Matchlock 25mm vs HaT 1/72, Colonial foot

THE METAL FIGURES


Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figure comes from the “Late 19th/Early 20th Century & Boxer Rebellion” range currently offered by Minifigs under the Matchlock brand. The figures were originally sculpted and released under the Falcon Miniatures name (not to be confused with Falcon Figures).

The model is catalogued as FIN13B “Boxer Rifleman.”

The full line covers French Foreign Legion, Turks, German Southwest Africa, Russians, Japanese, Boxers and various African forces.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured to eyes): 23mm.
Height (measured to head): 25mm.

Availability and Cost:

This line was reintroduced in February 2011. It can be found on the Minifigs website, by selecting the “Matchlock” label.

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/

Foot figures in this range are being sold for £1.10, with mounted figures retailing for £2.55

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The HaT figures come from box 8023 “Colonial Indian Infantry” which includes 48 figures in 8 poses. HaT has committed to building a wide range of figures for colonial conflicts; they have a number of interesting sets which are under development, or have been recently released.

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:

This set is a recent release from HaT, and can be easily found.

Falcon 25mm AWI vs 1/72 Revell SYW, foot

THE METAL FIGURES


Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figures come from the “Falcon AWI” range currently offered by Minifigs under the Matchlock brand. The figures in this line were originally sculpted and released under the Falcon Miniatures name (not to be confused with Falcon Figures).

The two models are catalogued as:

AW12 Continental on Guard
AW41 German Officer Walking

There are currently 30 codes available in this line, all of them foot figures. They represent British and American forces, as well as German troops allied with the British. There are no cavalry or artillery units represented in the range.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured to eyes): 23mm.
Height (measured to head): 25mm.

Availability and Cost:

This line can be found on the Minifigs website, by selecting the “Matchlock” label and then looking for the “Falcon AWI tab.”

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/

Foot figures in this range are being sold individually for £1.10.

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturers’ Designation and Number of Poses:

The Revell figures come from two boxes. From left to right they are:

02579 “Austrian Artillery, 7 Years’ War.” This box includes 24 figures in 17 poses as well as three guns and a team of 4 horses.
02574 “Austrian Infantry, 7 Years’ War.” This box includes 46 foot figures in 13 poses, plus a mounted officer.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Box 2574: 23mm.
Box 2579: 23mm

Height (measured from sole of foot to top of head):
Box 2574: 25mm.
Box 2579: 25mm.

Availability and Cost:

These sets are not currently listed as being in production at Revell, but boxes and used figures can be found at online and local hobby shops.

Notes on the Samples:

Some of the Revell figures were donated by Liam Sullivan.

Matchlock 25mm vs 1/72 Waterloo 1815, Colonial foot

THE METAL FIGURES


Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figure comes from the “Late 19th/Early 20th Century & Boxer Rebellion” range currently offered by Minifigs under the Matchlock brand. The figures were originally sculpted and released under the Falcon Miniatures name (not to be confused with Falcon Figures).

The model is catalogued as FIN13B “Boxer Rifleman.”

The full line covers French Foreign Legion, Turks, German Southwest Africa, Russians, Japanese, Boxers and various African forces.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured to eyes): 23mm.
Height (measured to head): 25mm.

Availability and Cost:

This line was reintroduced in February 2011. It can be found on the Minifigs website, by selecting the “Matchlock” label.

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/

Foot figures in this range are being sold for £1.10, with mounted figures retailing for £2.55

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The Waterloo 1815 figures are found in box AP-013 “Anglo-Egyptian Army.” The box contains 44 figures in 11 poses, as well as 4 mounted officers in the same pose.

Figure Characteristics:

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

Availability and Cost:

The set is a fairly recent release, and is easily found in hobby shops and at online retailers.

Italeri 1/72 vs Falcon 25mm, American War of Independence, foot

THE METAL FIGURES


Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figures come from the “Falcon AWI” range currently offered by Minifigs under the Matchlock brand. The figures in this line were originally sculpted and released under the Falcon Miniatures name (not to be confused with Falcon Figures).

