Zvezda 1/72 vs Douglas 20mm, 18th Century foot

The photo above compares two plastic figures from Zvezda (A,C) with a pair of metal soldiers from Douglas, re-released by 20mm Nostalgic Revival (B,D). Click on the image to see a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figures were originally released by Douglas Miniatures, as part of a Marlburian range. They are currently available from 20mm Nostalgic Revival and are catalogued as follows:

B) MB-1, Musketeer Firing
D) MB-4, Grenadier at Ready

The Marlburian range currently includes 6 foot poses. One original mounted figure is available and a second one (a new sculpt) is in the works.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from ground to eyes): 21mm.
Height (measured from ground to top of head): 23mm.

Availability and Cost:

The Douglas figures were originally released in 1970, and were out of circulation for a long time. As mentioned, they are once again available from Nostalgic Revival. The firm does not have a website, but orders can be placed via email to [CunnJoh (at) aol (dot) com].

Notes on the Samples:

The Douglas samples were generously provided by John Cunningham at Nostalgic Revival.

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The Zvezda figures are from box 8049 “"Russian Infantry of Peter the Great, 1698-1725.” The box contains 43 figures in 12 poses.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 22mm.
Height (measured from sole of foot to top of head): 24mm.

Availability and Cost:

The Zvezda box is currently available and can be found through various online and local hobby shops and distributors.

Strelets 1/72 vs Douglas 20mm, 18th Century foot

The photo above compares two plastic figures from Strelets-R (A,C) with a pair of metal soldiers from Douglas Miniatures (B,D). Click on the image to see a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figures were originally released by Douglas Miniatures, as part of a Marlburian range. They are currently available from 20mm Nostalgic Revival and are catalogued as follows:

B) MB-1, Musketeer Firing
D) MB-4, Grenadier at Ready

The Marlburian range currently includes 6 foot poses. One original mounted figure is available and a second one (a new sculpt) is in the works.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from ground to eyes): 21mm.
Height (measured from ground to top of head): 23mm.

Availability and Cost:

The Douglas figures were originally released in 1970, and were out of circulation for a long time. As mentioned, they are once again available from Nostalgic Revival. The firm does not have a website, but orders can be placed via email to [CunnJoh (at) aol (dot) com].

Notes on the Samples:

The Douglas samples were generously provided by John Cunningham at Nostalgic Revival.

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The plastic figures come from Strelets set 043, “Artillery of Charles XII, the Great Northern War.” The box includes 24 figures in individual poses, as well as two cannon.

Strelets covers this conflict with infantry, cavalry and artillery sets for both Sweden and Russia.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from ground to eyes): 21mm.
Height (measured from ground to top of head): 23mm.

Availability and Cost:

This set was introduced in 2005, and is easily found in online and physical stores.

A New Brand - 20mm Nostalgic Revival

The work of John Cunningham and his collaborators – including Uwe Wild – has been highlighted many times in this blog. They have worked hard to revive and expand old ranges, and fill in some of the other gaps in the figures available.

Up to now, I have described the figures either under their legacy brand names, or by using “Cunningham Miniatures.” However, the team has decided on a new brand name – “20mm Nostalgic Revival.”

Here is the background from a message that John sent recently:

"The idea behind this project is to again make available to 20 mm collectors and wargamers some of the old 20mm ranges that have over the years disappeared or gone out of production and to introduce to the younger generation of gamers the appeal of these ranges, an added intention is produce ranges of 20 mm figures that the major makers of 20 mm figures, both metal and plastic, are unlikely to ever produce. The main periods covered will be 1600 to 1900

"A few years ago a small group of us managed to buy the Les Higgins 20 mm Marlburian and ECW masters and moulds and we got the Marlburian range back into production with added variants in the same style and I have since added others that came into my possession, I have now had the Les Higgins 20 mm ECW range remoulded and cast, both ranges are fully in production and are available

"In the last couple of years I was fortunate in being able to buy the original moulds for the Douglas Miniatures 20 mm ranges and have put back into circulation the Marlburian range and hope to get the DM 20mm Crimean range available shortly as well as a few others from the moulds

