Wargames Factory Viking Bondi- unboxing, review and sprue inspection

This review is for the Wargames Factory Viking Bondi set

Inside you get 32 multipart, highly detailed figures. 

I got mine through Famous Gaming , they may still have some in stock I'm not sure.

They glue together easily and look great. The scale is just right & mixes well with other ranges. The detailing is spot on and easy to paint even for someone with two left hands, like me.

I've used this kit before and found it to be great so I got another, lets look inside.

You get 8 of the body sprues and 4 of the characteristics sprues, and they all stack neatly, hurrah!

The torsos and legs come joined in 4 different poses. That doesn't sound a lot seeing as there's 32 of them but with a bit of ingenuity you can arrange them in a rank and you'll never even notice. The torsos come 'unarmoured' in cloth/ leather with great detailing. The heads go on into sockets in the traditional way, allowing for a great range of movement, although a few do require a bit of trimming along the neck to sit well.

There are a tonne of arms to allow you to pose your men however you want, some are even included to be used as archers in action poses. Nice to have that for a change. 

The body+legs and arm sprues are the same between this box and the saxon fyrd box. 

Wargames factory have made it so there are 2 pairs of body/leg/arm sprues- one for unarmoured (the one above) and one for armoured (not in this post).

 The way you distinguish between the armies is by use of their special army sprues, as shown below!

So on this sprue you get all the heads, shields, weapons and special bits you need to make your miniatures into Vikings.  NB: This same sprue comes with armoured and unarmoured Vikings!

You get a mixture of armoured and unarmoured heads, including the factually inaccurate but iconic double horned helmet! Real nice mix of very detailed heads. You also get 8 shields per sprue, so enough to go around the entire set.

In the bottom right of the left hand sprue, just below the shields is a pair of arms to be used to hold a two handed axe. This great feature saves you from so much fiddly glueing, lifesaver. You also get a pair of bows, spears, a horn, some quivers and a selection of weapons. The Viking sprue has 2 big axes and a few more spears whereas the Saxon sprue has a dragon banner.

They don't come with bases but for their price it's no biggie to go and buy bases separately. If buying online I recommend Famous Gaming for cheap renedra bases.

Detailing & sculpting: 8/10- barely any mould lines, good detailing, poses are ok but could be more dynamic and hair could have more texture to it.

Scaling: 9/10- scale well with most other 28mm ranges, could be slighty chunkier but overall good.

Amount of bits: 9/10- loads of bits, spare heads and BOWS which are really appreciated. 28mm plastic bows are golddust.

Ease of construction: 10/10- incredibly easy to build. Having joined legs and torsos was handy.

Value for money: 9/10- the boxes dont cost the earth and for your money you get enough to start a saga warband or have a chunky regiment for wab/ fog

Over all: 45/50 - a mighty fine score!

All in all a nice kit packed with great miniatures and that will give you a few spare parts to add to a bits box when you're done.

To see how they scale up with other manufactures of 28mm dark ages check my other posts!

The Hávamál and Nine Noble Virtues & Charges

Bit of a departure from the model making for today's post.

The Havamal is a pre 13th century Viking poem, attributed to Odin that gives advice on living, good conduct and wise thinking. 

It contains some excellent lessons for life; lessons that I find much less prickly to swallow than those from the Bible or other major religious texts.

