New Mexican Punitive Expedition figures from Jacklex

In 1916, General John “Black Jack” Pershing led an American punitive expedition into Mexico, following Pancho Villa’s attack on a town in New Mexico. Spencer Smith Miniatures now allows gamers to reproduce the drama of that campaign with a new line of 20mm figures under the Jacklex brand.

These miniatures have been sculpted by Jack Alexander, the founder of the Jacklex range. Click on the pictures for a larger version.

Peter Johnstone of Spencer Smith points out that supplementary figures can be taken from the Boer War range to represent more Americans. In addition he is exploring other ways of extending the Jacklex range.

The figures are not yet listed on the Spence Smith website, but can be ordered by email. The full list of figures is shown below.

JACKLEX: PUNITIVE EXPEDITION IN MEXICO

AMERICANS

INFANTRY

PEA1 ADVANCING
PEA2 (a) STANDING FIRING
PEA2 (b) KNEELING FIRING
PEA3 STANDARD BEARER
PEA4 BUGLER, PLUS SEPARATE RIFLE
PEA5 OFFICER FIRING PISTOL
PEA5(a) OFFICER STANDING WITH BINOCULARS

CAVALRY

PEA6 OFFICER WITH PISTOL
PEA7 TROOPER WITH PISTOL
PEA8 TROOPER WITH BUGLE
PEA9 TROOPER, STANDARD BEARER
PEA10 HORSE AT TROT WITH SWORD AND CARBINE TO ATTACH

(All figures cost 45p each except PEA10 which costs 50p)


ARTILLERY

PEA101 ERHARDT GUN £2.50
PEA102 CREW (4 figs) £1.80
PEA103 COLT MACHINE GUN £1.25
PEA 104 MG CREW (3 FIGS) £1.35
PEA 105 US MOTOR CYCLE PLUS RIDER £1.25
PEA 106 LIMBER WITH RIDERS £7.95

MEXICANS

INFANTRY

PEM1 ADVANCING
PEM2 STANDING FIRING
PEM3 KNEELING FIRING
PEM4 FLAG BEARER
PEM5 OFFICER

CAVALRY

PEM6 CAVALRY FIRING FROM SADDLE
PEM7 CAVALRY WITH RIFLE
PEM8 FLAG BEARER
PEM9 (a) RURALE (MEXICAN POLICE) WITH SABRE
(b) RURALE OFFICER
(c) RURALE BUGLER
(d) RURALE GUIDON
PEM10 CAVALRY OFFICER WITH PISTOL
PEM11 HORSE (CHARGING)
PEM12 HORSE (TROTTING)

(All figures cost 45p each)

ARTILLERY

PEM101 75MM GUN £2.50
PEM102 CREW (4) £1.80
PEM103 COLT MG £1.25
PEM104 MG CREW (3) £1.35
PEM105 LIMBER PLUS RIDERS £7.80

ACTA vs Jacklex, British Colonial Infantry

The photo above compares three plastic British regulars from A Call to Arms (A,C,E) with a pair of metal colonials from Jacklex (B,D). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturer's Designation and Number of Poses:

The two Jacklex figures come from their Colonial Wars range. They are designated:

B: B18, “Indian Regular Officer firing pistol”
D: B16, “Highland Infantry Marching.”

The Colonial Wars range from Jacklex is primarily comprised of British troops and their enemies, but does have a small component of French Foreign Legion. They are probably best known for the accompanying equipment though, including wagons, a variety of artillery pieces with limbers, and teams of horses, oxen and mules.

Figure Characteristics:

Highlander Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 23mm.
Body Build: Average.

Availability and Cost:

Once an independent line, Jacklex figures are today produced and sold by Spencer Smith miniatures. The figures are sold individually, for 45p each or 85p mounted

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The A Call To Arms figures are from box 57, “British Infantry, Zulu War.” The box contains 32 figures in 8 poses.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 20mm.
Body Build: Average.

Availability and Cost:

ACTA’s figures are currently available and can be found at hobby shops and online retailers. For instance, Michigan Toy Soldiers sells the box for $13.99.

Jacklex vs RedBox, British & Indian Colonial Infantry

The photo above compares three plastic Sikh infantrymen from RedBox (A,C,E) with a pair of metal figures from Jacklex (B,D). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturer's Designation and Number of Poses:

The two Jacklex figures come from their Colonial Wars range. They are designated:

B: B18, “Indian Regular Officer firing pistol”
D: B16, “Highland Infantry Marching.”

