"Old Glory 15s or Rank and File" Topic

Hello
I have a number of packs of Rank and File FPW that I picked up a few years ago. I now need to pick up a whole lot more figures for my FPW project.

I am wondering whether I should stick with Rank and File or switch to Old Glory 15s. Which are the better figures? I don't mind that the Rank and File figures are fairly basic. I will need to paint shedloads, so fine detail is not necessarily an advantage.

Secondly, are the Old Glory 15s and Rank and File compatible. I have already noticed that R and F Prussian infantry assaulting are half a head taller than Prussian infantry advancing and seem more robustly built as well, but I can cope with that.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

I have huge armies for the FPW all Old Glory 15. I have never seen R&F figures.

OG15s are a mixed bag as I think there must be more than one sculptor involved.

The Prussian infantry artillery and Jaegers are all very good. The Bavarian infantry and artillery is excellent but the Wurtemburg infantry and artillery is very poor. All cavalry is mediocre but look well enough when they are painted.

French infantry is quite good as is the artillery, the Chasseurs a Pied, Zouaves and Turcos are better. The cavalry is mediocre but again looks well enough when it is painted.The French Guard infantry is quite poor, Guard artillery is a bit better.

Overall I think the figures paint up well and look good en masse and I am very happy with them.

I hope this helps.

Despite their flaws, en masse at standard viewing distance I think the OG figures create the superior effect.

Andy, I would be glad to fill you in, as I have been waist deep in a massive 15mm Franco-Prussian War project over the past 3 years. I have painted up fairly large-size French, Prussian and Bavarian units. In the past few months, I've shifted to 1859 Austrians.

Almost all of my figures are Old Glory 15s. I'm very pleased with the quality of these figures in both the Franco-Prussian and Franco-Austrian ranges. The sculpting is first rate, there are a variety of poses in every pack (infantry, cavalry, and artillery), and the figures hold together pretty well. On the other hand, bayonets on select figures are flimsy, and some individual poses within packs (esp. Bavarian and Wurttemburg) are less durable. Another drawback is the complete absence of any artillery limbers.

I have been much less pleased with the Rank and File miniatures. The packs are entirely (or nearly all) of the same pose. The quality of the sculpting is far less proportional than OG15s, with the exception of some of the cavalry. Nineteenth Century Miniatures packages OG15 horses with the Rank and File cavalry.

As to your question about size, there a slight differences that make them a rough fit in the same unit, but there is no problem putting them on the table together. Here are some comparison photos of Old Glory 15s and Rank and File:

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OG15 Austrian infantry (2 on left) and Rank & File Hungarian infantry (3 on right)
The R&F figures have the correct placement of the blanket roll, but otherwise don't look as natural and proportioned as the OG15s

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OG15 Austrian/German infantry (left) Rank & File Hungarian infantry 1859 (right)

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OG15 Austrian infantry and Rank n File Austrian Hussar

Send me a PM if you would like more specific information.

Very useful review, Don!

From your photos, the R&F figures look ok to me but the sculpting on your sample OG figures looks pretty rough. My OG French, Austrian, and Sardinians are sculpted much more crisply. Having a large stockpile of figures, I have not ordered from 19th Century in two years. Are your figures from a recent purchase?

Thanks for the photo comparison.

Hi Jon. I have been purchasing OG15's for several years, and have not noticed any deterioration in the casting quality. What you see in these images is what comes right out of the bag, so some filing is required, of course. One of the OG15 Austrian shakos looks a little distorted in these images, but is in fact, completely intact and fully cast.

One notable exception is one of two firing poses in the 1866 Austrian infantry firing/loading pack. The bayonet was cast so poorly that all of them were either broken off in the bag, or attached by only a sliver of metal that fell off immediately. This was evident in all 3 packs that they sent me.

I contacted Nineteenth Century and they sent me a a single replacement bag that was missing the questionable figure entirely. No explanation was given as to why this figure was so flawed.

To be completely honest, this is the only time I've had this experience with their miniatures after purchasing dozens of bags over the years.

If the figure on the left in the second photo is the same as the second from left in the first photo I'd say it looks very much like its shako has miscast. Just compare the sharp definition and three-dimensionality of the R & F figure's headgear in the second picture. From that top view the OG figure's shako looks semi-circular, and in the front view it just looks incomplete.

