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HYTTY

Set 2003

Alexander The Great Cavalry

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All figures are supplied unpainted    (Numbers of each pose in brackets)
Stats
Date Released Unknown
Contents 9 mounted figures, 9 horses and 2 foot figures
Poses 11 poses
Material Plastic (Medium Consistency)
Colours Black
Average Height 25 mm (= 1.8 m)

Review

After a long period during which the campaigns of Alexander the Great could only be recreated with a few Atlantic figures, HYTTY started producing figures at about the same time as HaT and Zvezda. With excellent figures from both the latter two manufacturers, HYTTY needed to produce something special to compete. What they actually produced was a mess.

In a set you get nine mounted figures - all different poses - with a variety of horses. In addition, and for no apparent reason, you get two foot figures. All look like they were reasonably researched, and appear to have fair detail, but it all went horribly wrong when they came out of the mould. First of all, they are rendered in a charcoal grey plastic which is translucent, two characteristics that make it very difficult to make out features. Then there is the flash. There's loads of it on all figures, and some rather larger bits where the mould has not joined properly. On some there are apparent air holes, meaning bits of weapons are simply missing. The sculpting is also very variable. None of the figures seem to have necks, which makes then look more like carved blobs than models of real human beings. The figures vary considerably in size, as of course do real people, but many of the poses are rather odd and clearly done to make the mould-making process easier rather than produce anything useful.

There's more. Several of the figures have separate weapons, but none have adequate ring hands or can in any way comfortably accommodate these. You would have to glue and accept a very weak bond, though frankly it's difficult to see why you would bother to try. The horses, though sporting a good variety of harnesses and saddlery, just don't seem very equine. In any case, the mounted figures don't really sit on them - it's more a case of balancing above the horse with knees well out - and the whole thing is very awkward. Oh yes, and not a man among them has any reins etc.

By now you may get the impression that we didn't like this set, so we will stop there. Needless to say, don't waste your money.


Ratings

Historical Accuracy 7
Pose Quality 5
Pose Number 9
Sculpting 5
Mould 2

Further Reading
Books
"Age of Conquerors" - Concord (Fighting Men Series) - Tim Newark - 9789623611008
"Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars" - Wargames Research Group - Duncan Head - 9780950029948
"Cavalry" - Arms and Armour - V Vuksic and Z Grbasic - 9781854095008
"Granicus 334 BC" - Osprey (Campaign Series No.182) - Michael Thompson - 9781846030994
"Greece and Rome at War" - Greenhill - Peter Connolly - 9781853673030
"The Army of Alexander the Great" - Osprey (Men-at-Arms Series No.148) - Nick Sekunda - 9780850455397
"Warfare in Ancient Greece" - Sutton - Tim Everson - 9780750933186
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