The Hávamál

Young and alone on a long road,
Once I lost my way:
Rich I felt when I found another;
Man rejoices in man,A kind word need not cost much,
The price of praise can be cheap:
With half a loaf and an empty cup
I found myself a friend,Two wooden stakes stood on the plain,
On them I hung my clothes:
Draped in linen, they looked well born,
But, naked, I was a nobodyToo early to many homes I came,
Too late, it seemed, to some:
The ale was finished or else un-brewed,
The unpopular cannot please,Some would invite me to visit their homes,
But none thought I needed a meal,
As though I had eaten a whole joint,
Just before with a friend who had twoThe man who stands at a strange threshold,
Should be cautious before he cross it,
Glance this way and that:
Who knows beforehand what foes may sit
Awaiting him in the hall?Greetings to the host,
The guest has arrived,
In which seat shall he sit?
Rash is he who at unknown doors
Relies on his good luck,Fire is needed by the newcomer
Whose knees are frozen numb;
Meat and clean linen a man needs
Who has fared across the fells,Water, too, that he may wash before eating,
Handcloth's and a hearty welcome,
Courteous words, then courteous silence
That he may tell his tale,Who travels widely needs his wits about him,
The stupid should stay at home:
The ignorant man is often laughed at
When he sits at meat with the sage,Of his knowledge a man should never boast,
Rather be sparing of speech
When to his house a wiser comes:
Seldom do those who are silent Make mistakes;
mother wit Is ever a faithful friend,A guest should be courteous
When he comes to the table
And sit in wary silence,
His ears attentive,
his eyes alert:
So he protects himself,Fortunate is he who is favoured in his lifetime
With praise and words of wisdom:
Evil counsel is often given
By those of evil heart,Blessed is he who in his own lifetime
Is awarded praise and wit,
For ill counsel is often given
By mortal men to each other,Better gear than good sense
A traveller cannot carry,
Better than riches for a wretched man,
Far from his own home,Better gear than good sense
A traveller cannot carry,
A more tedious burden than too much drink
A traveller cannot carry,Less good than belief would have it
Is mead for the sons of men:
A man knows less the more he drinks,
Becomes a befuddled fool,I-forget is the name men give the heron
Who hovers over the fast:
Fettered I was in his feathers that night,
When a guest in Gunnlod's courtDrunk I got, dead drunk,
When Fjalar the wise was with me:
Best is the banquet one looks back on after,
And remembers all that happened,Silence becomes the Son of a prince,
To be silent but brave in battle:
It befits a man to be merry and glad
Until the day of his death,The coward believes he will live forever
If he holds back in the battle,
But in old age he shall have no peace
Though spears have spared his limbsWhen he meets friends, the fool gapes,
Is shy and sheepish at first,
Then he sips his mead and immediately
All know what an oaf he is,
He who has seen and suffered much,
And knows the ways of the world,
Who has travelled', can tell what spirit
Governs the men he meets,
Drink your mead, but in moderation,
Talk sense or be silent:
No man is called discourteous who goes
To bed at an early hourA gluttonous man who guzzles away
Brings sorrow on himself:
At the table of the wise he is taunted often,
Mocked for his bloated belly,The herd knows its homing time,
And leaves the grazing ground:
But the glutton never knows how much
His belly is able to hold,An ill tempered, unhappy man
Ridicules all he hears,
Makes fun of others, refusing always
To see the faults in himselfFoolish is he who frets at night,
And lies awake to worry'
A weary man when morning comes,
He finds all as bad as before,The fool thinks that those who laugh
At him are all his friends,
Unaware when he sits with wiser men
How ill they speak of him.The fool thinks that those who laugh
At him are all his friends:
When he comes to the Thing and calls for support,
Few spokesmen he findsThe fool who fancies he is full of wisdom
While he sits by his hearth at home.
Quickly finds when questioned by others .
That he knows nothing at all.The ignorant booby had best be silent
When he moves among other men,
No one will know what a nit-wit he is
Until he begins to talk;
No one knows less what a nit-wit he is
Than the man who talks too much.To ask well, to answer rightly,
Are the marks of a wise man:
Men must speak of men's deeds,
What happens may not be hidden.Wise is he not who is never silent,
Mouthing meaningless words:
A glib tongue that goes on chattering
Sings to its own harm.A man among friends should not mock another:
Many believe the man
Who is not questioned to know much
And so he escapes their scorn.
An early meal a man should take
Before he visits friends,
Lest, when he gets there,
he go hungry,
Afraid to ask for food.The fastest friends may fall out
When they sit at the banquet-board:
It is, and shall be, a shameful thing
When guest quarrels with guest,The wise guest has his way of dealing
With those who taunt him at table:
He smiles through the meal,
not seeming to hear
The twaddle talked by his foes.The tactful guest will take his leave Early,
not linger long:
He starts to stink who outstays his welcome
In a hall that is not his own.A small hut of one' s own is better,
A man is his master at home:
A couple of goats and a corded roof
Still are better than begging.A small hut of one's own is better,
A man is his master at home:
His heart bleeds in the beggar who must
Ask at each meal for meat.A wayfarer should not walk unarmed,
But have his weapons to hand:
He knows not when he may need a spear,
Or what menace meet on the road.No man is so generous he will jib at accepting
A gift in return for a gift,
No man so rich that it really gives him
Pain to be repaid.Once he has won wealth enough,
A man should not crave for more:
What he saves for friends, foes may take;
Hopes are often liars.With presents friends should please each other,
With a shield or a costly coat:
Mutual giving makes for friendship,
So long as life goes well,
A man should be loyal through life to friends,
To them and to friends of theirs,
But never shall a man make offer
Of friendship to his foes.A man should be loyal through life to friends,
And return gift for gift,
Laugh when they laugh,
but with lies repay
A false foe who lies.If you find a friend you fully trust
And wish for his good-will,
exchange thoughts,
exchange gifts,
Go often to his house.If you deal with another you don't trust
But wish for his good-will,
Be fair in speech but false in thought
And give him lie for lie.Even with one you ill-trust
And doubt what he means to do,
False words with fair smiles
May get you the gift you desire.To a false friend the footpath winds
Though his house be on the highway.
To a sure friend there is a short cut,
Though he live a long way off.Hotter than fire among false hearts burns
Friendship for five days,
But suddenly slackens when the sixth dawns:
Feeble their friendship then.The generous and bold have the best lives,
Are seldom beset by cares, ,
But the base man sees bogies everywhere
And the miser pines for presents.The young fir that falls and rots
Having neither needles nor bark,
So is the fate of the friendless man:
Why should he live long?Little a sand-grain, little a dew drop,
Little the minds of men:
A11 men are not equal in wisdom,