If there were too many figures like this in a bag I'd be thinking seriously about whether to reorder.

Henry, I know it looks that way, but I honestly don't recall any miscast figures in this particular pose. I point this out because that is one of my very favorite poses from the OG15 Austrian infantry pack. The one in the photo has long since been painted and based and now sits in a box with over 152 other figures, so it would be difficult to track down!

Some of these figures do mix rather well. I just finished painting this Austrian general's stand pictured below.

The figure on the left is from the Rank and File "Austrian generals" pack, while the aide-de-camp on the right is a dragoon from the Old Glory 15 pack.

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You'll notice that the heads of Rank and File figures are a bit larger than OG15s, and the bodies generally are slimmer. But they are a good match since they are about the same height and both use the same horses.

I'm noticing with this close-up photo that I accidentally painted the general's chin gold! I'll have to fix that.

I might add that none of these figures comes with an accurate Austrian saddle cloth and fleece cover. I suppose you have to move up to 25/28mm to expect such attention to details.

Thank you for all your helpful information. It is very much appreciated, especially the photographs.

I think that I will go with Rank and File for most of my troops, but use OG where OG has better options. The deciding factor for me is the lack of variety in the R and F poses, as I like my armies to have a uniform look and I prefer to have a relatively "neutral" pose, like advancing infantry, rather than guys firing, charging, etc. It is interesting how something that appeals to one gamer is a deal breaker for another. A further plus for me is that the R and F figures that I have already don't seem to have any problems with bayonets.

Now all I need to do is persuade my cronies to paint up a couple of thousand figures.

Thank you again.

Have fun with all of the painting, Andy. When I brought up doing FPW and FAW with my gaming club, they said "sure, we'd love to play, but you'll have to supply and paint all of the figures!" Several years later, I have no regrets as it has been very enjoyable to paint these colorful figures. My gaming pals have been very accommodating as well.

What rules are people using for FAW, APW and FPW?

I cannot seem to find a set which reflects the tactics of the period.

Regards

The "Grand Tactical Rules" folks offer a rule/tactics information book on each of the wars you list under three separate titles: "1859" "1866" and "1870." I have the "1859" rule set only, but can attest to the high quality of some informative tactical essays as well as a fine set of rules (you can play grand tactical or battalion level scale), and orders of battle. The second half of this volume gives the same treatment to the 2nd Schleswig/Danish war of 1864. Here's the link link

Another set I'd recommend specifically for the Franco-Prussian War is THEY DIED FOR GLORY. It is designed for battalion level maneuvers and provides a few general details about tactics, armies and also the order of battle for the summer 1870 campaign. This set is hard to get, but I was able to find two copies for sale on-line a few years back. Here's a link link

As a quick follow up, I should point out that Noble Knight Games has all of the titles I mentioned above for sale. link

I have the Polemos rule set. It's really two sets in one: a divisional game and a corps/army level game.

Grand tactical: Bloody Big Battles. Fast, like a stripped down Fire and Fury.

I have a set of BBB already on order. We'll see what they are like.

I am plannng to use a variant of Fire and Fury, as (1) we are already familiar with it; and (2) I want to do the big battles. I played a version of 1870 in a game run by Bruce Weigle at Cold Wars. While that was a great experience, I think that he rules are a bit fiddly and open to interpretation. If Bruce was happy to umpire all of our games (in Melbourne), I'd go for 1870. Bruce's books are, however, tremendous resources, whether you use the rules or not.

Thanks again.

Andy, since my wargame club uses Regimental Fire & Fury for ACW, we've adjusted these rules to fit the Franco-Prussian War games.

I have used Old Glory and Rank and File but never in the same unit. I like the Old Glory figures better as far as quality of casting. For me Bruce Weigle's rules provide a great deal of information and of all the one's I have tried work best for me. Though I admit I do modify them a little when I play them with the club.

I've got some Franc Prussian OG figs and the necks and ankles are quite thin and weak -is this an issue with the 1866 Austrians? Timecast have a sale on atm and I wouldn't want to order a load of duff figures…

Mashrewba, I have found the 1866 Austrians to be some of the best miniatures OG15's produces. The only exception is that one of the two firing poses in the "skirmishing" pack has a weak bayonet that is broken off even before you pull it out of the bag! Otherwise, some really nice solid figures with a variety of great poses. Here's a sample:
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