ACW Manufacturers (1 Viewer)

mk26gmls

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I have considered collecting some ACW figures. Currently, I only collect K&C and John Jenkins figures from other eras. From what I have seen available on the market, it appears that Conte may have the biggest selection of ACW figures to date.

For those of you that collect ACW, what manufacturers do you collect? How does the quality of K&C, Conte, & CS compare to one another? The Irish Brigade by Conte looks great. Does anyone here collect those?

Darrell
 
I had a few ACW pieces from Conte, including Erin Go Bragh, but sold them because I fell in love with gloss, including ACW.
So I have just started to go into ACW gloss manufacturers. Got some pieces from TedToy, and have Edmund's, Tradition of London, Alexander's Toy Soldiers/Lancer and Redcoat Miniatures figures on my wish list.
Check this site out:http://www.acwtoysoldiers.com/index.htm.

King & Country ACW figures look very good as usual, a very promising range but I do not have the room or money for them, considering my first choices above. If I went for matte, these would clearly be the ones I'd buy, for me they look quite superior to any other brand.Conte figures are not bad but they don't make me tick either. I never liked their work on Erin Go Bragh's flag, especially if compared with Edmund's or Tradition or Tedtoy flags.
If you want to go top of the pack, both for quality and price, check Shenandoah Traditionals:http://www.shenandoahmin.com/.
 
Frontline has a large and very well done selection of realistic matt ACW figures.
 
I have considered collecting some ACW figures. Currently, I only collect K&C and John Jenkins figures from other eras. From what I have seen available on the market, it appears that Conte may have the biggest selection of ACW figures to date.

For those of you that collect ACW, what manufacturers do you collect? How does the quality of K&C, Conte, & CS compare to one another? The Irish Brigade by Conte looks great. Does anyone here collect those?

Darrell

It is very much in the eye of the collector. I consider Conte's range of ACW Irish/Iron Brigade, Troiani sets, The Crater series to be the best on the market for poses/different facial expressions and just looking darn good especially when placed in a diorama. However, their early production, now being retired, are not so hot and neither are the new range Sons of the South which depict the "fattest" Rebs you would never have seen in the history of the Confederate Army.

I have a good mix of 1000 ACW 54mm metals mattes and personally found that Conte/Britains/Oryon/Tradition etc all mix well together for display and dios.
I don't collect K&C simply based primarily on size, they are the only company making ACW figures in 60mm and do not mix well (in a dio) with the 54mm majority produced by all the other manufacturers. Plus they have so far only produced a couple of dozen Rebs so you have no Yanks to match them against which is another non-starter for me.

Collectors Show Case is a newish kid on the block for ACW and their two artillery sets and mounted cavalry I believe to be some of the best miniatures currently on the market today. Their infantry facial expressions however are all wrong, take a look at their web-site and you'll see what I mean. They have corrected that with their new Zouaves which are being released in March.

Britain's new series Jackson in the Valley are also superb and the additions for 2008/9 appear to look even better. I have every Britains set made but be warned the figures produced 2002/5 are very hit and miss and highly inaccurate, melon shaped heads on matchstick size bodies etc and some pretty dreadful paintwork to boot.

Frontline carry a large collection of ACW figures but are not in my top ten. The facials are slightly cartoonish and every single figure in the range has the same blank vacant look even those carrying facial hair, they are also slightly rigidly posed and smaller as indeed are Shenandoah (excellent figures though) when placed amongst an army of the main players.

If you want to see a mix of all those mentioned above ex-K&C take a look at the Antietam thread on the dio page where I have listed a few shots of mixed figures in action.
Good hunting and welcome to one hell of an interesting war.
Reb
 
I have actually started collecting Toy Soldiers back in 1999 with Conte ACW first - before I found K&C ACW and others.

The old Conte ACW were good for their time - in my opinion - I have displays with them, Britains - (some their new stuff looks interesting), Troiani, and of course King and Country (old ACW sets). They mix very well together in battle scenes that I display at home.

I have never been a big fan of Frontline - I agree with UK Reb they seem so cartoonish for my taste. I however do like the over dramanic poses of Conte newer Irish Brigades - and you can find good deals on Conte figures on Ebay and at shows.

