OK gents, listen up!
We now have a great opportunity. Eureka Miniatures has put forth a proposal for a range of 28mm metal 1860s New Zealand Wars figures, as initially discussed in a recent thread on the Lead Adventure Forum entitled: NEW – Eureka Miniatures 28mm ‘pre contact’ Maori figures pics – Page1
These figures will include the Forest Rangers, with a Von Tempsky character figure, and up to 12 King Movement Pakeha and Kupapa Maori. Also include will be up to 20 head variants which will enable conversions for any figures that are suitable for this period, or any mid Victorian (Crimean/Indian Mutiny) period outside of the proposed range.
When combined with the current Perry ‘British Intervention Force’ range for the regulars, there’ll really be the potential for a full spread of high-quality sculpts for the 1860s 2nd and 3rd Maori wars.
This is great news. However it now requires your action to make it a reality.
All the people that have put up their hand for figures in the LAF thread, or anyone else who wants to also partake, now need to make actual contact with Eureka Miniatures so that they can get the prospective orders on the books and the sculpting of these figures can commence.
The proposed figure range is as follows:
100MAU100 Forest Rangers Skirmishing with Terry carbines (4 variants)
100MAU101 Forest Rangers in kilt with Terry carbines (4 variants)
100MAU102 Forest Ranger Officer (1)
100MAU103 “Von Tempsky” personality (1)
100MAU104 Kupapa Maori skirmishing with firearms (4 variants)
100MAU105 Pakeha Maori skirmishing with traditional weapons (4 variants)
100MAU106 Pakeha Maori skirmishing with firearms (4 variants)
100MAU107 Victorian bearded heads, flat cap with peak (5 variants)
100MAU108 Victorian bearded heads, flat cap with no peak (5 variants)
100MAU109 Victorian bearded heads, floppy hats (5 variants)
100MAU110 Maori heads (5 variants)
They would be sculpted by Alan Marsh with references provided by ‘Happy Wanderer’ (in consultation with period ‘experts’).
Please let Eureka know how many of each code number you would be interested in purchasing: nicr@eurekamin.com.au
Even if you’re only interested in 20 or 30 figures or even less, every single order accounts. The good thing with this period is that you really don’t need lots of figures to get into it. You can have a game with 20 figures or 200 – the choice is yours.
Eureka will keep a tally of all the responses and once sufficient pre-orders come in to pay for the sculpting, the project will commence 1st August 2016. Delivery should take place in September 2016. All pre-orders of more than AUD$100.00 will be despatched post free (AUD$110.00 for Australian residents).
Eureka will ask for half your commitment money to be paid up-front, with the balance due when your order is ready for despatch.
This project is open until 31st July.
Importantly, the sculpting for these figures can commence in as little as 4 weeks, so these figures could well be hitting the store in as little as two months or so. This is great news as we won’t have to wait for any lead time on specific figure ranges that may or may not occur. You part-pay for your figures and in a few months you’ll have opened up the entire 1860s Wars in New Zealand ready to go…a most decidedly underdone period when it comes to colonial gaming.
For those of you that may not have considered the New Zealand Wars as a possible theatre for colonial gaming the following links will prove useful in having a bit of a look around and seeing what the period has to offer. The period really is full of all sorts of different aspects that make it quite unique. The 2nd and 3rd Maori War in the 1860s is really where much of the main action took place…quite different from the relatively limited 1st Maori War. Very much a blend of the French and Indian War and American Plains Indian Wars all combined in one including raids, ambushes, convoys, Pa assaults, naval landing (both Maori and Pakeha), religious fanatics, and many other guerrilla war type scenarios along with set piece attacks and all that they entail.
DRESSING THE LINES 
Thanks for promoting this. I dropped them a note committing to one of everything.
I love reading your blog and thought it a good idea to support the Maori Wars project. No doubt the Forest Rangers will be able to fight in more places than just New Zealand !