Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Age of the Big Battalions => Topic started by: Khurasan Miniatures on March 15, 2019, 04:38:54 PM
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Just curious what the single best pose type is for ACW infantry in 15mm? I ask specifically about ACW because continential armies of the same period (second half of 19th C) may have had different drill or grand tactics that would require different poses.
Let me illustrate what I mean by the different options.
Gritty, realistic firing line:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7f/TSS1.gif)
More formal, uniform firing line:
(https://c8.alamy.com/comp/AT7T3B/firing-line-firing-rifles-at-civil-war-reenactment-event-AT7T3B.jpg)
Marching with shouldered muskets:
(http://ww2.mpt.org/station_relation/Heart%20of%20the%20Civil%20War/726026203_Marching%202.jpg)
Charge with bayonets fixed:
(http://www.thomaslegion.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/napoleonictacticscivilwar.jpg)
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To be honest, there are so many good 15mm ACW figures out there, I think there is plenty of the "classical" poses (firing, marching). What I'd love to see are more unusual figures, stuff no one else does: men breaking and running away and men surrendering (with the musket held upside down), both as markers.
Or - and this is really missing - Union as well as Confederate Native American units.
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That's basically making models to help other people sell their ranges, which is not something I'm interested in doing.
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I did acw re-enactments and we spent most of our time marching with rifles on shoulders or support arms, I would go with that
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Best pose? Problematic. But poses I dislike, generally: kneeling firing, standing firing, running, standing casualties - all because they just don't "look right" in a unit moving about the table. I have an extensive collection of ACW figures in 15 mm and have those poses and they are the ones I dislike the most. The ones I tend to prefer are either marching or advancing with musket advanced but not leveled with probably a nod to the latter over the former.
And a caveat, I have finished collecting figures for the period so I'm not giving input for personal desire, just to contribute to the discussion.
Oh, and surrendering poses would be interesting, no one that I know of does them. But it would not be a big seller in my opinion.
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That's basically making models to help other people sell their ranges, which is not something I'm interested in doing.
Or, making people buy your figures because no one else does them :)
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Gritty realistic firing line for me
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Other - advancing with musket/rifle at port. You then have variety (if you want it), of the weapon pointing to ground, ahead or up.
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Or, making people buy your figures because no one else does them :)
But how many? A handful of specialists would never, ever pay for themselves. You have to sell hundreds of 15mm figurines to just break even. You make stuff like that as a loss leader, to help you sell other figurines. So if I make it, I am always in the red, but they help other manufacturers sell guys in kepis with muskets.
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But how many? A handful of specialists would never, ever pay for themselves. You have to sell hundreds of 15mm figurines to just break even. You make stuff like that as a loss leader, to help you sell other figurines. So if I make it, I am always in the red, but they help other manufacturers sell guys in kepis with muskets.
I presume you are considering producing an ACW range or why would you pose the question? As already mentioned there are some very well established companies already in the market selling extensive ranges already. So why would people stop buying those and buy yours instead?
It seems from the answers to your original question people want the poses that aren't already available which appear to be the less popular poses. Looks like a Catch 22 situation you have here. ;)
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I presume you are considering producing an ACW range or why would you pose the question? As already mentioned there are some very well established companies already in the market selling extensive ranges already. So why would people stop buying those and buy yours instead?
Because people like choice and are perfectly willing to buy new ranges. A range does not shut down customer choice just because it exists. There have been many beautiful ranges of 15/18mm Napoleonics available for 10-20 years and I released some French and they sell very, very well. Just one example.
It seems from the answers to your original question people want the poses that aren't already available which appear to be the less popular poses. Looks like a Catch 22 situation you have here. ;)
Don't see any Catch 22 because most of the poses people are saying that want are currently available, and the poll hasn't closed yet. :D
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The marching shouldered musket pose is the most useful for larger mass battles that tend to get played with 15mm figures. Like an earlier poster the firing line both kneeling and standing are a pain for me. Id go with marching or advancing at the high port as my favourite in this size. The surrendering/casualties figures are really only useful as markers, or in a larger scale in skirmish games. JMHO. :)
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Thanks WB — that certainly doesn’t mean I wouldn’t make them, just that I would not make *only* them. :D
I’m interested in making a 15mm later 19th C range and am in fact well underway on an Anglo Zulu War range. I had thought I’d do Austro-Prussian after that, but am considering ACW after that.
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I also voted for the shouldered musket pose. I also agree it is useful for massive battles.
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Right shoulder shift - not what's shown in the Iron Brigade photo above.
(https://acws.co.uk/gilhams/images/gilh013.gif)
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How were Union and confederate soldiers drilled to move on the battlefield? Right shoulder shift?
Did lefthanded soldiers do that too or were they allowed to shoulder the musket left?
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My 15mm ACW Union soldiers are all Battle Honours figures. After lots of heavy combat, the firing line still look pretty good. They do not have fixed bayonets - none to break. Various of the marching and advancing figures have lost bayonets over the years. Flag staffs break and are replaced by brass rod that will outlive the figures. My buddy's Confederates have suffered even more breakage, including drummers with snapped ankles. Again, his firing line have held up pretty well.
Then again, in our Seven Years War stuff, mostly Minifigs, the march attack poses have held up well after years of serious use. Big bayonets don't break as easily.
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The people have spoken! Or perhaps I should say they have shouldered their muskets. :-D
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I would suggest looking at some of the reenactment photos and videos online. Reenactors have an uncomfortable habit of doing things the right way thanks to years of selfless research and actually wearing the kit. I think that the Perry blokes got it right with their last few 28mm plastic releases.
:-)
John