The old K&C Civil War stuff in nice too in my opinion and can be used with Conte figs like "Rolling Thunder" without trouble.

On the Conte Sons of the South - a little too big for a mixture with Britians and others.

In the end you buy what you like and collect what you want. I havent really bought many of the new Britains - but, they do look good.

However, the NEW K&C ACW stuff is the best money can buy - look at those Mounted Figures - WOW :eek:

Good Luck and "Happy Collecting"
 
I noted Del Prado are now doing an ACW range in 1/32 scale. I have all of the WWII molds from their Men at War 1914-45 and they are great value but a bit hit and miss with detail etc. I believe K & C make Delprado stuff or maybe they are made in factories used by K & C.
 
Collectors Show Case .... their new Zouaves which are being released in March.
Do you mean the 14th Brooklyn figures? Technically speaking, the 14th Brooklyn were Chasseurs and not Zouaves. Nice figures, nonetheless.
 
Do you mean the 14th Brooklyn figures? Technically speaking, the 14th Brooklyn were Chasseurs and not Zouaves. Nice figures, nonetheless.


I stand corrected although slightly pedantic

Reb
 
Looking forward to those figures. What do you mean Chassuers?

The guy's right the 14th were known as a French Chasseur (means hunter) regiment. They were impressed when Col Ellsworth marched his Chicago Zouaves through Brooklyn and designed their own uniforms around the zouaves kit.
However, my quote of pedantry is that everyone else in the war called them Zouaves. A couple of examples but there were many more:-

Stonewall Jackson at First Manassas gave them their nick-name "red legged devils" but added "Da#n those Zouaves".

At 2nd Bull Run Colonel Rufus Dawes of the Iron Brigade wrote........the 14th Brooklyn-those red legged Zouaves came into our line to close the awful gap..........

Reb
 
As you know I am a big fan of Napoleonics and the Uniform of the 14th looked nothing like a Chassuers' uniform. Hence my question. Thanks for the info.
 
If you take a look at the uniforms of the Crimean War, you will see a group of French North African troops called the Chasseurs D'Afrique - they look like mounted Zoaves. Perhaps this is the basis for Civil War troops called Chasseurs which look like Zoaves.
 
I am a very recent convert to the ACW.And what excites me is the way you can mix your soldiers from different suppliers(this is demonstrated superbly in UK Rebs dios).With my WW2 collection i only use K&C figures because for me they stand out head and shoulders above all else.But now i'm 'dipping my toe' into ACW i have a world of choice!.From what i've seen so far Conte,Britains,Collectors showcase,frontline all look good.I'm trying to decide with my Union troops whether to for instance just get the Iron Brigade or a more generic force/.The same goes for the Rebs, Texas or Generic?.

There is another difference between ACW and WW2 collecting.In the WW2 scene there are very few dead and wounded sets,ACW is awash with them!!.Now some people i know are not keen on these sets,but i think they will be essential for a realistic ACW dio and again there is much choice.

I have always been an enthusiastic atendee of the Toy soldiers shows in London,but now i'm even more excited!.As well as picking up some K&C,Figarti goodies i will also be bagging a couple of ACW sets that i can choose on the day.Can't wait.Although it does mean splitting my budget,but hey Lee split his forces and he's a legend!!:D;)

Rob
 
I am a very recent convert to the ACW.And what excites me is the way you can mix your soldiers from different suppliers(this is demonstrated superbly in UK Rebs dios).With my WW2 collection i only use K&C figures because for me they stand out head and shoulders above all else.But now i'm 'dipping my toe' into ACW i have a world of choice!.From what i've seen so far Conte,Britains,Collectors showcase,frontline all look good.I'm trying to decide with my Union troops whether to for instance just get the Iron Brigade or a more generic force/.The same goes for the Rebs, Texas or Generic?.

There is another difference between ACW and WW2 collecting.In the WW2 scene there are very few dead and wounded sets,ACW is awash with them!!.Now some people i know are not keen on these sets,but i think they will be essential for a realistic ACW dio and again there is much choice.

