Plastic Soldier Review - Italeri Scots Greys

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Italeri

Set 6001

Scots Greys

All figures are supplied unpainted (Numbers of each pose in brackets)

Stats

Date Released	1995
Contents	18 mounted figures and 18 horses
Poses	9 poses, 6 horse poses
Material	Plastic (Medium Consistency)
Colours	Silver, Grey

Average Height

24 mm (= 1.73 m)

Review

When Italeri first started releasing 1/72 figures, they began with two subjects that had been done before - Scots Greys and French Infantry. Indeed there was speculation that they might be simply reissues of the Esci sets, and at first glance you would be forgiven for thinking that they were, but in fact they were the start of a large and well produced original range.

The Scots Greys do seem very similar to the Esci set, and look rather like they may have shared the same sculptor. However a closer inspection reveals some important differences. Here we get a healthy nine poses, which include an officer, a trumpeter, a trooper with a pistol and two more with carbines. One of these last is actually firing his from the saddle. The uniform is accurately portrayed and detail is excellent throughout. They all wear the waterproof cover on their bearskins, which has caused some to complain as they are less impressive than the full bearskins, but the waterproofs were worn for the famous charge at Waterloo. The only gripe is with the swords, which look too short. In fact the blades scale up to just over 70 centimetres, whereas the real thing had a blade length of 89 centimetres. It's a pity, since they would look more fearsome with the full size sword that would be about half the height of the man.

There are also twice the number of horse poses compared to the Esci set, with galloping, reaping and stopped examples, the latter being particularly useful for the man firing his carbine. The poses are very well sculpted, and strategically placed tufts of grass mean all are well attached to their base despite being in mid step. However the horse furniture is missing the rolled cloak that was carried across the front of the saddle. Also, British dragoon regiments had the tails of their horses docked, or shortened, which is not reflected here.

Unlike some, Italeri got the quality sorted right from the very beginning. One curious feature of this set however is that some of the figures are noticably larger than the rest. This product set a high standard for cavalry sets, and is to be commended.

Ratings

Historical Accuracy	8
Pose Quality	10
Pose Number	9
Sculpting	9
Mould	10