"What can I use those incredible Empress lancers for?" Topic

Except a paperweight…

I'm planning on building a British colonial force shortly. Was going to use the Perry range for the Sudan, camel corps, maxims etc… all very nice.

Then I saw the Empress Miniatures 17th Lancers and (fact I have not seen them in the flesh, notwithstanding) they are the best looking 28mm cavalry figures I think I have seen!

Gotta have come.

The unit is for the Zulu war. Was there a unit in the Sudan/Egypt in the 1880s or thereabouts similarly uniformed? I suspect most have changed to the newer campaign uniform…

Happy to go a bit ahistorical and include them anyway, just curious..

ImagiNations are your friend.

They might just be!

They can be used without any conversion, just slight adjustment to paint scheme, to portray the 9th Lancers in the Second Afghan War, one of only a handful of British cavalry units that saw active service in that campaign (luckily enough another such unit was the 10th Hussars, available in the Perry Sudan range). Sorry to say but I don't think they can accurately portray any British cavalry in Egypt or the early Sudan campaigns… unless of course you want them to.

Thanks MG that's a good tip. I confess I know nothing about the 2nd Afghan war but that's a good excuse to do a little research.

At present, I'm on the fence about whether to do something based on actual historical orders of battle (my usual) or not just to do a broad colonial British army with a collection of units indicative of the period.

I agree that the figures are fantastic. If you want them then get them, paint their uniforms kharki and use them for Egypt/Sudan games. I bet few if any will complain because they'll be blown away by the quality of the figures.

Very fine sculpts. Could anyone post comparison shots of these Empress figures and the Perry Sudan lancers? I am not thinking of mixing them in the same units naturally but am curious as to whether Perry units would look okay next to Empress ones… Thanks in advance.

I think everyone's missed the obvious – you need to do an army for the Sudan AND one for the Zulu War.

heh.. Highlandcatfrog you've hit upon the best answer of them All!

These figures just really grabbed me. They seem animated in a way so much 28mm cavalry is not.. for a skirmish level game this seems even more important.

@333 I'd love to see some comparison shots too. Might be a while before I get mine but if I end up with some from both companies (likely) I'll post. Though someone else out there is sure to have both??

I will try to post some such shots later tonight (Pacific time) or at the latest by end of the coming weekend. Until then, my un-illustrated opinion is that Empress are a bit leaner and perhaps ever-so-slightly shorter than Perry, but they serve side-by-side -- Perry infantrymen with Empress ensign standard-bearers, and staff officers from both companies mixed together -- in my Second Afghan War armies, and no one has ever complained about disparity in scale size. Fielding complete units from the respective companies side by side would definitely not be a problem, IMHO. Empress long ago declared that sooner or later they would release figures for each and every British unit that served in the Zulu and First Boer wars, so I'm anxiously waiting for them to come out with the 92nd Highlanders dressed and equipped for the First Boer War, since the 92nd arrived from India, wearing exactly what the had worn throughout the recent war in Afghanistan.

Here's a link to some size-comparison pics I just posted on my blog:

link

Whoops -- just realized you wanted comparison shots specifically of Perry & Empress lancers, which I don't have either of! Still, there are pics of other Perry & Empress cavalry figures side-by-side, as well as some infantry. Hopefully of some use… to someone!

Late last night I thought I discovered an easy shortcut for posting images on Blogger. Needless to say, it was somewhat flawed! If you visited my blog and the pics you came to see were missing, my sincerest apologies! I just reposted them the old-fashioned, more labor-intensive, way. So if you click on the link above to visit once more, they should all be visible. Sorry again for any inconvenience!

hahah.. yep I went on to check it out last night and…no pics!

Checked it out this morning. Really helpful, many thanks for that MG. Nice paintwork too.

For some reason I really like that Copplestone castings Officer too – the very first pic. Nice fig. I might check out their site for a bit of a look as well ..

Uh-oh -- my sincere apologies, pessa00! I may have created another little problem for you…

That figure is a very simple head-swap conversion I did on a Copplestone Chinese officer, using a Copplestone-designed Wargames Foundry British Explorer head from their Darkest Africa range. What drove me to do it was the umbrella in his hand, which seemed to cry out for being held by a Victorian British officer.

I've always loved Copplestone's sculpting style. His company has tons of great figures, all brimming with character. I just wish he had some Afghan troops &/or characters in the "Back of Beyond" Adventure in Central Asia range.

No dramas mate. It was worth the trip to have a look at what they've got to offer!