I was recently searching the net, looking for a new period to get into. It's not like I don't have plenty of interests already (and the corresponding quantities of unpainted figures), but I was in the mood for something "different". I was searching through all the manufacturers on The Wargames Directory (www.wargamesdirectory.com) when I came across the Alphacast line by Spyros Koumousis. While his Greek War of Independence figures looked interesting, I decided that since I've always had an interest in the Balkan Front during World War One, I'd go with the Balkan Wars figures that Spyros was making (these wars occurred during 1912-13). The photos of the figures certainly looked nice, although I have always been leery of ordering figures sight unseen, but those pictures looked SO nice.... Ordering was easy. I placed my order through The Virtual Armchair General (TVAG) using Paypal. Once the payment cleared, it took about a week for me to get my figures. Now keep in mind that TVAG does not keep stock of figures, he (owner Patrick Wilson) takes the order and then forwards it to Spyros in Greece. This, in my mind, is easier for me than ordering directly from Spyros as I do not have to mail an order to Greece in Greek funds (my Greek is limited to a few dessert names and choice four letter words!). It's a good arrangement that I hope will continue to work for Patrick and Spyros. Now to the figures! I placed a small order for Greek and Bulgarian infantry, because if I didn't like the figures (heaven forbid) I didn't want to invest a lot of money into them. I wish now my initial order was larger! The pictures on the internet do not do the figures justice. I ordered one each of GR-1 through GR-4, and one each of BU-1 through BU-4. While I like a lot of the features of these figures, it is with the command packs I am the most impressed as Spyros includes two flags with each command pack. This is a nice touch (one that very few manufacturers involve themselves with) as finding Balkan War flags might prove difficult to do. The command packs come with two officers, two ensigns, and two buglers. In the Greek command pack the officer has his right hand in the air, as if leading his troops forward, while his left hand is on his sword hilt. He is armed with a pistol (still in his holster) and a moustache. The ensign is the flag-bearer, and is in an advancing pose with the flagstaff held close to his body (don't worry, there is plenty of room to attach the flag). The bugler is standing, rifle slung over his shoulder, blowing the advance. He is wearing full kit. The three Greek infantry packs each contain nine figures in the same pose, and all in full kit (knapsack, coat rolled over the knapsack, bayonet scabbard hung from ammo pouch bearing belts). GR-2 is infantry firing, GR-3 is infantry advancing, and GR-4 is infantry marching. All of the Greek figures are wearing a short tunic, visor cap, and boots, and all have moustaches. The Bulgarians are all cast in similar poses, with the differences being in headgear and footwear (well, of course you get Bulgarian flags in the command pack vs. Greek ones). I wish I had bought some of the field guns, but that gives me a reason to place another order. The figures measure 16mm sole to eye, and are of medium heft. Very cleanly cast, no mold lines or flash, and the bases are very thin. The style of the figures reminds me a bit of my old Heritage/Empire Civil War figures, with a little more animation. By the way, I happen to like the old Empire range.  Alphacast will be coming out with Serbians as well in the near future. They also have a line of 28mm Balkan Wars figures which includes Greeks, Turks, Bulgarians, Serbs, Montenegrins, and Rumanians. Additionally in 15mm Spyros makes a full line of Greek War of Independence figures (with a set of period specific rules), and has started a line of Hoplites (maybe it's time to get back into DBA). Both Spyros and Patrick were great to deal with, and very responsive to my inquiries. I have also set up a small website about the Balkan Wars (the URL is below). I plan to expand the material there as I learn more about the period. I also hope to write and publish a set of rules that are something more than just a rehash of World War One rulesets, something that will capture the "flavor" of the period. In the meantime, the website has links to couple sets of rules I have found interesting. Alphacast 34 Ithakis St. P.Kokkinia 182 33 Piraeus, Greece http://www.geocities.com/cetakoudel/bw.html Balkan Wars 2251 Wayne-Madison Rd. Trenton, OH 45067 http://balkanwars.freewebtools.com/ The Virtual Armchair General 10208 Haverhill Place Oklahoma City, OK 73120-3922 http://www.thevirtualarmchairgeneral.com Back to MWAN # 122 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2003 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com