Saturday, September 3, 2011

Perry Mahdist Ansars 28mm colonial figures

     Every once in a long while you run across a model figure that goes beyond competent, exceeds skillful and transcends accurate. This is what I thought when I first saw the Ral Partha Swiss thirty years ago, it stopped dead in my tracks, I said to myself, "This is real art, not just toy soldiers, this is art!".  

     I had the same feeling when I looked at the latest figures from Perry Brothers Plastic. I sat dumbfounded at the delicate detail, the natural positioning, the complete mastery of the sculpting process that went into these figures. These figures have raised plastic soldiers to an art form.

     But don't take my word for it, look at the models below. In the box you get two sprues of command figures. three sprues of Ansars,  a set of bases and a neat little pamphlet that provides enough information to do a good job painting the models and throws in a set of flags as well.

click on the pictures for a larger view
box front

box rear with some painting information and assembly ideas

the contents of the box

Mahdist flags ready to use printed on the informational pamphlet

the command sprue, side A

the command sprue, side B

details, I know I can get all nerdy about rivets at times,
 but look at the way the fingertips deform under the pressure of holding the drum,
 amazing, oh , and the fingernails as well

Perrys always do excellent heads

character and animation without cartoon-like distortion
a lot of other sculptors could learn a great deal from the Perrys

main sprue, side A

main sprue, side B

more faces

even the hair is well done

Remington rolling-block rifle, easily recognized and crisply cast

 plenty of extra arms and weapons

the figures are naturally posed and the clothing hangs freely

delicately cast individual fingers are rare on wargaming figures

     If you have ever had any doubt as to the impact that plastic figures would have on the hobby this is the clearest sign that could be made. These figures are simply superb. Even if I wasn't a colonial gamer I would buy a box and paint a few simply to have the pleasure of putting brush to such fine models. If you are a colonial gamers there is no better deal out there and I have yet to see models that come close to these.

     To say, "Very Highly Recommended" doesn't seem enough.     John

3 comments:

  1. I must say it chafes at me so to have such superb models for the natives and such a rudimentary job bone on the British regulars that i have. Warlord needs to hurry up on those Brits!!! I NEED to buy more of something that i dont need any more of!!!

    ~Joe

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  2. Joe, for a moment I thought of buying a box of Highlanders and putting the pith helmets and guns on them from the Wagames Factory Colonial Brits..... but them I remembered that I hate painting kilts, so I stopped. I do agree about needing several more boxes of stuff that I didn't need in the first place!

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  3. I realise I'm posting on a very old review, but nice job! Excellent photos. I'm now considering buying a box of these fellows and converting half of them into sort of 'arabic' street life type figures for Pulp gaming, and the other half into angry armed folks.

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