The half-wise are everywhereIt is best for man to be middle-wise,
Not over cunning and clever:
The fairest life is led by those
Who are deft at all they do.
It is best for man to be middle-wise,
Not over cunning and clever:
No man is able to know his future,
So let him sleep in peace.It is best for man to be middle-wise,
Not over cunning and clever:
The learned man whose lore is deep
Is seldom happy at heart.Brand kindles brand till they burn out,
Flame is quickened by flame:
One man from another is known by his speech
The simpleton by his silence.
Early shall he rise who has designs
On anothers land or life:
His prey escapes the prone wolf,
The sleeper is seldom victorious.Early shall he rise who rules few servants,
And set to work at once:
Much is lost by the late sleeper,
Wealth is won by the swift,A man should know how many logs
And strips of bark from the birch
To stock in autumn, that he may have enough
Wood for his winter fires.Washed and fed,
one may fare to the Thing:
Though one's clothes be the worse for Wear,
None need be ashamed of his shoes or hose,
Nor of the horse he owns,
Although no thoroughbred.As the eagle who comes to the ocean shore,
Sniffs and hangs her head,
Dumfounded is he who finds at the Thing
No supporters to plead his case.It is safe to tell a secret to one,
Risky to tell it to two,
To tell it to three is thoughtless folly,
Everyone else will know.Often words uttered to another
Have reaped an ill harvest:
Two beat one, the tongue is head's bane,
Pockets of fur hide fists.Moderate at council should a man be,
Not brutal and over bearing:
Among the bold the bully will find
Others as bold as he.These things are thought the best:
Fire, the sight of the sun,
Good health with the gift to keep it,
And a life that avoids vice.Not all sick men are utterly wretched:
Some are blessed with sons,
Some with friends,
some with riches,
Some with worthy works.The halt can manage a horse,
the handless a flock,
The deaf be a doughty fighter,
To be blind is better than to burn on a pyre:
There is nothing the dead can do.It is always better to be alive,
The living can keep a cow.
Fire, I saw, warming a wealthy man,
With a cold corpse at his door.A son is a blessing, though born late
To a father no longer alive:
Stones would seldom stand by the highway
If sons did not set them there.He welcomes the night who has enough provisions
Short are the sails of a ship,
Dangerous the dark in autumn,
The wind may veer within five days,
And many times in a month.The half wit does not know that gold
Makes apes of many men:
One is rich, one is poor
There is no blame in that.Cattle die, kindred die,
Every man is mortal:
But the good name never dies
Of one who has done wellCattle die, kindred die,
Every man is mortal:
But I know one thing that never dies,
The glory of the great deadFields and flocks had Fitjung's sons,
Who now carry begging bowls:
Wealth may vanish in the wink of an eye,
Gold is the falsest of friends.In the fool who acquires cattle and lands,
Or wins a woman's love,
His wisdom wanes with his waxing pride,
He sinks from sense to conceit.Now is answered what you ask of the runes,
Graven by the gods,
Made by the All Father,
Sent by the powerful sage:
lt. is best for man to remain silent.For these things give thanks at nightfall:
The day gone, a guttered torch,
A sword tested, the troth of a maid,
Ice crossed, ale drunk.Hew wood in wind-time,
in fine weather sail,
Tell in the night-time tales to house-girls,
For too many eyes are open by day:
From a ship expect speed, from a shield, cover,
Keenness from a sword,
but a kiss from a girl.Drink ale by the hearth, over ice glide,
Buy a stained sword, buy a starving mare
To fatten at home: and fatten the watch-dog.Trust not an acre early sown,
Nor praise a son too soon:
Weather rules the acre, wit the son,
Both are exposed to peril,A snapping bow, a burning flame,
A grinning wolf, a grunting boar,
A raucous crow, a rootless tree,
A breaking wave, a boiling kettle,
A flying arrow, an ebbing tide,
A coiled adder, the ice of a night,
A bride's bed talk, a broad sword,
A bear's play, a prince' s children,
A witch' s welcome, the wit of a slave,
A sick calf, a corpse still fresh,
A brother's killer encountered upon
The highway a house half-burned,
A racing stallion who has wrenched a leg,
Are never safe: let no man trust them.No man should trust a maiden's words,
Nor what a woman speaks:
Spun on a wheel were women's hearts,
In their breasts was implanted caprice,To love a woman whose ways are false
Is like sledding over slippery ice
With unshod horses out of control,
Badly trained two-year-olds,
Or drifting rudderless on a rough sea,
Or catching a reindeer with a crippled hand
On a thawing hillside: think not to do it.Naked I may speak now for I know both:
Men are treacherous too
Fairest we speak when falsest we think:
many a maid is deceived.Gallantly shall he speak and gifts bring
Who wishes for woman's love:
praise the features of the fair girl,
Who courts well will conquer.Never reproach another for his love:
It happens often enough
That beauty ensnares with desire the wise
While the foolish remain unmoved.Never reproach the plight of another,
For it happens to many men:
Strong desire may stupefy heroes,
Dull the wits of the wiseThe mind alone knows what is near the heart,
Each is his own judge:
The worst sickness for a wise man
Is to crave what he cannot enjoy.So I learned when I sat in the reeds,
Hoping to have my desire:
Lovely was the flesh of that fair girl,
But nothing I hoped for happened.I saw on a bed Billing's daughter,
Sun white, asleep:
No greater delight I longed for then
Than to lie in her lovely arms."Come" Odhinn, after nightfall
If you wish for a meeting with me:
All would be lost if anyone saw us
And learned that we were lovers."Afire with longing" I left her then,
Deceived by her soft words:
I thought my wooing had won the maid,
That I would have my way.After nightfall I hurried back,
But the warriors were all awake,
Lights were burning, blazing torches:
So false proved the pathTowards daybreak back I came
The guards were sound asleep:
I found then that the fair woman
Had tied a bitch to her bed.Many a girl when one gets to know her
Proves to be fickle and false:
That treacherous maiden taught me a lesson,
The crafty woman covered me with shame"
That was all I got from her.Let a man with his guests be glad and merry,
Modest a man should be"
But talk well if he intends to be wise
And expects praise from men:
Fimbul fambi is the fool called "
Unable to open his mouth.
Fruitless my errand, had I been silent
When I came to Suttung's courts:
With spirited words I spoke to my profit
In the hall of the aged giant.Rati had gnawed a narrow passage,
Chewed a channel through stone,
A path around the roads of giants:
I was like to lose my headGunnlod sat me in the golden seat,
Poured me precious mead:
Ill reward she had from me for that,
For her proud and passionate heart,
Her brooding foreboding spirit.What I won from her I have well used:
I have waxed in wisdom since I came back,
bringing to Asgard Odrerir,
the sacred draught.Hardly would I have come home alive
From the garth of the grim troll,
Had Gunnlod not helped me, the good woman,
Who wrapped her arms around me.The following day the Frost Giants came,
Walked into Har's hall To ask for Har's advice:
Had Bolverk they asked, come back to his friends,
Or had he been slain by Suttung?Odhinn, they said, swore an oath on his ring:
