Thanks
Phil from Osprey kindly sent me a box of the new plastic Frostgrave soldiers to try out for my Game of Thrones kit-bashing endeavours. Here are the first results.
First, a bit of a review of the Frostgrave Soldiers boxed set.
Overall, it’s a very useful box of figures and parts. 20 figures, supplied on four identical frames.
I believe it’s the same sculptor that Gripping Beast and Fireforge use for their plastic sets - and you can see the family resemblance. All the parts from these three ranges are eminently interchangeable and appear to fit well together. The detail is similarly ‘soft’ on the bodies and clothing. In other words, it’s not as crisp and well-defined as the Perry or Victrix plastics, and there are one or two slightly clunky ‘undercuts’ in the moulding. But these are very minor and easily hidden / dealt with by scalpel and paint. Interestingly, the Perry parts also fit well with these Frostgrave parts. I’m confident that the ‘soft’ detailing will actually make these figures quite easy to paint, so it’s by no means a bad thing.
Bodies: There are only five bodies in the set (the average Perry infantry set, by comparison, has 12 – 14 different bodies: much more generous). The legs and torsos are one-piece mouldings, which is fine by me. You can still achieve a huge amount of differentiation by mixing up heads and arms from the Frostgrave set itself, and - as you can see below - from mashing up with other plastic sets.
Obviously because Frostgrave is a winter setting, the bodies are all pretty well swaddled in various layers of clothing, and from a Game of Thrones point of view, this works well for anywhere in the North – Starks, Boltons, Karstarks, The Nights Watch, and Wildlings of course. The figures are pretty chunky to my eye, certainly compared with Perry and even the Fireforge medieval foot figures, although not irredeemably so. Partly this is because of all the layers of clothing, and partly because of the obvious GW-alike fantasy styling of the set.
The figures are mounted on integral bases – like most plastic ‘historical’ sets, and indeed, almost all metal ‘historical’ figures. This suits me, because I mount all my figures on 25mm washers. But if you’re a wargamer who has come up the GW way, and prefer slottas or fancy resin bases, you’ll have a fair bit of cutting away to do. The good news is that - like all Renedra-moulded plastic sets - it’s a pretty soft ‘hard plastic’.
Heads: There are ten different heads in a weird and wonderful variety of styles and cultures. For my purposes, some of these are very useful, and some of no use at all - although they’re all well done. One or two are slightly comical-looking, and I wouldn’t use these. But I’m sure some people will love them. Again, if you like the cartoony Warhammer style, there are elements here that will appeal to you, which don’t appeal to me. And maybe vice-versa.
Arms and weapons: There’s a good selection of arms and weapons included. All the arms are clad identically: Capped sleeve jerkin down to the elbow, and big gauntlets under that. Simple but effective, and makes them eminently usable with just about any sort of host body, armoured or otherwise.
As befitting a fantasy set, one or two of the weapons are fantastically outsized, but most of the weapons are actually fairly realistically proportioned, and include an attractive and unusual variety of edged weapons. In fact, I think the weapons are one of the best things about this set. The only slightly odd thing is that there are no spear-carrying arms. This is easily fixed by pulling in spear hands from the Gripping Beast plastics, and carrying out a bit of rudimentary transplant surgery. But a strange omission for a set of pseudo-medieval soldiers?
Accoutrements: Well there’s a rucksack and a slung sack, a couple of coils of rope, one or two assorted pouches and purses, a flaming torch (very hard to make flames look realistic in 3-D, so don’t really think this works). There are a couple of shields - nicely textured on the reverse, but distinctly flat and featureless on the front. There’s also a spare helmet (way too big compared to the heads). And one quiver of crossbow bolts – which unfortunately is only half what you would need if you wanted to equip all the figures in the box with the available crossbows. So, a few design flaws I think. But again, a nicely sculpted and useful set of extra parts, some of which I’m sure I’ll make use of in due course.
