It's taken a little longer than anticipated, but I am delighted to be able to announce the release of the first batch of our new ECW/TYW range.
The old ECW range has now been retired. It has done valiant service for many years, but times have moved on, and we're taking the opportunity to do something a little different with its replacement. Firstly, there is a change in title. The new range is the War of the European Crisis, 1618-1660. This covers the English Civil War, and that other series of fisticuffs going on over the Channel.
In order to this subject justice, the new range will be more comprehensive than its predecessor. Whereas, you used to have a single code for musketeers, you now get them in both shouldered and firing/loading poses with a choice of Monmouth cap, Montero cap, brimmed hat, or helmet.
We've also taken the opportunity to completely redesign all the old ECW flags and replace them with much sharper and cleaner versions.
Work is already well underway on the rest of the range, with the horse and cuirassiers coming next.
Now, I could end this piece here, but a few of you out there may know that the ECW is a period very close to my heart.
So… If you are at all familiar with our Polemos basing, you will know that the standard base size for a battalia of ECW Foot is 60mm x 30mm. This gives you units that look very much like these:
The truth is that you can actually use any size base for armies, provided it maintains a 2:1 frontage to width ratio. This does mean that you can use 40mm x 20mm, or go more adventurous, perhaps, move up to an 80mm x 40mm. Well, I got thinking and decided to go a wee bit larger…
What you have here is 200mm by 100mm Polemos base housing a battalia of ECW foot. The unit is drawn up in six ranks at a 2:1 ratio of pike to shot.
There are 120 musketeers, 56 pikemen, 4 ensigns, 4 drummers, 2 officers, and 6 sergeants. Total cost is £12.00 GBP (£14.20 GBP including VAT).
The musketeers are drawn up in four divisions, and are in the process of giving fire by ranks. All of the musicians, NCOs, etc., are in their correct places – ensigns in the second rank of the pike, and drummers dispersed to the corners of the central pike division. None of this standing in front of the battalia waiting to shot or kebabbed in the back!
Try doing that practically in the bigger scales…
But these new figures are not all about the wonderful big pictures that you can create. They are all about getting the details right.
Here's a close-up picture of a single pikeman. Not many wargamers will know this, but the drill postures for pikemen are all based with the right foot placed in advance of the left. This is the reverse for musketeers. Our pikemen not only have their feet placed correctly, but if you look at the right arm, you will see that it is holding the pike correctly, with a bent arm wrapped round the pikestaff and cupping the butt of the pike with knuckles facing forward. These are two fundamentals that are inaccurately portrayed time and time again, being in much larger castings. We get the small stuff right, so that the big picture is built on firm foundations.
And here is the musketeer. Far from being the featureless blob that some still seem to regard as the norm for 6mm figures, you will see that is a beautifully sculpted and finely detailed individual. Bandoliers, priming flask, and even a coil of match are all there to be seen and painted.
We've been promising something special for this range – I hope you'll agree with us that we've given you just that.