"I have also been able to buy the Wodensfeld moulds for French Seven Years War and ACW, again the SYW French are in full production and the ACW range will soon follow

"As for new ranges, several are now available, these have been done in conjunction with friends across the world who found the sculptors, supplied the uniform information, suggested ranges and poses for these and I have had them moulded and cast

Revived Ranges

Les Higgins Marlburian & ECW
Douglas Miniatures Marlburian (Crimean coming soon)
Wodensfeld SYW French (ACW coming soon)
Niblett ECW (I have the masters)

New Ranges

Sepoys for Wellington in India
Akalis Sikh Fanatics 19th Century
Arqubusiers de Grassin 1740s ( more being sculpted)
Irish Piquets 1740s/Culloden
Polish Troops 17th Century"


I will be updating older posts to reflect this new brand.

Vintage 20 mm lines Continue to Grow

John Cunningham has provided an update on the various vintage lines he is manufacturing. He is making progress on all fronts.

Les Higgins

Two new Marlburian poses are now available:

MP 38 charging musketeer
MP 39 charging officer

They are joined by one mounted figure from the English Civil War:

EP 16 mounted cavalier bare headed waving sword

Wodensfeld

The Seven Years War French foot figures are now in full production.

Douglas Miniatures

John reports that new variants are in development. In addition, one new Marlburian mounted figure is now available:

MB 5 Horse Grenadier

Cunningham Miniatures

The Wellington in India Sepoy range has now reached 24 variants, which are available for purchase.

In addition there are several brand new offerings for the 1740s, including:

Irish Piquets (Irish troops in French service, who fought in Scotland)
a marching Grenadier
British officers
Arquebusiers de Grassin, (a specially raised force of French light infantry)

Most of these additions will be out in early August, while two poses for the arquebusiers are already available.

Finally, John also promises some Polish troops for the 17th century will be out soon.

More Comparisons on Will's Wargames Blog

Will of Will’s Wargames Blog has recently posted a few metal/plastic comparisons for the early eighteenth century.

On his July 8 post, he looked at the Les Higgins Marlburians, some of which have also been featured on this site lately. He compared the Les Higgins cavalry figures to some Strelets mounted troops, and the foot figures to Zvezda.

Something old, something new

On July 18, Will compared Douglas Miniatures sculpts for the War of Spanish Succession, against the same plastic sets.

Douglas Miniatures WSS figures

On the same day, he also took a look at some Wodensfeld figures for the Seven Years War. This time he compared them to Revell’s SYW Austrians, as well as the Zvezda Russian infantry from the Great Northern War.

Wodensfeld Miniatures SYW French

Early 18th century Infantry, part 2

Here are some further pictures from John Cunningham, looking at figures available for the early 18th century. In this case, the models are all from metal ranges. According to John, they can be identified as follows:

Top Picture, left to right:
Warrior 1680, LS 4 Officer (painted, red coat)
Douglas Miniatures, MB 8 Standard Bearer (unpainted metal)
Warrior 1680, LS 1 Grenadier (painted, blue coat)
Douglas Miniatures, MB 2 Musketeer at ready (painted, red coat)
Warrior 1680, LS 3 line Infantry (painted, red coat)

Bottom Picture, left to right:
Douglas Miniature, MB 3 Grenadier firing (unpainted metal)
Warrior 1680, LS 2 Dismounted Dragoon x2 (painted, blue coats)
Minifigs S range, Musketeer firing (painted, red coat)
Les Higgins, MP 12 Musketeer firing (painted, white coat)

Click on the images for larger versions.

Early 18th century Infantry, part 1

John Cunningham has generously provided some photos comparing plastic and metal infantry for the early 18th century. The period of course saw two major conflicts: the Great Northern War (1700-1721) and the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714).

The image above shows all the figures arrayed. Click on the image for a larger version. More detailed shots will follow.

