One of the most-requested items ever to be added to the AB catalog has been dismounted French dragoons, and here they are:
We consider these some of Tony's finest work to date. The much-anticipated AB French dismounted dragoons in action will be released shortly. There will be a set of four horses and a horse holder, a set of four skirmishing figures, and a carbine wielding variant of code F20. All those who have signed up to the 300 Club will receive notice of these figures by email as soon as they arrive with us. The official release will come shortly afterwards.
We think most of you would agree that Tony Barton's work over the past 30 years has been instrumental in raising the standard of wargaming figures in this, or any other scale.
Tony would be the first to acknowledge that his customers' enthusiastic support over the years has enabled him to continue working in the model soldier field. However, recent developments have threatened to put this at risk.
It has come to our attention that several companies operating out of China have been illegally selling painted, inferior copies of AB models. These low quality knock-offs result in no benefit to Mr. Barton at all. Not only do they deny Tony his rightful income, they also tarnish his and Eureka's reputation for quality sculpting and casting. As the sole manufacturers of AB Napoleonics, we can guarantee that we do not supply any of the Chinese companies currently selling painted 15mm Napoleonic miniatures via eBay. Therefore, if you are purchasing these figures under the impression that you are buying AB quality, we can assure you that this is not the case.
These cheap recasts represent a not-inconsiderable threat to the continued viability of both the Eureka and AB brands, and could very well help guarantee that new figures from AB, like the beautiful examples shown above, become a thing of the past.