Expanding Perry Miniatures ACW Armies with Rebellion Miniatures “Ragged Rebs”
One of the best parts of the wargaming hobby is building an army that feels unique. For American Civil War collectors, Perry Miniatures has long been one of the strongest plastic ranges available. Their figures are well-proportioned, historically grounded, and easy to build. The downside is familiar to many hobbyists: once you build enough boxes, units can start to look repetitive.
That is exactly why Rebellion Miniatures created the “Ragged Rebs” range.
The idea behind the range is simple. Instead of replacing Perry Miniatures plastics, Ragged Rebs was designed to expand them. The heads, arms, and bodies are fully compatible with Perry’s American Civil War plastics, allowing collectors to swap parts freely between the two ranges.
Think of it like buying a Tamiya tank kit and then adding an aftermarket conversion set from a specialist company. The original kit provides the foundation, while the conversion parts add personality, variation, and realism.
Why Compatibility Matters
Keeping miniature components compatible is tricky. Heads can look oversized, bodies too small, or weapons out of scale, depending on the sculptor, brand, etc. When mixed together in the same unit, the differences stand out immediately.
Ragged Rebs was sculpted specifically to avoid that problem.
The proportions match Perry Miniatures closely enough that parts blend naturally during assembly. Arms fit correctly against torsos. Heads sit naturally on bodies. Equipment and clothing folds match the overall style of Perry’s sculpting. Once painted, the combined figures look like part of the same range.
Building More Realistic Confederate Units
The Perry plastics provide an excellent base for organised infantry formations. Ragged Rebs adds the worn, uneven appearance often missing from standard box sets.
A simple head swap can completely change the look of a figure. Ragged reb bodies instantly give a unit a rougher campaign appearance (bare feet, busted boots, etc). Mixing arms and equipment creates less repetition across the rank and file.
This is especially useful for larger armies. Once you move beyond a few units, repeated poses become obvious. Conversion parts break up that repetition without forcing players to sculpt from scratch.
Using Ragged Rebs Like a Conversion Kit
The easiest way to think about Ragged Rebs is as an upgrade set for Perry plastics.
Instead of building figures exactly as guided on the sprue, hobbyists can mix components between the two ranges:
- Perry bodies with Ragged Rebs heads
- Ragged Rebs arms on Perry advancing figures
- Left over Perry arms work well on Ragged Reb bodies
Note: You will need super glue, as Ragged Rebs are resin, not plastic
This approach has existed in scale modelling for decades. Tank modellers regularly buy resin conversions, metal barrels, or aftermarket tracks to improve standard kits. Ragged Rebs follows the same idea for miniature wargaming.
The core Perry set gives you structure and consistency. Rebellion parts add individuality.
Final Thoughts
Rebellion Miniatures was built to work alongside Perry Miniatures, not compete against them. The goal is to give hobbyists more freedom when building American Civil War armies.
For players who enjoy conversions, narrative armies, and realistic-looking regiments, Ragged Rebs fills the same role that aftermarket conversion kits fill in scale modelling. It takes an already strong kit and gives hobbyists more ways to personalise it.
The result is an army that feels less like it came from a single box and more like a real fighting force shaped by campaign life, shortages, and battlefield experience.