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HYTTY

Set 1002

Persians

All figures are supplied unpainted    (Numbers of each pose in brackets)
Stats
Date Released Unknown
Contents 10 foot figures, 4 mounted figures and 4 horses
Poses 7 poses, 2 horse poses
Material Plastic (Medium Consistency)
Colours Light Grey, Brick Red, Light Tan
Average Height 23 mm (= 1.66 m)

Review

HYTTY and their associates tend to give no information on their sets apart from the name. Here we have a set of Persians, but the time period is not specified. In view of some of their other output, it would seem reasonable that these are meant to date from the time of Alexander, yet they bear little resemblance to those men. The 'classic' look of the Persian infantry and cavalry of that time was that of Median dress, with the tunic, trousers, cloak and the 'tiara' cloth cap. None of these figures are dressed in this way, though some do wear a tunic. Two wear a long robe which preceded the change to Median dress, so the dating may be late sixth to early fifth century BCE or before.

Regardless of the intended date, the real problem with these figures is the poor quality workmanship. All of them are quite flat both in body and in pose, and detail is also very shallow and indistinct. Several figures have ring hands, for which separate spears are provided. However as is so often the case with this manufacturer, the two do not fit together. The spears are very thick - in fact about the same thickness as the hands of the men, so no matter how much the hole in the hand is enlarged, it will not take the spear until the whole hand has been worn away. Even if the spear could be successfully inserted, it would be pointing to the side of the figure in most cases, rather than in the direction the figure is looking, so the resulting pose would look ridiculous. A number of separate shields are also provided, but these have no secure means of being attached to the figures, so it is necessary to simply glue the shield to the arm and hope the bond sticks (an unlikely result if the figures are to be handled).

The quality of the mould is also very poor, with some plastic missing in places. In our review sample the legs of one of the horses are only rounded on one side, and are quite flat on the other. There is a reasonable amount of flash, though this is not too serious, and at least the mounted men fit their horses quite well. Yet this is an unattractive set, and significantly inferior to sets of Persians from other manufacturers in every respect.


Ratings

Historical Accuracy 4
Pose Quality 3
Pose Number 3
Sculpting 2
Mould 5

Further Reading
Books
"Alexander 334-323 BC" - Osprey (Campaign Series No.7) - John Warry - 9781855321106
"Ancient Armies" - Concord - Tim Newark and Angus McBride - 9789623616461
"Armies of the Greek and Persian Wars" - Wargames Research Group - Richard Nelson - 9780904417104
"Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars" - Wargames Research Group - Duncan Head - 9780950029948
"Marathon 490 BC" - Osprey (Campaign Series No.108) - Nicholas Sekunda - 9781841760001
"The Greek and Persian Wars 500-323 BC" - Osprey (Men-at-Arms Series No.69) - Jack Cassin-Scott - 9780850452716
"The Persian Army 560-330 BC" - Osprey (Elite Series No.42) - Nicholas Sekunda - 9781855322509
"Thermopylae 480 BC" - Osprey (Campaign Series No.188) - Nic Fields - 9781841761800
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