Strategia Nova size comparison

[grotuz]

Looking for some help on how Strategia Nova 25mm Italians compare in size to the rest of the offerings out there from other manufacturers. Are they true 25mm, "heroic" 25mm, 28mm or ?. Spindly, portly, or

In particular I'm looking at the mounted and dismounted lancers if that matters.

[italwars]

Hello...i have a few of those minis and know very well the range..
In my opinion they are not the best offer on the market for this particularly charming and useful period (italian colonials)..
the style of sculpting is not homogenous..varying in size ..the majority of them are very slim..too much if compared with the majority of manufactures who made colonial minis..some of their range are almost grotesque make me thinking at semiflat miniatures..not to forgot that their are not cheap..and the most annooying thing for me is the awful and breakable quality of their metal..
As concern the specific unit you asked about..the "Hawk Feathers" native cavalry they are , in my opinion, better to avoid..semiflat, cartoon type expressions, very stiff....also i f called Lancers..and actually provided with lances..tgose mini does'nt reflect historical accuracy..in fact those Eritrean riders in Italian Service probably used lances in parades on Asmara..but never went in combat with them...so you shoud consider equipping them with Italian Cavalry sabres or, better, curved schyte type Abissinian/Eritrean ones..
Size compability: they look odd with other manufactures ..
i strongly suggest you, if  you like the period, minis from Castaway , Askari, Empress, and, why not, Bicorne..
best option for Askari Cavalry being Castway as the rider is open handed ...a last idea, if you live in USA, is the to purchase some  excellent and specifically made Italian Askary Cavalry by Falcon UK that are sold in USA...i have some their Mounted Italian Askaris and Italian mounted officer and they are fine...

[juergen c. olk]

I concur w/ Italwars,my Italians are a hodgepodge,lot of conversions ,before they made the figures. I have some of the Strategia Nova ,mainly artillerymen and officers and some Alpini for the Mtn guns. I love the Castaway figures,paint well,not to much epuipment. Bicorne the only thing I did not like the askaris,not well defined.

[grotuz]

Thanks for the responses so far. Unfortunately they confirm what I was already thinking.

Italwars - thanks for the info on the "Hawk's Feathers" as I was not aware they only used the lance on parade. What can you tell me about Italian (not Eritrean) cavalry from this period? I'm going from memory, which is dangerous, and I think there was a small unit of lancers sent over some time in the mid to late 80's?

I have quite a few Italian figures painted already from the other manufacturers you mentioned (Castaway, Bicorne, Askari, Empress). I spent a lot of time researching the comments from people like you who have previously posted here before purchasing them. Now its time to add a few cavalry to the group.

Falcon Figures seem to be very hard to find here in the US. From my research the owner seems to be very slow and unreliable when it comes to shipping orders. I did see Minifigs casts part of this range now and has some Late 19th Century/Boxer Rebellion figures but the only Italians I see are infantry.

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/Catalogue.aspx?ScaleID=14&CategoryID=36&SubCategoryID=203

If anyone has pics of the Italian Ascari cavalry Italwars mentions please post/link them.

[Atheling]

I've never heard of Strategio Nova as a company, perhaps someone would be so kind as to post up some pics of some of their ranges?

Darrell.

[italwars]

Italwars - thanks for the info on the "Hawk's Feathers" as I was not aware they only used the lance on parade. What can you tell me about Italian (not Eritrean) cavalry from this period? I'm going from memory, which is dangerous, and I think there was a small unit of lancers sent over some time in the mid to late 80's?
Falcon Figures seem to be very hard to find here in the US.
http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/Catalogue.aspx?ScaleID=14&CategoryID=36&SubCategoryID=203
If anyone has pics of the Italian Ascari cavalry Italwars mentions please post/link them.

