I have worked my way through 1/3 of each set of the recently purchased HaT cavalry figures. The first thing to say is. they are quite nice figures, nice poses, reasonable sculpting and as far as my limited knowledge goes, appear to be pretty accurate in details.
My two main issues are the size/scale and the material they are molded in.
I already mentioned what I think is a big size discrepancy and you will see it in the photos below. I cant really demonstrate the material, but take it from me, its not hard plastic - its not even plastic in my opinion, its rubber! The figures are far more flexible than the likes of Esci or Airfix (unless they have changed since I were a lad...)
I have been in touch with the NZ supplier who has been very accommodating but still believes these are what HaT classifies as 28mm. Its made more confusing by the fact the boxes SAY they are code 80xx 1/72 scale, but on each end, a label has been added sating they are code 28xxx 28mm scale figures. Apparently this is what HaT do - but how would either the supplier or I know if someone had not just made a mistake with a batch...?
Anyway I think I will just have to let it go, put it down to experience, paint the rest and move on with my life!
Have a look and see what you think?
The four Heavy Dragoons - painted as the Second Dragoon Guards with black facings. Also known as The Bays due to the colour of their mounts.
The Light Dragoons - painted as the 16th (Queens) Regiment with red facings
Now below are a few size comparison shots
Perry to left of them, Perry to right of them - and Perry are not generally seen as particularly large 28mm figures....
With genuine 25mm figures - very old Minifigs to the left and a Mirlton rocket trooper from Italy on the right
Finally, the heavy cavalry flanked by Warlord figures - a bit of a difference, and its not just that they are slimmer! But are they small enough to be 1/72 - I dont have any old plastic mounted figures to compare them to, but I suspect they are NOT that small!
Now, a few more 28mm (no, honestly!) Wargames Atlantic skeletons.
Not a hell of a lot to say about them - they are easy to assemble and easy to paint - a win/win!
And finally, we had a local walk yesterday (Sunday) about 40 min drive to the east of us.
The start of the climb to the summit - 750 steps interspersed with paths that lead steadily upwards - it certainly gave heart, lungs and leg muscles a good work out!
View down after a solid climb of 200 steps without a break - that was HARD!
After about a half hour slog, we reached the summit
A couple of views, followed by a 360 degree video
And then we descended - 1200 steps this time - less steep and of course a lot easier going down!
The end/start of the walk
We stopped by the side of the road in the small village of Clevedon to eat lunch. This monument was 100m away, so of course I had to investigate! Like the UK, France and for all I know, other parts of the world, almost every small settlement in NZ has a memorial to the dead of WWI and WWII - and sometimes other conflicts eg the Boer War or the Vietnam War
The hill in the background is the one we had just walked up.
On our return trip, we stopped to "do" another cemetery - this time at Papakura. Not as well maintained or on the same scale as the one in New Plymouth but the usual interesting assortment of memorial stones. Papakura has quite a strong association with the New Zealand armed forces and the NZSAS are still based there I think....yes, it is, as per Google, from which I also pinched this image - a memorial to the WWII LRDG.
That's our lot today. Hopefully with our Omicron spike seeming to be coming to an end, we may have an opportunity for some games again in the not too distant future. Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment!
Those cavalry have painted up very nice. One of our club members used the HaT figures for his Napoleonics. They are much slimmer and nearer 25mm. Not really compatible with other manufacturers
ReplyDeleteThnaks Scotty - online reviews seem to vary on this point - the images on MacPhees Miniature Men seemed to show the infantry WERE compatible - but the cavalry are certainly very diminutive 28'S Oh well, they were not very expensive and I am sure they will fight just as well, after all, our beautifully painted modern Front Rank or Perry figures are regularly spanked by battalions of forty year old Minifigs troops!
DeleteNice finish, they are meant to be 28mm albeit slimmer and with smaller horses,more like 25mm, the difference isn't as noticeable with the infantry, I'll try and dig some out and do a comparison picture.
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thanks Iain - I would be interested - as the Chasseurs on Scott MacPhees blog looked very nice and seemed OK size - wise. The lack of figures in the HaT range would probably preclude me from buying any of the infantry though, I had thought the cavalry might be a cheap way to build up a few British dragoon regiments but I dont think I will be getting any more - whats your opinion on the standard of plastic - are the infantry "harder" or are they the same rubbery consistency?
DeleteThe infantry are in normal hard plastic, I've seen on a blog where someone has supplemented their Perry plastic Prussians with Hat marching Prussians and replacing their heads with spare Perry plastic ones,they were pretty successful but I know the British cavalry are some weird consistency as my nephew found that too!
DeleteBest Iain
Ok thanks...rather annoying as they are perfectly fine in terms of poses etc...proper plastic and a little bit bigger, and they would work perfectly!
