Ignite figures, which produce the "Russell Crowe" Roman Legionnaire, have produced two US Civil War figures. These figures are parade ground perfect in appearance, and fine examples of Civil War/Napoleanic Era uniforms at their best.
The CSA soldier is a well-done figure that may be a bit underrated at initial glance. The body itself is nicely done, much like the BBI bodies we are seeing now. Articulation is fine, very standard for the industry. A lightweight plastic is used, with joints "clicking" into place as a Dragon body does. The hands are a soft plastic, with the right hand molded into a "trigger" hand, the left hand the standard gripping pose. The fingers, while easily bendable, will not take on new positions. Wrist articulation is disappointing, as the hands simply swivel round. The hands are attached using a soft plastic joint that makes upward or downward motion of the wrists possible while dressing or redressing, but the wrists will always return immediately to their one "in line" position. The hands do not look to be interchangeable, but with some hot water, they might be. The heads are interchangeable easily (they pop off), and sit on a high neck but small neck post, much like BBI figures. All the joints are nice and tight. Overall, I would give the body a 6 out of 10. Except for the hand/wrist articulation, it is a fine body, on par with Standard BBI and Dragon.
The head sculpts are nice, in my opinion. The CSA soldier looks a bit young while the USA soldier is a bit older in appearance. Features of both are nice; my only concern is the painting of their faces is a bit odd. They both seem to have "sunburns", that is a bit too much redness to their faces. That might not be bad, especially if you plan to use them in a more modern Desert War setting, but the USA soldier is sunburned wrong. He seems to have a ring of red around his hairline, and his cheeks and nose are pale. I would have expected the opposite, a reddened cheek and nose, a pale line around the hairline where his hat protected it from the sun. Both could be kitbashed into plenty of other units easily, with the CSA Soldier even doing nice duty as a young blonde date for someone on the Pink Aisle.
The gear that comes with them is nice. The weapons are die cast metal, and feature a dress saber, pistol, and Baker rifle. Both soldiers carry the exact same gear, with the odd exception of the holsters. Although both carry the same pistol, the CSA soldier has a shorter length holster that allows the pistol barrel to stick through, exposing it on the bottom. The flap of the holster also covers the entire grip of the pistol. The US soldier's holster, in contrast, is long enough to house the entire length of the barrel. However, it is designed for a cross-draw carry, and so leaves the grip of the weapon exposed. It also must sit "backwards" on the soldier's right hip for the left handed cross draw. This is a very unusual feature.
The Pistol and Baker rifle is die cast, with no moving parts on either one, somewhat disappointing. The wood grain detail on both is wonderful, with good solid details on the metal parts of both weapons. The rifle is better detailed, however, a bit crisper in the work. A white "pleather" sling accents the rifle nicely. The Bayonet is die cast as well, but needs a bit of sanding on the barrel sleeve to fit perfectly on the rifle. The sword and sword belt are nicely done, and would make excellent additions to any military outfit needing a bit of flash.
The clothing of both figures is interesting, in that they share the same shoes, pants, and shirts. The low cut boots are a soft, pliable plastic, easy to get on and off, with nicely detailed hobnails on the bottoms. The pants are the same sky blue with a red stripe on the outside leg, very nicely done. Rather than simply sew the stripe over the already finished trouser legs, Ignite has chosen to sew it WITH the pants leg, as part of the process. This is a nice touch that makes the flare seem much more realistic and integral to the uniform. The pants are pleated at the top, and feature buttons in front and back for the leather suspenders to use.
The undershirt is also nicely done, with an extra long tailoring that is true to the 1860's period. It is a one-piece pullover shirt, with a nice neckline, but it might not work on some bulkier figures. Save this shirt for kitbashes with Dragon, BBI, or Ignite folks. Again here in the shirt, the details and sewing is tremendous, a very fine job.
Both soldiers wear red underbelt sashes that I like, because once again, the attention to detail is solid. The sashes end in a knot of fibers perfectly scaled for appearance. That sash alone is kitbash material.
Only in the overcoats and hats do the figures differ. The CSA soldier wears a very nice gray double-breasted coat. The material is a soft flannel or thin velour, very rich in texture without being thick and overbearing. The details are amazing, with the buttons being nicely done, the stars on the soldier's collar being crisp and sharp, and the embroidery work on the arm insigne being done to perfection. The Kepi (soft cap) worn by the soldier is a work of art as well, being done in pleather and velour, with embroidered stitch work throughout.
These pieces are the picks of the piece. Ignite found the perfect material, and used nice stitching and embroidery work rather than the cheap silkscreen so often used.
The US trooper wears a blue overcoat, of a similar material, again nicely done and sewn. His distinctions are the epaulets, marvelous pieces of embroidered work, not simply cloth or plastic slapped on his shoulders. Without a doubt, these are the best epaulettes out there. His hat is marvelous as well, featuring the huge "brass" war eagle, artillery cannon badge, and red braid. The Hat is molded rubber, with a black velour wrap that is perfect. It features the heavy red braid in the front, and a red thread "horsehair" spike for effect. It is attached to the soldier by a decorative rope binder in true Napoleonic style. Like the CSA Kepi, this hat is truly an art piece of the set.
One thing you will need to do with the USA trooper is remove his belt and put it on correctly. Mine seem to be upside down straight out of the box, a small imperfection that escaped the eyes of QC at the packaging plant.
