"State Police for Dead Man's Hand Down Under" Topic

Pre-order details up on Friday, Mar 20th.

Stuart,

With the greatest respect, they would be Victorian Colonial police – Victoria like the rest of Australia's states only became 'states' we they federated in 1901. Prior to that they were British colonies.

Great looking figures.

Great looking figures.

Without question these are excellent, faithful sculpts – of actors in completely fictitious costumes!:) The sculptor has done a superb job of capturing the visages of his thespian subjects, though – especially David Gulpilil and Tommy Lewis.

I already pointed that out in a previous thread, UG. I don't think Stuart is at all concerned about history with this release; it derives entirely from the imagination of filmmakers, after all. The intrusion of historical reality would merely sully the purity of its fictionality (here's a fun party idea: try saying that three times very quickly after drinking a few tinnies).

Sure, just as to describe Wild West cinema as historically faithful would be preposterous. But DMH is totally inspired by the spirit of that particular medium, just as we have always claimed.

Indeed.

Tell me there will be a Quigley figure?

I think there may well be…

Those are great looking figures Stuart. I know little about this era of bushrangers but my interest in now high.

Quigley – magic, cheers Stuart.

I don't recall seeing any bushrangers in 'Quigley Down Under'. I'm curious as to how the film's antagonists will be slotted into the DMH universe.

Actually, I'm surprised you're touching this movie, Stuart, given its background theme of frontier conflict (historically inadequately represented though it is). You either have to face the subject head on, or uncomfortably selectively extract only some of the characters and dodge others.

Will you be making the historically enigmatic mounted 'redcoats' from QDU?

Hi,
You can have a Quigley figure without doing anything else from the film. He can fit in both a Down Under or Western setting. If it were possible to do another Down Under figure set then I'd like to see a set of stockmen, maybe
based on the Alan Rickman character and his henchmen from Quigley Down Under. They could be useful opponents for the Bushrangers or the Kellys.
There would be no need to address any Frontier conflict elements from the movie, just use it as a source of nice looking figures which gamers could use for their own original scenarios.
As for the redcoats, I'm guessing the ones in the Quigley movie are a pure invention but if you really had to have them then British Indian Mutiny cavalry would be a reasonable match.
All the best,
George.

The movie is supposedly set in 1860s WA, but historically the only mounted 'redcoats' in Australia were the original Military Mounted Police formed in NSW in 1825 from infantrymen of the garrison regiment (which soon became separately embodied) and the mounted company/gold escort of the 1850s (drawn from the same source) that served at Eureka Stockade.

The former force was by 1830 clad in a new blue field uniform based on light cavalry dress, which was later replaced by a green outfit of similar style.

By the 1860s the only mounted force of any kind in WA would have been the civil mounted police, so the troopers in the movie are either an anachronistic, distorted and transported version of one or both the NSW corps or, as you suggest, completely fictional. The film was obviously produced primarily for a US audience; Australia… British Empire – ipso facto there have to be 'redcoats'.

Or you can presume that those whom themselves are "uncomfortable" with the subject and therefore assume that everyone is uncomfortable with it won't buy it anyway and cater to others, who think the figures are cool and the opportunity to game this setting is awesome >;-)

"You either have to face the subject head on, or uncomfortably selectively extract only some of the characters and dodge others."

Great looking figures!