I have always been interested in Eastern Native American subjects, but recently I have been going further back in time, back to the age of the Vinland Sagas. In those sagas, we hear of encounters with Skraelings, the Viking term for Indians (probably the now extinct Beothuk). In my search for suitable figures, I came across M.Y. Miniatures line for this period. They have Vinland Vikings, Ancient Indians, and Inuits (yes, I said Inuits!). Naturally I placed a small order to see how they looked and if I could use them for early Mound Builders, as well.

After some confusion with PayPal and incomplete e-mail addresses, my figures arrived from the U.K. I ordered one of each pack, just enough to see what they looked like, but not enough to regret the purchase if I didn't like them. There are only three packs in the line, but enough variety within each pack to make a nice looking De Bellis Antiquitatis army.

Firsts, some standards about the line. Each pack comes with eight figures, ranging from 15mm-17mm from the bottom of the foot to the eyes and having a medium build in "heft" (using the Barrett Scale). An X-acto knife will clean up the little flash and the minimal mold lines. There are a variety of weapons, many cast individually, giving the potential for even more variety.

• AI1 (the Warband pack) - There are four different poses (standing with arms at side, running with right arm forward, standing with both arms upraised, and standing with right arm upright in a throwing position), and three different weapon types (long and short spears and clubs). All the figures are wearing only breechclouts, and all of the figures have their hair pulled back, two of them being adorned with feathers. Most of the poses are proportionate, but the two with the feathers in their hair seem to have legs a tad on the short side. The spear points resemble flint or chert, and the clubs are stone, which would be correct for 1000 A.D., as the Indians did not have iron weaponry at this time. There are also two bundles, almost like quivers, perhaps they represent some sort of token or relic.
• AI2 (Bows pack) - Lacks the variety of the Warband pack, having only two poses (four standing, four kneeling). Wearing breechclout, the hair is pulled back (four with feathers). All have a quiver across their backs, the kneeling figures have an arrow notched, the standing must have just loosed theirs on an unsuspecting Norseman. The figures are cleanly cast (one must cut a bit of flash from the standing figures' bows) and in the correct proportions.
• AI3 (Command pack) - It has five figures from the previous two packs (two from the Bows and three from the Warband) and three leaders. The leaders are the same pose, standing holding a spear, feathers in their hair. Instead of breechclout, they have some sort of flax coat draped around their shoulders (I bet there is a breechclout underneath though!).

Within the Inuit listing, I found a woolly mammoth, so ordered one! Measuring 30mm from sole to shoulder, the mammoth comes with a separate head and tusks. Okay, I know that the mammoth is in the Archaic Age, thousands of years before the Beothuks, but I couldn't resist. Also listed are polar bears, a rhino (!), sleds, dogs, and even Inuits with firearms!

Okay, so where do you could use these figures? In DBA, there is an Eastern Forest Indian list (IV/9). To complete an army, one would need nine stands of Warband (one being the general) and three stands of Psiloi. Buy one pack of Command, three packs of Warband, one pack of Bows, and you have your DBA army. Cost: $13.67, plus $4.10 for shipping, a total of $17.77. Not too shabby! Oh, and don't forget about the six packs of Vikings (have to have an opponent, right?) and the 10 packs in the Inuit listings. M.Y. Miniatures also has other ranges, from Ancient Egypt through the Greek War of Independence.

One could also use these figures for early Mound Builder groups, such as the Adena and Hopewell (just leave out the bows please). Standard packs cost £1.50, which comes out to $2.73, now (34 cents a foot figure). Shipping to the U.S. is 30% of the order total (my total was only $3.55). M.Y. does not have a U.S. distributor, you have to order directly from them. If you e-mail your order, they will send you an invoice to pay with PayPal. You can also mail them a check in U.K. pounds, but PayPal is so much easier. Turnaround time (once I got my payment correctly sent) was about two weeks.

Contact M.Y. Miniatures, 7 St. Peters Ln., Laxton, Goole, East Yorkshire DN14 7UA. Tel/fax (01430) 431009, e-mail: royalistmymins@yahoo.co.uk. Website: www.geocities.com/mickyarrowminiatures/index.html.