The two models are catalogued as:

AW12 Continental on Guard
AW41 German Officer Walking

There are currently 30 codes available in this line, all of them foot figures. They represent British and American forces, as well as German troops allied with the British. There are no cavalry or artillery units represented in the range.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured to eyes): 23mm.
Height (measured to head): 25mm.

Availability and Cost:

This line can be found on the Minifigs website, by selecting the “Matchlock” label and then looking for the “Falcon AWI" tab.

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/

Foot figures in this range are being sold individually for £1.10.

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The Italeri figures come from box 6061, "American Independence War, Indian Warriors." The box contains 48 figures in 16 poses. Italeri currently offers three other sets for the American War of Independence.

Figure Characteristics:

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

Availability and Cost:

According to PSR, this set debuted in 2005. Italeri is currently producing it, and it can be found through various plastic model distributors, and at hobby shops.

Matchlock 25mm vs Esci 1/72, Colonial foot

THE METAL FIGURES


Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figure comes from the “Late 19th/Early 20th Century & Boxer Rebellion” range currently offered by Minifigs under the Matchlock brand. The figures were originally sculpted and released under the Falcon Miniatures name (not to be confused with Falcon Figures).

The model is catalogued as FIN13B “Boxer Rifleman.”

The full line covers French Foreign Legion, Turks, German Southwest Africa, Russians, Japanese, Boxers and various African forces.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured to eyes): 23mm.
Height (measured to head): 25mm.

Availability and Cost:

This line was reintroduced in February 2011. It can be found on the Minifigs website, by selecting the “Matchlock” label.

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/

Foot figures in this range are being sold for £1.10, with mounted figures retailing for £2.55

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The British Esci figure comes from box 212 “Zulu War, British Infantry Soldiers” and was also issued in box 232 “Indian War Kiber Pass British Infantry.”

Box 212 included 50 figures in 15 poses. The set was later re-released by Italeri as box 6050, “British Infantry, Zulu Wars, 1879.” The Italeri version of the set included only 40 figures.

Box 232 added three new poses, bringing the total to 18, while keeping the number of figures steady at 50.

Figure Characteristics:

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

Availability and Cost:

Esci no longer exists, and Italeri is not currently producing these sets. However, the figures can be found fairly easily in second-hand shops and online auction sites.

25mm Falcon vs 1/72 Airfix, AWI foot

THE METAL FIGURES


Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figures come from the “Falcon AWI” range currently offered by Minifigs under the Matchlock brand. The figures in this line were originally sculpted and released under the Falcon Miniatures name (not to be confused with Falcon Figures).

The two models are catalogued as:

AW12 Continental on Guard
AW41 German Officer Walking

There are currently 30 codes available in this line, all of them foot figures. They represent British and American forces, as well as German troops allied with the British. There are no cavalry or artillery units represented in the range.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured to eyes): 23mm.
Height (measured to head): 25mm.

Availability and Cost:

This line can be found on the Minifigs website, by selecting the “Matchlock” label and then looking for the “Falcon AWI tab.”

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/

Foot figures in this range are being sold individually for £1.10.

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The first Airfix figure is from set A01740 “British Grenadiers.” The second comes from box A01739 “Washington’s Army.”

The British box includes 38 foot figures in 8 poses, as well as two mounted officers. The American box has 39 foot figures in 13 poses, in addition to one mounted officer.

Figure Characteristics:

A01739 (American) Height (measured to eyes): 19mm
A01740 (British) Height (measured to eyes): 20mm
A01739 (American) Height (measured to top of head): 21mm
A01740 (British) Height (measured to top of head): 22mm

Availability and Cost:

The sets were first produced in the early 1970s. Neither of them has been in production for a while, but figures are still easily found.

Matchlock 25mm vs RedBox 1/72, Boxer Rebellion foot

THE METAL FIGURES


Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figure comes from the “Late 19th/Early 20th Century & Boxer Rebellion” range currently offered by Minifigs under the Matchlock brand. The figures were originally sculpted and released under the Falcon Miniatures name (not to be confused with Falcon Figures).

