In this hobby we are used to sets of figures in various poses, mostly in the midst of battle. As with most resin sets however, Valdemar are producing figures that expand and enhance products already made by others, and in this case providing figures that can themselves be put together to make a small diorama.

This set, which is made in a poly resin, includes three foot figures plus the mounted knight. While none seem to be actually in combat at the moment they are dressed for battle and could be either waiting for the event to begin or fulfilling some command function. Placed together they do indeed make an attractive little diorama, forming the kind of group that is reminiscent of the colour plates of many Osprey titles.

The heyday of the Teutonic Order was the thirteenth century, and these figures are dressed for that era. All appear to have mail with a surcoat over it - one of which would seem to be quilted. All the helmets are enclosed, with a barrel-helm, popular in the middle of the century, or the later 'sugar-loaf' style. Those not wearing their helmet can be seen to have the padded arming cap that ensured the helmet fitted well. Some of the figures, particularly the man pointing, have very clearly defined fingers, so they are not wearing the mittens which were usually part of the suit of mail. They could either have removed these temporarily or they may be wearing gloves. The mounted knight is particularly resplendent with his horn crest, but unfortunately the Teutonic Order forbade such decoration, so while many modern illustrations show this and other dramatic helmet decoration, it is incorrect for the Teutonic knights.

The single horse is standing and has been given a housing that almost completely covers the body and head. This is an error as such covers were not permitted in the Order, although they were common enough amongst the wider knightly community of Western Europe. At first sight this animal seems much too small compared to the men, but this is largely down to two factors. First, the figures have quite thick bases but the horse has none. This immediately shrinks the apparent size of the horse when placed next to the men. Secondly, we felt the head was a little large, which again makes the body seem small. In fact the body is a reasonable size, and we were pleased to see that apart from one simple cross the housing is undecorated. However we would comment that the rein is rather clumsy, following the line of the horse's chin rather than hanging realistically.

The sculpting is very good and the resin brings out the detail nicely. However we did find that the rider did not sit properly in the saddle as his cloak makes him too large to be correctly placed. Nonetheless these are extremely nice pieces, and as they are the same size as the Italeri figures they should be a good accompaniment to them, or of course make a fine model just by themselves.