With most HaT sets only including eight poses there is no room for officers and specialist troops in many. Consequently they produce command sets like this to complete the range, which also has the effect of allowing customers to decide how many officers, musicians etc. they want to accompany their regular troops. In this case, the set speaks of heavy infantry and cavalry as well as officers.
The officers and standard bearers in the Carthaginian army would have been drawn mostly from the nobility, wealthy men who could afford the best armour around. The heavy infantry would have been much the same, so there are no real distinctions between these men, and almost any figure in this set could perform any role.
All four of the foot figures are wearing armour and clothing of various styles, all of which are appropriate for the Punic Wars period. Each has a cupped hand into which one of the provided accessories can be placed, and a peg on their left hand to allow the addition of one of the separate shields. Since they are cupped hands there is no proper hold on an item, so everything must be glued in place. However the shields fix firmly on the overly long peg, which can then be trimmed as desired. The poses are good for standard bearers, though putting spears or swords in the hands produces some fairly unconvincing poses for infantry. The box identifies the two middle figures in our scan as specifically Spanish.
The mounted figures include one man who has shield and standard already attached, and two who are empty handed in the same manner as the foot figures. Again they have several styles of clothing, including the Hellenistic linen cuirass, which are correct for the period. The standard is thought to be the main standard for Carthage. Unlike the foot figures these can have spears, swords or standards without producing any strange poses, though clearly none are actually engaged in fighting.
The two horses are well done and are equipped according to the best information available on Carthaginian mounts. Both have some horse armour, which is known to have been used in the years before the Punic Wars and so is likely to be appropriate. However the armour is detachable on one of the horses (the right hand beast) if an unarmoured animal is required.
It is the range of accessories that make these figures so adaptable, and several have been provided. From left to right, first there is a trumpet, which is a nice touch but can only be held up by the figures as none are in the act of blowing! Next there is a bull's head on a pole, which is thought to be possibly a standard for the Balearic troops. Next to that is another Carthaginian standard which is illustrated on several stelae. A good number of spears and a smaller number of swords complete the range of tools, leaving only the two types of shield. Apart from the rim on one, the only difference is that the unrimmed shield is slightly convex whereas the other is flat.
The level of detail is good as usual for HaT, and there is little flash to trim. The multi-functional aspect of the figures means they are something of a compromise, but this is still a useful set which helps to complete the coverage of the Punic Wars.