The Colonial Wars range from Jacklex is primarily comprised of British troops and their enemies, but does have a small component of French Foreign Legion. They are probably best known for the accompanying equipment though, including wagons, a variety of artillery pieces with limbers, and teams of horses, oxen and mules.

Figure Characteristics:

Highlander Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 23mm.
Body Build: Average.

Availability and Cost:

Once an independent line, Jacklex figures are today produced and sold by Spencer Smith miniatures. The figures are sold individually, for 45p each or 85p mounted

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer's Designation and Number of Poses:

The plastic figures come from RedBox set 72021 “Sikhs (Boxer Rebellion 1900).” This box is one of several covering this conflict in depth. The box contains 48 figures in 12 poses.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 18mm.
Body Build: Average

Availability and Cost:

This set was released quite recently, and can easily be found at hobby shops and online dealers. For instance, Always Models list the set for $7.95 US.

Notes on the Samples:

The samples were obtained in a trade with Eric Yin.

HaT vs Jacklex, Colonial British & Indian Infantry

The photo above compares two metal figures from Jacklex (B,D) with three plastic figures from HaT (A,C,E). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturers’ Designation and Number of Poses:

The two Jacklex figures come from their Colonial Wars range. They are designated:

B: B18, “Indian Regular Officer firing pistol”
D: B16, “Highland Infantry Marching.”

The Colonial Wars range from Jacklex is primarily comprised of British troops and their enemies, but does have a small component of French Foreign Legion. They are probably best known for the accompanying equipment though, including wagons, a variety of artillery pieces with limbers, and teams of horses, oxen and mules.

Figure Characteristics:

Highlander Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 23mm.
Body Build: Average.

Availability and Cost:

Once an independent line, Jacklex figures are today produced and sold by Spencer Smith miniatures. The figures are sold individually, for 45p each or 85p mounted

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturers’ Designation and Number of Poses:

The HaT figures come from box 8023 “Colonial Indian Infantry” which includes 48 figures in 8 poses.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 22mm.
Body Build: Average.

Availability and Cost:

This set is a recent release from HaT, and can be easily found. For instance, Dragon’s Cave sells the set for €6.95

General Notes:

See the side panel lists for websites of the manufacturers, distributors and retailers mentioned above. To convert cost figures to your currency, use a site such as xe.com, also listed in the side panel. More detail on the plastic figures can be found at the Plastic Soldier Review website.

Jacklex British Colonial Infantry and Artillery

These pictures provide a few more glimpses of the Jacklex British Colonial range. The top picture shows a some of the poses available (in various stages of painting). From left to right they are:

• C8 Colonial British army gun crew (1 of 4 poses in the set)
• B9 Highland officer marching
• B16 Highland infantry marching (back view)
• C9 Colonial Indian army gun crew (1 of 4 poses)
• B16 Highland infantry marching

The second picture shows more of the gunners, and compares them to some conversions of Airfix and Esci figures. In this image, the models are (left to right):

• An Esci ensign painted as an artillery officer (painted by C Turnitsa)
• 2 gunners from Jacklex, set C8
• A Maxim naval gun crew converted from an Esci ensign, and three Airfix ACW gunners
• 2 gunners from Jacklex, set C9

In both cases, click on the image for a larger version.

Esci / Italeri vs Jacklex, British Colonial foot

The photo above compares several Jacklex metal colonial figures with a few plastic Esci models (reissued by Italeri). From left to right the figures are: Jacklex Highlander, Esci infantry, Jacklex artillery, Esci infantry, partly painted Jacklex Highlander, unpainted Esci infantry. Click on the image for a larger version.

Manufacturers’ designations:

The Esci figures are used in two boxes: 212, “Zulu War, British Infantry Soldiers” and 232, “Indian War Kiber Pass British Infantry.” The first box was reissued by Italeri as 6050 "Zulu War British Infantry."

The Jacklex figures come from their Colonial Range. The Highlanders are designated B16, “Highland Infantry Marching,” while the gunner is from set C8, “Colonial British army gun crew.”

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Esci / Italeri – 21mm
Jacklex Highlanders – 23mm
Jacklex artillery – 21mm

Body Build compatibility (from 5 categories):
Esci / Italeri – B (Slender)
Jacklex Highlander – C (Average)
Jacklex Artillery – B (Slender)

Overall conclusions:

This is another case where figures from the same range are actually less well matched than figures from different ranges. Here, the Jacklex gunner is a close match for the Esci / Italeri troops. The height and body style are identical, although the animation and detail on the plastic figures are a bit better. The Highlanders end up looking like the giants in the line-up, even with only a couple of millimeters difference in height.

