In 1976, I traded in my carefully painted 25mm Napoleonic armies for a considerably larger number of 15mm Minifig blanks and let myself in for an orgy of painting which it has taken me 23 years to realise I will probably never complete. This troop scale now seems to have become the gaming standard (I can hear the howls of outrage from the dedicated 25mm users) but, just as the old 25mm crept up in height to 28mm (some even taller!), the modern 15mm is often 18mm and my Minifig dwarfs have to stand on really thick bases to impress the enemy.

10mm

There are a number of aspects upon which a reviewer can base an opinion: detail, uniform/equipment accuracy, proportions, cleanliness of moulding, breadth of range, etc. On all these counts, Check 6's figures score highly. The detail is excellent. Facial features are clear, the muskets are well-defined with the bayonets clearly distinguishable and accurately positioned whilst such minutiae as epaulettes, shako plates and coat tail turnbacks are easily discernible. I could find no fault, either, with the uniform detail on the figures we received. There was no flash and very little evidence of ridging from the mould joints. The list we were sent indicates that the range will cover French (1806- 1814), British (most infantry in stovepipe shakos, thank heaven), Russian (1805-1813) and Austrian/Germans of various periods.

Not all these were indicated as available at the time of receipt. Cavalry, infantry and artillery are listed for all nations, although we were not sent cavalry for any country save France. Within this span, examples are available in various poses, there are command packs and, where relevant, flank company packs.

With all these bouquets, are there any brickbats? Well, I am not convinced about the proportion of mounted figures against their mounts. The horses for the French heavy cavalry seem just a touch small, although I am not an expert in these things, so that my comment is entirely subjective. Having said that, I can find little else to criticise adversely; the other proportions look fine and there is no "big head" syndrome or "massive weapon" problem (should I rephrase that?) but I would point out that the overall height of an infantry figure, from top of base to top of shako, is 13 mm.

I believe the criterion is that a scale indicates the measurement from top of base to where the crown of the head would be within any headgear. I reckon these figures are 11.5mm in this respect and so are a touch on the large side.

Now the acid test. How do they paint-up? This aspect gave me real problems. 10mm is a young man's (or woman's) scale. My physical stamina and mental stability was sorely tested when I tried to paint a British infantryman. I found it absolutely necessary to use a magnifying glass and very powerful spotlight to allow my poor old eyes to see the detail well enough to attempt the colouring process.

Of course, this meant the brush hairs looked like a witches broom- head made of inch-thick wood branches. I managed it in the end but the experience led me not to attempt colouring any of the finer detail and shading was something I did not contemplate. I also limited my efforts to one figure and that took me close to an hour of painstaking effort, frequent spells to straighten the kinks in my spine and a stream of not too choice language.

I fully acknowledge that, at 59, I am not, perhaps, the ideal person to attempt this exercise but, for those of you out there of similar vintage, forewarned is fore-armed. I can not, in all conscience, hold this against the figures. I believe a younger person with better eyesight and a steadier hand, would find the task less fraught, so I will have to rely on my youthful colleagues in the club to complete the paint job.

For those of more tender years, I would fully recommend these miniatures for their positive attributes. They are as good as almost any 15mm figures I have seen - with no allowances for their smaller size, and will provide the wargamer with a less expensive means of putting a greater number of impressive-looking troops on to the same size table top without filling every square inch with painted metal, 6mm figures notwithstanding. If you are not put off by the problems of painting which I experienced, go out and buy some - you will not be disappointed.

AIM

Prices are £ 1.20 per pack. The figures are available from the Check 6 stand at most of the wargame shows, or send a 39p SAE to: Check 6, 7 Glyndon Road, Plumstead, London, UK SE18 7PD