Perhaps the fastest growing sub-genre of gaming is the Dark Ages Period, encompassed under the general banner of "Ancient Wargaming," with a certain cross-appeal to fantasy addicts. For you enthusiasts of Europe's misty early medieval age, there is good news from Australia's The Tin Soldier, Inc. Received for review were the 15mm Viking, Saxon and Norman ranges. In production by the time you read this will be 10th and 11th century Byzantines (fast eclipsing the Successors as the most popular army), Carolingians and Arabs. All sculptings are based on the lan Heath book, "Armies of the Dark Ages." The renderings are accurate, with a splendid variety of castings to each line. The figures most closely resemble Minifigs' 25mm Ancient line in style and execution. Anatomy is, on the whole, well-proportioned, being most consistent with the standing figures. the running figures are well-proportioned unto themselves, but slightly larger when contrasted with the abovementioned "resting stance." The Viking Berserker is the weakest as regards proportion; the head is too big (as is the upper half of the body) and he is, again, larger than the remainder of the figures in the range. Turning to the animation of the figures, one is impressed with the "naturalness" of the various poses, whether firing missile weapons, relaxed stance in reserve, or advancing to the attack and charging. There is a believability to the poses which enhances the style of the figures. For example, the running figures are crouched forward and a small sprue can be cut from the lifted foot to allow for greater animation . Perhaps the strongest point of this new range is the excellent detail. Chainmail is depicted as "crosshatched," rather than the "pin-hole" style. Facial detail is good and, as befits the subjects, there are a good many hefty moustaches. The weapons and shields are in good proportion to the figures themselves, though the axes seem to require two hands to wield. The Viking Huscarl and Berserker are doublearmed. In addition, several figures come with separate weapons, including a Norman's crossbow, and the Saxon standard bearer has a separate Dragon standard My favorite is the Viking Chieftain wearing Sutton Hoo type helmet and a nicely folded cloak, with a large beard. The King Harold figure in the Saxon line has two-handed axe and teardrop shield; on a conical helmet is his royal crown. The figures are nicely undercut and leggings, shield handles and belts and straps are finely delineated, as is quilted armor. There was a minimal amount of flash on the figures, but several of the side-arm swords did not cast properly. The figures can be painted simply for quick use on the wargaming table, or as elaborately as one wishes. Overall, there is a high consistent quality, and a certain "robustness" to the figures. They will certainly enhance any wargaming table. This is a very impressive first effort. Figure Anatomy Animation Detail Paint Casting Total Overall Quality .7 .8 .8 .7 .7 3.7 Viking Chieftain .8 .8 .9 .8 .8 4.1 Viking Huscarl .8 .7 .7 .7 .7 3.6 Viking Berserker .5 .5 .5 .7 .6 2.8 King Harold (Saxon) .8 .6 .8 .8 .8 3.8 Saxon Fyrd (Phrygian cap) .6 .9 .9 .8 .6 4.0 Norman Crossbowman .7 .7 .8 .8 .9 3.9 Norman Heavy Infantryman .7 .6 .6 .7 .7 3.3 More Reviews MiniFigs Superdetailed 15mm Napoleonics (figures) Tin Soldier 15mm Dark Ages (figures) Combat Commander (rules) War of 1812 Resource Guide (bibliography) Each figure is rated on ANATOMY, ANIMATION, DETAIL PAINTABILITY, & CASTING QUALITY. Each quality is rated 0 to 1 (in tenths), 1 being "best possible". The five ratings are added for an overall score that scales as follows: 0-.9 = reject 2-2.9 = acceptable 3-3.9 = good 4-5 = a must. Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. 2 #2 To Courier List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1980 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com