1st Corps Swedish Musketeers - A Review

I bought a pack of eight 1^st Corps Swedish musketeers at Wapnetak at York earlier this year. They were bought direct from the manufacturer (seemed like very nice people!), so I can't comment on mail-order service .

The figures are 25mm from the sole of the foot to the eye, and seem reasonably well proportioned. The musket barrels are 19-20mm, and by my reckoning this works out very close to the 46-47 inches quoted on page 17 of Brzezinski’s MAA235. According to a correspondent on the Miniatures Page, this isn't a coincidence, as the figures were commissioned based on the information in that book.

There was no flash on any of the figures, and the mould lines were small and easy to clean up with a scalpel and file. The detail is crisp, clear and deeply cut. Things like the cords holding individual shot pouches on the bandoliers and bows on the trousers are present, and very delicate. The muskets are nicely sculpted and look like the pictures I’ve seen, but the musket rests seem odd to me.

The poses and anatomy seem plausible, except for the “shelflike” calves that 1^st Corps don’t have a monopoly on. The faces are nice, but possibly a bit narrow, with very “sharp” features. The hats, helmets and coats resemble the photos I’ve seen of contemporary items.

The figures took paint well, and the deep detail made it easy to do. I’ve attached a couple of photos so you can see what sort of fist I made of this. The basing (or rather lack thereof) is pending my deciding what to do with them.  I thoroughly enjoyed doing them, and at £7.50 for eight figures, I liked the price too.

Please ignore the dates on the pictures - they're totally spurious and only there to confuse me. These chaps may end up as an additional unit of shot to bolster a 1644 regiment of foot, but until that time, here they are.