ECW Comparisons on Dux Homunculorum

Dux Homunculorum is a blog run by Alanus, an Australian devotee of 1/72nd scale wargaming (or as he says - "the One True Scale.")

Recently Alanus decided to investigate the options available for English Civil War gaming in this scale. He ended up with several comprehensive posts, including some comparison photos, as well as several pictures of painted and based units. His posts are here:


Part 1, Infantry
Part 2, Cavalry
Part 3, Artillery

Alanus considers the following plastic makers: A Call to Arms, Revell, Zvezda, Mars, Strelets, and GerMan.

On the metal side, he looked at SHQ and Tumbling Dice.

Tumbling Dice vs Airfix, British Crimean Infantry

The photo above compares several Airfix figures with Crimean British Guard infantry from Tumbling Dice. From left to right the models are: Airfix Highland Infantry (unpainted plastic), Tumbling Dice British Guardsman (unpainted metal), Airfix Guardsman, another Tumbling Dice Guardsman, Airfix Highlander. Click on the image for a larger version.

Manufacturers’ designations:

The Airfix Highland figures come from box 01735 “Waterloo Highland Infantry” while the Guard model is from box 01702 “Guards Colour Party.”

The metal guardsmen come from Tumbling Dice set C1854 BR 1: “British Guards in Bearskin.”

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Airfix Guard – 21 mm.
Airfix Highland infantry – 21mm.
Tumbling Dice models – 21mm.

Body Build compatibility (from 5 categories):
Airfix – C (Average)
Tumbling Dice – D (Somewhat heavy)

Overall conclusions: Granted, Airfix did not actually make any Crimean infantry. But when Esci released their plastic Russians, some gamers looked to the two sets above as makeshift opponents. Of course the Highlanders wear their Napoleonic uniform, and the Guardsman is dressed for duty in 1960. In case anyone is still fielding these troops, the image does show that the Tumbling Dice soldiers make a pretty good match.

Esci / Italeri vs Tumbling Dice, Crimean foot

The photo above compares Esci’s Russian figures (infantry and artillery) with British Horse Artillery and British Guard infantry from Tumbling Dice. From left to right the models are: Esci artilleryman, Tumbling Dice horse artillery, Esci Russian officer (unpainted plastic), Tumbling Dice British Guardsman (unpainted metal), Esci Infantryman, another Tumbling Dice Guardsman. 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 reissued by Italeri as set 6053 "Russian Artillery."

The metal gunner is from Tumbling Dice set C1854 BR 13: British Horse Artillery Gun Crew. The other Tumbling Dice figures come from set C1854 BR 1: British Guards in Bearskin

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Esci / Italeri figures – 23mm.
Tumbling Dice models – 21mm.

Body Build compatibility (from 5 categories):
Esci / Italeri – C (Average)
Tumbling Dice – D (Somewhat heavy)

Overall conclusions: Esci only made this one set of Crimean foot figures, and they do match up reasonably with the Tumbling Dice models. The fact that the plastic figures are a bit bigger tends to mask the fact that the metal models have a heavier build. Again, the slight difference could be eliminated by a thicker base.

Tumbling Dice vs Strelets, British Crimean Foot

The photo above compares Strelets British Crimean infantry figures (regulars and highlanders) with Crimean British Horse Artillery and British Guard infantry from Tumbling Dice. From left to right the models are: Tumbling Dice Horse Artillery, Strelets British regular, Tumbling Dice British Guardsman, Strelets Highlander, Tumbling Dice British Guardsman, Strelets British 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 metal gunner is from Tumbling Dice set C1854 BR 13: British Horse Artillery Gun Crew. The other Tumbling Dice figures come from set C1854 BR 1: British Guards in Bearskin

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Strelets Regular Infantry – 22mm.
Strelets Highlanders – 24mm.
Tumbling Dice models – 21mm.

Body Build compatibility (from 5 categories):
Strelets Regulars – C (Average)
Strelets Highlanders – D (Somewhat heavy)
Tumbling Dice – D (Somewhat heavy)

Overall conclusions: Strelets is the only maker currently producing a substantial range of plastic figures for the Crimean War, and the only maker to have British troops in their inventory. In general, the Tumbling Dice troops match up nicely with Strelets regulars. There is a slight height difference, but it could be all but eliminated by a thicker base. With the Highlanders though, there is a clear height difference. (Indeed, the Strelets Highlanders are not a very close match to the Strelets regulars.)

There is another obvious issue – the Tumbling Dice figures are dressed for a winter battle, while the Strelets figures shown above are not. I believe that this applies to all the TD foot Crimean figures, but not the cavalry. Of course, if you are looking for a winter battle, Strelets does produce Russian infantry in greatcoats, some of whom look quite wintry, as seen in the image below. In addition, they have announced plans to release a future set of British guards in winter dress.

Emhar vs Tumbling Dice, Crimean Foot

This photo compares Emhar French Crimean infantry ( the figures in blue plastic) with Crimean British Horse Artillery (painted figure on the left) and British Guard Infantry (in bare metal) from Tumbling Dice. Click on the images for a larger version.

Manufacturers’ designations:

The Emhar figures come from set EM 7211 – French Infantry, Crimean War & Franco-Prussian War.

The metal gunner is from Tumbling Dice set C1854 BR 13: British Horse Artillery Gun Crew. The other Tumbling Dice figures come from set C1854 BR 1: British Guards in Bearskin

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Emhar figures – 21mm.
Tumbling Dice models – 21mm.

Body Build compatibility (from 5 categories):
Emhar – B (Slender).
Tumbling Dice – D (Somewhat heavy)

Compatibility of uniform, equipment, etc: Since the figures in this comparison represent units from different armies, there are no obvious incompatibilities. The British (metal) figures are wearing their winter overcoats, while the French (plastic) figures also have their greatcoats on.

Overall conclusions: There are only a few choices when it comes to plastic Crimean War figures, and Emhar don’t make any British troops at all. Given that shortage, it is encouraging that the Tumbling Dice troops match up with Emhar on height. The different sculpting styles mean the models are not very convincing when intermingled, but formed as separate units, they should be able to fight on the same games table.

Tumbling Dice, Crimean War British

Tumbling Dice is a British company producing 1/72nd scale metal figures in a number of ranges, stretching from the Dark Ages to the nineteenth century. The figures illustrated here are from their Crimean War range. (Click on the picture for a larger version.)


The photo compares some of the Tumbling Dice figures to a variety of other models available to Crimean War gamers. The actual figures are from the following sets:

• Tumbling Dice set C1854 BR 13 - British Horse Artillery Gun Crew
• Emhar box EM 7211 – French Infantry, Crimean War & Franco-Prussian War
• Tumbling Dice set C1854 BR 1 - British Guards in Bearskin
• Strelets set 0028 – Crimean War British Line Infantry
• Tumbling Dice set C1854 BR 1 - British Guards in Bearskin
• Douglas Miniatures Crimean War British Infantry (metal)
• Tumbling Dice set C1854 BR 1. British Guards in Bearskin
• Esci set 221 – Crimean War Russian Infantry and Artillery
  

More detailed comparisons will follow.

At this time, Tumbling Dice sell their Crimean War foot figures in bags of 8 for 4 pounds (UK). This works out for 50p per figure (UK) or 74 cents (US), and 92 cents (CDN) at current conversion rates.