Eureka! New additions to AB-size figures

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By Richard Moore

The Napoleonic Guide team is regularly going to close the history books and take time out to look at the metal figures being produced for miniatures wargaming.

First-up we are going to take a look at what is on offer in the AB range from renowned miniatures sculptor Anthony Barton and the figures available from Australia's Eureka Miniatures, which has a licence to produce the AB figures - together with some interesting additions of their own.

Anthony Barton's figures are oversized 15mm and are in fact 18mm figures. That measurement is the height of a standing figure and not some fellow on horseback.

The Eureka figures are of the same size and have been created to be compatible with - and boost - the figure selection of the AB collection.

Wide variety

When buying minitaures you will note the quality difference between the 15 and 18mm sizes, with the AB range having much more detail. Of course this does make for longer painting times - certainly in this bloke's view - but the end results are much better.

And instead of having hundreds of exactly the same looking figures, there is a wide variety of poses to pick from in the 18mm soldiers.

Eureka Miniatures Napoleonic figures are designed to fit in with AB, and the design philosophy is the same with scale, detail, pose and variants.

As John Chadderton from Eureka says: "You can get several different marching French fusilier figures - each with different head and leg positions, or holding the musket in a slightly different manner.

"This allows the collector and gamer to build units with a pleasing 'natural' look, rather than serried ranks of identical, automaton figures, all marching in step."

Wider range

"Although the AB range is very comprehensive, there are some Napoleonic troop types that it has never addressed, and probably never will, as Anthony Barton is now concentrating on his (equally good) 20mm World War Two ranges.

"As an official AB licence holder, Eureka Miniatures decided to try to fill some of the gaps in the AB Napoleonic range and produce their own figures in the same style and to the same level of detail as AB.

"Anthony Barton raised no objections, in principle, and Eureka set about finding a sculptor capable of creating new figures to a standard that would complement Mr Barton's miniatures."

Chadderton says: "Thanks to a wonderful new sculptor called Alan Marsh, we think we've done that with our 1812-1815 British infantry in Belgic shakos and Waterloo period British cavalry.

"While the figures are meant to have a style that is distinctly ours, we think they do not look out of place in anyone's existing AB figure collections."

The 1812-15 British are Eureka's first foray into 18mm Napoleonics and the company chose them because the Waterloo period is so popular one. Another reason is that the AB range only covers the British for the earlier Peninsular War.

Now the good folk at Eureka decided to send me straight-from-the-box figures so that I could get a good idea of what customers see when they open the box. Despite an early warning that "as always with any white metal miniatures, there are some extraneous bits of metal attached to the ends of swords, bayonets and bases" I found the Eureka moulded figures to be very clean. Certainly much cleaner than other figures I have had to remove extra metal remnants from.

All the figures are cast in white metal, and are supplied unpainted.

Eureka's 300 Club

Eureka Miniatures offers a custom-made figure service (called the 300 Club) where people can place requests and pre-orders for the figures they would like to see the company produce to complement the AB range.

If Eureka gets enough orders, then it will have the figures made. Eureka's next 18mm Napoleonic figures will most likely be 1806-1809 Saxons (the AB range covers just the later Saxon uniform).

The AB Figure range and Eureka's own 18mm figures can all be ordered via Eureka's secure web site at http://www.eurekamin.com.au

It should be noted that European customers will need to AB miniatures from AB Figures in the United Kingdom, although the Eureka 1812-1815 British figures can be purchased through the above web address.

 

 
 
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