According to John, the figures are:

Top row, left to right

1. Warrior 1680, LS 4 Officer (painted, red coat)
2. Douglas Miniatures, MB 8 Standard Bearer (unpainted metal)
3. Warrior 1680, LS 1 Grenadier (painted, blue coat)
4. Douglas Miniatures, MB 2 Musketeer at ready (painted, red coat)
5. Warrior 1680, LS 3 line Infantry (painted, red coat)
6. Douglas Miniatures, MB 3 Grenadier firing (unpainted metal)
7, 8. Warrior 1680, LS 2 Dismounted Dragoon x2 (painted, blue coats)
9. Minifigs S range, Musketeer firing (painted, red coat)
10. Les Higgins, MP 12 Musketeer firing (painted, white coat)

Bottom Row, left to right

11. Warrior 1680, LS 9 Pikeman (painted, red coat)
12. Warrior 1680, LS 6 Gunner with linstock (unpainted metal)
13, 14. Zvezdva, 2 x Russians GNW set 8049 (unpainted green plastic)
15, 16. Zvezda, 2 x Swedes GNW set 8048 (unpainted tan plastic)
17. Les Higgins, MP 14 Musketeer at ready (painted blue coat)
18, 19. Strelets, 2 x Swedes GNW set 0021 (unpainted red plastic)
20, 21. Strelets, 2 x Russians GNW set 0031 (unpainted dark green plastic)
22. Irregular Miniatures, musketeer marching (unpainted metal)

Airfix vs Douglas Miniatures, British Crimean Infantry

The photo above compares several Airfix Highland infantry figures with British Crimean artillery and infantry by Douglas Miniatures. From left to right the models are: Douglas infantry; Airfix Highlander (unpainted plastic); Douglas infantry; painted Airfix Highlander; Douglas infantry officer; another Airfix Highlander. Click on the image for a larger version.

Manufacturers’ designations:

The Airfix Highland figures come from box 01735 “Waterloo Highland Infantry.”

The Douglas infantry and gunner are from their Crimean War range, but I don’t have the set information.

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Airfix – 21mm.
Douglas – 23mm.

Body Build compatibility (from 5 categories):
Airfix – C (Average)
Douglas – B (Slender)

Overall conclusions:

As noted earlier, Airfix did not intend to produce Crimean infantry, but their Highland figures could be pressed into service when Esci put out their Russian set. The Douglas figures were around at the same time, and allowed gamers to put a more complete British army in the field. As the picture reveals, the match isn’t perfect. The Douglas figures are tall and a bit skinny compared to their kilted cousins. Still, they don’t look odd serving on the same table.

Douglas vs Esci / Italeri, Crimean foot

The photo above compares Esci Russian Crimean figures (infantry and artillery) with Crimean British artillery and infantry from Douglas Miniatures. From left to right the models are: Esci Russian gunner; Douglas British gunner (partly painted); Douglas regular infantry; Esci Russian infantry; Douglas British officer (painted as an infantry officer in this case). Click on the images for a larger version.

Manufacturers’ designations:

The Esci models are from box 221 “Crimean War Russian Infantry and Artillery.” They were also reissued by Italeri in box 6053, "Russian Artillery."

The Douglas infantry and gunner are from their Crimean War range, but I don’t have the set information.

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Esci / Italeri figures – 23mm.
Douglas models – 23mm.

Body Build compatibility (from 5 categories):
Esci / Italeri – C (Average)
Tumbling Dice – B (Slender)

Overall conclusions:

This comparison shows the danger of relying just on height as a way of determining compatibility. Both of these ranges measure 23mm, foot to eye, yet in the picture the Esci / Italeri figures simply look smaller. It is probably something like an optical illusion. Due to the slender nature of the Douglas figures, as well as the larger head size, longer arms and higher waists, they somehow seem bigger than they really are, an effect exaggerated by the taller headgear.

Of course this phenomenon is not going to have much impact on fielding these figures in large wargaming armies. When kept in separate units, the two manufacturers work together well.

Strelets vs Douglas, Crimean British foot

The photo above compares Strelets British Crimean infantry figures (regulars and Highlanders) with Crimean British artillery and infantry from Douglas Miniatures. From left to right the models are: Douglas gunner (partly painted), Strelets Highland infantry (unpainted), Douglas regular infantry, Strelets regular infantry, Douglas officer, another Strelets regular. Click on the images for a larger version.

Manufacturers’ designations:

The Strelets figures come from set 0028 “Crimean War British Line Infantry” and set 0029 “Crimean War British Highlanders.”

