I believe the correct phrase is Duke Siegfried "claimed" to have a license, but as I knew neither Marcus, or Duke, who can say. What is clear is that Der Kriegspielers were either direct or slightly modified casting of Hinton Hunt retail castings, not the Masters, as they are significantly smaller and thinner as one would expect from recast retail figures.
Dave Clayton produced a line of Hinton Hunt figures in the US that were likely licensed, but this was after the original moulds were either lost or worn out, and in some cases the masters were not available for new moulds to be made from I suspect. The Dave Clayton Hinton Hunt line has far greater detail than Der Kriegspieler, and in most cases is a much closer match to Hinton Hunt in terms of size and casting of quality.
There is a nice summary of the ranges here with this section on Der Kriegspieler: link
4) Der Kriegspieler's range of "modified" Hinton Hunt figures was sold quite openly in the US in gaming stores and at conventions despite protests from the manufacturer and from various British wargames worthies such as Don Featherstone who denounced the situation in characteristically forthright style in Wargamer's Newsletter in 1974. As one American correspondent to WN complained that not only were the pirated figures being brazenly offered for sale they also cost more than the originals!
5) Der Kriegspeiler's range included a number of converted figures that did not appear on the Hinton Hunt lists. These included (figure codes are Der Kriegspieler):-
169/1 Neapolitan Legere infantry, assaulting
170/1 Westphalian infantry, repelling
176/1 Swiss Neuchatel battalion, on guard
177/1 Wurtenburg Jaeger, charging
180/1 Joseph Napoleon Spanish infantry
232/1 Hannover landwehr, advancing
242/1 Dutch-Belgian Militia
6) Der Kriegspieler Napoleonic artillery crews and command figures were sold in groups of 8 and 4 respectively and cannons came in sets with limber and horses. However, the cannon may not have been Hinton Hunt in origin (see next note)
7) On the subject of US piracy Donald A. Wolff of Columbus, Ohio wrote in the Wargamer's Newsletter of January 1974: "Two "producers" of figures are making copies of the Hinton Hunt figures. However, both are rather marginal and sometimes very poor copies. These copies do make alterations which Hinton Hunt does not carry: Brunswick Light Infantry, Swedish Guard Infantry, Croat/Dalmatian Infantry, Russian Infantry in greatcoat and kiwer, Austrian/Prussian/Russian standard bearers and Smolensk militia with pikes. I am still trying to figure out whose artillery they are copying (I suspect Hinchliffe)."
paints the Dogman from the Flintloque starter set.
