Most figure sets show soldiers in various combat poses plus a marching figure or two, and perhaps the occasional pose as a nod to the fact that in reality most soldiers actually spent very little time fighting. When you are making a single figure the range of poses is not an issue so you can be more inventive, and for this figure Valdemar have produced a particularly pleasing piece. This medieval Sergeant sits on a low stone wall with spear in one hand and his helmet resting on his knee. He has laid his shield by his side, and is looking ahead in an apparently relaxed frame of mind. This must have been a common enough sight whenever armed men were to be found, yet for reasons that are easy to understand such a pose is very uncommon in model figures.

The figure comes in several parts. The basic figure is one, and the base/wall is a second. The man's spear, helmet, shield and sword are also all separate, so there is some scope for moving things around or otherwise changing the appearance of the model. All the parts fit 'au naturel', which is to say there are no pegs or other guides to force their position, but we have arranged them as per the suggestion from Valdemar and everything fits well. The left hand is nicely cupped and accepts the spear easily without any trimming or cutting. The standard of sculpting is of the usual high Valdemar level with good detail and proportions. There is no flash at all, and a flexible mould means there are no areas of excess plastic hidden from the original mould. In short, a very high quality little kit.

This sergeant wears a full mail hauberk including a hood and with long sleeves and leggings which do not extend to cover the hands and feet however. Over this he wears a standard surcoat, and his war hat is also of a classic design. With his heater-style shield he is perfectly typical of many a medieval soldier, and would easily fit into many armies as well as more mundane duties such as accompanying local tax-gatherers, for instance.

Clearly the quality of this and other Valdemar figures, together with their very elegant and thin (but therefore fragile) spears makes them more of a connoisseur purchase than of great use to wargamers. As a result such unwarlike poses as this can be made without worrying about its usefulness, and the result in this case is a lovely little figure with much to recommend it.