Who from now on will trust him?
By fraud at the feast he befuddled Suttung
And brought grief to Gunnlod.It is time to sing in the seat of the wise,
Of what at Urd's Well I saw in silence,
saw and thought on.
Long I listened to men
Runes heard spoken, (counsels revealed.)
At Har's hall, In Har's hall:
There I heard this.Loddfafnir, listen to my counsel:
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it.Never rise at night unless you need to spy
Or to ease yourself in the outhouse.Shun a woman, wise in magic,
Her bed and her embraces:
If she cast a spell, you will care no longer
To meet and speak with men,
Desire no food, desire no pleasure,
In sorrow fall asleep.Never seduce anothers wife,
Never make her your mistress.If you must journey to mountains and firths,
Take food and fodder with you.Never open your heart to an evil man
When fortune does not favour you:
From an evil man, if you make him your friend,
You will get evil for good.I saw a warrior wounded fatally
By the words of an evil woman
Her cunning tongue caused his death,
Though what she alleged was a lie.If you know a friend you can fully trust,
Go often to his house
Grass and brambles grow quickly
Upon the untrodden track.With a good man it is good to talk,
Make him your fast friend:
But waste no words on a witless oaf,
Nor sit with a senseless ape.Cherish those near you, never be
The first to break with a friend:
Care eats him who can no longer
Open his heart to another.An evil man, if you make him your friend,
Will give you evil for good:
A good man, if you make him your friend"
Will praise you in every place,Affection is mutual when men can open
All their heart to each other:
He whose words are always fair
Is untrue and not to be trusted.Bandy no speech with a bad man:
Often the better is beaten
In a word fight by the worse.Be not a cobbler nor a carver of shafts,
Except it be for yourself:
If a shoe fit ill or a shaft be crooked"
The maker gets curses and kicks.If aware that another is wicked, say so:
Make no truce or treaty with foes.Never share in the shamefully gotten,
But allow yourself what is lawful.Never lift your eyes and look up in battle,
Lest the heroes enchant you,
who can change warriors
Suddenly into hogs,
With a good woman, if you wish to enjoy
Her words and her good will,
Pledge her fairly and be faithful to it:
Enjoy the good you are given,Be not over wary, but wary enough,
First, of the foaming ale,
Second, of a woman wed to another,
Third, of the tricks of thieves.Mock not the traveller met On the road,
Nor maliciously laugh at the guest:
Scoff not at guests nor to the gate chase them,
But relieve the lonely and wretched,The sitters in the hall seldom know
The kin of the new-comer:
The best man is marred by faults,
The worst is not without worth.Never laugh at the old when they offer counsel,
Often their words are wise:
From shrivelled skin, from scraggy things
That hand among the hides
And move amid the guts,
Clear words often come.Heavy the beam above the door;
Hang a horse-shoe On it
Against ill-luck, lest it should suddenly
Crash and crush your guests.Medicines exist against many evils:
Earth against drunkenness, heather against worms
Oak against costiveness, corn against sorcery,
Spurred rye against rupture, runes against bales
The moon against feuds, fire against sickness,
Earth makes harmless the floods.Wounded I hung on a wind-swept gallows
For nine long nights,
Pierced by a spear, pledged to Odhinn,
Offered, myself to myself
The wisest know not from whence spring
The roots of that ancient roodThey gave me no bread,
They gave me no mead,
I looked down;
with a loud cry
I took up runes;
from that tree I fell.Nine lays of power
I learned from the famous Bolthor, Bestla' s father:
He poured me a draught of precious mead,
Mixed with magic Odrerir.Waxed and throve well;
Word from word gave words to me,
Deed from deed gave deeds to me,Runes you will find, and readable staves,
Very strong staves,
Very stout staves,
Staves that Bolthor stained,
Made by mighty powers,
Graven by the prophetic god,For the gods by Odhinn, for the elves by Dain,
By Dvalin, too, for the dwarves,
By Asvid for the hateful giants,
And some I carved myself:
Thund, before man was made, scratched them,
Who rose first, fell thereafterKnow how to cut them, know how to read them,
Know how to stain them, know how to prove them,
Know how to evoke them, know how to score them,
Know how to send them" know how to send them,Better not to ask than to over-pledge
As a gift that demands a gift"
Better not to send than to slay too many,The first charm I know is unknown to rulers
Or any of human kind;
Help it is named,
for help it can give In hours of sorrow and anguish.I know a second that the sons of men
Must learn who wish to be leeches.I know a third: in the thick of battle,
If my need be great enough,
It will blunt the edges of enemy swords,
Their weapons will make no wounds.I know a fourth:
it will free me quickly
If foes should bind me fast
With strong chains, a chant that makes Fetters spring from the feet,
Bonds burst from the hands.I know a fifth: no flying arrow,
Aimed to bring harm to men,
Flies too fast for my fingers to catch it
And hold it in mid-air.I know a sixth:
it will save me if a man
Cut runes on a sapling' s Roots
With intent to harm; it turns the spell;
The hater is harmed, not me.If I see the hall
Ablaze around my bench mates,
Though hot the flames, they shall feel nothing,
If I choose to chant the spell.I know an eighth:
that all are glad of,
Most useful to men:
If hate fester in the heart of a warrior,
It will soon calm and cure him.I know a ninth:
when need I have
To shelter my ship on the flood,
The wind it calms, the waves it smoothes
And puts the sea to sleep,I know a tenth:
if troublesome ghosts
Ride the rafters aloft,
I can work it so they wander astray,
Unable to find their forms,
Unable to find their homes.I know an eleventh:
when I lead to battle Old comrades in-arms,
I have only to chant it behind my shield,
And unwounded they go to war,
Unwounded they come from war,
U unscathed wherever they are.I know a twelfth:
If a tree bear
A man hanged in a halter,
I can carve and stain strong runes
That will cause the corpse to speak,
Reply to whatever I ask.I know a thirteenth
if I throw a cup Of water over a warrior,
He shall not fall in the fiercest battle,
Nor sink beneath the sword,I know a fourteenth, that few know:
If I tell a troop of warriors
About the high ones, elves and gods,
I can name them one by one.
(Few can the nit-wit name.)I know a fifteenth,
that first Thjodrerir
Sang before Delling's doors,
Giving power to gods, prowess to elves,
Fore-sight to Hroptatyr Odhinn,I know a sixteenth:
if I see a girl
With whom it would please me to play,
I can turn her thoughts, can touch the heart
Of any white armed woman.I know a seventeenth:
if I sing it,
the young Girl will be slow to forsake me.I know an eighteenth that I never tell
To maiden or wife of man,
A secret I hide from all
Except the love who lies in my arms,
Or else my own sister.To learn to sing them, Loddfafnir,
Will take you a long time,
Though helpful they are if you understand them,
Useful if you use them,
Needful if you need them.The Wise One has spoken words in the hall,
Needful for men to know,
Unneedful for trolls to know:Hail to the speaker,
Hail to the knower,
Joy to him who has understood,
Delight to those who have listened.

