NORMAN CONQUEST

Victrixlimited.com £38

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In last months Forward Observer column we mentioned that Victrix had released some new Norman hard plastic infantry and we included a taster image. We now have some for review and they are very impressive.

There are – as we previously mentioned – 60 figures in the set and these are spread over two sprues. First off there are six Warrior sprues. Each of those has eight different torsos (many with half heads already sculpted on, awaiting a helmet to ‘top them off’), and one of which has a split at the waist for a little more flexibility in pose. There are sixteen heads along with seven nasal helmets. The sprue also has seven kits shields, nine spears in hands and numerous other weapons: a classic mace plus swords, single handed axes and other accoutrements like sheathed swords (which can be snipped to turn them into empty scabbards, of course). The armour ranges from full mail to unarmoured (just a tunic).

There are also two Command sprues. These have six different torsos in full chain hauberks or leather/linen padded armour and two are – again – split at the waist (and one of those has an arm to stick on) so that’s a lot of variation, especially by swapping the uppers and lowers from the two different sprues. This sprue has another six shields, more swords, daggers, maces, hatchets and spears – seven of the latter (two of which are over-length to use as standards). There’s also a trumpet and a horn plus a‘pointing hand’(classic command feature!) and another seven heads and eight separate helmets.

As I said last month, detail is excellent, as is the animation and they are at around 30mm to the top of the head from the feet on the small oval bases they come on. Recommended.