Lamming:

Ancient Classic Greeks/Persians

by Jay Hadley

There was a time when table top gamers bought their figures from One of two places: California or England. However, with the Hinchliffe and Miniature Figurines lines being produced in the United States beginning in the early 1970's and the rise of sculpters such as Glanzer, Chernak, Rubin and Meier the English manufactured figures assumed a lesser role in American wargaming.

Today because of the wealth of figures available in this country, we seldom have the opportunity to review English products in depth. The newer gamer in our hobby might be surprised to find out that the English manufacturers produce more different types of figures than do their American counterparts. Add to this the fact that there are more figure companies in England than in the states you have a situation well worth looking into.

One such firm is LAMMING MINIATURES, 254 Wincolmbe, Hull, Yorkshire, HU2 OPZ. Lamming has a unique approach to the manufacturing of gaming miniatures with several of their selections having seperate heads, shields, and weapons. There is a danger in this approach for the wargamer because every part must be very secure to prevent breakage during a game. The advantage, of course, is that you have a greatly increased amount of variety.

Lamming produces a very impressive line of Greeks and Persians from the classic period of Xerses and the Greek city state. The Scythian Archer (AG-4), Persian Medium Infantry (AG-9), and the Persian Levy Spearman (AG-17) are very representative of the Persian army. All three are sculpted in the classic gaming position which combines action and the ability to mass the figures into tight formations.

They all have rather stocky appearance that is typical of many English lines, and they can best be compared to MiniFigs in style and detail. Some of the heads of the figures may also appear a bit large, but this is offset by the various heads that are interchangeable. Rating: Anatomy- .6, animation-.6, Detail-.4, Paintability-.5, and Casting Quality - .4. Total Rating: 2.5.

Two of Lamming's mounted figures (AG-19) and (AG- 18) are two piece castings with ir,terchangeable heads. The Persian Medium Cavalry is very nice but somewhat stoic in positioning. The lines of the figure are very clean with good proportions. .The Numedian is somewhat disappointing, however. The head does not fit well on the body and the horse is undersized with a lack of detail. Rating: Anatomy- .4, Animation- .6, Detail - .4, Paintability - .5, Casting Quality - .4. Total Rating: 2.3.

The Lamming Classic Greeks for this period are excellent. The interchangable heads really extend the possible figure types available to your army. The hoplite (AG-3) and the Companion Cavalryman (AG-13) both show an adherrence to detail and offer endless possibilities for gaming combinations. Considering the period and its emphasis on individual preferences in uniforms the more variety you can get the better off you are. The facial detail is superb and makes figures a pleasure to paint. Rating: Anatomy- .8, Animation- .8, Detail - .8, Paintability - .6, Casting Quality - .6. Total Rating - 3.6.

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