I have always been an enthusiastic atendee of the Toy soldiers shows in London,but now i'm even more excited!.As well as picking up some K&C,Figarti goodies i will also be bagging a couple of ACW sets that i can choose on the day.Can't wait.Although it does mean splitting my budget,but hey Lee split his forces and he's a legend!!:D;)

Rob

Hi Rob
Welcome to one a hell of a war in fact the first "modern" war.
I've collected toy soldiers for years and like you and a lot of other forum members went hell for leather straight into WWII, knocked up some pretty good looking dios if I dare say so myself but after building a couple of dozen or so I got struck down with the same "drabness" I was continually depicting (bear in mind these were the days before K&C/Conte etc had hit the market) just khaki/olive drab figures scurrying around destroyed buildings trying to blow up tanks that were out of scale to the figures. I "foolishly" sold the lot due to being utterly fed up with the dullness of them

On one of my many trips to the States I saw a couple of dioramas at a show that a guy had built one of 2nd Manassas the other of Waterloo and what immediately struck me was the kaleidoscope of color, uniforms, horses, banners, bronze artillery etc. His figures were both plastic and glossy, I dont do either, but I was hooked, having been a student of the ACW since college and with the introduction of the ACW matte series by a host of manufacturers I never looked back.

Couple of points raised in your post that might help you The Iron Brigade is one of my favourites; Hell of a fighting unit in practically all the major scraps up to Gettysburg where they were almost annihilated on the first day of fighting trying to keep Lee's Rebs at bay while the rest of The Army of the Potomac were rushing to the field, the Brigade was disbanded soon after.
Conte do a superb range of IB and Ken Osen has introduced them for Britains in this years catalogue. Those black Hardee hats and the early wearing of white gaiters make them quite distinguishable on the battlefield. Also look for The Bucktails a couple of good fighting Pennsylvania regiments who wore a white roebuck tail attached to their kepis. Another good range is the Irish Brigade.
Dont get too hung up on collecting a particular State for the Rebs, by the end of 1862 most rebs were wearing whatever they could steal and the gray uniforms for the ordinary soldier had almost disappeared (forget how Hollywood depicts them, that's just for the benefit of the audience). The only way of distinguishing Texan brigades from Virginians on the battlefield would have been by their State and Battle flags.
Enjoy collecting these cracking figures Rob I assure you when your collection reaches a 1000 you just gotta keep going.:D:D:D:D:D
Reb
 
Hi Rob
Welcome to one a hell of a war in fact the first "modern" war.
I've collected toy soldiers for years and like you and a lot of other forum members went hell for leather straight into WWII, knocked up some pretty good looking dios if I dare say so myself but after building a couple of dozen or so I got struck down with the same "drabness" I was continually depicting (bear in mind these were the days before K&C/Conte etc had hit the market) just khaki/olive drab figures scurrying around destroyed buildings trying to blow up tanks that were out of scale to the figures. I "foolishly" sold the lot due to being utterly fed up with the dullness of them

On one of my many trips to the States I saw a couple of dioramas at a show that a guy had built one of 2nd Manassas the other of Waterloo and what immediately struck me was the kaleidoscope of color, uniforms, horses, banners, bronze artillery etc. His figures were both plastic and glossy, I dont do either, but I was hooked, having been a student of the ACW since college and with the introduction of the ACW matte series by a host of manufacturers I never looked back.

Couple of points raised in your post that might help you The Iron Brigade is one of my favourites; Hell of a fighting unit in practically all the major scraps up to Gettysburg where they were almost annihilated on the first day of fighting trying to keep Lee's Rebs at bay while the rest of The Army of the Potomac were rushing to the field, the Brigade was disbanded soon after.
Conte do a superb range of IB and Ken Osen has introduced them for Britains in this years catalogue. Those black Hardee hats and the early wearing of white gaiters make them quite distinguishable on the battlefield. Also look for The Bucktails a couple of good fighting Pennsylvania regiments who wore a white roebuck tail attached to their kepis. Another good range is the Irish Brigade.
Dont get too hung up on collecting a particular State for the Rebs, by the end of 1862 most rebs were wearing whatever they could steal and the gray uniforms for the ordinary soldier had almost disappeared (forget how Hollywood depicts them, that's just for the benefit of the audience). The only way of distinguishing Texan brigades from Virginians on the battlefield would have been by their State and Battle flags.
Enjoy collecting these cracking figures Rob I assure you when your collection reaches a 1000 you just gotta keep going.:D:D:D:D:D
Reb

