Alexander the Great hardly needs any introduction. Having inherited an effective army from his father, Alexander first successfully conquered the various Greek states before turning his attention to, and eventually destroying, the supposedly mighty Persian Empire. Though he surrounded himself with some very capable men, many of whom had served his father well for years, he would sometimes disregard the advice of these more experienced soldiers and follow his own instincts, usually with positive results, though the quality of his staff and subordinates significantly contributed to his success.

This small set finds Alexander on foot and clearly not in battle. He looks to be in discussion with some of his generals (figures two and three), while a more junior officer approaches and a scribe notes what is decided. Some battles and campaigns are won by snap decisions in the moment, or sometimes by sheer luck, but many are won at this stage, when they are planned by the senior commanders. Alexander has his sword drawn for some reason, and is talking and gesturing, while the second figure holds out his hands as if emphasising some point that he is making. The third is standing rubbing his chin, as if considering what is being said, and the three make a great little scene as you might expect while the army is making preparations all around them. The junior officer is a more generic pose, but the scribe is interesting as he is writing on a tablet that is held by a cord around his neck. This looks impractical to us, as the cords are attached to the tablet close to the body, so surely when applying pressure to it beyond these it would simply tip down? Writing on a desk or even the knees would make much more sense, and we could find no evidence for this form of portable tablet-writing, which did not come as a surprise. Other than the scribe however, the poses are terrific.

Alexander is of course the first figure, resplendent in his Greek-style corselet with pteruges round the waist. His helmet is particularly fine, with an unusual curved crest and long feathers at each side. Such feather decoration was mainly an Italian affectation in Alexander’s day, but there are images that show it was known in Greece too, and one ancient writer mentions side plumes on his helmet, so this seems reasonable. The rest of his costume is clearly based on his famous portrayal in the Issus mosaic found in Pompeii (where he is bare-headed), generally described as the uniform of the Companion cavalry, and looks great here.

The other two senior officers wear less magnificent but perfectly typical costume for such men of authority. Both have a muscle cuirass with pteruges, and like Alexander, both also wear a cloak. The first man wears a Boeotian helmet and boots, and the second has chosen to wear some decorated greaves; both men look good. The box identifies these men as Hephaestion and Parmenion – two of Alexander’s most important generals – and it is nice to see that the older man – Parmenion – wears a beard, whereas Alexander and the younger Hephaestion follow the current fashion of being clean-shaven.

The more junior officer also wears a Boeotian helmet, and is in typical officer’s garb of corselet over his tunic, although he does have some very fancy greaves. Although in full battle array, his sword is sheathed so he is perhaps coming to obtain orders from the commanders. The scribe is identified on the box as Callisthenes, who was a historian that accompanied Alexander on his campaigns and wrote a history of them, taking every opportunity to idolise Alexander in the process. He wears a simple robe and shoes as would be normal, and makes for a more unusual and interesting addition to this set.

Sculpting as always is excellent, with all the complexities and fine detail of these figures being perfectly rendered. The bare head of Parmenion is particularly well-done, with lots of character, and we smiled at the rather rotund look of the junior officer – being overweight is a rare thing in soldiers, but more credible amongst ancient officers such as this. The poses of Hephaestion and the scribe particularly benefit from the freedom that 3D printing gives, but of course there is no flash anywhere here, and no need for assembly either.

No other individual did more to change the ancient world than Alexander, and while his star shone brightly, it was short-lived as he was dead before he was 33. Had he lived longer then there is no knowing what his impact might have been (and it is thought that he had plans for further campaigns both east and west), but his genius coupled with an efficient army and good generals allowed him to achieve as much as he did in such a short time. While we have a bit of a niggle about the scribe, or rather his tablet, he is the least important figure in this set, and for the most part we really liked this collection, which is well made and accurate, giving us for the first time a dismounted Alexander figure along with some important members of his wider staff.