Bactria lay in what is now Northern Afghanistan and parts of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. This set gives no indication of the period to which these figures refer, but they look to be appropriate for around the fifth and fourth centuries BCE.
Though only consisting of five figures, each is in a different pose. These poses are fair but unremarkable, and none particularly stand out as worthy of special comment. The weapons being used are the traditional favourites of the time, and it is worth noting that most of the men are additionally equipped with a bow. Two of the men carry battle-axes, one of which appears to have a curved pointed head.
All except the archer are heavily armoured, which is a departure from the nomadic light archer style. However this is in keeping with the appearance of other peoples in the region at the time, notably the Saka, and while evidence is fragmentary these men appear to be authentic. The archer wears lighter clothes, probably woollen, and a cap rather than a helmet. Clearly he represents the lighter cavalry, though he may wear some protection under his clothes.
The figures are quite squat and chunky, and though this can partly be explained by their heavy armour they are still quite unattractive. There is adequate detail, though it is not particularly sharp or clear. The spear touches the helmet (this is done to aid the flow of the plastic in the mould), but this causes the shaft to be curved and unnatural. However all weapons and shields are a part of the figure, which is a relief as past LW sets have had separate weapons that are almost impossible to use.
Keen-eyed viewers will recognise the horses in this set. They have all made at least one appearance in other LW sets, and are clearly generic 'ancient' horses rather than any attempt to depict specifically Bactrian mounts. Having said that, once again evidence for the appearance of these animals is very sparse, and if these models are not correct than at least they are not too far out. Certainly it seems some Bactrian cavalry had armour on their horses. Sadly this is largely irrelevant as none of the figures can be persuaded to sit on their horse as their legs are far too close together, a serious fault for a cavalry set we believe.
This is a chunky and fairly basic set of figures which do not fit together properly. Though the flash is minimal this is a set that might be made to suffice for the wargame but will never have pride of place in anyone's collection.
Note: We have become aware that some copies of this set contain extra poses and/or different horses. Therefore any set purchased may differ slightly from that described here.