Excellant cheers Reb.I am looking forward to mixing my Conte/Britains Iron Brigade,i'm glad because i did want my Union troops to be suitable for Gettysburg.I am also pleased with what you say about the Rebs,as i am a novice i wouldn't know one regt from another anyway!.I have decided to pick up my first piece of ACW artillery at the London show,yep i'm going to get me one of them there Collectors showcase guns.(Can't believe i've just said that as i have always refused to get any of their WW2 stuff because of the ugly faces,my WW2 friends will crucify me now!!!:D:D)

Cheers Reb i appreciate your ongoing help and advice

Rob
 
Hi Rob!
In addition to the Conte and W.Britain Iron Brigade...you might try to find the Troiani Iron Brigade set also. These will add aditional poses to your collection and they will match nicely as I sculpted these too. Although the set comes with a resin base the figures can be displayed without it if you wish and this will allow you to arrange the figures to suit your space. There will be a few more additions to the newest W. Britains Iron Brigade figures later this year, including some other flags.
All the best!
Ken Osen
 
Excellant cheers Reb.I am looking forward to mixing my Conte/Britains Iron Brigade,i'm glad because i did want my Union troops to be suitable for Gettysburg.I am also pleased with what you say about the Rebs,as i am a novice i wouldn't know one regt from another anyway!.I have decided to pick up my first piece of ACW artillery at the London show,yep i'm going to get me one of them there Collectors showcase guns.(Can't believe i've just said that as i have always refused to get any of their WW2 stuff because of the ugly faces,my WW2 friends will crucify me now!!!:D:D)

Cheers Reb i appreciate your ongoing help and advice

Rob

It's great to move into a different era just for a change of pace and scenery. Reb's diorama would inspire anyone to take an interest in the ACW and I sincerly hope you enjoy your change of direction Rob - although I think WWII will continue to be your primary interest.
One of the enjoyable aspects of this forum is the chance to see what excellent eras and figures other people collect. Reb with ACW, Randy with his FIW and Combat with his wonderful postings illustrating those amazing Andreas figures. I'm presently breaking into East of Indias Ancient Greeks & Persians. Just waiting for my first order of them to turn up at our Thailand office (hope that one works out okay). Ought to get them sometime over the next couple of weeks - if the postal system works here that is. Point I'm trying to make is that I probably wouldn't have bothered with this range if I hadn't read so many good reports about them here on this forum.
Cheers
H
 
Hi Rob!
In addition to the Conte and W.Britain Iron Brigade...you might try to find the Troiani Iron Brigade set also. These will add aditional poses to your collection and they will match nicely as I sculpted these too. Although the set comes with a resin base the figures can be displayed without it if you wish and this will allow you to arrange the figures to suit your space. There will be a few more additions to the newest W. Britains Iron Brigade figures later this year, including some other flags.
All the best!
Ken Osen

Thanks Ken i appreciate that and will keep an eye out for these figures.I am also looking forward very much to Britains ACW this year.

Harry,you are right of course.WW2 Will always be my major collection but its nice to have another thats completely different.I'm also enjoying learning about the war itself and this makes it very interesting.So come the London show i will now have to split my budget between to wars!

Rob
 
If you take a look at the uniforms of the Crimean War, you will see a group of French North African troops called the Chasseurs D'Afrique - they look like mounted Zoaves. Perhaps this is the basis for Civil War troops called Chasseurs which look like Zoaves.

You are right. I remember some of that. It was the reasons for the zouave uniforms. Did not know about the Chassuers part or more likely did not pay attention to that part.

Bob, Thanks for Bringing up the Irish!

 
Thanks Ken i appreciate that and will keep an eye out for these figures.I am also looking forward very much to Britains ACW this year.

Harry,you are right of course.WW2 Will always be my major collection but its nice to have another thats completely different.I'm also enjoying learning about the war itself and this makes it very interesting.So come the London show i will now have to split my budget between to wars!

Rob

Two wars? If this isn't properly explained to your fine wife, there might be a third war in the offing...:rolleyes:
 

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