---

(W. H .Auden & P. B. Taylor Translation )

In the 1970's this poem was used to form the Nine Noble Virtues by the Odinic Rite and the Asatru Folk Assembly:

Odinic Rite

Courage Truth Honour Fidelity Discipline Hospitality Self Reliance Industriousness Perseverance

Asatru Folk Assembly

Strength is better than weakness

Courage is better than cowardice

Joy is better than guilt

Honour is better than dishonour

Freedom is better than slavery

Kinship is better than alienation

Realism is better than dogmatism

Vigor is better than lifelessness

Ancestry is better than universalism

The Odinic Rite also created the Nine Charges as an accompaniment, building on the Nine Noble Virtues

• To maintain candour and fidelity in love and devotion to the tried friend: though he strike me I will do him no scathe.
• Never to make wrongsome oath: for great and grim is the reward for the breaking of plighted troth.
• To deal not hardly with the humble and the lowly.
• To remember the respect that is due to great age.
• To suffer no evil to go unremedied and to fight against the enemies of Faith, Folk and Family: my foes I will fight in the field, nor will I stay to be burnt in my house.
• To succour the friendless but to put no faith in the pledged word of a stranger people.
• If I hear the fool's word of a drunken man I will strive not: for many a grief and the very death groweth from out such things.
• To give kind heed to dead people: straw dead, sea dead or sword dead.
• To abide by the enactments of lawful authority and to bear with courage the decrees of the Norns.

 

A lot of wisdom in these words, and even though these are almost as old as the first written Bibles, the message is much more clear and more readily applied to modern life. Plus now im free to covet my neighbour's ass as much as I please.

Warlord Games plastic Celtic Warriors- unboxing, review and sprue inspection

This review is for the Warlord Games Celtic Warriors boxed set

Bought two of these in the past when my army was originally going to be a WAB celtic warband many moons ago. I think they make great bondi, thralls and beserkers for your viking armies though. 

