In August of 2007, Kingmaker Miniatures released a new line of 28 mm Hussite War figures. The Hussite Wars (1419-1436 CE) saw the Czech people seeking freedom from the Catholic church. These wars included one of the earliest widespread uses of fire arms and artillery as well as the novel Hussite war wagon (basically a horse-drawn bunker). These wagons allowed the Hussites to circle the wagons when attacked or drive columns up to the enemy line and then pour enfilading fire onto the line from the cover of the wagons.

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Kingmaker Miniatures comprises Stephan Hales (Little BigMen Studios) and Julian Blakeney-Edwards (Chiltern Miniatures and Valiant Miniatures). The figures were sculpted by Jim Bowen and Ian Mountain with the war wagons masters created by Ian Armstong. A full line of figures is available as are compatible banner, shield and pavise transfers.

Initial Impressions
The sample package containing sets of knights, a set of crossbowmen, a command pack and a set of pavise (shields of crossbowmen) and transfers came well packaged in a sturdy cardboard box. Despite the best efforts of Canada Post to damage the shipment (including what appeared to be a tire track on the box), the items arrived undamaged.

Inside, each set of figures was contained in a separate plastic bag. None of the figures had any flash or mold lines that needed to be remedied. Some of the crossbow figures required the bow portion of the weapon to be attached. This was easily accomplished and adds to the three-dimensionality of the figure. The knights and horses were cast separately and needed joining. I also attached the shields to the knights.

The Hussite line is extensive:

• Hussite Men with Polearms (four different packs)
• Hussite Women with Polearms (two different packs)
• Hussite Hand Gunners (four different packs)
• Hussite Crossbowmen (four different packs)
• Hussite Command (two different packs)
• Hussite Heavy Cavalry Command Horses
• Hussite Heavy Cavalry Unbarded Horses
• Hussite Knight Command
• Hussite Mounted Knights Command Barded Horses
• Hussite Mounted Knights Barded Horses (two packs)
• Hussite Mounted Knights Unbarded Horses (two packs)
• Jan Ziska, mounted and foot with Hussite Priest
• Procop mounted and foot with Standard Bearer
• Hussite Artillery Gun, Trestle Gun and 4 Crew
• Artillery Crew for Artillery Wagon
• Large War Wagon (three variants)
• Small War Wagon (three variants)
• Artillery War Wagon with Loop Holed Defence Hoarding
• Draught Horses
• Pavises
• Shields

Infantry and cavalry packs are priced at £10 and knight pack at £11. War wagons run £20-25. Infantry packs normally contain 8 figures (4 poses) and cavalry packs contain 3 figures.

Cavalry

I received the Mounted Knights Command with Barded Horses pack, which included one command figure, one figure blowing a horn, and one carrying a banner. What can be seen of the horses is reasonably sculpted. I was struck by one of the horses being far too tall for the overall length of the horse, giving it the profile of a juvenile horse. Another horse had good height-to-length sculpting but was ridiculously shallow from chest to spine, the result being more akin to the build of a greyhound than a war horse. Both of these shortcomings are obscured when the riders are mounted on them.

The riders are of better quality. The command figure is reaching across his body to draw his sword (which is half out of its scabbard). This pose will be difficult on the table because the tip of the scabbard extends significantly from the left side of the mount. It will doubtlessly get caught up in any horse placed to its left and the scabbard will bend. The rider’s face is, however, nicely represented and his mail is good. A similar issue exists with the bugler, who is blowing his horn out to the side. However, the higher position of the bugle will mean fewer snags than the commander’s scabbard.

The chap holding the standards is cast with an open hand, but does not come with a standard. His sculpting is otherwise quite satisfactory. An overall comment about these figures is that they do not sit that well on the horses. The front and back of the saddles are cast on the rider but do not join that well to the horse and will likely require filling. I’m not sure I would trust glue to hold the figures on and pinning might be necessary. Similarly, the shields have no attachment point (or indication of where to put them). A pin-and-hole arrangement would have been useful, but, of course, would also constrain placement.

The barding on the horses is sculpted very smoothly. This will make it easier to paint complex patterns on the barding. It does not, however, convey any sense of motion in the figures. For those of us who use the motion and ripples of fabric to hide our dodgy painting, these will prove a challenge. Any asymmetry in the pattern of checks or other symbols on the barding will stand out.

Crossbowmen
Kingmaker’s infantry packs contain eight figures, with four poses. The crossbow pack I received included three poses that required the bow of the crossbow be attached. The sculptor thoughtfully included a slight ledge at the join to assist with aligning the pieces and adding strength. One of the figures has a loaded crossbow, one is cocking the bow, and two have unloaded bows.