The model is catalogued as FIN13B “Boxer Rifleman.”

The full line covers French Foreign Legion, Turks, German Southwest Africa, Russians, Japanese, Boxers and various African forces.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured to eyes): 23mm.
Height (measured to head): 25mm.

Availability and Cost:

This line was reintroduced in February 2011. It can be found on the Minifigs website, by selecting the “Matchlock” label.

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/

Foot figures in this range are being sold for £1.10, with mounted figures retailing for £2.55

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturers’ Designation and Number of Poses:

The plastic figures come from RedBox sets 72017 “US Infantry (Boxer Rebellion 1900)” and 72021 “Sikhs (Boxer Rebellion 1900)” RedBox has made a commitment to covering this conflict in depth, and has released a number of boxes depicting participants. Each of these boxes contains 48 figures in 12 poses.

Figure Characteristics:

72017 Height (measured from to eyes): 19mm.
72017 Height (measured from to top of head): 21mm.
72021 Height (measured from to eyes): 18mm.
72021 Height (measured from to top of head): 20mm.

Availability and Cost:

These sets were released about three years ago, and can easily be found at hobby shops and online dealers.

25mm Falcon vs 1/72 Accurate and IMEX, AWI foot

THE METAL FIGURES


Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figures come from the “Falcon AWI” range currently offered by Minifigs under the Matchlock brand. The figures in this line were originally sculpted and released under the Falcon Miniatures name (not to be confused with Falcon Figures).

The two models are catalogued as:

AW12 Continental on Guard
AW41 German Officer Walking

There are currently 30 codes available in this line, all of them foot figures. They represent British and American forces, as well as German troops allied with the British. There are no cavalry or artillery units represented in the range.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured to eyes): 23mm.
Height (measured to head): 25mm.

Availability and Cost:

This line can be found on the Minifigs website, by selecting the “Matchlock” label and then looking for the “Falcon AWI tab.”

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/

Foot figures in this range are being sold individually for £1.10.

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The plastic figures have been released by three different manufacturers.

The American figure was originally released by Accurate in box 7201 “American Revolution, American Militia.” After IMEX bought Accurate, they included this figure in an expanded set 511, “American Revolution, George Washington’s Army.” Finally, Revell re-released the original Accurate set as 02561 “American War of Independence, American Militia.”

The British figure was included in Accurate box 7200, “American Revolution, British Infantry," as well as IMEX set 512, “American Revolution, British Redcoats.” It also was released by Revell in 02560 “American War of Independence, British Infantry.”

Each Accurate box contains 50 figures, with 17 poses for the British, and 16 for the Americans. The Revell releases are identical.

IMEX changed the mix to include 2 new mounted poses and 3 new foot poses in each of their boxes.

Figure Characteristics:

7200 (British) Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 22mm.
7200 (British) Height (measured from sole of foot to top of head): 24mm.
7201 (American) Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 21mm.
7201 (American) Height (measured from sole of foot to top of head): 23mm.

Availability and Cost:

Although Revell is not currently producing these sets, IMEX still seems to have them in production. They can be found through various plastic model distributors, and at hobby shops.

Notes on the Samples:

Some of the sample figures were donated by Liam Sullivan.

Matchlock 25mm vs Orion 1/72, Boxer foot

THE METAL FIGURES


Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figure comes from the “Late 19th/Early 20th Century & Boxer Rebellion” range currently offered by Minifigs under the Matchlock brand. The figures were originally sculpted and released under the Falcon Miniatures name (not to be confused with Falcon Figures).

The model is catalogued as FIN13B “Boxer Rifleman.”

The full line covers French Foreign Legion, Turks, German Southwest Africa, Russians, Japanese, Boxers and various African forces.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured to eyes): 23mm.
Height (measured to head): 25mm.

Availability and Cost:

This line was reintroduced in February 2011. It can be found on the Minifigs website, by selecting the “Matchlock” label.

