28mm Figure Review #3: Old Glory & Irregular

Always on the lookout for a bargain, I recently got my hands on some "Marlburians" produced by the above manufacturers.  In no particular order, I will start with Old Glory.

As most readers will know, Old Glory do not sell individual figures.  Most 28mm codes contain 30 Infantry or 10 Cavalry.  Unusually, the "Wars of Marlborough" range is sold in bags of 10 Infantry or 4 Cavalry.  A quick glance will show that the packs are categorised by their dress rather than any Nationality.  This could prove daunting for someone unsure of a given Army's details.  For me, it was a boon.   I could select exactly what I wanted.

Old Glory MW005 Infantry in Tricorn

In this instance I bought packs:  MW001 Infantry Command, NCOs Drummers and Standard Bearers & MW005 Infantry in Tricorn Marching, Coat with Collar & Fur Pack When Ordering I had a pleasant conversation with the proprietor of OG UK who answered a few questions I had about figure pose.  All very enjoyable - even for someone like myself who makes Larry David look sociable.


In general, I find OG offerings to be a mixed bag.   Some are great whilst others are a bit over-animated for my liking (I am a stick in the mud!)  I am pleased to say that these packs proved to be agreeable to my aesthetic.  Good solid poses and nobody looking like they were dancing or throwing a fit.  There are three basic poses and the usual variety of cast-on head variants.  The figures are dressed in a style that can certainly "pass" well into the 1730s and are thus of great interest to me for both eras of my ImagiNation.  Standing around 26/27mm at eye-level they will prove compatible with many of the other leading makers.  However, should you not wish to mix them there is certainly a comprehensive selection available from OG.


The generic Command pack was less good but by no means a waste of time.   A few of the figures have have some rather weird wigs.  Also my pack included a casualty - something I have little use for.   I knew "deaders" were a possibility but I had my fingers crossed!  


As is usual with OG, there are a lot of venting runners attached (easy to remove) and a few bent bayonets.  Pleasingly, there were NO MISCASTS!  All in all I think these figures are very useful and the smaller bag size makes for a good deal less wastage than the 30 man packs when you use a 24 miniature Regiment model.

Irregular LM1 (march attack) & LM2 (advancing)

Moving on to Irregular.  I wanted a few of their rather nice artillery pieces and decided to buy some infantry samples at the same time.   Priced at 75 pence (November 2010) these are some of the cheapest metal miniatures out there.


Standing a couple of millimetres taller than the OG offerings, these figures are somewhat "beefier" and definitely more narrowly "Marlburian".   Detail is good on the coats and acceptable on the feet.  However the faces are far more "Impressionistic" than most other makes.  This is especially noticeable around the eyes where a wide indentation is present rather than individual eye-sockets.  


That said, well painted and viewed en-masse these figures are going to look pretty impressive.  There are at least three variations in the "march attack" pose which has been realised in a manner new to me.   The muskets are held high up on the torso leaving a great length of barrel "in the air".   I must confess I do not know if this was a characteristic of the period but it looks a bit different - not bad just different!
  


The "At the ready" pose was not one I chose but rather a packaging error.   However, he illustrates another option and is thus useful.


These figures have a bit of flash present which will have to be scraped off and most probably sanded smooth.  After this is done, their simple lines will certainly give the painter a good, if unforgiving, canvas upon which to work.  It is my feeling that quality of paintwork is going to be key in determining whether these stand or fall. 


If you are able to paint details and add a sense of depth to a figure, I would say these are well worth looking at.  However, if your painting skills are negligible and you rely heavily on exaggerated details doing the work for you, there may be trouble ahead!  In short a "painter's figure" well worth considering - especially with attractive bulk deals available.


Below, as is usual, a side by side photo showing these chaps in my rogues' gallery (an improved version will soon be fabricated)   In this case, I do not think they would work well in the same unit but together in an army - perhaps.

Side-by-side comparison.

As I mail-ordered from both suppliers I can use my marking system this time.  I should add that there were problems but the suppliers sorted these out with politeness and alacrity.






Scores out of 10 - thoroughly personal ratings explained:

Sculpting - Quality of detail and accuracy

Casting - Mismoulds and flashing

Variety - How comprehensive is the range

Service - Was the seller easy to reach, polite and helpful

Delivery - How long did they take to get to me

Value - Are they a good deal overall

Delivery time based upon my experience - UK to UK delivery.

Sculpting:                 OG 7/10  -  IM 4.5/10

Casting:                   OG 10/10 - IM 5/10

Variety of Subject:   OG 8/10 - IM 5/10

Customer Service:    OG 10/10 - IM 8/10

Delivery Time:         OG -/10* - IM 8/10

Value:                     OG 8/10 - IM 6/10

* OG Delivery time was delayed by severe snow.

Freiherr von Heßlingshof - Pinning and Putty

Looking a bit like Donald Sutherland.

Shortly after taking the photos last night, I drilled the components and inserted various pins and pegs.  These are essential when converting metal castings as otherwise you are liable to suffer from a multitude of disastrous accidents.

