I've been dragged around Stoke-on-Trent…
I made the most of a bad situation, however, by reviewing Royal Doulton's wargaming figures. This is an old gaming company, since about 1815 or so, but not one I have often seen used. I could only find unarmed civilian female figures in formal upper-class garb.
The figures are about 200mm scale foot to eye. They are unbased and stand up on their own skirts. The poses are somewhat wooden, but the clothing has a good sense of movement and folds. The figures are well-proportioned, on the slender side, and lack the generous chest that typifies many other manufacturers' female offerings.
The casts are not very crisp and the china fails to hold any sharp angles, but there were no casting defects or mold lines whatsoever. There were no airbubbles. These figures still appear fairly brittle and liable to damage if knocked over in a moment of gaming excitement.
All the figures come prepainted. This appears to be a wash or glaze over a white undercoat, without significant outlining or detail. The absence of other highlighting or shading, particularly on the skin, doesn't really make the figure 'pop' on the tabletop. The larger size allows transfers to be used for the eyes, which actually works well. The finished product is then glosscoated, but a quick spray of matt would fix that.
At 100GBP each, though, I restrained myself from starting a new scale…
