ALL72058

Having previously made sets of light cavalry for Light Eastern Tribes, here we find the first of the corresponding heavy cavalry sets. These creatures are well protected, beginning with the helmet, which here is unique to each rider, and with many strange crests and ridges, some looking like horns. Everyone wears what looks like a mail hauberk, and over the top of this is a cuirass made of plates with points that point upwards. This is waist length for most, but the last man pictured (which we might assume to be in command) has his full length. All also have some sort of plate armour along the lower arm which includes a plate on the back of the hand, and all have either long gaiters or boots that are tightened by straps down the outer side. In short, the costume bears more than a passing resemblance to that of the Easterlings in Lord of the Rings, particularly the helmets and body armour.

The main weapon here is the lance, being about 40 mm (2.9 metres) in length and with a huge head. The trumpeter is armed with only a sword, but the staff on which the standard is mounted looks like quite a terrifying weapon in its own right, and the thing carried by the last man, something like an axe, also looks like it could do a lot of damage. Four of the poses carry a rectangular shield with concave sides (another Easterling characteristic), and the remaining two have a round one. All have a central boss, but all are held by straps rather than a central handle. The shields look to be particularly chunky, and are heavily engraved with geometric designs.

In our comments of the light cavalry we pointed out that the horses were pretty well-protected for light troops, but those here are even more protected. Every animal has barding both front and back, and apparently made of scale, mail or simple padded fabric. Several have a chanfron, and the rest have a hood made of the same material as the rest of their armour. The poses are not all particularly realistic (for real-world horses), but no worse than many others in other sets.

The fit between rider and horse is a bit variable, with some fitting well and others struggling to sit fully on the saddle. However the sculpting is pleasing, especially since these are very exotic creations with a lot of detail, and they could make a very colourful subject for painting, should you choose.