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Here we have set 2 of the Mounted Light Eastern Tribes, and to complement set 1, this one has warriors using their curved and somewhat oddly-shaped swords, plus what look like a couple of command figures. The swordsmen are dressed much the same as the warriors in Set 1, with fancy circular helmets with a large crest device on the front that also acts as a nasal guard. All wear a placard designed in a leaf-type pattern, below which is a thick belt and groin plate. On the lower arms they have vambraces, and poleyns on the knees, though the gauntlets and boots look to be soft rather than armour. Although all are gripping a large shield, all still have a vambrace on the shield arm, which would be uncomfortable and of no great utility to them. All except the last pictured figure wear tiny little cloaks that barely reach to the waist, and so would have been almost useless in protecting them against the weather, so perhaps are a form of uniform instead?

The swords are light, scimitar in general shape, so reminiscent of the ‘East’, at least from a medieval European point of view, although the blade has a notable kink in it, which is not something we have observed in real-world examples of the weapon. Shields are particularly interesting, because they are basically rectangular but with concave ends and a raised square and star design on the face. They look very substantial, so not the kind of equipment you usually associate with cavalry described as ‘light’.

The mounts are exactly the same as those in Set 1, so we find some fairly poor poses and a lot of heavy armour on these animals, including a large chamfron covering much of the head on many, which again belies the label of ‘light’. Of more concern is that the horses are too broad for most of the human poses to actually sit on the saddle, so a lot of work will be needed to make rider fit horse properly.

The last two poses bear all the traditional hallmarks of command figures – a standard-bearer and someone in charge. Both have fancy crests on their helmets, and while the standard is obvious, the ‘officer’ figure holds a weapon that is sort of a long blade on a short staff – something like a polearm with half the pole sawn off. This man also got double the cloth ration to make his cloak, which is consequently a bit more convincing, and his legs look like they may have some form of armour above the knees, so it seems that even in the world of fantasy, the officers get the best of the kit.

Almost everything about these figures screams Easterlings from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, although of course the box makes no such claim. The helmets are a little different, but most of the costume, and in particular the shields, bear a strong resemblance to that popular fantasy element. The figures are pretty complex in terms of detail, and the sculpting is up to the challenge, as these are nice figures to look at. That the men do not fit their horses well is a great pity, but with good human poses and spectacular costumes, these are figures well worth the effort should this be the kind of subject that interests you.