Monday, April 24, 2006

HE Figures










I was pleased last night on getting home from work to find a sturdily-packed parcel of Holger Ericsson cavalry awaiting me. I'd ordered these from Spencer Smiths in the UK, and once the castings had made it to them from Sweden (a slow boat to be sure) to the UK, they made the trip to Australia very quickly indeed, and kudos to Peter Johnstone for being so on the ball.

So what was in the box?

What you get are very elegant and finely-proportioned figures. They measure about 28mm foot-to-eye and mix well with my RSM Cavalry which you can see from the comparison picture above. Remember that these are a good deal "slimmer" (read better proportioned) than say, Foundry or Old Glory. I'll be buying more of these as well as a regiment of HE Infantry in the very near future.

Be warned that detail is somewhat delicate due to the slenderness of the parts (I fear snapping a sword off!) and the casting a little crude in places due I would say, to the age of the moulds more than anything else; there is some small amount of flash and a little pitting on a couple of figures. For these reasons they may not be for everyone.

Speaking for myself I find them to be dramatically animated - I love the officer looking back over his shoulder as he urges his troopers on. The sculptor has really gooten an excellent sense of movement into these figures which yet retain something of the toy-soldier silhouette.

I would probably base them on larger plasticard bases as their own integral bases are a little slim and irregular in shape and I'd hate to damage the finished figures by having them fall over too often!

I will try to get one painted up tomorrow and post an image so you can make an informed judgement for yourselves.

Price lists and ordering information here: http://www.spencersmithminiatures.co.uk/

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