ponders nirvana.
Placing the Order
At the time that I placed the order, I forgot that it might be possible to order from a supplier in the U.S. - so I ordered direct from Irregular in the U.K. The company doesn't take orders via their website, so I found it easier to just drop my order in the mail. (Other options would have been to fax the order - but I have mixed success with my computer's built-in fax - or to phone the order in and struggle past our mutual accents!)
The army costs £8.00 GBP, with postage (airmail) another 50% of the order (or less, if a larger order is placed, or if you use surface mail) - so £12.00 GBP total.
(If I had ordered through Silver Eagle in the U.S., the army would have been $18.00 USD plus $4.00 USD shipping (or less with a larger order) - $22.00 USD total.)
One mystery is that the Irregular catalogue doesn't exactly tell you what you're getting. The army pack contents are listed as:
- 13 heavy chariots
- 144 medium infantry
- 60 light infantry
- 12 light medium infantry
Which doesn't quite tell you which are archers, which are spearmen, and so forth. Also, since Irregular only makes three Sumerian figure strips - chariots, and two kinds of archers - the army pack is presumably using strips from other armies for some of the troops...but from which? Don't know.
The Package Arrives
I've paid for the order using my PayPal debit card (which can be used like a credit card for ordering), so I know Irregular is processing my order when I see the entry show up in my PayPal log on November 5th.
Eight days later, the package arrives. Inside is a large ziploc bag filled with little lead soldiers.
The Chariots
The chariots come in two pieces - the chariot itself...
...and four equids to pull the vehicle...
The chariot is a simple "box"-type vehicle with four solid wheels, a front "shield," a driver, and a javelin-armed warrior. There's also something on the front left of the chariot - a quiver of arrows?
I'm not entirely sure how to assemble the parts. Attaching the yoke flush with the horses causes the chariot to "fall off" the back of the base (see above); putting the yoke "on top" of the horses results in the chariot fitting on the base, but now it's doing a slight "wheelie" on two rear wheels...
As with all of these figures, some of the chariots have light flash (which is easily knocked aside with a sharp knife). Two have miscast (incomplete) reins. 13 chariots in pack.
Chariot base is 20mm long by 15mm wide, with equids about 7mm tall. Chariot is 11mm long, 7mm wide, 11mm tall.
The Spearmen
It is believed that the front ranks of Sumerian spear units were equipped with shields. Irregular therefore provides front-rank (with shields) and rear-rank (no shields) spearmen.
Here you see the front-rank strip, crowded with six spearmen and their studded shields.
The rear ranks are wearing a fleecy skirt and a cloak. The cloak is believed to have been of leather studded with metal disks, and is best seen from behind...
The spearmen have some thin flash, easily removed. The base bottoms are uneven and require filing. Pack includes 12 front-rank and 12 rear-rank spearmen strips.
Strips are 20mm wide. Figures are 6mm tall; spears are 11mm.
The Others
Some of our readers have voluntered to identify these other strips, so I'll just put up the pictures and add explanations (and product codes) as they are identified...
Warriors in loose order, holding javelins. 40mm strip. (4 in pack)
Warriors in loose order, holding bows. 45mm strip. (2 in pack)
More archers. 40mm strip. (2 in pack)
Figures in loose order, with slings. Probably B20 - Unarmoured Slingers (a generic infantry strip). 41mm strip. (2 in pack)
Figures in close order, with swords and javelins. 30mm strip. (2 in pack)
A Final Note
The army pack turns out to be a substantial savings from buying the strips separately:
- 36 infantry strips @ £0.17 GBP = £6.12 GBP
- 13 chariots @ £0.55 GBP = £7.15 GBP
- TOTAL: £13.27 GBP
So the army pack, at £8.00 GBP, is more than a 30% savings.