Onto the builds:
Lannisters:
1. This is going to be my take on Ser Kevan Lannister. I’ve used one of the Frostgrave heads in a kind of hoody/skullcap type thing on top of a Perry Foot Knights body. The head gives him the clerkish look I associate with Ser Kevan. All my Lannisters wear cloaks (because that’s the sort of flash bastards they are), so I’ve added a Fireforge cloak from the Templar Infantry set. The arms are from the Frostgrave box – I really like this sword arm with the falchion-like blade – a nice looking weapon. Finally, waiting at his feet, I’ve given him a visored bascinet from the Perry HYW English Army set. His empty scabbard is from the Fireforge infantry set – would be just about broad enough for his blade I think.
2. Lannister crossbowman. This is a Fireforge infantry body (and cloak), paired with one of the Frostgrave crossbow arm sets. The crossbow itself is really dinky – smaller than crossbows included in other plastic sets, and more like a modern sport or hunting crossbow: not really very medieval looking at all. But a nice piece all the same. He’s also wearing the pouch of quarrels from the Frostgrave set. His suitably menacing kettle-helm-mit-eyeslits comes from the new Perry late medieval light cavalry set.
3. Lannister fighter: Again a Fireforge feudal era foot knight body and cloak, with another enclosed kettle helm, this time from the Perry late medieval foot knights set. The arms wielding broadsword and (only slightly incongruous) Bowie knife, are from the Frostgrave box.
4. Lannister knight: A Perry HYW knight's body and head, FF cloak, and Frostgrave arms: this with an extremely large and wicked looking bardische/poleaxe-thingy. Note that the left arm and hand required to hold the upper haft of the weapon, is NOT the component paired with the axe arm on the frame. You have to use one of the arms that appears to be paired with a crossbow arm, in order to make this fit properly - which is a bit peculiar. (The left arm that’s paired with this long poleaxe on the frame, doesn’t fit. Odd).
Starks:
5. Gatekeeper of Winterfell: (Or maybe MacBeth's drunken porter...
) The Frostgrave arm holding up the lantern it just too nice not to be used. I’ve paired it with the right arm toting a hefty one-handed bearded axe: another very nicely realised weapon. The bearded bare head is also from the Frostgrave set – a severe countenance, and a very useful addition to the universe of 28mm plastic bare heads. The body is a padded-gambeson wearing Perry HYW English longbowmen. The sword is also from one of the Perry sets. As it’s The North, I’ve bulked him out a bit with a Green Stuff fur cape.
6. Stark footsoldier: Here’s the first of the Frostgrave bodies. Works very well for a poorer Stark footslogger I think. I’ve given him the Frostgrave arm wielding a vicious-looking spiked bludgeon, plus a shield arm on which I’ve popped a large Fireforge kite shield. The bellowing head is one of my favourite pieces from the Perry HYW set.
7. Stark footsoldier: Another Frostgrave body with a Perry HYW head on top. This one uses mail-clad long-axe and shield arms from the Gripping Beast plastic Vikings set: which fit very nicely. I’ve added a little Green Stuff furrage to him too.
8. Stark archer: The third Frostgrave body variant, leaning forwards, with a pair of Perry HYW nocking longbow arms, and sheaf of arrows. (Despite two pairs of longbow arms on the Frostgrave frame, there are no arrows or quivers included. So if you want to equip your Frostgrave bowmen with ammunition, you’ll have to source these from elsewhere). The hooded head is from the Frostgrave set – unfortunately this figure now has two hoods – one up and one down! Ah well, never mind - he could have a double hood. Winter is coming.
9. Finally, another Stark footsoldier. The fourth Frostgrave body, now with armoured arms and studded-haft long-axe from the Perry HYW knights frame. Plus a Swedish onion-kettle helm from the Perry light cavalry set. And a bit of Green Stuff fur to round him off. Suitably businesslike I think.
I hope this gives some idea of the versatility of the new Frostgrave set, when brought together with components from some of the other medieval plastic sets out there – never mind from the wide world of plastic fantasy kits.
Painting to follow in due course
15 April 2010, 04:09:08 PM
