I recently wrote to Robert Hagerty, owner of Imperialist Enterprises, to inquire about getting a few figures for review for The Herald, as well as satisfying my own curiosity in the appearance of his figure line. Robert wrote back, asking which figures I wanted to look at, and he included a listing of the available figures as well as a copy of his newsletter, "Le Roi Soleil Gazetteer." I shot back a reply to him, and a short time later received in the mail a package full of goodies. Needless to say, I only asked for a couple of figs, but Robert was gracious enough to include a total of eight figures and two horses.

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect. Other than seeing the occasional ad in the MWAN, I hadn't heard (or seen) much about this line. Overall, I am pleased with the figures sent for review, however some figures are definitely better than others. Mr. Hagerty has employed (by my count) four different sculptors, and the differences are noticeable, although all the figures are scaled roughly the same. All of the figures seem to blend fairly well with Old Glory, with some of the figures having slightly less heft.

Figures sent for review:

FRENCH (sculpted by G. Valley and J. Mastrangelo) - 21 figures in this line

F01 - Musketeer, belly box, plain coat, advancing - this figure appears to be a little on the skinny side, although height-wise will mix in with other lines. Musket is a bit off and missing detail. Cost 85 cents.

F02 - Musketeer, belly box, plain coat, at ready to fire. More heft makes this figure an improvement over F01, although they both appear to be done by the same sculptor. Musket detail better (bands on this one, but not on F01 and F07). Cost 85 cents.

F07 - Guard Musketeer, coat lace, belly box, standing with musket on left shoulder. Good lace detail, nice heft. Musket detail somewhat lacking. Cost 85 cents.

F11a - Trooper of Horse, charging, drawn sword, cording on right shoulder (wearing tricorn). This and the next two figures are very good! They remind me of RSM figures, but crisper and more animated. Buttons are very clean, cross belting very distinctive. This one will paint up nicely! Cost $2 (includes horse).

F13b - Dragoon, charging, cloth cap, drawn sword. Again, a very cleanly cast figure, with a resolute look on his face. This and F11a above are cast with saddle equipment and fit fairly well over the two horses (see below) provided. Cost $2 (includes horse).

F15a - Dismounted Dragoon, attacking, plug bayonet, cloth cap - a dandy figure! Again, sculpted by the same person who did the previous two entries, this figure is advancing with musket held port arms, nice detail (including spurs!). Cost 85 cents. I am not sure which sculptor did which piece, but the cavalry figures are definitely superior to the infantry. I hope that any futures releases for the French are done by the person who sculpted the cavalry.

PRUSSIANS (sculpted by Chris von Fahnestock -- a member of Great Lakes)

P01 - Musketeer, on guard, sword worn under coat - I am not fond of this figure. Oh sure, the height will mix in with other manufacturers, but this musketeer looks as though he was scrunched by a steam roller! Two dimensional casting, detail rough. Cost 85 cents.

P02 - Grenadier, on guard, mitre, sword worn under coat. Now this figure is very good! It is similar to the French cavalry figures described above. Again, has that "RSM feel" to it. The mitre has very good detail (grenades and all!). I find it hard to believe that these two castings were sculpted by the same person, leading me to believe that the grenadier is actually a fusilier modified from RSM's Seven Years War line. Cost $1.

HORSES

H3 - Medium horse, trotting (3 variants). I received two of the three variants available. If these are the medium horses, then the heavy horses should be giants! Placing the cavalry figures on the horses gives one the impression that the horse is in control. Don't get me wrong, I believe this is the right approach. I' ve seen too many cavalry figures that are too large for the horse, dwarfing the size of this most powerful beast. I like the look of cavalry figures on these castings. The two variants are similar to a degree, but hoof and tail position are slightly different. Good castings.

Imperialist Enterprises also offers English and Austrians (currently 19), as well as two heavy horses and a heavy and light cannon. Prices range from 85 cents for some foot to $5.25 for the heavy cannon. All mounted figures do come with a choice of horse.

Where some castings are very good, I would use only some of the figures to add some variety to other manufacturers lines. I hope that Mr. Hagerty continues to expand this line (and I hope he uses certain sculptors over others). You can place an order by writing to Robert at: 229 North 2nd Street Apt. C, Elkhart, IN 46516-3024 or call (219) 293-4398 after 4 p.m.

Reviews

Imperialist Enterprises 25mm War of the Spanish Succession review
Robin L. Miller Miniatures Hallmark 1/6000 WWII Ships and 1/1200 WWII Aircraft
Robin L. Miller Miniatures Heroics & Ros 5mm
Guns of Liberty Wargame Rules for the American Revolution