Plastic Soldier Review - HaT Sea Peoples

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HaT

Set 8078

Sea Peoples

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

Stats

Date Released	2004
Contents	48 figures
Poses	8 poses
Material	Plastic (Medium Consistency)
Colours	Dark Grey

Average Height

23 mm (= 1.66 m)

Review

Egypt had long been in decline when in the later part of the 13th Century BCE it faced a series of invasions from a mysterious group of tribes known as the 'Sea Peoples'. They are thought to have come from the coasts of the Aegean or Asia Minor, but no-one knows for sure though several theories exist. Some tribes have been identified, but others have not, and what is known of their appearance is based on a small number of Egyptian illustrations, so we cannot be sure about authenticity with this subject.

Two of the major tribes in this grouping are thought to be the Sherden and the Peleset, and most of the figures seem to relate to these two. The Sherden are those with the horned helmets and the Peleset have felt hats with a ring of feathers. The figures seem to match what little evidence there is on these warriors, though we were confused by figures such as the last one on the first row, who seems to have either armour or cloth that sweeps up over the chest and disappears at the shoulder.

Some of the eight poses are OK, but we did not like the man with two spears pointing in opposite directions - he looks very ungainly. Two of the swordsmen are squatting for no apparent reason. One has his upper legs horizontal in a sitting position that he could not have maintained for long, nor would he want to.

The figures are done in a shiny plastic, and are a very poor example of the figure sculptor's art. Human anatomy is fairly basically observed, and clothing lacks nearly all the folds that would be expected. Spears are very thick, and taper at the end rather than suggesting a spear head. Several of the figures have the appearance of monkeys, with bents legs and heads down and forward of their shoulders, often with no neck at all. In a word then, these are just plain ugly.

The Sea Peoples only occupied the history of the Egyptians for a short period, but sets of such ancient warriors were very few when this was released, and it is a great pity that this set is of such a disappointing standard. Some may not be unduly concerned about the attractiveness of these figures, but compared to the many beautiful sets that have been made in the past these seem to be more toys than anything that collectors and military history enthusiasts can get excited about. Now there are far better alternatives available this set really deserves to be quietly forgotten.

Ratings

Historical Accuracy	9
Pose Quality	6
Pose Number	5
Sculpting	3
Mould	9