I have reviewed Tumbling Dice figures before, and very good they were. These keep up the high standard of the previous lots. These new figures are for The War of the Roses - a kind of civil war in England with these two noble houses, Lancaster and York at each others throats. If you read The Pastons - Letters of a Family in the War of the Roses edited by Richard Barber., Penquin, ISBN 0-14-057-002-0. This is real history not fiction tho' the spellings in the letters has been modernised.

Quote:- "Margaret Paston to her husband John. "Right worshipful husband, I commend myself to you and ask you to get some crossbows, and windlasses to wind them with, and crossbow bolts, for your houses are so low* that no one can shoot out of them with a longbow, however much we needed to." Not quite what some films would have us believe about 15th century ladies evidently! Sir John Falstaff also appears = Sir John Falstaff of Wm Shakespeare. I will list the figures sent and comment and draw some of them, not to scale. (* ceilings too low to hold a longbow properly) [Rumour has it that Englishmen can still be fined for failing to practise with their bows on the village green on Sundays after church! Anyone know if this is true?] Some suppliers will have blister packs for sale.

Tumbling Dice will do individual prices = Foot & Riders @ 30p, Horses @ 60p, Artillery & Crew £ 3.60, Starter Pack £ 16.20 (60 figures). Discount Army Packs £ 30 = 8 knights, 24 armoured bills, 24 armoured bows, 12 bills, 12 liveried bows, 1 gun + crew and Command; that is trumpeter mounted, standard bearer mounted, 3 foot standard bearers, 3 foot standard bearers and two horses.

Unarmed bill. (Head as armoured). He wears a leather jack and has a sword balanced by a dagger at his belt. His helmet is a visored bascinet with breather holes.

Unarmed bow. He wears a sallet and aventail. His quiver is the short kind on his right hip. Sword on his left hip, dagger on his right buttock.

Two poses mounted and foot, 3 different heads MAA.

Polearm, surcoat with short caped sleeves, closed helmet, plate armour, sword & dagger. Sword, brandished, surcoat with caped sleeves, sallet, dagger in left hand. Good pose. Sword, the same except sallet seems longer in 'the tail'.

3 mounted figures with lances, plate armour.

One pose Armoured Bowmen, 5 different heads.

Knights, two poses, mounted and foot, 3 heads.

Crossbow (bow separate)

Handgun, armoured, simple sallet, sword & dagger. In 1439 the army in the pay of Bologna used handgunners against a Venetian force, They killed a lot of Venetian knights but the Venetians won the battle and massacred all the handgunners they could find "who had stooped so low to use this cruel and cowardly innovation, gunpowder". So make sure your handgunners are on the winning side!

Armoured billmen, one pose, six heads.

Horses, 4 of them. Good poses. One in a gothic bard, one with a chamfron, a Courser (to give a knight a comfortable ride) and a Hackney for sergeants and hobilars to ride. Forthcoming in this range include: Scots, Irish and Welsh.

More Reviews:

28mm Seven Years War
25mm Japanese Civilians
25mm Zulus
20mm War of the Roses
Flintlogue Fantasy Figures and Rules