ALL72005

Although the elves can be dated back to Germanic mythology, in their modern incarnation they were in large part the creation of J. R. R. Tolkien, who spent much effort in creating several languages for them and made them a key race in both 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings'. The Tolkien elf was wiser and more beautiful than humans, and often had sharper senses too. While preferring to stay aloof from much of the world, the elves would always be part of the forces of good when they chose to give battle (which can hardly be wondered at - who ever heard of beautiful people fighting for the cause of evil?). The first set of elves under the Light Alliance brand consisted of archers, spearmen and swordsmen, but with this set we are treated to some fearsome bladed weapons. A few look to have swords, but the majority are more like polearms with immensely long blades, sometimes at both ends! As can be seen, these are of various designs, and they really look good, even if a double-headed weapon is not always the most practical of weapons. Clearly we are being told that elves were as concerned with beauty in their weapons as in everything else, and the results here are impressive. A few also hold a shield, again with more concern for a pleasing form than optimum protection. We liked all of the poses too, which seem more realistic than many we see handling such large blades. There is a limit of course, but the poses are quite elegant and seem to match the general flavour of these creatures quite nicely.

Although all the warriors here wear mail, unlike the first set they also have a lot of rather fancy plate armour too, which presumably suggests that these are more of an elite group. The armour includes protection for arms and legs, and looks like a nice design, although we have no idea if this is typical elvish armour. Most wear a helmet, again each of an individual design, but we were surprised that a couple are still bare-headed. What you might call the two command figures in the bottom row are similarly attired and equipped, and while the trumpeter is obvious, we imagine that the second figure is at least an officer if not some sort of king or other elvish leader as he wears something like a tiara on his head. The female at the end also wears a sort of tiara, so perhaps royalty again? She also has a long gown and holds a big stick, and for all we know this might be casual wear for the humblest of elven women, but a high rank seems more likely. Doubtless fantasy experts could tell us what the big stick is for - possibly something to do with baking (or for beating those making sexist remarks)?

Okay, so we are having some fun with this set, but in all seriousness these are really lovely figures. Tall and elegant, they look great and have little flash to remove. This is not a set that is likely to be of much use in a historical context, but it is the sort of thing that helps to make the whole world of fantasy so appealing to many.