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IMEX

Set 520

Mexican Artillery At The Alamo

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All figures are supplied unpainted    (Numbers of each pose in brackets)
Stats
Date Released 2002
Contents 37 figures, 4 guns
Poses 13 poses
Material Plastic (Fairly Hard)
Colours Bright Deep Pink, Blue
Average Height 25 mm (= 1.8 m)

Review

The Mexican artillery was generally seen as of a higher calibre than the rest of the army, though the technical nature of their profession tended to mean this was true in most armies. Nonetheless in the 1830s they were in the same poor condition as the rest of the army, which must have significantly reduced their effectiveness.

This set provides four guns with each having a crew of five. These poses follow the general pattern for artillerymen poses, but are none the worse for it. The poses seem natural and believable, and the equipment used is authentic. In addition to the crew there are two pairs of soldiers carrying boxes of ammunition. The artillery uniform was much like that of the infantry, and so it has been sculpted here. Clearly done by the same sculptor as the other Mexican sets from IMEX, the same problems and inaccuracies apply to this set as to the infantry set.

An unconventional element of this set is the inclusion of a civilian, presumably contracted to help move the artillery. He is correctly dressed in civilian clothing, and is walking along with a staff. Just one figure does not make much of an impact on the set as a whole, especially as there are no horse teams to pull the cannon. Still his inclusion is a positive feature.

As with their American Civil War sets, IMEX has chosen to include a number of infantry figures with their artillery. Two of these figures, the flag-bearer and the advancing soldier, are the same as those in the infantry set. The two kneeling poses are unique to this set, and though we would have liked to have seen them in the infantry set where they belong, at least they expand the infantry poses available. An officer has also been included, apparently shouting directions to the gunners as they man their guns. This is a nice pose, but like all the other figures it suffers from some amazing lack of detail. One item that is clear on this man however is the binoculars he holds. Although binoculars had existed since the 17th century, field glasses like these only seem to have appeared in the 1840s, making them quite wrong for this 1830s subject.

The four guns are relatively simple affairs, though more effort has been made in detailing the gun carriage than in some other artillery sets. The wheels are perfectly flat, though they should bend in towards the axle. Otherwise they are adequate for the task.

Our overall impression of this set is the same as for the corresponding infantry and cavalry sets. There are some reasonable poses but the figures are poorly detailed. Though there is no flash to speak of, even the tacky colour of this set cannot hide its many imperfections. Marginally the best of the three, it is still a poor effort compared to the many fine sets previously produced by this manufacturer.


Ratings

Historical Accuracy 5
Pose Quality 6
Pose Number 7
Sculpting 4
Mould 9

Further Reading
Books
"Santa Anna's Mexican Army 1821-48" - Osprey (Elite Series No.102) - René Chartrand - 9781841766676
"The Alamo 1836" - Osprey (Campaign Series No.89) - Stephen Hardin - 9781841760902
"The Alamo and the War of Texan Independence 1835-36" - Osprey (Men-at-Arms Series No.173) - Philip Haythornthwaite - 9780850456844
"The Mexican Soldier" - Armchair General - Joseph Hefter

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