Black Powder Epic Battles: Revolution! is coming, and that means a wave of new plastic sprues – four of them in total. We’ll be looking at them all in detail over the coming weeks, and we’re starting with arguably the most important – the ‘generic’ infantry sprue. All of these sprues are designed to work together in different combinations, which you’ll see as we reveal more of them – let’s dive in to this one!
This sprue provides the basis for both the Continental and British forces – uniforms at the time being essentially identical in cut, and differing only in colour. As such, the two ‘flavours’ of infantry most prevalent in the American War of Independence can be combined on a single frame, with only minor modifications! As such, this sprue allows you to build Regular and Militia infantry, as well as a cannon to support them. These fantastically detailed figures are an absolute delight to paint, and it’s incredibly easy to get them looking great on the tabletop – expect to see some painting guides from our talented Studio Painters closer to the launch date!
The ‘Regulars’ are just that – regular, professional soldiers, outfitted with proper uniforms and equipment, and snazzy tricorn hats to boot! Whether in Continental blue or the famous British red coats, these chaps are the solid, reliable core of your army, marching in disciplined ranks to the beat of drums, with their colours flying. Speaking of colours, there’s the first big point of difference! British Army units marched under two standards, while their Continental opponents had only one. To solve this little problem, you’ll see that there’s a gap in each command strip, with two individual soldiers – one holding a second banner pole, and one simply armed with a musket. Just insert the desired figure into the gap, and presto – a British or American unit as you prefer!
Contrasting with the smartly-dressed Regulars are the Militia – these more hastily formed-up chaps have rallied to their chosen cause in more or less whatever clothes they have to hand, lending them a rather more ragged appearance – a great opportunity to show off some individual painting flair and get some different colours into your force. Equipped with older weaponry, their courage isn’t in question but their martial prowess and drill aren’t quite up to the same standard as the Regulars – but that doesn’t mean they aren’t useful on the battlefield! You’ll find the command strips for the militia on the individual British and Continental sprues, which we’ll cover in another feature.
Rounding out the sprue is an ever-useful cannon, perfect for lending your troops fire support, with accompanying crew. This is the second point of difference, with the Continental crew wearing tricorns like their infantry colleagues. However, the British artillerymen have some absolutely stunning optional ‘Grecian’ helmets, and it would be a crying shame to miss these out. Rather than do a whole extra set of cannon wheels and crew, we instead include four of these fantastic heads on the frame, should you wish to use them. Simply snip the tricorn-wearing heads off, and attach the helmeted ones – it’s super quick and easy to do.
This is just the first of the four sprues making up the first wave of Black Powder Epic Battles: Revolution! Keep an eye out for features on the others in the not-too-distant future, as well as news on even more goodies coming to this awesome new range.
Has the sight of this sprue got you excited for the new range?
Revolution! Battle Set
This awesome battle set gives you everything you need to begin fighting the American War of Independence on your tabletop. Containing 2,097 soldiers (if you factor in everything, including extras), the box gives you a huge force for both the British and their Hessian and Native American allies, and the American Continental Army, including infantry, cavalry, and artillery, as well as famous personalities and ‘generic’ commanders to lead them. Also included is the full-length A5 rulebook to get you playing, flag sheets to decorate your units, an assembly and painting guide, and an MDF watchtower for your troops to fight over!
