fakirs and fanatics - both mounted and dismounted, to fit in with the Empress range.
3. A Royal Navy landing / boarding party to fight with South Asian, Japanese and Chinese pirates.
Other ideas are French and Russian colonial sets. But the British seem to capture so much more of the media and popular imagination that I am not sure other nations would be viable.
Does anyone else have ideas for ranges that would be interesting to do and potentially well received??
Yes, Empress has an extensive Indian Mutiny range but there are still some noticeable gaps. Gurkha's for instance!
Some British cavalry Hussars, Lancers or light Dragoons. At one time there was some rumour about a set for the 9th Lancers in white undress uniforms but nothing yet.
BTW I've have just started with some Indian Mutiny conversions.
First 60th Infantry in GREEN
Basic figure is the Empress New Zealand British infantry in shell jackets, but Ill be using the Perry Cape Wars infantry as well as to get 26 different figures.Replaced the head with a 3D printed one.
Omitted the cross-belt plaque and reshaped the cuffs into pointed ones.
Next will be the same but this time a unit in RED shell jackets. Easier since I won't have to reshape the cuffs.
Lastly 53rd Foot in Home Service Dress ( Perry BIF figures) Only need to replace the head.
First two of 24/26. I only got them yesterday from my Salute order.!
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q70/922/rf75R9.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmrf75R9j)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q70/923/Au3kHz.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnAu3kHzj)
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More civilians and technicians in general are always welcome.
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Yes, Empress has an extensive Indian Mutiny range but there are still some noticeable gaps. Gurkha's for instance!
Some British cavalry Hussars, Lancers or light Dragoons. At one time there was some rumour about a set for the 9th Lancers in white undress uniforms but nothing yet.
BTW I've have just started with some Indian Mutiny conversions.
First 60th Infantry in GREEN
Basic figure is the Empress New Zealand British infantry in shell jackets, but Ill be using the Perry Cape Wars infantry as well as to get 26 different figures.Replaced the head with a 3D printed one.
Omitted the cross-belt plaque and reshaped the cuffs into pointed ones.
Next will be the same but this time a unit in RED shell jackets. Easier since I won't have to reshape the cuffs.
Lastly 53rd Foot in Home Service Dress ( Perry BIF figures) Only need to replace the head.
First two of 24/26. I only got them yesterday from my Salute order.!
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q70/922/rf75R9.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmrf75R9j)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q70/923/Au3kHz.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnAu3kHzj)
How did you print the heads?
Are they resin or plastic?
Ghurkas can be done from the "Indian infantry with rifles" figures from the Empress IM range with the lace filed off and scratch made Khukris.
Yes, British colonial cavalry is high on my list. But they're not going to be accurate uniforms. Just rough and ready in stable jackets for the rank and file and laced patrol jackets for the officers and a mix of pith helmets and pillbox caps.
You could probably use the Perry Canadian militia cavalry for generic British cavalry early in the IM.
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Boers.
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You mentioned sailors, how about American sailors and Marines for Barbary Pirate Wars?
You can get the pirates a couple of places but I've yet to find the Americans to face them.
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I second Carlos' vote for Burmese. The 19th Century featured 3 Anglo-Burmese wars -- 1824-26, 1852-53, 1885. The Burmese forces are visually super cool, include both irregular and regular troops, and employed some interesting tactics. Like Carlos says, I'm pretty sure there has only ever been one range in 28mm, and for years it's been virtually impossible to buy.
I also second traveller's vote for 1870-1885 Colonial Russians, suitable for the Russia's wars of conquest in Central Asia and for the great "What If?" war between the Queen Empress and the Tsar somewhere between Khiva and Peshawar.
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I second Carlos' vote for Burmese. The 19th Century featured 3 Anglo-Burmese wars -- 1824-26, 1852-53, 1885. The Burmese forces are visually super cool, include both irregular and regular troops, and employed some interesting tactics. Like Carlos says, I'm pretty sure there has only ever been one range in 28mm, and for years it's been virtually impossible to buy.
I also second traveller's vote for 1870-1885 Colonial Russians, suitable for the Russia's wars of conquest in Central Asia and for the great "What If?" war between the Queen Empress and the Tsar somewhere between Khiva and Peshawar.
The Russians would probably grab my interest before the Burmese. But the Russians are challenging to research. In particular, I have tried to find what rifle-musket the Russians were equipped with in the late 1850's - early 1860's and have found it hard going.
The later period you mention is easier to research and I am a huge fan of Vereshchagin's art. But it's outside my zone of interest.
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Civilians and armed civilians, women of all station.
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"In particular, I have tried to find what rifle-musket the Russians were equipped with in the late 1850's - early 1860's and have found it hard going."
My incomplete notes for wargaming 19th century indicate the following Russian small arms:
.60” Vintovka RML (introduced 1857)
Karle Needle Gun (introduced 1867)
0.75" Model 1843 Luttich ML Rifle (Russia 1848 Brunswick copy made by Liege in Belgium)
This site seems to more detailed:
https://www.militaryrifles.com/russia/krnka
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There already exists a couple of ranges for 'Russian colonial'. Both Eureka and Tiger(?) do Russians for the Russo-Turkish War and if you paint the trousers as red leather you can use them for the 1873 Khivan campaign, the 1866 Bailkal Uprising and Central Asia generally in the 1870s. As they are wearing kepis with havelocks, you can probably stretch them on into the 1880s or 90s by adding a disk of milliput to the top and converting the kepis into peaked furashkas.
