This is the first set of figures exclusively dedicated to portraying specific individuals from history.

The first figure is Cleopatra. She wears the combined crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt, and a cloak. Otherwise her costume is much like her subjects, though obviously much more ornate. Given how little we know of Egyptian royal costume, this seems a fair representation.

Next is Julius Caesar. He is shown in the familiar Roman toga, clutching what appear to be a number of scrolls. Beside him there is Attila the Hun, wearing a mail coat with a cloak and a hairstyle quite typical of many tribes at that time.

Joan of Arc now appears, wearing armour and a dress and carrying both a sword and a standard. There seems to be no evidence for the armour/dress combination, and for the brief period of her fame she is always described in either full armour or all-civilian clothing. Also the standard has been engraved with the French fleurs-de-lys, and bears no resemblance to the standard known to have been carried by her at the time. She carries a peculiarly sculpted sword, and appears to have an axe hanging from her belt, which seems very unlikely. Finally, she towers over all the other figures at 26mm, which at 1:72 scale is a height of 1.87 metres (six feet one and a half inches) - a massive and frankly unbelievable height for a fifteenth century peasant girl.

The next subject is Napoleon, who stands in characteristic pose with his greatcoat over his Chasseurs à Cheval uniform and instantly recognisable hat.

After Napoleon there are figures of the two most famous generals of the American Civil War - Lee and Grant. Both are dressed similarly, as they should be, with double-breasted frock coats and sashes under their sword belts.

Finally there is Charles de Gaulle, wearing a simple uniform and the typical French kepi.

HYTTY has made some dreadful figures, but by their standards these are some of their best. Sculpting is rough and there is more flash to remove than on most, but this is a massive improvement on their larger sets of soldiers. The company seems to have got carried away with patriotic pride, making the three French subjects absurdly taller than all the others. However, the set is an unusual addition to the hobby.

Several versions of this set exist, and some limited edition copies have one or both of these extra figures. The first is of a German officer, and the second is apparently his intended victim, kneeling, stripped to the waist, with his hands bound behind his back and awaiting his fate. This figure also appears in the Odemars/HYTTY set of Samurai.