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According to the Plastic Soldier Review (PSR) the only year that has seen more new sets released than 2006 was 2009. The first decade of the 2000s was very much a 'golden age'.
There are a number of sets that pre-date 2006 which were designed with a view to allowing the modeller to create a homogeneous (ie: all figures doing much the same thing) unit. You only have to look at the pre-2006 back catalogue of HaT's ancient figures (eg; Macedonian phalangites, Roman legionairies) to see this.
The release of the '1066 shield wall' sets by Strelets marks the point at which I started to collect their figures seriously. These sets are still amongst my favourite Strelets figures, and they mix very well indeed with 1/72 metal figures from a UK specialist manufacturer, Tumbling Dice.
The new Strelets Napoleonics are very good, although I prefer the advancing/action poses eg: the new Bavarians, to the 'standing at ease etc' sets which have tended so far to be the majority of sets released. But Strelets are advancing very quickly in terms of sculpting and production quality. For me, the 'other Russian Company' (the one starting with Z') still come out top on Napoleonics, but they are no longer making large sets and Strelets will be up there with them before too long...
Indeed, the 2000s did see quite the surge. I was heartened to see that the amount of pre-1783 AD sets (my speciality) from 2000-2009 and 2010-2019 is comparable, so things seem to be staying relatively strong for the moment.
As for the HaT sets, I disagree to some extent. While their typical infantry set contains two to four quality poses, their coordination efficiency compared to the 1066 shield wall sets is lacking because too many men are carrying a shield unrealistically, facing an unnatural way because of the mould, or simply do not coordinate with each other well. This is especially true for their melee poses, less so for their archers and post-1700 AD offerings.
Indeed! I started my Strelets collection with STRM004 around the same time, although sadly I did not have the foresight to obtain the fellow Norman and Saxon sets. Back in the day I used to collect Airfix WWII like many of us did before I decided to boycott post-1815 AD scenarios for personal reasons.
Zvezda always look nice, but I have a hard time utilizing them for one reason or another half of the time. Their Napoleonics being exclusively targeted for two factions is a major downside for me compared to the competition, something Strelets has already passed.