Recently I received a few samples from J&T Miniatures from the Bicorne Italian Colonial line of figures. I was hoping to put together a Volley and Bayonet project for Advance the Colors 2003 (www.hmgsgl.org), and I thought the Battle of Adowa (Adua) might be a possibility. (I have since learned from my good friend Ray Garbee that Adowa would be a HUGE battle in VnB...hmmm, perhaps another battle might be better). I therefore contacted J&T for a few figures to see how good they looked in person. Now don't go contacting J&T for samples! They do not normally send sample figures, but since I told them I would review whatever I received they agreed to send me some. I received three figures: C5 - Italian Infantry standing at the ready, C11 - Bersaglieri Infantry Officer, and C14 - Bersaglieri Infantry standing at the ready (pictures below). C5 and C11 are the same casting with differences to the helmet and rifle (the infantrymen are in what I would call "light kit": blanket roll, haversack, canteen and ammo pouch). These figures measure 26mm sole to eye and would be of medium heft using the Barrett Scale. There was a little flash between the legs and some mold lines on the sun helmets but overall the figures are cleanly cast and have fairly thin bases. Detail is average; these are not Copplestone or Foundry quality figures, but that said they are far more affordable. The sculpting reminds me of some of the older Old Glory figures, particularly the 15mm American Civil War range. There is enough detail that once painted the figures will look nice on the wargaming table. Bicorne has over 50 individual figures available for Adowa (Italians and Abyssinians) which they sell individually, while J&T offers them in packages of four ($4.00) and twenty-four ($20.00) figures. There are also guns and other equipment packages available. As you can see they are a far cheaper alternative than the current Foundry and Copplestone offerings. They also have Northwest Frontier and Sudan figures available in their colonial line. Overall, I would give these figures a good rating based on price, the number of figures available, as well as the animation the figures have. If one wants to do some colonial gaming beyond the normal British brew-up, gaming with the Italians might be a nice alternative . J& T Miniatures www.jandtminiatures.com 31216 Country Road 112 Pequot Lakes, MN 56472 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