DeleteExcellent brushwork but the these HaT cavalry look like skinny, little fellas next the the Perry figures. Thanks for sharing your latest, beautiful walk. Raining here today. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dean, I did find them quite hard to paint, partly due to size but also I think the rubbery material didn't help either. We have been fortunate with rage wearpther here, compared with all the flooding in Australia, although an area of the N Island east coast north of Gisborne has has a bad time with excessive rainfall.
DeleteGreat looking HaT figures, Keith. Love that Long Range Desert Group memorial with the jeep sticking out. BTW, the review for the HaT 28's was on the Plastic Soldier Review site a while back. http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Index.aspx/
ReplyDeleteThanks Dean, it seems very odd HaT describe these as hard plastic when they patently aren't...oh well, we live and learn!
DeleteThey look good to me but definitely look like 25mm (1/72) than 28mm, but the latter can vary quite a bit from manufacturer to manufacturer. On the table they would probably look fine if kept as units on their own, rather than mixed in as it were.
ReplyDeleteSome lovely photos as usual but I doubt my asthma would enjoy that climb:(. The legs and heart would be OK, famous last words!
Thanks Steve...the two units will go into the cavalry barracks and may see the table at some point....I really have too much variety, so each collection gets limited employment....the Nap Brits probably haven't been in action for at least eighteen months.
DeleteThe stairs up the side of the hill were quite enough for me too. The first time my wife did the walk ( with my 23 year old daughter) she actually gave up a few hundred yards from the summit ( not knowing she only had a couple more minutes to go)
Well, there’s nothing wrong with the figures themselves and I imagine that rubber like miniatures would hold up well against ham fisted clumsy gamers like myself.
ReplyDeleteBut head and shoulders shorter than the other 28mm is quite a difference. Some would find it too much a difference. For me it depends on the kit. If they look like they are carrying toothpicks next to the larger figure’s swords that bothers me.
You are spending WAY too much time outdoors. Don’t you know that outside is where the weather is?!! Lol. 😀😀
Thanks Stew. I agree, they are nice enough figures but could not be mixed, unlike the infantry apparently, which is rather odd! We already have games occasionally mixing current figures verses a deceased friends seventies style 25mm collections, it's not very aesthetically pleasing but the little fellas often win the melees, so in wargaming, size really doesn't matter, as they say!
DeleteWe are fortunate here to have pretty benign weather, so it's pretty safe to be outside most of the year....although, we do have the highest per capita rate of skin cancer in the world...so it's not completely safe!
I had a similar situation when I purchased my first Front Rank, some Napoleonic Russian Jager buglers to go into my Minifig battalions. Nobody's fault but my own, as Front Rank have never declared themselves to be anything other than 28mm, but I did end up spending another couple of thousand on a Front Rank Russian army. I won't hesitate to use them alongside my Minifigs on a different flank if I need the figures, and I am sure these guys won't look too out of place charging around in their own units. I bet they end up being the star performers too, as you mention.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lawrence, I agree with the mix n match concept....my Napoleonic armies are all composed of different manufacturers, Front Rank, Old Glory, Sash n Sabre, a few Connoiseur, some Foundry and as shown recently, a very few forty year old 25mm....they work fine together!
DeleteWell that's a shame. From 4 feet on the table top they "might" pass muster when grouped in with other minis? Either way, you painted them up nicely and like you say, you can always stay well clear of that brand in the future.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dai, I concur with both your conclusions....the figures will see service if required and I won't get any more of them!
DeleteAbsolutely lovely work on the figures. Really enjoyed sharing your outing pics... I wish I was there.
ReplyDeleteThanks Richard, glad you liked everything....we are reopening our borders soon for double vaxxed tourists, so you could pop over if you like....but leave it till Dec as we are about to enter our less pleasant period of weather....it's still sunny fifty per cent of the time, but not ninety per cent of the time like it is from Dec to April!
DeleteNicely done on the Hat figures, I am assuming they are made of the same material as their smaller counterparts. They work well as figures, and when painted look fine but are not very robust
ReplyDeleteThat's very true Matt, the rubber is very bendy in the two horses that only have two of their four legs in contact with the base. I have an update on the whole HaT saga actually but will put it in my next post!
DeleteThey have painted up rather well…
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame about the size… too big for early Minifigs and Hinton Hunts and too small for the more modern ranges…
I bought some Hat ancients quite a while ago… from their earlier ranges…they were nice toys but were in two different kinds of plastic and three different sizes…
Hopefully there is a bit more consistency in the newer stuff…
The skeletons are looking good… as does the scenery.
All the best. Aly
Thanks Aly...an update on the HaT figures will appear in my next post.....!
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