What became of the 'new' Foundry Zulus...

[Captain Blood]

A few years back, Foundry brought out their 'new' Zulu range to replace their 'old' Zulu range - I bought a few packs of these. The 'new' range was very extensive and based on Copplestone's sublime Darkest Africa figures.

As a result, the Zulu figures were a lot nicer than the old range figures - although you couldn't say the same for the British, which were in that somewhat lumpen style that Foundry seemed to be producing at the time...

Under the new (current) regime at Foundry however, the entire 'new' Zulu range appears to have vanished, and the rather smaller 'old' Zulu range is back on their website.

These are not the Zulus I'm looking for... 

Anyone know what happened / enquired / looked into this before?

As with the Copplestone-derived Zulus, Foundry went through a brief phase of letting other people adapt figures made previously by their 'big-name' sculptors, and releasing them as new figures.
Maybe Marcus Ansell decided in retropsect this was unethical and withdrew the ranges concerned?
In the case of the Zulus - if that's what happened - all I can say is - pity 

[Plynkes]

It is a shame. I noticed they were gone the other day while browsing their site. They are among my favourite Zulu figures (seeing as underneath the Zulu fancy dress they are sculpted by my favourite Colonial sculptor).

I don't know for sure but it had crossed my mind that it might be something like what you said, the fact they are doctored figures based on original Copplestone DA sculpts. Maybe he objected or something? There were a few original sculpts in the "new" range too, but they seem to have gone too.


Just glad I bought a shedload when they were available. Still would like to have been able to get some more, though, because they were for the most part bloody nice.

[Malamute]

I am reliably informed (By my good friend Dick Trickle. Ahem ) that they are available.

 Apparently if you phone the Foundry they will cast them to order for you. I should imagine with their restructuring and moving home that many of the figures that are currently unavailable will reappear in due course.

[Hobbit]

Are these they?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Unmarried-Zulu-Warriors-II-Colonial-Victoriana-DA202-/151033770790?pt=UK_Toys_Wargames_RL&hash=item232a507326

Look like Copplestone sculpts to me (Tim Prow is credited but they definitely look like Copplestone base figures). A lot of the "new" sculpts get shoved out through Foundry's Ebay clones.

[former user]

As with the Copplestone-derived Zulus, Foundry went through a brief phase of letting other people adapt figures made previously by their 'big-name' sculptors, and releasing them as new figures.
Maybe Marcus Ansell decided in retropsect this was unethical and withdrew the ranges concerned?

not an issue - see how Ebob sell their reproduction rights, e.g. for the camels. See also how GW cannibalised various sculpts and credited them with two sculptors.

Whether the sculptor is employed in-house or on commission, the buyer can do with them whatever they want - unless a special contract would say otherwise, which would be unusual, also given Foundry's market position at that time. The creator retains the copyright naming right only.

I don't see why this would be unethical, it is the way copyrights and patents are exploited, in many markets

[Captain Blood]

Are these they?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Unmarried-Zulu-Warriors-II-Colonial-Victoriana-DA202-/151033770790?pt=UK_Toys_Wargames_RL&hash=item232a507326

Look like Copplestone sculpts to me (Tim Prow is credited but they definitely look like Copplestone base figures). A lot of the "new" sculpts get shoved out through Foundry's Ebay clones.

That be they! Thanks.

[Lowtardog]

That be they! Thanks.

Beaten to it, lots hidden on their ebay site

[Lowtardog]

That be they! Thanks.

Did you note some of the elizabethans with head swaps, mostly musketeers arent too bad, others a bit dire but those seem sculpts from scratch

[Captain Blood]

Yes, I did Karl.
That's where they ended up then!
I was looking at some of those packs at Salute, and couldn't quite work out what was going on with them (there were many more packs than they seem to have on their eBay site by the way).

As I recall 'Ronnie Shilton' was the (trainee?) sculptor who got busy with the Green Stuff over the top of Copplestone's Darkest Africa stuff too to create said 'new' Zulus.

As you rightly say, he's made a decent fist of adapting some of the original Mike Owen Sea Dog sculpts - head swaps and so on. But unfortunately the assorted 'sculpted from scratch' figures included in amongst those new packs look a bit shite, truthfully.

The Mike Owen sea dogs are amongst my favourite sculpts by anybody, anywhere, ever - yours too Karl, I know - not to mention Bugsda 
But not too sure I'll be adding any of these hybrids to my collection... 

Anyway, back to the Zulus - they only seem to have a very small selection of the multitude of 'new' Zulu packs that were in the range in that eBay shop - and none of the luxuriantly befeathered senior Zulu regiments - which were the packs I was hoping to pick up... Ah well, maybe I'll give them a ring...

[former user]

maybe You can tell who made the one foreign legion interwar pack then? (if I am allowed to divert a bit....)

[Hobbit]

I don't know, I was going to say Mike Owen (I've seen his name suggested for these a few times), but comparing the old Foundry catalog picture with Artizan's WW2 FFL range I'm now far from convinced. Maybe Mark Sims?

[former user]

THX
what else did Mark sims sculpt?
the foundry legionnaires are very similar to the renegade french

[Hobbit]

Marks Sims is Mr Crusader Miniatures.

[Cubs]

As a result, the Zulu figures were a lot nicer than the old range figures - although you couldn't say the same for the British, which were in that somewhat lumpen style that Foundry seemed to be producing at the time...

I painted some of those for Foundry and they were shocking. Some of them had extra fingers or fingers missing, some had cuff decoration on one wrist and not the other, an epaulette on one shoulder and not the other, lots of buttons were missing (that's before we get on to the general proportions and look of them) ... it was a low quality range by and large, whose imperfections I struggled to hide with the paint.

[fastolfrus]

The Foundry stand at Partizan had an entire section titled "Figures not in our catalogue" (or was it figures not on the website?).
Anyway, they had loads of miscellaneous packs, medieval deer hunters, boar hunt, some ancients, etc, but also a lot of Darkest Africa stuff.
So you might find them at a show.

Also, try a pm to Shaun at the bunker - he's a member on here but may know how to find the figures you are looking for.