Dark Alliance figures

[Ochoin]

I'm not a Fantasy gamer, exclusively preferring historical wargaming.
However, my need for some Sarmatians led me to purchase this set:

https://www.drumandflag.co.uk/products/ ... 1-72-scale

Shelving the issue of how historically accurate they are for my purposes, I was very pleased by the quality of the figures.

They are crisply cast, beautifully detailed & realistically dynamic in pose. The horses look like real beasts. The faces are wonderfully realistic. The extra shields & weapons are easily removed from the sprue. There are, in the 12 figures & horses, 6 different ones. And everything is flash-free.

At the same moment as un-packing these figures, I have some Miniart Late Roman cavalry on the painting desk. The contrast could not be greater. Poor definition & the amount of flash alone make these marginal figures. You would need to go to the best of Zvesda to find 1/72 historical figures to rival Dark Alliance.

Are all fantasy figures of this standard? If so, it almost makes me want to move to the 'dark side'.

donald

[steve_pickstock]

Some of the earlier foot figures are a bit gangly, but generally I would say yes they're as good. The small details - jewellery, amulets, extra weapons, are really good, and to my mind they're imaginative and bold figures - Anubis warriors, cyclopses, minotaurs worth picking up even if you're not into fantasy jut for the fun of it.

[Ochoin]

I don't mean Fantasy is an any way an inferior genre to historical: it's just personal preference.

And I have enough on my plate without Fantasy.

But, yes, if this is the standard, buying some of these sets just to admire the artistry would be OK.

donald

[Minuteman]

Every now and again a 1/72 set comes along that makes you take notice and realise that 28mm quality is achievable at a fraction of the cost in a 23/24mm set of figures...and this is one of those sets. Much of the Strelets and Redbox new output is achieving this level of quality. Well done to both manufacturers.

[Xantippos]

Certainly, most dark alliance figures are very nicely made, and quite unknown. As they are fantasy ,they dont get reviewed by PSR (although some subjects are more historical than some historical sets I think ), and they are sold in far fewer places.

But some set like this, if they had also sold them as "Roxolani" (a sarmatian-nomadic tribe) they would have sold them much more. Heck, I think that even I would have bought them!

One question, where they blue plastic the ones you got? I have a soft spot for brightly coloured soldiers!

I don't like fantasy on 1/72, for me that is better left to bigger, articulated action figures which I have plenty of . But I love buying a fantasy sets, and then interpretating it inside an historical perspective, like for example, using the Cimmerians as late Vikings! with some spikes chopped off for a bit more historical accuracy.

I like having different armies and peoples, and when speaking of pre-gunpowder ages, I have so many I've had to resort buying a few of the fantasy soldiers, like Cimmerians, Easterners and foot Nomads.

For what I know, there aren't any other 25mm fantasy manufacturers right?

[steve_pickstock]

For what I know, there aren't any other 25mm fantasy manufacturers right?

Compared with? GW?

North Star, Warlord Games and Wargames Atlantic are doing some interesting stuff. The North Star stuff is very adaptable and might be the sort of thing you're looking for.

[Ochoin]

But some set like this, if they had also sold them as "Roxolani" (a sarmatian-nomadic tribe) they would have sold them much more. Heck, I think that even I would have bought them!

One question, where they blue plastic the ones you got? I have a soft spot for brightly coloured soldiers!

Alans, Roxolani or Sarmatians- there doesn't seem to be a whole lot different from one people to another (they're all Iranian aren't they?). I think the finer points of differentiation in their culture are lost in the mists of time.

My set are brick red. I've cleaned them up (minimal) & primed them & will start to paint tonight.


The other set (Steppe Warriors/1) could make decent Anglo-Saxon cavalry I think?

donald

donald

[steve_pickstock]

Alans, Roxolani or Sarmatians- there doesn't seem to be a whole lot different from one people to another (they're all Iranian aren't they?). I think the finer points of differentiation in their culture are lost in the mists of time.

My set are brick red. I've cleaned them up (minimal) & primed them & will start to paint tonight.


The other set (Steppe Warriors/1) could make decent Anglo-Saxon cavalry I think?

donald

donald

Tolkien based the Rohirrim on the Goths, rather than vikings as many people wrongly assume. While the Alliance figures have a lot in common with certain New Zealand horse nomads, I think they'd pass for a lot of Dark Ages cavalry.
For myself, I am looking at them and wondering if I can do some form of Arthurian war-band that will allow me to bring my Green Knight into play, Merlinus, some remnant Auxilia or similar, throw in a red dragon etc.

[Xantippos]

stevepickstock, for what I have googled of those brands, they are either more in the 28mm business, sell in metal or sell figurines in a figure x figure basis, making it very expensive to build an army.

As far as I know, Dark Alliance and Caesar are the only ones that have produced fantasy minis, as if they were regular ones, giving 12 cavalry/50 infantry or similar in 1/72 scale which look in the same scale more or less that other manufacturers.

Ochoin, yes, not enough is known about them. I was saying it as, I already have Sarmatians from Strelets, but if they were sold to me as "Roxolani", then I might have thought some historical fact had been found, and moreover, they are blue as they were the Roxolani in a videogame I played, Rome Total War .

The other set is very generic. Anything Germanic/northern barbarian from about 500 a.c. to 1000 could fit. I would maybe say the fit best as Ostrogoths, basically they also have horse archers, which look nearly nomadic, as if they had incorporated Alans or similar. But Vandals, Anglo Saxons, early Danes, Jutes, Goths, and even Slav, if considered they are noblemen, or early Rus.

[Mr_White]

For myself, I am looking at them and wondering if I can do some form of Arthurian war-band that will allow me to bring my Green Knight into play, Merlinus, some remnant Auxilia or similar, throw in a red dragon etc.

What 1/72 model are you using for the Green Knight?