You get 40 high quality figures spread across 4 sprues- 3 standard and one upgrade.

Lets look inside:

You get these adhesive shield covers to apply to shield faces for easy and speedy decoration. Nice celtic patterns but would also suit Dark Ages armies.

This is the standard sprue, flipped so you can see both sides. As you can see torsos and legs are separate allowing for loads of combinations. You get 10 torsos per sprue- 2 of which are in chainmail with an awesome mail collar. The detailing is great and very little clean up was needed before putting the kit together. The torsos come with arms already attached, and most already have weapons in their hands. The hnds can be swapped for gripping east plastics vikings very easily and look great as simple conversions.

A few poses are tricky to work with as they hunch quite far forward, making ranking them up quite an issue so I tend to use the hunched guys as permanent skirmishers mounted on round bases. 

The heads glue on to flat plateaus just above their adams apples. They do combine with the gripping beast heads and bodies with a bit of work but its not a perfect mix and tbh you get a lot of heads with both sets so theres no need to go swapping around.

Along the bottom of each sprue you get your weapons and shields. They combine perfectly with all other 28mm ranges, which is ideal! Nice mix of shield shapes too. 

This is both sides of the upgrade sprue. Unfortunately I took a few guys off here before photographing it, but that shouldn't get in the way. Its almost identical to the standard sprue but this one has a command section where the heads usually are. 

Instead of heads you get a choice of two pagan banner poles, a large carynx war horn on the shape of a boar, two severed heads, a decorative bird and a mane of hair to attach to your leader. The detailing on the standards is great- the boar even has celtic tribal patterns on it. As my army are pagans they fit right in.

There are no bases supplied but check out Famous Gaming for all your basing needs. They've got everything you'd want, as long as it's in stock!

So for your money you get 40 multipart posable figures, with a range of weapons, shields and heads and an upgrade sprue. They mix well with other 28mm ranges and although they are designed to be celtic they make perfect thralls, bondi or fyrd. With some minor converting they could also make great beserkers as quite a few of them are half dressed.

Detailing & sculpting: 9/10- barely any mould lines, great detailing, but lack of poses and joined arms.

Scaling: 9/10- scale well with most other 28mm ranges, could be slighty chunkier but overall good.

Amount of bits: 7/10- dont get an abbundance of bits, although what you get is of a good standard.

Ease of construction: 10/10- incredibly easy to build.

Value for money: 9/10- 40 men in a box is great, although id like to see more upgrade parts!

Over all: 44/50 - pretty good!

Will definitely be investing in more of these as my army grows!

Thanks for looking, to see how these figures scale up against other 28mm dark ages miniatures please check my other posts.

Conquest Games plastic Norman knights- unboxing, review and sprue inspection

This review is for the Conquest Games plastic Norman knights set

This was the first time I've seen inside this box- I've not handled conquest figs before but after hearing good things I gave them ago, and I'm glad I did!

Although I dont play Normans and dont really like the Norman feel of things, I got these to represent Saxon cavalry or knights brought over form the continent as mercenaries.

You get 12 cavalry for your money, pretty good value and really nice figs. Thats one commandsprue and 3 standard sprues. You actually get 15 bodies and 12 horses to allow for a bit of variation amongst the unit.

Heres the sprues:

command sprue

This is the 'command' sprue. Comes with a banner arm, horn arm, a stick- not sure why youd go to war with a club when youre a knight but yes a stick, and some sword and spear arms. You also get a choice of round or kite shields which is a nice touch.

You can see in the bottom left there is a downed knight too- perfect for dioramas or a gaming objective. Im thinking of running a scenario around him with both sides battling to reach him and take him captive/ home.

The horses are multipart and well detailed and you can mix them up to get a few extra poses.

The three torsos are a mix of what looks like chain, boiled leather and quilted leather to give some variation between figures. No heads on this sprue but theyre found on the standard sprue.

flipped command sprue

As you can see some shields come with arms and some don't so you may have to do some minor converting.

This is the standard sprue. You get your 3 horses again, 4 torsos this time, same amount of shields and arms and now also the heads. The heads do look quite Norman-ish but they will do as Saxons too. Mixture of three torsos again.

The arms on most, if not all, join just below the elbow. This gives great joins which stick well and look durable but doesn't allow as much free positioning as I'd have liked. You can still get good poses out of them if you fiddle, I would've just preferred a bit extra freedom. 

The heads are glued on to a plateau neck, with the head also including the full throat. This means mixing these with other ranges will be tricky- you can probably lobotomise other heads but it'll be a fiddly job. If you manage to feel free to let me know!

Over all the scale works well with other ranges, once ive built a few ill add them to the scaling post from yesterday. Their weapons and bodies match up well with other ranges- shame they've been designed so the components don't mix as theres some cool bits on the gripping beast sprue id love to add to these guys.

In the box you also get a set of renedra cavalry bases! Bonus!

All in all, a good set of plastic cavalry. Not too expensive and scale up well with other 28mm dark ages miniatres. Shame they have incompatible components as kitbashing these would be awesome, but their price and the fact theyre all plastic make up for it in my opinion!

Detailing & sculpting: 9/10- barely any mould lines, good detailing, but lack of poses and joined arms.

