When I mentioned that my painting project for this year was Medievals to Michael Gustar, owner of The Quartermaster, he tossed me three packs of knights. They were from Falcon's Eastern Late Medieval range of 24 packs, suitable (the catalog says) "to make any of the armies of central and eastern Europe." I saw little reason why these figures could not also be used for Western Europe, as well.

The figures are cast in lead-free pewter, each pack containing four identical mounted knights or three different command figures. Rider and mount are cast in one piece. All horses wear caparisons, which are molded with minimal folds to make painting heraldry easier. The horse's head and legs peeking out from beneath the cloth are a bit spindly, but should be a snap to paint. As my friends know, I detest painting horses. So, the less intricacy on the mount, the happier I am! The riders are described below:

ELM1 General and bodyguard knights. Carrying a mace with a nasty spike, the general wears a closed helm, breastplate and leg armor. His wide triangular "heater shield" is flat and accessible, so decals or fine brushwork will be simple to apply. His bodyguards have two different types of helms and carry their lances upright. I think I will scratch-build pennons for these to liven up this command group, as the figures themselves are fairly basic. There is a slight bit of flash and an unfortunate mold line down the helms that will need work, but no major problems.

ELM2 Knight, open-faced bascinet, heater shield, caparisoned horse, charging. With a title like that, who needs a review? This is the most active of the three packs, with the rider leaning across the horse to his right to either sight down the lance shaft or get more of his body behind it. He wears plate and chainmail, and with the open-faced bascinet, could be used as an earlier period knight, if wanted. A small pennon is cast blowing along the lance, so should strengthen it against accidental damage. The heater shield is accessible for heraldry, as above.

ELM3 Knight, pig-nosed helm, couched lance, heater shield, charging. Another mouthful of a title. The pig nose is the spike-like nasal piece on the front of the closed helm. His armor is a mix of plate and quilted -- steel front breastplate, helm, leg armor and cloth neck and back piece. An interesting mix of armor, which along with the large fabric sleeves, will add a dash of color to these knights. Full plate armor IS easier to paint, but a little color or variety makes a stand of figures more eye-appealing. In which case, this pack can be used to spice up your late medieval knights.

Although from an Eastern range, all of the above figures could be painted up for Western armies. These are not hefty figures, though, tending towards the smaller and thinner "true 15mm" end of the scale. If you are mixing with other manufacturers (as I do), I advise seeing if Michael Gustar will send you a sample or checking them out at a con, first. They are simple, workmanlike figures that will paint up well. I look forward to adding them to my Medieval project.

Contact the Quartermaster at 290 Amberly Blvd., Ancaster, ONT, Canada L9G3Y6. (905) 648-1250, or e-mail: jmichael@interlynx.net. Web site: www.garrison-clubs.org/quartermaster.

Carried by The Quartermaster.

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