Not too long ago I received six samples from Stuart Penhall's 1848 25mm First Schleswig War line of figures. During e-mail correspondence resulting from my War of 1864 Yahoo discussion group, Stuart had mentioned he made some figures for the first German Danish conflict. I told him that if he would send a few, I would be glad to review them for the esteemed readership of MWAN. A few weeks went by and I got a package in the mail from Australia. I opened it up to see three Danish and three Schleswig Holstein figures but alas no listing as to what Stuart had sent. In response to my e-mail inquiry, Stuart sent a listing of his full figure line. I'm not sure if he plans to expand his ranges in the future, but 1848 Productions has a good start in covering the First Schleswig War and the First Italian War of Independence. As he sent me figures for the former, my review will not cover the latter line. The Danes Currently there are eight figures in this line, I received two of DI - Infantry advancing in tunic and kepi, and one of D2 - Infantry advancing in vest and shako. The two DI poses are a bit different from each other. Both have full accoutrements (haversack, canteen, bayonet scabbard, cartridge box, and knapsack), but they are in slightly different advancing poses. One is holding his rifle more upward across his chest while the other holds his more away from his body (and this one has his pants rolled up). And figure D2 is also slightly different in his advancing pose. Unlike some manufacturers, Stuart is not using one figure to base all of his advancing poses from, but has (at least) three distinct advancing Danes. Several of his codes have more than one pose, so variety is definitely available. The Holsteiners Prussians? No, but the spiked helmet on two of these figures certainly reminded me of them. Stuart sent one each of the following: SI - Infantry advancing in spiked helmet, S4 - Infantry standing firing in field cap, and S7 - Officer advancing in spiked helmet. Figure SI is similar in pose to one of the DI figures mentioned above, but is distinctly a Holsteiner. He is carrying full gear, and has his overcoat rolled and worn overtop his uniform. Figure S4 is a nice pose, again he is bearing full gear. The officer (S7) has his sword drawn and raised, as if leading his troops in a charge. The eagles on the helmets are clearly visible and should take a highlight very well. As with the Danes, there are currently eight figures available. The style of these figures reminds me of some of Old Glory's castings, maybe not as clean as some of their later releases, but certainly well animated and properly proportioned. All of the proper accoutrements are there, and such items as cross belts, ammo boxes, bayonet scabbards, etc., are in sufficient detail that will come out nicely once painted. And five of the figures have a moustache as well. The figures measure out to be 26mm from sole to eye, and are of medium heft. There are perhaps a tad thinner than Old Glory, but I would imagine they will mix in with other manufacturers with no issues. Of course, no one else is currently making such castings! All the figures has some minor flash and mold lines, which cleaned up quickly and easily with my trusty X-acto knife. You can order these directly from Stuart by emailing him at stupen@terrigal.net.au, or by writing to him at 1848 Productions, 95 Maliwa Road, Narara 2250, N.S.W., Australia. Figures cost $1.30 AUD. He also produces a booklet on the First Schleswig War. For those of you who don't want to order from down under, and if you can wait a few months, they will be available from Legion Publications here in the States, once that company is up and running (stay tuned for more details). If you are perhaps looking for something a little different, perhaps the First Schleswig War might do the trick. Back to MWAN # 125 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2003 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com