Scaling: 9/10- range well with most other 28mm ranges

Amount of bits: 4/10- not enough extra bits for my liking- very little to speak of but does allow for varied weapons

Ease of construction: 8/10- not too fiddly- arm joints are unusual and are a bit fiddly at times

Value for money: 8/10- cavalry are always pricey and i felt these weren't too badly priced, although for the money I would expect more spare parts, alternative helmets and maybe a few axes. Having 15 men and 12 horses seemed strange too, rather lose the 3 spare bodies in exchange for a conversion section. But then again these are the only dark ages cavalry in plastic of this quality on the market, and compared to metal figs are pocket money.

Over all: 38/50 - not bad but could be better!- buy alongside some gripping beast plastic figures and your lack of bits will be remedied!

Thanks for looking!

Wargames Factory Viking Huscarls- unboxing, review and sprue inspection

This review is for the Wargames Factory Viking Huscarls set

You get 32 multipart, highly detailed figures for your money. And tbh these aren't ever very expensive. I got mine through Famous Gaming , they may still have some in stock I'm not sure.

They glue together easily and look great. The scale is just right & mixes well with other ranges. The detailing is spot on and easy to paint even for someone with two left hands, like me.

I've used this kit before and found it to be great so I got another, lets look inside.

You get 8 of the body sprues and 4 of the characteristics sprues, and they all stack neatly, hurrah!

The torsos and legs come joined in 4 different poses. That doesn't sound a lot seeing as there's 32 of them but with a bit of ingenuity you can arrange them in a rank and you'll never even notice. The torsos come in chainmail with great detailing. The heads go on into sockets in the traditional way, allowing for a great range of movement, although a few do require a bit of trimming along the neck to sit well.

There are a tonne of arms to allow you to pose your men however you want, some are even included to be used as archers in action poses. Nice to have that for a change. The arms are chainmail to the bicep and then cloth the rest of the way. Great detailing.

The body+legs and arm sprues are the same between this box and the viking huscarls box. 

Wargames factory have made it so there are 2 pairs of body/leg/arm sprues- one for armoured (the one above) and one for unarmoured (not in this post).

 The way you distinguish between the armies is by use of their special army sprues, as shown below!

So on this sprue you get all the heads, shields, weapons and special bits you need to make your miniatures into Vikings.  NB: This same sprue comes with armoured and unarmoured Vikings!

You get a mixture of armoured and unarmoured heads, including the factually inaccurate but iconic double horned helmet! Real nice mix of very detailed heads. You also get 8 shields per sprue, so enough to go around the entire set.

In the bottom right of the left hand sprue, just below the shields is a pair of arms to be used to hold a two handed axe. This great feature saves you from so much fiddly glueing, lifesaver. You also get a pair of bows, spears, a horn, some quivers and a selection of weapons. The Viking sprue has 2 big axes and a few more spears whereas the Saxon sprue has a dragon banner.

They don't come with bases but for their price it's no biggie to go and buy bases separately. If buying online I recommend Famous Gaming for cheap renedra bases.

Detailing & sculpting: 8/10- barely any mould lines, good detailing, poses are ok but could be more dynamic and hair could have more texture to it.

Scaling: 9/10- scale well with most other 28mm ranges, could be slighty chunkier but overall good.

Amount of bits: 9/10- loads of bits, spare heads and BOWS which are really appreciated. 28mm plastic bows are golddust.

Ease of construction: 10/10- incredibly easy to build. Having joined legs and torsos was handy.

Value for money: 9/10- the boxes dont cost the earth and for your money you get enough to start a saga warband or have a chunky regiment for wab/ fog

Over all: 45/50 - a mighty fine score!

All in all a nice kit packed with great miniatures and that will give you a few spare parts to add to a bits box when you're done.

To see how they scale up with other manufactures of 28mm dark ages check my other posts!

Wargames Factory Saxon Thegns- unboxing, review and sprue inspection

This review is for the Wargames Factory Saxon Thegns set

You get 32 multipart, highly detailed figures for your money. And tbh these aren't ever very expensive. I got mine through Famous Gaming , they may still have some in stock I'm not sure.

They glue together easily and look great. The scale is just right & mixes well with other ranges. The detailing is spot on and easy to paint even for someone with two left hands, like me.

I've used this kit before and found it to be great so I got another, lets look inside.

You get 8 of the body sprues and 4 of the characteristics sprues, and they all stack neatly, hurrah!

The torsos and legs come joined in 4 different poses. That doesn't sound a lot seeing as there's 32 of them but with a bit of ingenuity you can arrange them in a rank and you'll never even notice. The torsos come in chainmail with great detailing. The heads go on into sockets in the traditional way, allowing for a great range of movement, although a few do require a bit of trimming along the neck to sit well.

There are a tonne of arms to allow you to pose your men however you want, some are even included to be used as archers in action poses. Nice to have that for a change. The arms are chainmail to the bicep and then cloth the rest of the way. Great detailing.

The body+legs and arm sprues are the same between this box and the viking huscarls box. 

Wargames factory have made it so there are 2 pairs of body/leg/arm sprues- one for armoured (the one above) and one for unarmoured (not in this post).

