Personalities in Miniature

Dated: February 1, 2000.

Here's another contribution from Mr. Dave Keen of England.

Personalities in Miniature

When Italeri released their figure of the Emperor Napoleon last year, they finally immortalised in 1/72 plastic perhaps THE dominant personality of military history. However, a careful scan of figures already on the market reveals a surprisingly large number of personalities. Some are clearly advertised, whereas others have been produced without any confirmation of who they are. Nonetheless, they are easily recognisable after a little research, and can make very interesting subjects for painting.

Airfix

Airfix have made several character figures. The majority of these have been fictional, and include Robin Hood, Maid Marion, Friar Tuck, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Tarzan and friends, and virtually the whole cast of the High Chaparral. Those characters that actually lived are pictured.

King Richard I (the Lionheart) (1157-99) is, so the catalogues tell us, included in the Sheriff of Nottingham set. He must surely be the mounted knight with the crown on his helm, but apart from that his attire is little different to any knight.

Richard spent most of his time either fighting in the crusades with the French, or fighting the French in France. He spent less than 12 months of his 10-year reign in England, and is not thought to have been able to speak English at all. A fact that, if accurately represented, would have changed the finale to a great many Robin Hood films!

Sir Francis Drake (c.1540-96) may come as a surprise. In fact this figure comes with the 1/72 model of the Golden Hind, and whilst it is not labelled as Drake, it could hardly be anyone else.

Drake was a navigator, pirate, explorer and soldier. A hero to some, a villain to others, but undoubtedly a man who made a large mark on history.

Atlantic

Atlantic were by far the most prolific manufacturer of historic characters, with the complete set shown above. From left to right they are:

Davy Crockett (1786-1836) appears no less than 5 times on each sprue in this set. I have chosen to show the wrestling match with a bear, though this figure suffers like many other Atlantic poses in that the subject is looking 'at the camera' rather than at what they are doing.

Crockett clearly had a taste for adventure, and made his name as a superb hunter and Indian fighter. But he was also a fine orator, and his popularity got him elected to the state legislature in 1821 and to Congress three times. However, he is most well known for his death at the Alamo, of which more later.

George Armstrong Custer (1839-76) comes from the set that bears his name, and is clearly meant to show him in his final moments at the battle of the Little Bighorn. Though dramatic, the figure is incorrect in many ways. He is shown wearing uniform, wielding a sword, and with arrows around his body. In fact, like most soldiers he wore much more practical and comfortable clothes on campaigns. He was armed with two pistols on the day (he probably never got close enough to an enemy to use a sword), and when found his body had just two wounds, one in the heart and one in the temple.
Lenin (1870-1924) is from the Russian Revolution set, and shows him making one of his many speeches. A lifelong proponent of violent revolution, he was never in any army, and was always to be seen in public either in a suit or his thick winter coat. After his death his body was preserved and placed on public display, and his image was everywhere in the Soviet sphere of influence until the fall of communism in the 1990's.

Joseph Stalin (1879-1953) was also a revolutionary from his earliest years, and suffered imprisonment and exile in Siberia as a young man. However, his part in the revolution of October 1917 was minor, and it was only after his assumption of total power in the 1920's that his role was grossly exaggerated to make it appear pivotal. Here he is no doubt extolling revolution to a crowd, wearing the traditional garments of a Russian worker.


Mao Zedong (1893-1976) helped to found the Chinese Communist Party (1923), and quickly became it's leader. During the 1930's the communists fought the Government forces of Chiang Kai-shek, and in 1934 they were obliged to undertake the 'Long March' to establish a new base. After the defeat of Japan (1945) and the Nationalists (1949), Mao became Chairman of the new Peoples Republic, and began the familiar exercise of creating a personality cult. Our figure shows him in familiar boiler suit, holding aloft his 'Little Red Book'.

Missing from this line-up are Kit Carson and Geronimo. Kit Carson (1809-68) was a famous trapper and hunter, and served as guide to the Fremont expedition. Of course he wore no uniform during this time, and so any one of the figures in the Kit Carson set could very easily be the man himself. Similarly, Geronimo (1829-1909), the famous Apache chief who led an uprising in 1885-86, cannot be distinguished from his people in the set that bears his name.

Finally, some may be expecting 'Buffalo Bill' (William Frederick Cody 1846-1917) from the set of the same name. Many buffalo hunters were known by the term Buffalo Bill, and the fact that the name is usually associated with Bill Cody is mostly due to his Wild West Show which toured the World.