Jacklex vs RedBox, Colonial British Infantry

The photo above compares a pair of Jacklex Highland colonial infantry (one painted and one partly painted) with three RedBox figures (brown plastic). Click on the images for a larger version.

Manufacturers’ designations:

The RedBox figures come from box RB 72003 “Colonial British Army 1890.”

The two Jacklex figures come from their Colonial Range, and are designated B16, “Highland Infantry Marching.”

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
RedBox – 21mm.
Jacklex Highlanders – 23mm.

Body Build compatibility (from 5 categories):
RedBox – C (Average)
Jacklex – C (Average)

Overall conclusions:

The RedBox figures are visibly shorter than the Jacklex troops, and will not work in mixed units. With some extra basing under the plastic figures though, the two types should be a reasonable match when organized in different units. The sculpting styles are similar enough to minimize contrast from that source.

Jacklex vs Waterloo 1815, British Colonial Infantry

The photo above shows a pair of Jacklex Highland colonial infantry (one painted and one partly painted) alongside three figures from Waterloo 1815 (unpainted plastic). Click on the image for a larger version.

Manufacturers’ designations:

The Waterloo 1815 figures are from box AP 013 “Anglo-Egyptian Army.”

The two Jacklex figures come from their Colonial Range, and are designated B16, “Highland Infantry Marching.”

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Waterloo 1815 – 22mm.
Jacklex Highlanders – 23mm.

Body Build compatibility (from 5 categories):
Waterloo 1815 – B (Slender)
Jacklex – C (Average)

Overall conclusions: The Waterloo 1815 figures are somewhat flat, which is why they are rated as “slender” on the body build compatibility item above. Depending on which angle they are viewed from, they can also appear “average.” This partial two-dimensional aspect, plus the slight difference in height, make them an awkward match with the Jacklex figures. However they are not so different that they could not appear on the same table together.

Jacklex Colonials

Jacklex is another older British range, which was explicitly intended as a way to supplement Airfix plastics. First offered in 1968, today the range is sold by Spencer Smith miniatures.

Jacklex covers four periods. There are large lists for the American Civil war and the colonial period which include various pieces of ordnance and equipment, with smaller ranges for the Russo-Japanese War and World War One.

The image above features a few models from the Colonial range. This range is primarily comprised of British troops and their enemies, but does have a small component of French Foreign Legion.

The troops in this picture, and the manufacturers’ codes, are (from left to right)

• Esci British Regular infantry (it appeared in both set 212 and 232)


• Jacklex British Artillery gunner (C8)


• Ral Partha British regular (88-002)


• Jacklex Colonial Highlander (B16)


• Jacklex Indian regular officer (B18, undercoated in black)


• Esci Indian infantry (from set 232, painted by C Turnitsa)


• Jacklex Indian gunner (C9)


• Esci Indian infantry (from set 232)

Click on the image for a larger version. More detailed comparisons will follow.

The Jacklex page on the Spencer Smith site is here:

http://www.spencersmithminiatures.co.uk/jacklex/jacklex.html

The Jacklex figures are sold individually, for 45p each or 85p mounted (equivalent to 64 cents/$1.21 USD or 80 cents/$1.51 CDN at current exchange rates).

Ral Partha Colonial Indian Infantry

To support their British regulars on the Northwest frontier, Ral Partha produced a few Indian types. Two poses of regular Indian infantry were released - standing firing, and advancing. A third pose could be found in the command group: walking with the rifle held at the hip. In the picture above, the first and last poses are shown, with an Esci figure for comparison. The final figure in the line is an Airfix Japanese infantry figure, converted by adding a turban.

In addition to Indian regulars, Ral Partha also produced Ghurkas. At this time, I do not believe that Ghurka troops for the nineteenth century are in the plans of any plastic manufacturer, so these figures are important for any plastic colonial gamer.

Again, two poses were released - an advancing pose, and a figure brandishing a khukri (the distinctive Nepalese knife). These poses are shown below (click on the pictures for bigger images).

Ral Partha did not provide new officers for these troops, so the British regular officer was the standard leader. In the image below however, there is a Jacklex officer wearing a turban. Jacklex is another metal range; I will provide a more full set of Jacklex images in future postings.

The Ral Partha figures in this post were part of the nicely-painted lot I bought from Chuck Turnitsa, while the painting of the Ghurkas is still unfinished.