Ral Partha

25mm Medievals

Reviewed by George Schneider and Lance McKenzie

Ral Partha has released HIGH CHIVALRY: The Masterpiece Collection, a set of nine 25mm medieval knights for use with fantasy armies and role-playing adventure games. COURIER readers would be more pleased to know that this beautiful set of 15th Century knights will be a valuable addition to their historical armies and medieval skirmishers.

The set includes eight dismounted knights armed with sword & shield, two-handed swords, maces and battle-axes, plus a mounted knights on caparisoned horse with sword & shield. Ral Partha has maintained its excellent standards of casting and sculpting with this set, as demonstrated already in so many historical periods. Poses are varied and animated, and each figure is unique enough to portray the individuality associated with medieval chivalry.

Beginners should have an easy time painting these figures to acceptable realism, while advanced painters have the opportunity to lavish detail upon armor and surcoat details. Some shields bear imprinted heraldic devices, though a little filing will enable purists to paint their own coats-of-arms. A little imagination will lead to great results for gaming or dioramas alike. This set is highly recommended.

Other Ral Partha 25mm Medievals
by Lance McKenzie

Ral Partha has added a number of new listings to their already extensive 25mm Medieval era range. These packs can be combined with others in the 1200 A.D. series to create a Norman or Early Crusader army. All figures display the rich detail typical of Ral Partha figures. The metal quality is very good, and mold lines are only slight. Piano wire spears with separate alloy tips are provided for those needing them, such as the foot spearmen, knights, and turcopoles.

Two command packs, one Norman, and one Frankish add a nice touch. one of the three mounted figures in the Norman Command Pack is bareheaded thus exposing the characteristic Norman shaved-nape. The Frankish command pack has a sword-waving King on a beautiful charger, and three foot figures, one a monk with the true-cross. The turcopoles are well-done and have some individual variations of the same pose creating a more irregular appearance. The Maronite archer is one of my personal favorites due to his suprbly detailed beard and strong facial features.

Problems arise from some of the horses lacking reigns (an oddity characteristic of other Ral Partha horses), and with their rather stylized galloping and prancing poses. Also, while most of these figures exhibit good anatomical proportions some have very small torsos in relation to their heads, legs and arms. The new range comes blister-packed with three mounted or 6 foot per pack and retail for $4.00 per pack of foot, and $4.50 per mounted pack. it is good to see Ral Partha continuing to release quality historical figures.

The Reviewing Stand

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