I retained the nice bow on the neck of the Front Rank figure and I have counter-sunk this into the shoulders of the Crusader casting.  I was mulling over the whole right hand quandary and decided that the sword will have to do.  A cane looks a bit too "FdG" and a telescope is not really very good for a chap leading his Regiment to within sight of the Turk.  Myopic officers are something of a liability.

Moustache will need a bit of refinement but the plume is nearly done.   They are currently baking under a cheap IKEA desk light.

The Mastiff will go without appendages as I felt creeped out try to sculpt 28mm testicles.  We will just remember that it is a male!

For the putty I have used both pure Kneadatite and a Milliput/Kneadatite blend.  They have different properties and mixing allows the sculptor to take advantage of both.

I should be able to get the figure finished in the next day or so.  Now that reminds me, I need some laser-cut bases...

Freiherr von Heßlingshof & Gustav - The beginning

Having made my decision to bin Campaign Cartographer 3, I was freed to potter about with something else this afternoon.

Crusader Austrian General and Front Rank Baggot's Hussar.

I have mentioned before that I hate using stock figures for my Colonels and Generals.  With this in mind I decided to cobble something together from a few spare parts lying in my C18 boxes.

Wanting a fellow in "Austrian" uniform but with a twist, I decided to used one of the figures from Crusader's High Command pack.   The original is OK (ignoring that weird right arm) but rather boring - so I didn't mind sawing off his head.  As I have a whole host of miscast Baggot's Hussars from Front Rank, I decided one of these could donate both head and right hand to the project.

Gustav the Mastiff and the trusty steed.

I wanted to use a rather nice Dixon's horse for his mount but the rider's legs are spread (ooer Missus) rather wide for this to be practical.  I will give it a go but reckon it is safer to go for a Crusader nag (shown)

Gustav the hideous Mastiff is taken from the Vendel "Border Reiver" range and looks fearsome enough to be happy amidst the carnage of battle.

The Colonel's right arm is still "negotiable". I favoured a tobacco pipe or even a telescope as these are far more interesting than the drawn sabre - but I have the sword from the Hussar donor.  As the pinning and puttying happens I may well change the plan.

Mock-up to get a General (hoho) idea.

Other additions will be a plume, face fungus and an enlarged "bag" for the cap.  I may well rework the saddle - a furry shabraque would look somewhat different.  Gustav demands a little work, a pair of large "cojones" should add authenticity.

You may notice the little bit of putty in the last photo.  This is a push-moulded depiction of the "Order of Radegast" that Freiherr von Heßlingshof will sport upon his coat (if it can be made to fit)

Anyway - we will see how things progress.

Campaign Cartographer - a précis

Having tried this software for just over a week I thought it high time to write a brief review.  Sadly, this is unlikely to endear me to the folks at ProFantasy Software.

My reasons for purchasing Campaign Cartographer 3 (CC3) were twofold:  Firstly, I wanted an application that would enable me to apply a constant theme to a series of maps and deliver predictable results.  Secondly, I feel capable of producing what I want in pen and ink but the idea that one error could muff up the whole effort was daunting.  These days I am a bit ham-fisted - I blame child-related exhaustion!

Anyway, I viewed the rather good tutorial linked to ProFantasy's website and decided that if the application could render a "Pirate Island" sized 1000 x 800miles  it could certainly cope with Beimbach-Schönau.  (on a 200x200 mile background)  After playing around with the software, I can report that it is more than able to do so.  My first effort shows, in low-resolution,  the revised State boundaries.

The system works with "Sheets" and "Layers".  A new approach to me but apparently old hat to CAD diehards.  A good way of describing this to a layman would be to think of  "transparencies".  Your work is laid upon your background via a series of transparencies, each one laying upon the other with user-defined levels of opacity.   Thus some can show the details on previous sheets others block the sheets below.  

In practice this is simple to grasp, in reality things get confusing.  My confusion stemmed not from user error (well not too much!) but from the rather annoying way the software automatically adjusts sheets and layers when you choose various map building features.   For example you want (for your own peculiar reason) to add mountain graphics to your Contours layer.  The software will change the layer to what it thinks is best as soon as you click on the mountain tab.  This happens with sheets also and if you don't keep your eyes open you can get into a real mess.  

I am sure there is a setting to turn off the "thinking" process but I didn't want to dabble too deeply in the advanced user settings when making my first map.

Another problem was creating an infill up to a border.  Complicated jargon but in my case what I wanted was to show the State dissecting a given terrain feature without the terrain having to end just short of the border.   Try as I might I could not find a way to do this other than tracing the border in extreme zoom and hoping you don't slip.  This was the same annoying process that I had to use for the coastline and after many tries I was literally screaming at the PC.  Again, there is probably a command to do this but I didn't find it after days of exploration.

For the record, the software crashed when trying to open different symbol sets - disheartening as your progress is lost.  This was mitigated somewhat by the autosave but nevertheless such problems are annoying.

