Peter Pig 15mm WWI

Miniature Products Review

by David Barnes

Review of "Peter Pig" World War One Range 15mm figures available from 36 Knightsdale Road, Weymouth, Dorset DT4 OHS Phone: 01305 760384 or, Brookhurst Hobbies, 12188 Brookhurst St., Garden Grove, CA (714) 636-3580

I haven't seen Peter Pig figures for a long time, so I'm very glad to have sight of these. Peter Pig do a bewildering set of ranges, ranging (ouch!) from Ancients to Space Aces. They call Range 12 "Space Fighters" actually. 1/300th machines to go with their "Fighter Combat AD2222" rules. Peter Pig do lots of their own rules too. I enjoyed and admired their Range 1 "Vietnam" figures with their brownwater boats and crews for Revell's Huey or Cobra helicopter kits (see review of a couple of years ago).

Now we have World War One - not the awful trench warfare but the more fluid 1914 period (when my Grandfather was in the RAMC and rushing about trying to staunch various red sticky fluids emanating from members of the B.E.F., or "that contemptible little army," as Kaiser Bill called them). It was a time of cavalry actions, the new armoured cars rushing up and down the paved roads. Range 16 captures all this in 63 packs so far, including armoured cars, French 75mm guns (pack 75 in Range 8), German Uhlans, Belgian dog drawn machine guns. All can be used with Peter Pig's "Square Bashing" rules, £ 5.50, 15 battalions a side. "No ruler needed" it says enigmatically. Well, I'll comment on the samples sent to me, having listed them and finally draw some - not to scale.

Pack 44. Russian Cavalry Lancers (4) Excellent flash-free models. The horses are outstanding. I say as one who has ridden one or two not very outstanding real horses! Two poses, one legs bunched and the other legs stretched out. "Amazing" my wife says. The riders fit well and hold short lances upright. Russian lances were not very long. cf. photographs in "The Great War," H.W. Wilson (ed.), London, Amalgamated Press 1914. "Russian cavalry on the march - the power of endurance of both men and horses is proverbial." So there! The designer might have seen the photographs so alike are they Sword at the left hip. Rifle stung on the back. Peaked caps.

Pack 52. Cheka. Reds. Pointed Muscovite hats with earflaps rolled up. Big boots. Two leaders with pistols waving on the mujicks and a commissar(?) with a machine pistol such as Winston Churchill bought for himself. "A Montenegran Pistol" I think he called it. Three tovarische are advancing with rifle and bayonet at high porte. Two have rifles and bayonets up by their left ears - could be at the end of a swinging slice - as a Glaswegian would say, "Stitch that Jamie!"

Pack 50. Naval Infantry. Can be used as Red or White troops. Three slinging stick grenades with slung rifles on their backs slung about with two belts of MG ammo. ALI figures but one in this pack wear matelot hats with streamers down their backs. Two aiming with rifle and bayonet also hung with MG belts. Two kneeling with bayonetted rifles at the ready. One peaked cap officer (he wears a dirk) in boots and Durta. Pistol supported by the other hand at the butt in a rather modern manner. Again magnificent detail and proportion in 15mm. With a few packs of these Peter Pig figures and their "Square Bashing" rules you could have great skirmish games.

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© Copyright 1997 Hal Thinglum
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