Vorwarts! Warlord Prussian Landwehr: a Review

I was quite tickled to be sent a box of the new Warlord plastic Prussian Landwehr the other week. It is a nice set. In the box you get:

• 9 sprues of plastic infantry with three different poses on each sprue. The sprues also include two separate sabres for adding to the figures if you want.
• A bag of 3 metal command featuring officer, drummer and ensign. The bag also includes a brass pole for the ensign and metal tassles for the flag too. I thought this was a nice value added touch.
• A full colour insert giving some background, painting guides and 11 flags that you can either cut out and use or scan/photocopy.

{Edit: picture added 05/11/2010] Shot of plastic sprue on a 1 cm grid.

All this for 17 Pounds (or approximately Cdn$27 or US$26.75). 30 figures for under a dollar a piece. That makes them competitive with the Old Glory figures (unless you have the OG Army Card).

The infantry are one piece in the basic 'March Attack' position. So no assembly, which is a plus to me. I found trying to assemble the Wargames Factory Zulu War British infantry a bit of a nuisance. I can see where one piece does limit the potential for conversions that plastic modelers enjoy, so I doubt we'll see any of these used as the basis for 40K Imperial Guardsmen like has happened to some of the Victrix or Wargames Factory figures. However it does mean you can get a lot of Landwehr ready to paint very quickly.

I also like the March Attack pose. Figures can be ranked up easily. I find figures close assaulting or engaging in a firefight while in the March Attack pose less troublesome to my imagination than figures in a firing line pose (especially if the front rank is kneeling!) charging or marching or being kept in reserve. Plus the March Attack is historically correct unlike the old 'advancing' pose (musket held forward at a 45 degree angle) from the 70s and 80s, which I think was popular because it was a compromise between marching, charging and shooting. I would gladly do all my Horse & Musket line infantry in the March Attack and leave the more animated poses to the light infantry.

The metal command figures had some flash between the legs and a few vents that needed trimming, but the details are well sculpted and crisp.

[Edit: picture added 05/11/2010] WIP shot of the command group and rank and file.

The plastic figures are well sculpted too. A few problems where undercuts would be required such as where the backpacks meet the back of the coat or the cartridge boxes join the hip, but the faces are nicely defined (one fellow looks old, one youngish and the other middle aged) and the lines of the coats, buttons, straps and ragged pant cuffs are good. The muskets and bayonets are quite delicate, making them more realistically proportioned, unlike the thicker metal muskets and bayonets.

The figures are 28mm from the soles of the feet to the eyes, so they are a bit on the large side but they should fit well with the new Perry figures. With both companies co-operating on the army we can hope that other troops will be out sooner rather than later. Warlord has already released another command group to give some variety to your Landwehr battalions and they have some more metal figures (including casualties) in the works.

I think this set is good value for the money and provides a nice starting point for any Prussian army. These fellows will look smashing forming up alongside my Russian brigade.

So it looks like I'm doing 25mm Napoleonics after all. Considering my slow output, by the time these boys and the Russians are done and in need of supports, Warlord should have the artillery and cavalry released.