Steve Barber does a range of Russians for the Russo-Polish War of 1830 and these can be repurposed for the arguably more interesting conflicts against Persia and in the Caucasus in the early part of the century (think Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time). TBH as Russian uniforms changed little in the first three decades of the 19thC you could get away with very minor conversion work using a plastic Napoleonic Russian set.
Ranges that nobody has done and commercially viable are not the same thing, hence the numberless iterations of Imperial Romans, Normans and Napoleonic French ranges and the relative paucity of figures for say the Guerra das Laranjas. That said, as the Perry twins and several others have shown if you build it they will come. I would not have dreamt of a dedicated range for the War of the Triple Alliance/ Guerra do Paraguai a decade or so back.
Gap fillers for existing ranges is probably a sensible place to start if the project is to combine personal interest with a modicum of commercial success, ie enough to cover your costs. If it is a personal whim then I'd say go with what interests you. That's the whole point of a vanity range or private commission.
The only thing I would suggest if gap filling is that you will need to be fairly specific about which existing ranges you want the figures to be compatible with and choose or instruct your sculptor accordingly. No point doing exquisitely detailed and proportioned 32mm Grand Fenwickian Guards if the only existing range of friends or foes are 25mm Dixon turnip heads.
Choosing a period or army that nobody does is arguably a larger project but potentially offers more freedom. To this end there are a host of little wars nobody covers. My personal favourite would be the Burmese, Wars as noted above there are plenty of others. The 1860 Abyssinian campaign for example. You could probably cobble together proxies from other ranges for the Abyssinians and maybe proxy 2nd Anglo China Wars figures for the British but nothing exists as a dedicated range.
Think outside the Anglosphere and things expand considerably. I'm not one for gaming genocidal campaigns but the Argentine colonial wars against the Mapuche, the so called Conquest of the Desert makes for a South American flavoured variant of the US Indian Wars. As an added bonus, you could use some of the Mapuche for other conflicts.
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"In particular, I have tried to find what rifle-musket the Russians were equipped with in the late 1850's - early 1860's and have found it hard going."
My incomplete notes for wargaming 19th century indicate the following Russian small arms:
.60” Vintovka RML (introduced 1857)
Karle Needle Gun (introduced 1867)
0.75" Model 1843 Luttich ML Rifle (Russia 1848 Brunswick copy made by Liege in Belgium)
This site seems to more detailed:
https://www.militaryrifles.com/russia/krnka
I owe you a vodka!!
Do you have some links for uniform resources as well?
Less challenging, but one can never have enough sources for button-counting!!
The Russians are prime "bad guys" for all sorts of scenarios! (Or good guys, if you want!)
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"Do you have some links for uniform resources as well?"
This site looks like it may be interesting for the first half of the century at least:
https://www.marksrussianmilitaryhistory.info/index.html#Russian
Askari miniatures have a painting guide for their colonial Russian range:
https://askari-minis.com/shop/painting-guides-accessories/painting-guides/russian-infantry-painting-guide/
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Was I dreaming it, or are Wargames Atlantic producing a plastic Russian colonial box at some point? Or is someone due to release a 28mm metal range?
My first suggestion for a filler part for existing ranges would be EIC Sepoys, gunners and cavalry for the 1st Afghan War, including Shah Shuja's force if anyone knows what it looked like.
I do like the idea of a 19th century Burmese army (can be used for Napoleonics too, the Brits fought them in 1812ish), but don't forget the war elephants.
Another one would be Ashanti, another would be Bornu-Kanem.
What I really want is a 28mm plastics range for the Sikh Wars, including EIC troops.
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Castaway Arts in Queensland do an Ashanti range. Hausas and properly equipped Brits. They aren't exactly tp of the range sculpts but they ain't bad either.
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"Do you have some links for uniform resources as well?"
This site looks like it may be interesting for the first half of the century at least:
https://www.marksrussianmilitaryhistory.info/index.html#Russian
Askari miniatures have a painting guide for their colonial Russian range:
https://askari-minis.com/shop/painting-guides-accessories/painting-guides/russian-infantry-painting-guide/
Cheers!
Among other goodies, I found a niche article about Colt revolver knock-offs and their issuance to boarding parties in the Imperial Navy. Prime stuff for a skirmish / RPG enthusiast like me!!!
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I would love to see a line of figures representing colonial sailors and marines from all the powers. Not just for colonial campaigns, but also for Victorian Science Fiction.
Generic sailors would be a welcome addition as well. Many would be usable for the late 18th century through some early pulp, especially with a wide variety of weapons and headgear!
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I would love to see a line of figures representing colonial sailors and marines from all the powers. Not just for colonial campaigns, but also for Victorian Science Fiction.
