Eureka!
New additions to AB-size figures
By
Richard Moore
The
Napoleonic Guide team is regularly going to close
the history books and take time out to look at the
metal figures being produced for miniatures wargaming.
First-up
we are going to take a look at what is on offer in
the AB range from renowned miniatures sculptor Anthony
Barton and the figures available from Australia's
Eureka Miniatures, which has a licence to produce
the AB figures - together with some interesting additions
of their own.
Anthony
Barton's figures are oversized 15mm and are in fact
18mm figures. That measurement is the height of a
standing figure and not some fellow on horseback.
The
Eureka figures are of the same size and have been
created to be compatible with - and boost - the figure
selection of the AB collection.
Wide
variety
When
buying minitaures you will note the quality difference
between the 15 and 18mm sizes, with the AB range having
much more detail. Of course this does make for longer
painting times - certainly in this bloke's view -
but the end results are much better.
And
instead of having hundreds of exactly the same looking
figures, there is a wide variety of poses to pick
from in the 18mm soldiers.
Eureka
Miniatures Napoleonic figures are designed to fit
in with AB, and the design philosophy is the same
with scale, detail, pose and variants.
As
John Chadderton from Eureka says: "You can get
several different marching French fusilier figures
- each with different head and leg positions, or holding
the musket in a slightly different manner.
"This
allows the collector and gamer to build units with
a pleasing 'natural' look, rather than serried ranks
of identical, automaton figures, all marching in step."
Wider
range
"Although
the AB range is very comprehensive, there are some
Napoleonic troop types that it has never addressed,
and probably never will, as Anthony Barton is now
concentrating on his (equally good) 20mm World War
Two ranges.
"As
an official AB licence holder, Eureka Miniatures decided
to try to fill some of the gaps in the AB Napoleonic
range and produce their own figures in the same style
and to the same level of detail as AB.
"Anthony
Barton raised no objections, in principle, and Eureka
set about finding a sculptor capable of creating new
figures to a standard that would complement Mr Barton's
miniatures."
Chadderton
says: "Thanks to a wonderful new sculptor called
Alan Marsh, we think we've done that with our 1812-1815
British infantry in Belgic shakos and Waterloo period
British cavalry.
"While
the figures are meant to have a style that is distinctly
ours, we think they do not look out of place in anyone's
existing AB figure collections."
The
1812-15 British are Eureka's first foray into 18mm
Napoleonics and the company chose them because the
Waterloo period is so popular one. Another reason
is that the AB range only covers the British for the
earlier Peninsular War.
Now
the good folk at Eureka decided to send me straight-from-the-box
figures so that I could get a good idea of what customers
see when they open the box. Despite an early warning
that "as always with any white metal miniatures,
there are some extraneous bits of metal attached to
the ends of swords, bayonets and bases" I found
the Eureka moulded figures to be very clean. Certainly
much cleaner than other figures I have had to remove
extra metal remnants from.
All
the figures are cast in white metal, and are supplied
unpainted.
Eureka's
300 Club
Eureka
Miniatures offers a custom-made figure service (called
the 300 Club) where people can place requests and
pre-orders for the figures they would like to see
the company produce to complement the AB range.
If
Eureka gets enough orders, then it will have the figures
made. Eureka's next 18mm Napoleonic figures will most
likely be 1806-1809 Saxons (the AB range covers just
the later Saxon uniform).
The
AB Figure range and Eureka's own 18mm figures can
all be ordered via Eureka's secure web site at http://www.eurekamin.com.au
It
should be noted that European customers will need
to AB miniatures from AB Figures in the United Kingdom,
although the Eureka 1812-1815 British figures can
be purchased through the above web address.
|
