We will begin our review of this set by identifying all the figures.
They are:
Top Row
- Robert E Lee (1807-1870)
- General John Brown Gordon (1832-1904)
- Thomas Jonathan 'Stonewall' Jackson (1824-1863)
- Major-General John Bell Hood (1831-1879)
Second Row
- Colonel John Singleton Mosby (1833-1916)
- Major John Pelham (1838-1863)
- General James Longstreet (1821-1904)
- Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821-1877)
Third Row
- General James Ewell Brown ('Jeb') Stuart (1833-64)
- General Albert Sidney Johnston (1803-1862)
- Brigadier-General William Barksdale (1821-1863)
- Edward Fitzgerald Turton Ross (b.1825)
Sets such as this are perfect for the Strelets policy of no-repeat poses, and the individuals chosen are a good mix, although doubtless some will have their own preferences. Given their small scale these figures are a fair reflection of the actual appearance of their subjects, both in uniform and face. Where personal affectations are appropriate, such as the plumes of Mosby and Stuart, they are included, although many are close enough to the standard garb of the senior Confederate officer to be of use for much of the officer corps. Most wear the standard double-breasted coat, although the various arrangements of buttons are lost on these models as the buttons are too large and therefore too few, leaving no room for specific arrangement.
The standard of sculpting is up there with the best that this company had produced at this stage, with good if rather chunky detail (a result of their being sculpted in 1/72 size rather than in larger size and then reduced). There is no flash at all, and the men fit their horses well. The horses themselves are a good selection, with both standing and moving examples. The figure of Lee has one rather basic error - he wears a case on a strap over his shoulder, but this only appears on his back and has been forgotten on his front. We were also a little concerned with the high waistcoat Lee is wearing, without a tie, which is at variance with every picture of the man. Our only other observation is a small one - the scabbard of Gordon has somehow been hitched to his waist, making it much too high on his leg.
The inclusion of Fitzgerald Ross, a British-born observer from the Austrian army, seems less desirable than one of the numerous missing Confederate generals, or perhaps a more generic ADC, but Strelets intend to make a second, dismounted set, so some of these gaps may be filled then. This is a very nice set with lots of very useful poses, and should delight many a Civil War enthusiast.