Esci

Esci have never claimed to have modelled any celebrity in their sets. However, there is one figure which could easily be just that.

Mohammed Ahmed (1848-85) was known as the Mahdi, and led a successful rebellion against Egyptian rule in the Sudan. His most famous act internationally is the siege of Khartoum, the fall of which was accompanied by the killing of General Gordon. Much of Esci's 'Muslim Warriors' set is devoted to troops of the Mahdi, the remainder being mostly Afghan tribesman. Whilst these figures are usually pitted against the French Foreign Legion, it is a pity that an Anglo-Egyptian army was never made.

Imex

Although the Imex range is still modest, and so far exclusively deals with American history, they have produced a large number of personalities.

Davy Crockett (1786-1836) appears once more, but this time specifically as he appeared during the Alamo siege. Like all the other figures in the Alamo Defenders set, the principle design influence is clearly the Osprey Men-At-Arms book - certainly no bad choice. Here our hero is bravely continuing the fight as the mission is being overrun.

James Bowie (1790-1836) was a colonel in the Texan army, and was sent to the Alamo to supervise it's evacuation on the orders of Sam Houston. Upon arrival, however, he ignored this order and helped to prepare it's defence. He was voted commander of the garrison, but soon became too ill with TB. By the time of the Mexican assault he was feverish in his cot, where he was found and bayoneted. Clearly this figure ignores that fact, and shows a healthy and defiant fighter.

William Travis (1809-1836) arrived at the Alamo with 25 men and became it's commander. As Bowie fell more seriously ill after his election to command, Travis became joint commander with him, but Bowie's illness meant Travis was effectively in charge. It was Travis who sent the many pleas for assistance during the siege, and he was shot and killed early on in the final assault.

Samuel Houston (1793-1863) was the commander of such military forces as Texas had during it's revolution. He always felt a stand at the Alamo would be futile, and tried to evacuate it. After the Alamo fell, he led his army against the Mexicans at the Battle of San Jacinto, a victory which gained Texas it's independence, and he became its first president.

Since Houston never defended the Alamo, his place in this set is more honorary, but his contribution to the final victory merits his inclusion.

George Armstrong Custer (1839-76) makes another appearance, this time in the Little Bighorn battle set. As with the Alamo figures, this figure is a testament to the trouble taken by Imex to properly research their subjects.

Clearly once more this figure is meant to be showing him on his last day, but this time the clothing is spot on - a blue flannel shirt, buckskin trousers tucked into long boots and a broad-brimmed white hat. Since Custer and his command spent all of the short battle on foot, he must here be leading the initial charge into battle before things started going badly for him.

Italeri

Italeri has only produced one personality to date, the much anticipated Emperor Napoleon I.

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) is seen here wearing the uniform he grew to favour later in his career. The green undress coat of the Guard Chasseurs a Cheval almost covers the red sash of the Legion of Honour, and over it all he wears his most recognisable garment - the long grey greatcoat and the black beaver felt hat.

Wellington once remarked that Napoleon's presence on a battlefield was worth 10,000 troops, and even today his instantly recognisable image still captures the imagination like no other historical figure.

Matchbox

Matchbox have also managed only one personality, but that one twice!

Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976) appears in two forms. On the left, he appears in the 8th Army set, unlabelled but undoubtedly 'Monty'. He was legendry for his casual dress, and here he wears a soldier's issue pullover, khaki shirt and baggy slacks. The one constant uniform item is the black beret of the Royal Tank Regiment, with the regimental badge next to his general's cap badge. On the right he appears as supplied in the "Monty's Caravan" set, dressed for the Italian or European campaigns, in a standard BD blouse (with gold chain between the breast pockets) and his familiar desert kit plus, of course, the beret.

'Monty' was surely the most famous British general to emerge from the Second World War, and it was he who had the privilege of accepting the German surrender in Europe in 1945.

And finally, a mention for the ones that got away. Preiser have done a set of Columbus figures which look excellent, but sadly I have yet to own. Revell have never claimed any personalities, though it has been said that one of the figures in the AWI American Militia set is supposed to be Benjamin Franklin.

There are an impressive number of characters, but there is always room for more. Wellington and Blucher would be welcome, so perhaps Italeri may oblige us with such figures in some future sets of British and Prussian cavalry. Or perhaps one day someone will do a set such as 'American Civil War Staff'.

Many thanks to Mr. Keen for his excellent conversions.

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