"Perry ACW = 26mm" Topic

I just received two infantry boxes. The marching figures (straight up pose) measure a tight 26mm from toes (base) to eyes (top of eyes). I used two rulers and an accurate caliber device. All give me 26mm.

In each pack there are three identical pieces. Each contains a drummer, an officer, a standard bearer, three skirmishing figures and six marching figures. I believe the standard bearer and drummer can be converted into marching and skirmishing poses, respectively. Very clean castings!

The flag staff is soft, something I would normally replace, and although the plastic is hard, protruding bayonets, swords, etc are not rigid, due to their slim proportions. I am mostly concerned (as always in all of my figures) about the bayonets, but that's just me and my bad experiences!

Overall, the figures are extremelly thin (anatomically correct) and resemble in height and built the eureka syw saxons, and I cannot stop thinking they are more like plastic 1:72 figures!

I compared them with the minden figures, which are made in true 1/56 scale (and these measure 28mm from toes to eyes), and the minden ones look over the heads of perry figures.

Apologies, but I have no other ACW figures to compare them with. I am now going to buy the Renegade ACW.

Nevertheless, the Perry ACW are beautiful figures, albeit not in a scale I am interested in to paint or game with…Too bad because I was really excited about them.

I like the idea that they are like 1/72 plastics. Airfix ACW was where I started wargaming!

I matched them up with my ACW figs. They fit well enough with Sash and Saber, badly with Foundry/Perry, badly with Dixon, enormously bad with Renegade and not so good with Redoubt. If you've seen the Perry ECW line they are more like that although a tad thinner. I assume the plastics and their new metal line will all be the same.

Since I just bought a bunch of Sash and Saber, that is good news. I note that S&S is slightly smaller than Old Glory, which is mostly what i have. Not too much a discrepency to use together, however.

I wonder if these lines are sculpted by Michael rather than Alan. Michael's figures, at least the ones I have painted (ECW and Sudan) are a bit smaller than Alan's figures. So if Michael is sculpting the metals (which I think was said on one of their announcements) then one would expect the plastics to be made to the same, slightly smaller scale.

"I like the idea that they are like 1/72 plastics"

That would be the deciding factor for me as well. If I'm going to paint a new era, I'd like it to be something a little different.

Any example pics? How do they compare to Artizan cowboys?

From the other Artizan lines I have seen (I have not seen the Cowboys) I'd say the Cowboys are beefier and larger. You wouldn't be able to mix them very well.

I'm still waiting for Salute to buy my first set of plastics. I already have a large collection of Foundry ACWs, so I was oping they'd match up. I found the Foundry artillery and vignette packs were bigger than the infantry packs, to the point that they'd look odd next to each other, which isn't ideal for figures in the same range!

I'm still looking forward to them though.

This range interests me for two reasons: 1) I remember fondly the ACW rules from "Battles With Model Soldiers" b Donald Featherstone – my first wargaming book. I'd like to paint up a few to match the small forces described in there; and 2) I might also use the same forces – or expand them slightly – to play Battle Cry on the tabletop.

If they are anything like many of the other Perry ranges they will appear slighly smaller and thinner than most other 28mm figures. Small vs Renegade or Artizan, acceptable against Foundry.

HMMM, Battle Cry on the table top using Perry Plastics. Good idea.

Hi Ioannis – have you tried putting any of them together yet? I wondered about the separate kepis maybe being fiddly and if the officer could be used as something else – who needs 3 officers in a 36 man unit?

Either way I will definately have some of these on my desk to be painted before next weekend. I have a mixture of ACW figures anyway so any slight scale difference doesnt bother me too much.

They can't be a true plastics box without a totally useless figure. One that you throw in the spares box (there must be SOME use for him!), and after a while, you have a dozen of them, and for sheer devilment, make up a full regiment of that pose. In this case, I would have a guy squatting by the fire, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Mark, I no longer own these figures…and I did not try to put them together. Sorry!

The officer is wearing a long coat and he is looking very much like an officer,so I doubt he can be converted into anything else.

I have handled many, many figures, and I must admit such slender figures as the Perry ACW I have seen only from RSM and in 1:72 plastics.

I picked up half a dozen boxes yesterday and I may be tempted to have a go at painting some.

They are not hard plastic the same as GW but more along the lines of Airfix plastic so the bayonets will bend easily.

Roland

"who needs 3 officers in a 36 man unit?"

That's simple. Each Company had at least one officer and the Regiment had many attached to HQ.

What I have a hard time to understand is why they produced a new range at 26mm (toes to eyes), when all of their own ranges are sculpted at 28mm (toes to eyes).

Someone told me this is due to the problems in accurately predicting the shrinkage from the greens into plastics, which is different from when one casts in metal.

Someone else from my group believes this is part of marketing, trying to capture the ACW market away from competitors.

Yet another one believes this venture is targeted mainly to 1:72 plastics market.

Could it be all three or even something else? I am so curious!

It would be interesting to see how their metal ACW compares to the plastics. Will they be 26 or 28mm?

They are not hard plastic the same as GW but more along the lines of Airfix plastic so the bayonets will bend easily.

I thought they were hard plastic???

Hmmmmmm….

They are definately NOT soft plastic like Airfix figures – they do seem to have plenty of 'give' to them but are certainly hard plastic.

Shame they did not make separate heads with hat and kepi though – the kepis dont seem to fit well or easily. Other than that they are certainly nice figures – I dont think they are too small at all.

That's good news. When I read the report they were "soft" plastic like Airfix figures I was concerned. The sprues look like the same plastic GW uses for their figures. Easy to cut for conversions.

"the kepis dont seem to fit well or easily"

That's because they aren't Kepis. They are Forage caps. :)

I received my pre-order couple of boxes this afternoon and already have a base of 4 Rebs completed and another 8 figures assembled (not that assembling is a big deal!) and undercoated. My only excuse for not finishing more is that I prepared dinner! They are beautifully proportioned, which I think will go against them with some gamers who prefer a more caricatured figure, and are the easiest figures to paint that I've come across by some distance. The poses all appear realistic (to me anyway) and (sorry John) there aren't any figures for the dumpster!

I'm going to have to take a bigger bag to Salute!

No, they are certainly not like the old Airfix soft plastic technology.

They are produced in exactly the same manner as GW's hard plastic boxed regiments, with the same composition of the plastics.

Even in hard plastic, thin objects like bayonet or sword points will have some give to them, even if the composition of the material is "hard".