The name Skytrex, is probably more familiar to those wargamers involved in 1/300 scale modern games. This series is I believe, their first venture into the world of larger scale historical figures. The range offers the basic types of troops and artillery for the civil wars and the latter years of the Thirty Years War. All the castings I received, show a high level of detail and expertise in making. Finally, a 15mm designer has found the right balance between detail, animation and anatomy. However, the line is not without its faults.
The figures I received are the following;
- C1104, unarmored pikeman in helmet,
C1180, command group in helmet
First of all, I must begin by picking out one flaw that seems to be common to many ECW ranges, that is, the irritating habit of depicting infantry in lobster pots While such helmets may have been worn by officers, there is as far as I can determine, no evidence to support the infantry as a whole wearing the lobsters. The line would have been better served by offering figures in morion or cabacete, or even monmouth caps. However, since it is so common, I must be the only one irritated by it, so enough sermonizing, onto the review.
Compatability: Being cast in exact 15mm scale, these figures fit in quite well with Mike's Models, Freikorps and Peter Laing, though not as robust as the Freikorps pieces.
Anatomy and Animation: As I mentioned earlier, the figures show an excellent balance for the scale, and have just enough detail to pinpoint the period. The figures in the command set are adequately animated, though the one pikeman was "in reserve", so I can't really comment on the animation of the infantry as a whole.
Paintability: Generally speaking, uniforms of the 17th century are much simpler to paint than those of the earlier Renaissance. The only pro blem that might occur, is that the standard bearer has an integraliv cast flag, which makes both flag and figure difficult to paint. With that exception, both novice and expert should enjoy painting these figures.
Suitability: The present offerings are sufficient for raising complete armies of the civil wars, however, gamers interested in the Thirty Years War, will have to look elsewhere for specific European types.
One word of caution, the pikeman as mentioned, is unarmored, and as such, he is more suitable for the Royalist forces of the early years of the war than the Parliamentary forces, which tended to be better armed. Rating our tiny warriors would be as follows;
| FIGURE | ANATOMY | ANIMATION |
|---|---|---|
| Officer | .9 | .8 |
| Standard | .9 | .7 |
| Drummer | .9 | .6 |
| Pikeman | .9 | .6 |
| FIGURE | PAINTABILITY | CASTING |
| Officer | .8 | 1.0 |
| Standard | .4 | .8 |
| Drummer | .6 | 1.0 |
| Pikeman | .9 | 1.0 |
In conclusion, this is a fine range of figures, worth considering if you are into 15mm pike and shot Until recently, they were only available from England, however, they now have a US importer Write to: S-G SIMULATIONS, 760 N Indian Rocks Road, Belleair Bluffs, Florida 33540.
More Reviews
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Figures: Citadel 25mm Medievals
Figures: Skytrex 15mm English Civil War
Figures: Freicorps 15mm Seven Years War
Book: Napoleon's Great Adversaries
Book: The Troops of Electoral Saxony during the 30 Years War
Rules: Third World Wars
Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. IV No. 2
© Copyright 1982 by The Courier Publishing Company.
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