Generic sailors would be a welcome addition as well. Many would be usable for the late 18th century through some early pulp, especially with a wide variety of weapons and headgear!
Are you more interested in landing parties with rifles, boarding parties with pistols and cutlasses or crew working on the ship?
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Ultimately, I'd like both, but there are miniature lines with armed sailors. Perry is a great example. But getting a generic crew, I've come up dry. In a perfect world, modular 3d files with separate heads and arms. Weapons could range from flintlocks to BARs, from bare-handed to knives, cutlasses, and boarding pikes. I have aeronefs with crew manning pedestal-mounted guns while holding their own rifles. Even if you cut the rifle away, the poses are very limited.
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The do-able figures which immediately spring to mind are a captain standing on the bridge and a helmsman. From that point on, it becomes challenging..
For a mid nineteenth century vessel, you need a gun crew loading a muzzle loader cannon. Aeronefs would have very differently posed gunners.
It would be difficult to cover all the possibilities.
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Another vote for 19th century Burmese - I fear the Pontoonier range will never see the light of day and Badger Games LLC never reply to emails about its availability, or planned extensions to the Gurkha/Nepalese Range, or anything else for that matter!
I’d love to see a dedicated range of Dyaks, Pirates and 1840’s British for Rajah Brookes’s expeditions.
Then there’s the gaps that stop me investing in other projects, like the aforementioned Gurkhas from Pontoonier, or ragged uniformed Sepoys for the 1842 retreat from Kabul to compliment the Empress range.
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Empress has Sikh Wars 1840s British.
What do the Rajah Brooke guys look like?
I assumed that they were Royal Navy and civilian guys
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I will encourage you to think Canadian and get us a new set of Métis and Cree suitable for the 1870 Red River and 1885 North West Rebellions, especially now that Rafm is gone and with them their line of 1885 miniatures. Get us Gabriel Dumont, Big Bear, Wandering Spirit, and the man himself, Louis Riel. Get us Canadian militia armed with Snider-Enfield rifles rather than having to repurpose British Zulu War troops with Martini Henry rifles.
And while you're at it, some early (1873-1885) NWMP :)
I agree with Will Bailie. Think Canadian.
Also Canadian militia to respond to the American "Fenian" invasions after the American Civil War.
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I will encourage you to think Canadian and get us a new set of Métis and Cree suitable for the 1870 Red River and 1885 North West Rebellions, especially now that Rafm is gone and with them their line of 1885 miniatures. Get us Gabriel Dumont, Big Bear, Wandering Spirit, and the man himself, Louis Riel. Get us Canadian militia armed with Snider-Enfield rifles rather than having to repurpose British Zulu War troops with Martini Henry rifles.
And while you're at it, some early (1873-1885) NWMP :)
I agree with Will Bailie. Think Canadian.
Also Canadian militia to respond to the American "Fenian" invasions after the American Civil War.
Actually Perry already do Canadian militia for the Fenian raids and they look very nice.
And Brigade (I believe) does a Paul Hicks sculpted series of both Lakota and also Apache for Western scenarios.
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Thanks, Leadfool!
I've got the new Plains War Lakota and Commanche that I have rebranded to be Northern Cree, and they are very nice figures. The Apache don't really belong in the North West Rebellion, though.
I'd love to see some Métis, rather than trying to repurpose Boers or other civilians.
cheers,
Will
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A French range for West Africa with Western Sudanese,Dahomean,Samori's forces, Rabih etc. Briere DeI'lsle,Archinard,Bonnier,Dodds,Borgnois-Desbordes, and other noted French officers.
Mark
Ashantis, and multi use "Fanti" like levies!
East Indi Regiment guys,
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I would like to second adding Burmese. Defeated four invasions from the Qing Empire in the 1760s, won several battles against Anglo-Indian forces and overall a lot more competent foe to the Brits than the Qing were. There's also the whole Northeast Frontier setting thats greatly overshadowed by its Pathan contemporary.
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10mm Fuzzy-Wuzzies with Remingtons.
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Boers
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Boers
Boers.
Feel free to prove me wrong, but do we really need more Boers given their availability from Old Glory, Wargames Foundry, Redoubt, 1st Corps, Empress, and Perry?
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We definately need more boers with mauser rifles. The only two ranges available(OG and WF)are both quite dated.
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Well, I suppose with Boers, you'll at least be able to import them into the US without paying a 10% tariff. I note they just let in about 12 packets worth into the US a week or two back. Whether they were Mauser armed or not, I do not know. What I am certain of is that they will be armed by next Thursday at the latest. ;)
As anyone who has visited Perth can attest, what the world needs is less Boers, not more.
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That's Saffas in general, isn't it? TBF, I'm surprised Australia hasn't naturalised more of them in an effort to bump themselves up the world rugby rankings.
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The Orange One will happily take them off your hands.
While on the subject of the great Southern Land it would be remiss not to include a reminder, if only for the sake of completion, that no one as yet makes a commercial colonial Australia skirmish range.
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I like to see 1860's period Royal Navy landing party figures. Particularly with cutlass and revolver. There are a few scenarios from the NZ wars that I would like to have a crack at.