 The way you distinguish between the armies is by use of their special army sprues, as shown below!

saxon sprue from both sides
left hand sprue                right hand sprue 

So on this sprue you get all the heads, shields, weapons and special bits you need to make your miniatures into Saxons.  NB: This same sprue comes with armoured and unarmoured Saxons!

Theres a mixture of armoured and unarmoured heads- most are unarmoured. There are slouch caps to give that authentic continental warrior look- I found they look great on skirmishers.

You also get a mixture of three types of shield- there is the flat round shield, the domed round shield and the kite shield. The kite shield is a nice touch and could allow you to create a few Norman looking foot soldiers if you needed.

In the bottom right of the left hand sprue, just below the shield is a pair of arms to be used to hold either a dragon banner or a two handed axe. This great feature saves you from so much fiddly glueing, lifesaver. You also get a pair of bows, spears, a horn, dragon banner, some quivers and a selection of weapons.

They don't come with bases but for their price it's no biggie to go and buy bases separately. If buying online I recommend Famous Gaming for cheap renedra bases.

Detailing & sculpting: 8/10- barely any mould lines, good detailing, poses are ok but could be more dynamic and hair could have more texture to it.

Scaling: 9/10- scale well with most other 28mm ranges, could be slighty chunkier but overall good.

Amount of bits: 9/10- loads of bits, spare heads and BOWS which are really appreciated. 28mm plastic bows are golddust.

Ease of construction: 10/10- incredibly easy to build. Having joined legs and torsos was handy.

Value for money: 9/10- the boxes dont cost the earth and for your money you get enough to start a saga warband or have a chunky regiment for wab/ fog

Over all: 45/50 - a mighty fine score!

All in all a nice kit packed with great miniatures and that will give you a few spare parts to add to a bits box when you're done.

To see how they scale up with other manufactures of 28mm dark ages check my other posts!

Gripping Beast Plastics Saxon Thegns- unboxing, review and sprue inspection

This review is for the Saxon Thegns kit

This is the first time I've seen inside the new Gripping Beast Plastics boxes. I've liked their metal models for a long time but these new figures a bit of an unknown entity so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Saxon Thegns box cover

Luckily, in no way did they disappoint!

You get 44 plastic figures in the box, FORTY FOUR.

 That's enough to give a GW CEO a heart-attack.

They're spread over 4 standard sprues and 2 command sprues. Let's take a look.

Saxon Thegns Sprue

You get a tonne of stuff with these kits. The Saxon kit doesn't have quite as much as the Viking one, but you do get a lot more spears, which makes them perfect for shieldwall arrangements.

The bodies and weapons are a bit bigger than most other 28mm scale figs but its a minute difference that is within the realms of possibility. In the real world everyone is a different height and weapons are all different sizes,  that's part of realistic gaming, so I welcome the difference. Check one of my previous posts for a scale comparison of these against other figs.

Saxon thegn sprue flipped

All torsos have crucifix necklaces.

Saxon sprue on the left and Viking sprue on the right- can you spot the differences?

Saxon and Viking side by side flipped. Notice the Vikings have much more in the way of axes and swords whereas the Saxons have majority spears. Helmets are also very different.

Same shields as the Viking set- round with bossed centres. Shame there's no kite shields included but not the end of the world.

 The heads are glued on to a flat plateau neck with the join just above the Adam's apple. This makes a really solid and easy joint without any faff trying to get the heads to fit in place. It does unfortunately also make it hard to mix these torsos with other model ranges but theres enough heads in here to have plenty of options so I wasn't fussed. 

Torsos and leg are joined but are in a range of 5 poses so they don't look too static when ranked up.

 They're also in the perfect positions to form a shieldwall- a major bonus over warlord games ad wargames factory whose figures are in more combat based poses.

Command Sprue

The command sprue contains two figures, a fabric cloak, horn, dragon standard, cool heads and some swords.

The kit also includes bases! Definite tick for that! Theres a nice selection too, theres 20mm and 40mm squares and then 100  x 20 , 60 x 20 and 40 x 20 strips. So no matter how you want to base them you're covered.

Detailing & sculpting: 8/10- few mouldlines in places but over all really good and easily trimmed, great detailing on all hair, beards etc, weapons look great and chainmail is spot on.

Scaling: 8/10- Bit chunkier than most other brands but mix in ok. Weapons are slightly chnkier than wargames factory but can still be mixed.

Amount of bits: 10/10- an insane amount of bits! check the pics- you get a tonne of stuff!

Ease of construction: 10/10- incredibly easy to build. Having joined legs and torsos was handy, and arms go on easily. Neck joined heads are easy and still allow for posing.

Value for money: 9/10- bit pricey compared to other sets but youre getting 44 men- thats a saga warband or for wab/fog either one massive regiment or two regular regiments. Awesome.

Over all: 45/50 - a mighty fine score!

So for your money you're essentially getting two regiments or one huge one if you play WAB, or a whole warband if you're playing SAGA. Plus a tonne of stuff for a bits box. AND bases included. The models themselves are of a very high quality, with excellent sculpting and manufacturing. They barely needed trimming before being built, hardly any mould lines at all!

Great kit!

To see how they scale up with other manufactures of 28mm dark ages check my other posts!