Finally comes the most serious, and in my case fatal, flaw.  Apparently, when your map is highly detailed  (mine is both small and simple) the ability to save your work as a large BMP, PNG or JPEG no longer works.  The file becomes too unwieldy at anything but low-res (seen above).  At this point higher-res images have to be saved in PDF format.  I had no idea this was the case when I purchased the software.  As I wanted to post various maps online and (eventually) use them in a work of fiction, it has really been something of a terminal problem.  To have to upload pdfs and then provide links to said is very clunky and not what I wanted.  Additionally I went ahead with the pdf save as an experiment and the damn process changed the properties of my map - making lines thicker and so on.   It looks not nearly as good as it does when opened in CC!  

ProFantasy suggest that this is not an error with their application but is due to the inadequacy of users' systems.  My Desktop is approaching three years old but has a fairly fast quad-core processor, decent RAM and  full gamers-standard graphics acceleration.

After much stress I think that, for me, CC3 is not worth the effort.  It is possible to create beautiful maps and once the interface is mastered, do so quickly.  However, the inability of the software to turn the lovely high-res images into high-res PC viewable graphics files is a deal-breaker.  

Your author will be taking advantage of the 14 day money back guarantee - pronto!

Steady that hand and get drawing!

28mm Figure Review #2: Foundry & Front Rank

Following my trip to Warfare 2010 I thought it may be useful to review some of my purchases.  Most notably the Foundry Russian Grenadiers I picked up (at a very good price) from "Dave T" at the Perry Miniatures stand.

I am no expert when it comes to SYW Russians but I wanted something a bit different for IR.14 "Graf Zhlobin" and was looking for interesting miniatures at the show. These troopers with covered mitres look both flashy and battle hardened.  When coupled with Dave's knock-down price they are spot on!

As can be seen in the photo, they measure (base included) around 29mm to eye-level.  Depicted in the ever popular (and wargames friendly) "march attack" pose, they present a good martial air.  The faces display a good deal of character but nothing too eye-catching.  This in my opinion is a plus.  If a "character" figure with some colourful expression is featured repeatedly he gives your unit a comical air - not something I want.

I selected my figures from an "odds and sods" box but after visiting the Foundry site I have determined the majority are from codes SYWR10 and 28.  However, I cannot find all the variations, so perhaps Foundry have streamlined their catalogue?

I rate these figures very highly.  Excellent when it comes to detail and casting quality, the latter is a real bug-bear these days, they are clearly a superior product.

In addition to the Russkis, I picked up a few Front Rank  British and Austrians.   These are a mixture of their Jacobite and SYW figures (The chap on the left is an Austrian who came along for a portrait).

As usual with Alec Brown's work, they are solidly sculpted and well detailed - standing around 28mm.  The Jacobite era fellow on the extreme right is particularly nice having a fine "in-period" wig and haughty air.  As with the Grenadiers, I cannot vouch for authenticity of the fine-details but they look good after comparing with the illustrations in a few uniform books.

I am aware that some folks think Front Rank figures are "fat bodied" and have strange faces - I thoroughly disagree.  These castings, although many of the masters are well over a decade old, are still worth serious consideration for anyone planning a C18 army - Imagined or Historical.  Additionally there is a marked consistency in Front Rank's scaling.  Figures have (until the Marlburians) stayed at more or less a constant size, this makes ordering far less worrisome.

Something got their attention.  My aquarium perhaps?

Finally, I have posted a side-by-side shot of the Foundry and Front Rank samples.

I see no reason to avoid mixing these brands in an army or, dare I say it, why suitable figures could not be mixed within a table-top regiment.

All in all a nice little haul of metal.  I will not be marking these in the manner of my first review as I got to select them myself at a wargames show and many of the criteria are therefore not applicable.

Now I have to figure out why, as the five minute shoot progressed, my camera decided to reproduce the snaps with a nicotine wash...

Borders and Bunkum

Since my last posting I have been toying with maps - yet again.  Looking at the borders of the State as shown in my earlier posting, I was dissatisfied with the shape of the territory.  There was an uncanny similarity to Cyprus and even modern-day Austria.

Although the territory was logical and the size fine - the shape needed tweaking.  I have done this by shifting the borders South and West by approximately 50 miles.  This has had the added bonus of giving me a short stretch of (mountainous) coastline with a couple of small towns.   Thus B-S is no longer land-locked.

I have no interest in naval power but the ability to send ships out on the high seas is a boon.  Minor colonial adventures can be undertaken and trade routes generated.  Indeed the presence of Red Indian servants at Court (long planned) is no longer so hard to justify.

At present, I am trying to get to grips with Campaign Cartographer.  Mostly, I find the interface to be fairly straightforward but I am having a great deal of trouble when it comes to borders abutting borders.  The software seems to prefer generating a random margin rather than in-filling an area.  Probably something I am doing (or not doing) but frustrating nonetheless.

Map will be posted in due course and then I can finally move on to what I had planned for last week!