Help needed...

[answer_is_42]

Hey all,
I'm looking for a few figures to finish off the bulk of my colonial forces, but I can't find the models I need. I'm looking for 'true scale' 28mm's (to fit in with Perry's Sudan, Eureka's French and Dixon's FFL) of the following;

French infantry command figures, foot and mounted
A French gun team
A Mahdist gun team

Plus anything else I happen to think of. Later colonial (1880-1900) preferred.

Thanks for any replies.

[Gluteus Maximus]

Do you mean gun crew or team of horses pulling limber etc? I'm presuming you mean crew and if so the Perrys do a Mahdist crew:

SA25 Captured Egyptian Crew (shackled) loading Krupp 6 pdr with Beja overseer.

For French gunners and infantry officers, I'd suggest looking at Franco-Prussian War ranges. Foundry will fit in size-wise. There are also several French Foreign Legion ranges which might have suitable figures - especially officers. Foundry also have (or did have?) a Mexican War range which has some nice French figures in it.

FPW figures will of course be in European uniforms, but depending on the degree of historical accuracy in your forces should fit in easily.

[Plynkes]

Askari Miniatures do FFL gun teams, but for 1920s and 1940s. You might be able to get away with using them, though, if you paint them in blue or white rather than khaki. They also do a Chasseurs Alpins gun crew, and a Senegalese gun crew with French officers in sun helmets.

They also have quite a few command types (foot and mounted) you might find a use for.

Askari aren't huge, so would probably work with Perry figures.

http://www.askari-minis.com/webstore/index.php

[answer_is_42]

Thanks chaps,
@Gluteus Maximus; yes, gun team. I know about the Perry one, but I'm looking for Mahdist crew, not a captured one. I'll have a look around the FPW ranges though, thanks.

@Plynkes; unless something better comes up I'll probably go with Askari.
Anyone know if Askari really are as awful as the pictures show them to be? These, for example, look laughably bad;
http://www.askari-minis.com/webstore/product_info.php?cPath=21_34&products_id=95

If anyone else out there has some better suggestions, I'd love to hear them...

Again, thanks for the replies.

[Gluteus Maximus]

Thanks chaps,
@Gluteus Maximus; yes, gun team. I know about the Perry one, but I'm looking for Mahdist crew, not a captured one. I'll have a look around the FPW ranges though, thanks.

Fair enough. I really can't think of any Mahdist gunner figures. Possibly Old Glory might have some. If you do find any, I'd welcome any info 

[Le matou rouge]

For the French, Brigade games have an early War gun crew :

http://www.brigadegames.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BG-WIWF31&Category_Code=WW1F&Product_Count=28

and Battle Honors also have a gun crew and a mounted and dismounted command pack, the sculpts are pretty good but old so the casting may be very random in quality. The pics are very rare, and I don't own these but here's the link :

http://oldglory15s.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=1_221_706_718&sort=3a

They are not really colonial but could do the trick. In other hand, Gripping Beast has annonced a French Range for their Middle East WWI but the previews have disappeared of their website. They are always visible on Soappy's Blog though :

http://soapyvision.blogspot.com/2009/03/twdc-ww1-stuff-for-salute.html

meow,
Matt

Matt 
 





 

[Plynkes]

Anyone know if Askari really are as awful as the pictures show them to be?

Dunno what to say to that, mate. I have some of their Italian/Ethiopian War figures, and I like them. Now I'm usually pretty fussy, and I wouldn't describe them as "laughably bad" by any stretch of the imagination. I think they are very nice. We all have different tastes, I guess.

[Calimero]

For French Infantry Command, I think those figures look good (at least from the photos)…
http://www.unfeasibly.co.uk/page8.htm

[Mad Carew Snr]

For French Infantry Command, I think those figures look good (at least from the photos)…
http://www.unfeasibly.co.uk/page8.htm

Very nice! Never heard of them before, thanks.

[Plynkes]

Be aware of this, though, Mad Carew:

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=8517.0

The Answer is 42 is already all too aware, I fear.

[Mad Carew Snr]

Be aware of this, though, Mad Carew:

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=8517.0

The Answer is 42 is already all too aware, I fear.

Oh dear. Thanks Plynkes. Shame really.

[Plynkes]

It is. They are good figures. I got some of the Tuaregs before things went quiet.

[answer_is_42]

Anyone know if Askari really are as awful as the pictures show them to be?

Dunno what to say to that, mate. I have some of their Italian/Ethiopian War figures, and I like them. Now I'm usually pretty fussy, and I wouldn't describe them as "laughably bad" by any stretch of the imagination. I think they are very nice. We all have different tastes, I guess.

Yes, I must say the Italians look rather good. But the French (in particular the two pointing officers) do not. Do they use different sculptors or is there just a large time difference between the two sculpts?
These look ok, but I can’t really tell from the picture;
http://www.askari-minis.com/webstore/product_info.php?cPath=21_34&products_id=37

@ Le matou rouge; Thanks for the links. I shall definitely consider the Brigade Games crew (assuming the figures are not too large?).

And on the subject of unfeasibly; do not buy from this company. You won’t get anything.

[Le matou rouge]

@ Le matou rouge; Thanks for the links. I shall definitely consider the Brigade Games crew (assuming the figures are not too large?).

They should be a little bit bigger than your Dixon tirailleurs so nearly as big as your Dixon FFL 

meow,
Matt

[Plynkes]

You may be right about the French figures, Answer_is_42. There are many ranges where some of the sculpts are better than others, due to different sculptors, or the same sculptor getting better at his job over time. I have no first-hand experience of the French figures, I'm afraid, only the ones I mentioned. Sorry.