"Russian Infantry Standing Order Arms Review" Topic

"The infantryman that fought for the Tsar during the Napoleonic Wars was a remarkable creature. Some bigoted contemporary commentators saw him as little more than an animal, but he was incredibly resilient in the face of oppression as well as enemy action, stubborn, brave and fiercely loyal to his faith and the Tsar. While he may have been unsophisticated, his qualities made him an excellent soldier, and neither Napoleon nor anyone else could afford to underestimate what he could achieve on the battlefield. For years the role of the Russian Empire in the wars with Napoleon was largely ignored in this hobby, but happily all that has changed, and this set from Strelets is just one of three on the subject to be released at the same time.

Strelets have always been quite variable in the quality of their figures. This is in part thanks to the large range they have created, and the long time that they have been in production. At worst the standard could be very poor, but at best it could be excellent, and this set firmly belongs in the latter category. Everywhere here the proportions are excellent and the sculpting nice and detailed. Heads are the right size, smaller badges are beautifully picked out, and thin items such as weapons are as thin as could possibly be expected. While the pose is simple and relatively easy to reproduce, it has been done with consummate skill and the result is great. If others can produce a slightly sharper result then at any distance the difference is impossible to see, and irrelevant if they are painted, so these are great figures by the standard of any manufacturer. Both the drum and the flag, which can cause problems for sculptors, have been extremely well done here, and look very natural. A visible seam where the moulds meet is to be seen in some places, but in others there is none at all, so good marks for the production quality of these figures too…"

Full Review here

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Amicalement
Armand