The Douglas infantry and gunner are from their Crimean War range (set numbering to be provided).

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Strelets Regular Infantry – 22mm.
Strelets Highlanders – 24mm.
Douglas models – 23mm.

Body Build compatibility (from 5 categories):
Strelets Regulars – C (Average)
Strelets Highlanders – D (Somewhat heavy)
Douglas – B (Slender)

Overall conclusions:

As mentioned in earlier postings, Strelets is the only maker currently producing a substantial range of plastic figures for the Crimean War (with more on the way). The disparity in height and style between Strelet’s regular troops, and the Highlanders has also been noted previously. Once again, this means that the Douglas troops shown here can be nicely matched with the Strelets regulars, but do not mesh well with their Scottish brethren.

Douglas vs Emhar, Crimean foot

The photo above shows British Crimean foot figures from Douglas (the painted ones) alongside unpainted samples of Emhar’s French figures. From left to right the Douglas models are: an artilleryman (partly painted) an infantry ranker, and an officer. The officer figure came with both the artillery set and the infantry, but here is painted as an infantry officer. Click on the images for a larger version.

Manufacturers’ designations:

The plastic Emhar models are from box EM 7211 “French Infantry, Crimean War & Franco-Prussian War.”

I don’t have the listing for the metal Douglas figures, but I expect to have it soon.

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Emhar French figures – 21mm.
Douglas British models – 23mm.

Body Build compatibility (from 5 categories):
Emhar – C (Average)
Douglas – B (Slender)

Overall conclusions: A 2mm difference in height does not sound like much, but the image shows that it is in fact easy to spot. Perhaps it is exaggerated in this case by the taller headgear on the British figures. These two groups of figures are not going to be fighting in the same unit, but even as separate battalions, the height discrepancy will still be noticeable to some gamers.

News: Douglas Miniatures return to production

In a testament to bad timing, I recently claimed in this blog that Douglas Miniatures are no longer in production. In fact, the long period of dormancy is ending for this range. John Cunningham, who already owns moulds of some other vintage 20mm ranges, has purchased the known Douglas moulds, and is busy bringing them back to market.

John currently offers figures from these makers:

Les Higgins: Marlburians and English Civil War (including more than a dozen new figures)
Douglas: Marlburian (they have been remoulded)

He is clearly a very busy fellow, as his current projects include the following:

• Getting the Douglas Crimean range back in production (going through remastering and moulding now)
• Ditto for the Douglas Napoleonics
• Releasing a limited run of Wodensfeld 7 Years War French (expected release at the end of February)
• Working on a few other ranges (details to come)
  

In addition to that, he will be getting around to formalizing a trading name for his company, and perhaps putting up a website.

Until then, you can contact John by email for his lists, and to place orders. He can be reached at: CunnJoh@aol.com. His current prices are:

Les Higgins Marlburians
foot/rider 35p each,
horse 45p each
guns £2

Les Higgins ECW
Foot/rider 40p each,
horse 45p each
guns £2

Douglas Marlburians
40p foot/rider/horse

Price on Wodensfeld TBD (it will be a 36-piece set)

Douglas Miniatures, Crimean British Foot

Douglas Miniatures was a British company active in the late 1960s and 1970s. They manufactured 20mm figures in three ranges: Crimean War, Napoleonic and Seven Years War/Malburian. The business is no longer active; additional information can be found on the Vintage 20mil site:

http://www.intonet.co.uk/~rblack/

(EDIT: the Douglas range is actually being put into production; more details in a future post)

The photo above shows a couple of figures from Douglas’ Crimean war range, along with a variety of figures from other makers. (Click on the picture for a larger version.)

The actual figures are from the following sets (left to right):

• Tumbling Dice set C1854 BR 13 - British Horse Artillery Gun Crew
• Esci set 221 – Crimean War Russian Infantry and Artillery
• Douglas Miniatures Crimean War British Foot Artillery
• Emhar box EM 7211 – French Infantry, Crimean War & Franco-Prussian War
• Douglas Miniatures Crimean War British Infantry
• Strelets set 0028 – Crimean War British Line Infantry
  

More detailed comparisons will follow.