Hello ..it's pleasure to help you with any info i could furnish on Italian Colonial
Anyway..a few words about Italian Cavalry in the Colony
the only mention of Italian (Metropolitan/white troops) cavalry in Eritrea was in the late 1880's ...after the disaster of Dogali, Rome send a strong expeditionary force well equipped for Africa..among them..if i rember well, a composed Italian Cavalry Squadron with lancers,,,BUT...as with other Italian troops,..they saw no action at all...italy preferred , untill Adwa, a diplomatic (also in this case catastrophic) approach with the Negus Empire...After initial deployment, the majority of Italian Metropolitan troops (including those cavalry/lancers) were sent back to Italy..so i can confirm you that the only, scarse but effective, actions where carried out by Italian Native "Hawk Feathers" cavalry...and only Vs the battle/skirmishes VS the Dervishes..never VS Ethiopians,,,which is a pity and a mistery..because Eritrean Colony had at his disposal 2 then 1 full Squadrons of that well trained and well motivated Cavalry to , eventually, oppose as at Adwa Battle , to the hordes of Galla/Ethiopians mounted tribesmen that , on the other hand, where used effectivly in  scouting and with tremendous effects Vs Italian defeated troops reteating from Adwa Battlefield...So...if you really want your Italian force provided with a mounted arm..choose a single unit of mounted Askaris (i play with the TSATF so my unit is 12 casting one)..maybe with 3/4 Askaris equipped with lances ..just for the sake of  our naive and amusing approach to the game also if non historical...and some dismounted types. (they repelled a Dervish Bagarra Cavalry attack dismounting and firing) .in this case you must do with the awful Strategia Nova...your white  Officer/NCO could sport on his cork helmet the same black feather distintictive of the "Penne di Falco" tarbush..
I had enormous problem in otbtaining even an answer from Falcon..so i know what you mean..but believe me they do few nice Italian Askaris, a single Italian Infantryman (in white uniform for Dogali) and a very nice separate arm Hawk Feather with a cavalry mounted officer...

[italwars]

a link on the subject...sorry found only  stuff in Italian

http://www.warfare.it/storie/cavalleria_coloniale.html

[malto cortese]

a link on the subject...sorry found only  stuff in Italian

http://www.warfare.it/storie/cavalleria_coloniale.html

I support my fellow countryman Italwar, the strategia nova minis are a bit rough compared to what's available on the market today. It's a pity, as they offer a large range with lots of details - including a wagon, heliograph, etc. But the proportions and the sculpting would have been appropriate for the 1980s, not for today. The only other thing one needs to mention is that the range is very uneven and that some figures are better than others, the dismounted Hawk Feathers being perhaps the best of the lot. Italwars produced his own series years ago and even though it was a very small one, it was much better and his Ethiopians in particular were very good. Maybe we should all persuade him to bring it back to life and expand it...

[italwars]

Italwars produced his own series years ago and even though it was a very small one, it was much better and his Ethiopians in particular were very good. Maybe we should all persuade him to bring it back to life and expand it...

Thanks Malto for the kind and friendly comments....in fact i discovered with great pleasure in one of your old posted picts  that you painted my ITALWARS Abbyssinians with great effect...it could be interesting if you could post and show us some more
Anyway..as Malto said, i'm the man behind that line of exotic minis..the project dating from many yeras ago was simply to have produced the minis that i thought nobody will do...and, above all ,  for my own pleasure and armies...the firts and only range in 28mm was conceived, long before Wargame Foundry issued their famous DA range, as a kind of "African Adventure " or Pot Pourrie for that Continent ...i produced, in fact, a Arab/Swaili slaver, an Azande type tribesman and, one of my best also if unknown figure, an Askari of the Belgian Force Publique..then came a handful of Ethiopian warriors both élite and levies and some iconic Eritrean Askaris, Cacciatori d'Africa and Bersaglieri....the following years, thanks to increasing demand, i swifted to more recent periods and smaller scale (20mm)..presenting some unique for the time, Italian Askaris for 1912-1941 Italian East Africa, some irregular Somalis Dubats, Lybian Askaris, Italian Black Shirts and their Ethiopian opponents..plus a totaly new series of WW1 Italian & Austrian plus WW2 RSI troops....the interesting feedbacks was that i sold a lot of 28mm minis (singly offered) abroad (USA, France, Spain, Germany) and very few in Italy...while for the 20mm it was the opposite..many in Italy and France..very few in USA..the overall majority sellings where concentrated, with my great satisfaction, abroad and not Italy..and in that time web market was'nt developped as today..(no paypal, no credit card facility)....the only bizarre drawback was that , except a single  retailer, i sold practically nothing in UK...
So my considerations for an eventual revamp and relaunching of my productions are  necessary linked to potential markets...and i'm considering above all Foreign Market not Italian one...Other drawback was the piratizing of my figures that i experimented and that, as everybody knows here in Italy, is carried out by no shame at all by some well known guys who sold figures all over the country (including, of course, the quasi totality of the most famous manufactures from UK).. at the moment i received quite a few request to put again in production my 20mm lines..i'm still in touch with one of the original sculptors who is already designing a pair of masters.....the only thing i should fix up and understood well before deciding what to do is the crowfunding possibility (Kickstarter or similar)..if somebody ever experimented with it and can give me his advice connected to the production of Historical types minis ..he will be very welcomed

[juergen c. olk]

Strategia Nova used to be Strategia Tacticca. I hope that clarifys that for you Atheling. But whatever figures you use the Italian army is very cool to game with,lots of panache.