The figure cocking his bow is the least attractive of the four sculpts (it is an awkward motion, and this is reflected in the sculpt). Again, there is good detail on the figure with significant depths that would reward some time washing the figure. The fellow with the loaded bow has both a nicely rendered face and great detail on his sword belt.

The two figures with unloaded bows are well done. One fellow is just standing around but has a nicely crafted mail hood around his shoulders. The second figure with an unloaded bow is reaching backwards to get a bolt from his quiver. His pose is such that my first thought was that he was turning to say “So, who’s up for beers?” Overall, though the figure is nicely proportioned and the pose is a useful one.

Command Pack
The command pack has six figures. There is one officer figure, thrusting his sword towards the sky. The figure’s mail is nicely detailed, with a layer of chainmail being nicely covered by a studded leather jerkin. The regularity of the visible links is far better than many efforts at emulating chain. The figure’s hair is also nicely done, with fine strands that should take a wash very well. The figure is holding his helmet in one hand and, when reversed, the interior of the helmet is actually a hollow. This nicely takes advantage of the moulding process and suggests the sculptor thought through the pose quite clearly before beginning.

There are two figures blowing horns. One is quite heroic looking (one-handing the horn), with exceptional detail on the leather jerkin and a quaint hood that extends down the figure’s back. The other musician is a bit more comical, particularly with his distended cheeks full of air. A second officer (or non-com) is included and is competently sculpted.

Finally, there are two standard bearers included in this set. Both are nicely rendered, with significant detail evident in the many layers of clothing they are wearing. Both are cast open-handed but you must make you own standard. I would have preferred to receive the standards, but I recognize the additional manufacturing and shipping cost this entails and that many gamers would rather fashion their own to increase durability.

Transfers
Kingmaker also makes available three sets of pavise transfers and one set of banner transfers. The pavise transfers come in sheets of 12 transfers for £5 while the banner sheet has transfers for nine large banners and three small, costing £10.

These are, frankly, lovely transfers. They are exceptionally bright, with intricate designs that could not be duplicated with a paintbrush and appear to be the same ones offered through LittleBigMenStudios. I’m a bit reluctant to use them for fear of screwing up the transfer process and ruining them. I’m also not entirely sure that the detail on them would match with the degree of detail it is possible to paint on the figures. This might create a visual incongruence.

The transfers are slightly different from many decal sheets, in that they are applied face down after peeling off a layer of clear backing (or is that fronting?). The paper backing is then wetted to mould the decal to the shield and then the backing is removed.

Comments
The sample figures I received are very nicely sculpted. During a recent scaling back of my troops (to primarily 6 mm, if you’ll pardon the pun), I gave away a huge 28 mm medieval army. While Kingmaker’s figures make me yearn for the days of huge and heavy troops, none of the figures in that old army could hold a candle to these in terms of the quality of the sculpts. They are very well done.

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I’m also very impressed that Kingmaker has turned out such a comprehensive line. It is actually possible to buy enough different troop types to complete an army. This saves trying to mix-and-match among various manufacturers. Kingmaker has also done a nice job with their online catalog. Most of the figures are pictured there, which is not the case for Irregular Miniatures or Old Glory 25s, the only other manufacturers of Hussites I found.

Kingmaker is charging more than Irregular; for example, Kingmaker’s foot are £1.25 whereas Irregular cost 75p. Similarly, Kingmaker’s horse cost £3.67 each while Irregular charges £1.50. That said, the quality of the Kingmaker product is higher. They also have a much larger range of figures.

While I think the Hussite Wars is a bit of a niche market, the figures have much broader use. The foot figures could be used in almost any 15th or 16th century European army in need of crossbowmen or gunners. The pole-armed men and women would also be quite useful—can you ever have enough different poses of peasants with sticks?

Conclusion
Overall, this line is a nicely produced and useful addition to the available medieval figure lines. The quality of the sculpting in the figures that were provided is very high. Despite my reservations about the mounted figures, there were no glaring errors and the casting was very cleanly done with little flash. The assembly required by the figures is standard for metal 28 mm historicals and posed no major problems.

I was disappointed not to have a look at one of the war wagons. The Hussite war wagon is perhaps the largest part of the cachet surrounding the Hussite Wars. The quality of Kingmaker’s wagons would be a significant factor if I were going to buy a Hussite army in 28 mm. To be fair, the online pictures look very good.

Pros

• Lovely sculpts with significant detail.
• An original line, expanding rather than duplicating common periods.
• Useful as generic medieval figures.

Cons

• Sculpting on horses and mounted troops is a mixed bag.
• Prices are slightly higher than competition.