New recruits for the Barsetshire Regt.

My order for twelve Essex Miniatures 25mm Colonial British infantry arrived from WargamesMinis while I was away. On unwrapping and examining them I'm pleased with the purchase. On the whole I'd say they're closer to Foundry in size rather than Eureka's giants, something I didn't expect given Essex's reputation for large sculpts. Perhaps that reputation has grown obsolete in the face of modern scale-creep.

So, what do I have? On the whole there's very little flash. One small part of the bugler's instrument failed to come out of the mold, but this is easily fixed. The proportion of the heads seems a trifle large, but not unduly so. Certainly not in comparison with some of Dixon's range. The features are varied, which I like in skirmish-level figures.

Four of the figures are posed in the act of loading their Martini-Henry rifles, these weapons being separate from the infantryman. Two figures poised at the ready have their hands as part of the rifle sculpt. A trial run shows these will fit nicely. The officer has a separate sword, and is posed in the act of drawing his revolver. 

All in all, a nice batch, and one I look forward to painting up and deploying with the rest of the Barsetshire platoon in the service of Queen and Country.