Ah, November... it was a cruel and trying month! After a relatively "comfortable" start, which allowed a few more rounds of golf to be had, it reverted to its usual form here in New England: rain, clouds, more rain, cold, an odd flurry, and rain. Now we are close to the seasonal holidays and the beginning of a new year, along with the snow, sleet, and other meteorological manifestations of winter here in New England.
However, it is as good a reason as any to resume painting more figures, and searching for new sources. For those of you who have been polite enough to read my musings over the last year or so, you will know that the American War of Independence (AWI) is perhaps my favorite gaming period. For those who have known me a bit longer, you know my preference for "old school" rules, such as Charge!
I am happy to say I have discovered a new (at least to me) manufacturer of simply superb 54 mm figures: LOD Enterprises (link.)
The figures may be purchased directly from the manufacturer or from your local source of toy soldiers. They come sixteen figures to a bag, with eight different poses. The cost is about $25.00 a bag plus but I must also add, that the service by LOD is exceptional.
Currently the range has American Line, Light, and Militia infantry as well as British has Line, Light, and Grenadiers. They are made of a semi-hard plastic that takes paint very well. They are however somewhat less flexible that AIP, HaT, and IMEX. So be careful when straightening the inevitable curve gun barrels. Heating them in very hot water should help here.
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| American Light Infantry |
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| Some of the more animated poses! |
What struck me most about these figures is the animation they show. If you
are a stickler for all the same pose in your units, be prepared to buy several bags of each. On the other hand, if you like your figures to look like they're in a rugby scrum, they're perfect!
In the next posting, I'll cover the rest of the American/Continental forces, and then the Brits a bit later.
I've never heard of these before but they look good. Happily for my bank account I have divested of AWI in 54mm, in all scales actually..... Yup. But I could have used some of these.....
ReplyDeleteThough I have thought of thinning my collections, I just can't bring myself to do it. I could also see these as being perfect for skirmish games. Certainly they are easy to paint. Have a great holiday season!
ReplyDeletetempting - especially because they are harder plastic.
ReplyDeleteStill, the super dynamic poses is actually a minus for me - if they had bags of similar marching poses with command...I'd be helpless to resist. Most of the bags have 2 poses that work well together, sometimes 3-4, so one would have to buy 3-4 bags for a unit to work out at 12 figs.
And my favorite poses - the marching poses, I'm sure they'll say they can't sell me 50 to 100 of !
A valid point, still for Continental, State,or Militia troops, a little irregularity would be expected. This would be more apparent among militia or early state/continental forces. For a small scale game like Sharp Practice, or for that matter, any skirmish level game, they would be an excellent choice.
ReplyDelete