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All figures are supplied unpainted (Numbers of each pose in brackets)
| Date Released |
2001 |
| Contents |
31 figures |
| Poses |
31 poses, 1 horse pose |
| Material |
Plastic (Medium Consistency) |
| Colours |
Bronze |
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Average Height
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25 mm (= 1.8 m)
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Strelets-R is another new Russian company, and this ambitious set was their first product. Having browsed the above scans of this set, you will see that it is very different to the kind of set we are used to.
The set has 31 figures, all in different poses, which is impressive by anyone's standards. The figures lend themselves to being placed in groups and have several themes. First of all there are the medical figures, where we get surgeons, orderlies, stretcher-bearers, two stretchers and several patients, including one already stripped and waiting to be operated on on the table.
The next theme is of soldiers relaxing. There are a number of soldiers sitting or lying down, some are playing cards, one is playing a guitar, and there are several ladies present to aid the relaxation. Accessories for this scene include a campfire, a drum (on which the cards are being dealt) and a tent. The tent is pretty small, being approximately 40mm square at the base and only reaching the height of a man at its apex.
Next we have the blacksmith at work scene. A dragoon is holding his horse while a smith is replacing a shoe, and others are working the bellows and hammering the iron. With this group you additionally get an anvil.
Finally, there are a number of soldiers walking carrying provisions such as hay and a pig (possibly 'liberated' from a nearby farm). The very last piece is a wagon, which is not harnessed up to an animal.
Wow, what a list! Diorama makers everywhere would be licking their lips. Sadly the figures are not great quality. In a few instances the poses are a little awkward, but more importantly the detail is not as clear as it should be. This is down to a poor quality mould, which also means there is a large amount of flash to remove, and some pieces have not come out whole (the man carrying a pole across his shoulders should have been carrying a scythe, but some of the blade didn't make it). Though fairly rough, the figures should paint up nicely. However the assemblies are less easy to accommodate. The wagon and table come in several parts that fit together poorly and have no inbuilt stability in the joins, so gluing is essential. Even after gluing, however, joins are delicate, and each model has a certain lack of symmetry which could be described as 'rustic' or simply 'sloppy'!
All Strelets products are limited editions, and this one, as their oldest, is increasingly difficult to find. However with some work there are some really interesting poses in here that should find various uses. This is clearly a company interested in providing the more unusual subjects, and it is to be hoped that they can improve the technical aspects of their production to match their exciting ideas.
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Historical Accuracy
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 9
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Pose Quality
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 8
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Pose Number
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 10
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Sculpting
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 5
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Mould
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 3
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