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Hello Thomas.
The Esci and Italeri were very good sculptures; as you say the equipment rather lets them down.
HaT produced an almost generic Heavy Dragoon set. It even had an additional head for a Scot's Grey with bearskin. It is an excellent set but limited in range; simply because it covered so many headress types.
The Lady-Butler painting lacked accuracy, but I'd forgive her if I could have a set of Scots Greys charging in dress uniform. Just as they were in the film 'Waterloo'. (I daren't mention the Polish Lancers in that film)
I can almost hear the Button-counters screaming in their 'soup de Jour'
The H-set heavy dragoons only had two useful poses if you consider sword at shoulder useful. The other pose had the sword at the side with the rider at least looking in it's direction. The other two poses with their ringhands could never convincingly hold a sword. As for the extra heads, 3 heads with bicorn and 3 heads with bearskin make for a poor selection.
Strelets with their present immaculate sculpting(looking at the Prussian cavalry) can do much better I am sure.
The old Esci set had poorly developed horses. Biggest let down of that set is the lack of reins(like Esci/Italeri's curassiers- and lancersets which for that reason would also benefit from an update). The Italeri Greys have too many poses with pistol or carbine(non of which would be used in a full charge). Carbine wielding figures would better suit hussars or chasseurs(like the Guard Chasseurs of Revell) provided the horses are standing i.s.o. trotting, gallopping or rearing. Basically the Italeri's Greys only have five men wielding their sword in a proper full charge way, which the horses seem to depict. Why, apart from the men with firearms, have 2 men with lowered sword en 2 men with shouldered sword in a full charge? Mars'set is a copy of the Esci set. I know of no other Greys.
The shouldered sword in a charge is for the men in the second rank:guardsman:
I can almost hear the Button-counters screaming in their 'soup de Jour'
Is that a bad thing?
I also think Scots Greys need to have the unique and lovely bearskin on show (yes! I know they didn't; and I got over it); They also need to look like heavy cavalry not adolescents armed with kitchen knives. I don't feel that I need them, I've got them covered, but if the Strelets figures are nice I will buy them so count me in.
Same goes for the other British heavy cavalry but for types with more than one regiment in the field I'd buy Strelets figures just for variety.
Well a Nappy set I would buy, Scots grays without oil skin covers, I have a few Qualiticast figures ,four to be precise , the command group,and bought the Waterloo set to back them up, I would lve to add to them.
Well a Nappy set I would buy, Scots grays without oil skin covers, I have a few Qualiticast figures ,four to be precise , the command group,and bought the Waterloo set to back them up, I would lve to add to them.
Even though they are of no use in the desert? :sunglasses:
Perfect for a what if scenario , like instead of one charge in the whole Napoleonic wars , what if they saw action in 1800 in Egypt, then they would be of use in the Desert...... but like the LRDG some sets we wait a lifetime for, this is another for me.