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/

Foot figures in this range are being sold for £1.10, with mounted figures retailing for £2.55

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The Orion figures are from box 72009 “Boxer Rebellion, 1900-1901.” The box contains 42 figures in 21 poses. Orion does not currently produce any other sets for this conflict, or for the period in general.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 20mm.
Height (measured from sole of foot to top of head): 22mm.

Availability and Cost:

Orion introduced this set in 2004, and it can still be found at various online and local hobby shops and distributors.

Strelets 1/72 vs Minifigs, Matchlock, Falcon 25mm, French Colonial mounted

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

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figures come from the “Late 19th/Early 20th Century & Boxer Rebellion” range currently offered by Minifigs under the Matchlock brand. The figures were originally sculpted and released under the Falcon Miniatures name (not to be confused with Falcon Figures).

The models are catalogued as:
B: BEAUX 08 French Foreign Legion Mounted Spahi
D: BEAUX 06 French Foreign Legion Mounted Officer

The full line covers French Foreign Legion, Turks, German Southwest Africa, Russians, Japanese, Boxers and various African forces.

Figure Characteristics:

Rider Height above ground (measured from ground to rider eyes): 34mm.
Rider Height above ground (measured from ground to top of head): 37mm.

Availability and Cost:

This line was reintroduced in February 2011. It can be found on the Minifigs website, by selecting the “Matchlock” label.

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/

Foot figures in this range are being sold for £1.10, with mounted figures retailing for £2.55

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The plastic figures come from Strelets set 049: “French African Chasseurs.” This box contains 12 riders in different poses, as well as 12 horses in six poses. While the Chasseurs d’Afrique served in many locations, Strelets have released them as part of a wide and deep focus on the Crimean War.

Figure Characteristics:

Rider Height above ground (measured from ground to rider eyes): 33mm.
Rider Height above ground (measured from ground to top of head): 35mm.

Availability and Cost:

The Chasseurs were released in 2008, and have already started to become scarce in the market.

Falcon Colonial and AWI available from Minifigs

Falcon Miniatures was a small American-based range which went off the market a few years ago when the original owner passed away. The company produced two ranges, covering the Colonial period and American War of Independence in “true 25mm” scale.

This range should not be confused with “Falcon Figures” which makes 28mm figures.

The AWI figures were the first to return to production, under the Matchlock brand, which was then merged with Minifigs. In February of this year, the Falcon Colonials and Early 20th Century line also came back to life.

The two lines can be found on the Minifigs site, hidden away behind a “Matchlock” link in the sidebar.

The AWI range, which includes 30 poses (with British Regulars, Continentals, Frontiersmen and Hessians) can be found here:

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/Catalogue.aspx?ScaleID=3&CategoryID=30&SubCategoryID=178

The Colonial-early 20th century line, with French Foreign Legion, Turks, German Southwest Africa, Russians, Japanese, Boxers and various African forces can be accessed here:

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/Catalogue.aspx?ScaleID=3&CategoryID=30&SubCategoryID=203

Foot figures are sold for £1.10, with mounted figures retailing for £2.55

The image above shows FIN03C “Japanese Firing” and is taken from Minifig’s website.

Metal on Metal at Warflag

Warflag is a very useful website for wargamers. The main offering is a set of printable flags suitable for all scales and a variety of conflicts. The main site is here:

http://www.warflag.com/

The site also is home to several subsites based around specific wargaming interests. On one of those can be found a very helpful image, which provides a comparison of metal "25mm" figures for the colonial era. This image is found here:

http://www.warflag.com/shadow/cast/figuresize/figuresize1.jpg

The ranges included in the picture fall into three groups.

The largest figures are:

• Cannon Fodder
• Essex
• Castaway
• Honorable Lead Boiler Suit Company
• Redoubt

Medium sized figures include:

• Old Glory
• Wargames Foundry
• Irregular
• Falcon UK
• Dixon (their height is closer to the third group, but the sculpting fits better here)

Among the smaller figures are:

• Matchlock
• Minifigs
• Ral Partha
• Frontier
• Reviresco

It is this final group which are in scope for this blog - they are the ones that seem most likely to supplement plastic armies. But for anyone with questions about the others, this is a good starting point.