Friday, November 27, 2020

20mm Little Bighorn from Newline Disigns

£5 a figure once you take in delivery...

Well they finally arrived and even managed to get to me through a complicated house move, always tip the post man at Christmas! It really pays off.
Well here they are next to 28mm figures from Foundry. It’s still a big question for me if to go to 20mm. Many years ago I collected a small fortune of these big 28’s to use as slouch hatted union cavalry. So I have quite a few 7th cavalry in 28mm, but it’s the idea of collecting both sides that makes me think 20mm might be the way to go.
I have to say the sculpts in the 20mm figures is not very well researched as many of them have swords. These were left behind for the Bighorn campaign. Rather disappointing, as now I have to figure out a way to sculpt pistols onto the figures with sabres. Maybe a bent paper clip bulked up with superglue might do the trick. 
There is a big plus with using a smaller scale and that is you can get more units on the field for less money. The Foundry 28mm are nice sculpts by Mark Copplestone but they are expensive, so a big force might break the bank. I haven’t checked in many years but the postage alone from Foundry put me off ordering from them.


 I think I still have some working out to do as I’m not quite convinced.  

A FEW MINUTES LATER...

Hang on. I’ve just gone to the Foundry website, the first time in many a year and their prices are now crazy. £18 for four cavalry figures. You can’t build a force at this expense, the 7th cavalry I have quite a few of already, but the thought of buying around 33 mounted Indians is now out of reach with Foundry that is for sure. 20mm is coming into its own.

3 comments:

rross said...

I fully understand the desire to reduce cost and also unit footprint. One blog I saw recently is doing Pony Wars in 6mm I think! Have you considered Old Glory - they do a very nice range in 25mm and if you invest in the Army Card at US$50, you get twelve months of 40% discount, making their bags of 10 cav or 30 infantry around about US$24 each - plus postage of course!

I went with 20mm over 28mm when I did both sides for the ultra modern/war on terror era - cost was the main driver, with individual figures as cheap as 50p each at the time v's £2-3 for 28mm - and the vehicles were even bigger saving in 20mm plus an Abrahms or Challenger tank in 28mm is HUGE!

Simon said...

I used Foundry and Artizan Design 28mm figures for my TMWWBK’s US forces for Apache Wars. At least 70% were bought off a well known online auction site in bare metal. I think Foundry are overpricing their ageing product again. I would definitely go for the 20mm option, sabres be damned.
Galloping Major have some 28mm dismounted US Cavalry for the 1880’s. I have them and they are nice, just for a skirmish game option, using One Hour Skirmish Wargames.
My Apaches and a few Plains Warriors are a mix of Foundry, Artizan and Galloping Major.

Secundus said...

Yeah I’m thinking 20mm might be the way, especially with a basically all mounted force. Thanks for the advice guys.