Foundry

25mm Ancient Assyrians (figures)

Reviewed By David Barnes

Review of Foundry latest releases from their ranges in 25mm. Available from The Foundry Ltd., Huberts Lane, off Doyle Road, St. Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 IRG, Channel Islands, GB

The cover of Donald Featherstone's "Wargames Through the Ages: 300OBC to 1500 AD" has some 30mn flat Assyrians, archers and horsemen on it. I was well into wargaming by the time I bought it in 1972 am it reawakened dreams of Assyrians I'd had in the 1960s looking at the same author's "Wargames" with it illustrations of ancient battles peopled by similar flat warriors. After many years I got hold of some, but not enough to build and army. Here are their modern counterparts and they will be available in mid summer. Here is a list of which I have some samples. I'm desperately fighting the urge to put myself down for "deals in advance" which Foundry run. Only time will tell!

Heavy/guard infantry standing and advancing Heavy archers - heavy guard command packs. Siege archers - auxiliary infantry and auxiliary archers Auxiliary slingers and command packs Assyrian cavalry - lancers and archers Cavalry command and guard packs, Scythian/Cimmerian light horse archers, Scythian/Cimmerian command and arab camel archers Assyrian 4 man 4 horse chariots, Command and King's chariots, Mounted infantry on carts, Baggage camels/mules/cart, Assyrian soldiers crossing river on goatskins (not as in the list "goatskin's") King, scribes and casualties.

Here's the list of samples I have (numbers on these packs will not be the ones the figures are sold under)

Assyrian Archers The Assyrians used light and heavy archers in all kinds of roles and were the main power of the army, backed up by slingers who operated in pairs behind each archer. Eight archers in this pack. 2 have helmets so they could be called heavy; one is knocking the arrow, the other loosing. They have quivers of arrows on their backs and short swords on their left hips. They wear high boots (up to the knee). They have segmented armour for the body over a tunic. They wear the distinctive fringed kilt. On further inspection I see all eight have tunics to the waist of little metal plates so they can all be counted as heavy archers. Some have their separate angular bows cast to their bases for separation and gluing. The knocking archers have their arrows in their right hand holding it across the knuckles of their open left hand. One is to place the separate bow in the left hand. One has a fillet round his head, the other a very elaborate coiffure. Two are drawing an arrow from the quiver over their shoulders. All quivers are round with the rod bracing them near the back of the archers' heads. Two are loosing. All have short swords at their left hips.

Light Archers Five are shooting, three are drawing an arrow from the quiver. Five have kilts with fringes. All wear tunics. There is a variety of headgear from pointed caps to fillets. All have wide quiver straps across their chests and studded baldricks. All have large daggers - like the Highland dirk - on their left sides.

Spearmen One has a spire helmet, the other seven have helmets with bigger or smaller curved crests. Separate shields are provided. They wear tunics without armour. On their left sides and to the rear they carry formidable swords. On cross straps on their chests they have a single round small metal disk - a forerunner of a breast plate perhaps. In their right hand they hold upright a stout spear. They look great. They could be Qur-adu "The Strong Ones" or guard.

Command Pack Seven individuals comprising two trumpet players, two standard bearers and 3 high ranking officers. The trumpeters are one sounding. On his back and the other trumpet player's is a case which looks like another trumpet. This was because trumpets were so fragile in those days. The Egyptians in fact had wooden "cores" that they stuffed down their trumpets to stop them deforming and becoming unplayable - an early version of "your signal is breaking up!" One trumpeter wears a helmet, both have armour. The standards are both the staff & disk type showing the God Ashur on a bull's back drawing a bow. Alan Buttery in "Armies and Enemies of Ancient Egypt and Assyria, 320OBC to 612AD" says that standards were carried by chariots but not by cavalry or infantry. Charles Grant Snr. and Liliane & Fred Funcken do not mention or show standards. viz. "The Ancient Wargame" or "Le Costume et les Armes des Soldats de Tous le Temps" 1. des pharoans a Louis XV.

The officers are tremendous, exuding character. One, helmeted, has his mace of office under his left arm and his right knuckles on the same hip looking 1/4 right. Another in a helmet waves his mace in the right hand his closely cared for spade beard almost bristling. A sword hangs left rear on all these gentlemen. Finally a fillet bound hairdo for the officer with folded arms, holding his mace in the right hand watching the development of the battle. Excellent.

Lastly, the piece de resistance, a Four horse chariot with a crew of four. They are cast in two pairs. One is an archer with a shield bearer - the latter has a separate arm and shield; both are helmeted and armoured. They have horizontally hanging swords on their left hips. The other two are similarly equipped. The front one is obviously the driver and has a separate arm with a whip stock in his hand. The shield bearer behind him has a separate arm with a round characteristic shield. The figures are not cast with bases, one sticks the figures straight on to the floor of the chariot. The chariot consists of shaft and brace and a four horse yoke, four horses all differenced in posture and equipped as shown on p. 81 figure 115 of "Armies and Enemies of Ancient Egypt and Assyria, 320OBC to 612AD" by Alan Buttery.

Slingers Pack. Assyrians used 2 slingers to every archer. I can see myself getting out my old "flats" to make up the balance. These are heavy slingers, in other words they wear armor. Two of them wear the Assyrian helmet, like an inverted wine glass with the stem snapped off. They are in different poses of the actions of firing the sling. 5 have sling stones piled at their feet. They all wear the fringed long tunic, like a kilt, and high laced boots. They all have strong hawk-like faces and closely tended beards. They all wear a short sword, left rear. As one needs so many to reflect the historical organization of an Assyrian anny, it's a good thing the they look this good.

Ancient players will "lap these figures up..." (except those few that carp about the wrong color of sand under the figures toenails). Get some samples.

More Barnes Reviews

Back to MWAN #101 Table of Contents
Back to MWAN List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Magazine List
© Copyright 1999 Hal Thinglum
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com