When 
Editor in Chief Bill 
sent me a message telling me that it was Halflings that he wanted me to paint, I was apprehensive to say the least - I haven't played any games to do with Halflings, Dwarves, Hobbits, or anything similar even! I did see a Lord of the Rings game once, though... so with this thought in mind, I watched the three LOTR films whilst the figures were floating slowly across the Atlantic to here in Britain.
Well, just about a month ago now the figures arrived and - thinking to myself that I was sufficiently ready to take on the task - I sat down with the packet in front of me and set to sorting them out.
My first impression of the figures was that they were small for 15mm (I hadn't realised that Halflings were supposed to be small - duh!!). I had a little prod and poke, and found the bows bendy but they didn't snap. There was a little minor flash around the base (between the base and bow, mainly), the bases were bigger than normal for the figures (this I think will protect the figures better) but they are small for 15mm's. The figures actually stand 12mm from the bottom of the base to the tip of their heads.
The figures all seem very similar to me: all little men with bows in various stages of being raised/fired, and they all had big cloaks enveloping their backs. The similarities in the figures make it difficult to tell figures apart, I estimate there to be 3 different poses in each pack of twelve. Some of the figures have hoods (well-sculpted in my opinion, if slightly big - you can not get very good access to the face in some figures); others have the hood down across the nape of their necks.
The equipment of the Halflings is very similar, with all of them carrying a bow with no sword. They all have a quiver across their back, with a small pouch hung down from a belt across their waist. The quiver is slung crossways from top right to bottom left of the figures.
The cloaks allow for a nice amount of two- or three-stage shading on the back of the figs, but the front of the figs is poor. This is due to the lack of any different features between the figures - they are all very similar. What little there is, however, is nicely sculpted.
The figures take the paint nicely, and are very nice to paint if, like me, you enjoy 2/3 stage shading. This is really the only way to paint them, as dry brushing doesn't work very well due do to the folds of cloak. On the front, the figures are very spartan in regards to the amount of stuff that can be painted nicely. The legs are awkward to paint as you have to be mindful of the bow, chest and cloak.
The bow I found too thin to put anything more than a basecoat and a one-stage highlight on. The quiver can be nicely detailed though, and there are a few runes sculpted on it which can be nicely picked out.
The faces are obscured on a lot of figures (namely, the ones with the hoods up), although you can get a two-stage paint coat on these easily. On the figures with the hoods down, you can get a 2/3 stage paintjob on if desired. The hair is easily paintable on these figures, and this has been nicely sculpted, in my opinion.
On the whole, I enjoyed painting these figures, as it allowed me practice the fine art of shading. (I certainly haven't mastered it, though!) The figures are relatively cheap, costing $6 USD for 12 figures plus postage.
I think these figures are fine if you want some Halflings, but for showpiece figures I would look elsewhere, as the detail on the figures leaves something to be desired. The figures all look very similar as well, so the only way to get any variety really is to paint them in different colours.